Microwave Fried Egg Method (No Dirty Dishes!)

This no-pan egg frying in the microwave trending hack from TikTok is the most perfect easy egg hack ever.

This “stove free” “dish free” egg trick has been all over the interwebs, and we break down what exactly worked for us and how to duplicate this in your own kitchen. 

Why you will love making this TikTok Egg Recipe

Great for kids and college students – Many kids and college students in dorms have a lot of limitations on home cooking. Learning to cook an egg in a microwave is a valuable skill to provide a great breakfast without the need for a full kitchen. 

No mess, no fuss – Typically, making eggs requires pans, oil, eggs, milk, and butter!

But this no fuss, no mess paper plate method to make eggs will have you on a quick path for that tiktok egg sandwich in under a minute. 

Where did this hack original come from? 

Presumably, people have been doing this for ages – after all, the microwave was invented for ease, and like many viral ideas on tiktok, it’s been done 1000s of times before.

However, we did get wind of this from two FYP appearances @akakasandra (“So you wanna cook an egg, but you don’t wanna do dishes”…SAY NO MORE)  and @drewbie.lee. 

See the video below in action: 

https://www.tiktok.com/@akakasandra/video/7124998048777882926

Testing Eggs in Microwave – Important Notes

Here are some important notes as we put this viral egg hack to the test. 

• I tried this egg method three times! I prefer to use cooking spray vs. oil. I used vegetable oil and vegetable cooking spray.
• The vegetable oil tasted fine, but the cooking spray made a prettier egg.
• The egg did pop, and seem like it was about to burst in the microwave, but it was just the oil getting hot.

• 50 seconds gave me a hard center, and 35 seconds had more liquid yolk. You’ll have to experiment with your microwave to perfect this, as all microwave wattages are different.
• I also used cheap paper plates to see if it would work, and it did. Slid right off the plate (with both methods), too!

Fried Egg Ingredients

• One egg
• nonstick cooking spray
• Two paper plates

How to Microwave an Egg on a Paper Plate

1. Generously spray one paper plate with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Crack the egg on the plate and top with an additional plate to make a cover.

4. Microwave on high for 45-50 seconds or up to a minute, depending on how you like your egg. 
5. Remove from the microwave and enjoy as-is or slide off the plate onto your favorite toast.

Expert Egg Tips

There is more than one way to cook an egg in the microwave! Go from fried to scrambled by cracking an egg in a mug, adding milk, butter, and some seasoning.

Mix and microwave for up to 2 minutes. Smother with cheese, mix, and boom!

Can you microwave a paper plate? 

Just like all elements, this depends on what the plate is made from.

While the term “paper plate” implies paper, it’s often used interchangeably for any disposable plate. Plates made from plastic should NOT go into the microwave, but simple, cheap white made-from-paper plates are typically fine. 

Plates usually say on the packaging if they are safe for heat and microwaves, so when in doubt, refer to manufacturer rules.