Creamy Ricotta Scrambled Eggs

Four ingredients and ten minutes to the creamiest, softest scrambled eggs. These Creamy Ricotta Scrambled Eggs are custardy and light as a cloud and they are sure to be your new favorite way to eat eggs!

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Making Ricotta Scrambled Eggs is so much easier than you can imagine. The key is to not rush things. I like to cook my scrambled eggs low and slow, something I learned from watching Wolfgang Puck cook eggs years ago. Whether it takes 2 minutes or 5 minutes to make scrambled eggs is such a small difference in time, but makes a world of difference in the results.

Heat, time, and technique determine what kind of eggs you'll be serving. Cooking quickly at high heat will result in American-style scrambled eggs, with big, solid curds. We will be using a more French-style technique, cooking gently over lower heat, yielding soft and creamy scrambled eggs. Adding ricotta cheese, both when whisking your eggs and when cooking them, will give you the creamiest scrambled eggs ever.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• Short ingredient list - There are only 4 ingredients in these Creamy Ricotta Scrambled Eggs. 5 if you count the chive garnish.
• Quick - From whisking to scrambling to eating your eggs can be done in as little as 10 minutes!
• Easy - The best scrambled eggs are all about technique. Take your time and just let the eggs cook. Don't overthink it. They're just eggs!
• Delicious - My original scrambled eggs recipe is amazing, but my family and I were amazed at how adding ricotta cheese would give us the creamiest, most delicious eggs we would ever taste!

Ingredients

When a dish has so few ingredients, there's nowhere to hide. Using the best ingredients you can afford and treating them with respect will give you the best results.

Ricotta - For the creamiest, custardy eggs, use whole milk ricotta. If possible, make your own ricotta! It only takes about 30 minutes and the flavor and texture difference is amazing!

Eggs - Since breakfast is usually the only meal I get to share with my husband, I try to use the best eggs I can. I splurge a bit here and use only organic pasture raised eggs, but you should use the best eggs that you can afford. (see more about pasture raised eggs in the note below)

Butter - I use unsalted butter, but other than that, I'm not too fussy about what butter I use. If I'm making puff pastry I might splurge on a good European or New Zealand butter, but not here.

Salt - I use kosher salt. If you are using common table salt, like Morton's, use half the amount of salt called for in the recipe. (see more about salt in the note below)

See recipe card below for quantities.

Free range vs Pasture raised eggs

I recently got a real education on the difference between pasture raised eggs and free-range eggs from my daughter. I thought an egg was an egg, but boy was I wrong.

To be designated free-range eggs, the USDA requirement is that each is hen has access to a minimum of 2 square feet of outdoor space. 2 square feet! Not necessarily grass, possibly even concrete, and only 2 feet of it.

On the other hand, when designating eggs as pasture-raised, they are certifying that each hen gets a minimum of 108 square feet of pasture for themselves. A pasture might be a field, a meadow, or even the woods where they can walk around and hunt and peck for food. The result is not only chickens that get to be chickens, but eggs that have a richer, darker yolk and a better flavor.

Special note on salt

Whenever one of my recipes calls for salt, I mean kosher salt, and I am specifically referring to Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Why? Bon Appetit has an article that really dives into the whole salt story, but in my case, this is what I've found works best for me and I use it consistently throughout all of my recipes. Using the same brand and type of salt across all your recipes means a consistent amount of seasoning across all your recipes. No surprises. You can always add more salt, but you can't remove it.

Substitutions

Here are a few changes you can make and still enjoy delicious scrambled eggs:

• Ricotta - If you don't have ricotta, you can substitute with cottage cheese. I would recommend using whole fat cottage cheese to match the same creaminess as ricotta. I also suggest you strain the cottage cheese so your eggs aren't watery. You can also use cream cheese and some heavy cream, like in my Fluffy Scrambled Egg recipe.
• Butter - I prefer the richness and flavor that butter gives to my scrambled eggs, but you can substitute with margarine or even olive oil.
• Chives - The chives are not strictly required, and can be skipped or replaced with any other soft herb. I used chives and added fresh basil as well.

Variations

They're your eggs. Have them your way! Here are a few suggestions:

• Green eggs and ham - Fold in pesto and a little bit of prosciutto.
• Everything bagel - Replace the ricotta with cream cheese and fold in some smoked salmon at the end. Sprinkle with everything seasoning.
• Omelette - You can skip whisking ricotta into your eggs, and just fold it in and roll up your eggs, for a more traditional omelette vibe.

Equipment

Other than your ingredients and your technique, the most important element to good eggs is to use the right pan. There are resources that will tell you why using a cast iron or a stainless steel pan is superior, but for consistent success, and eggs that don't stick, what you really need is a good large nonstick pan.

Not as much of a workhorse as cast iron, and not as durable as stainless steel, a good nonstick pan is an essential in my kitchen for things like eggs, fish, and pancakes. Because all nonstick wears and scratches eventually (the recommendation is to replace yours every 3 to 5 years), don't spend a fortune. My Tramontina nonstick pan is less than $35 and has never let me down.

Instructions

Mixing your eggs

If possible, leave your eggs and your ricotta on the counter to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Your eggs will cook more evenly and the ricotta will better blend into the eggs and melt while cooking.

1. Crack your eggs into a large bowl.

2. Add half of your ricotta to the eggs.

3. Use a whisk to vigorously mix the ricotta into your eggs.

4. Your eggs are well mixed when there are no more streaks of yolks or whites visible and the ricotta is mostly combined.

5. If you want your eggs even more mixed and your eggs to have a fluffier texture, you can use an immersion blender to fully combine the eggs and ricotta.

6. When using an immersion blender your eggs will lighten in color and there will be very little visible ricotta, if any.

Cooking your eggs

Before starting to cook, make sure you have your plates out and ready to receive their portion of eggs. Leaving your eggs in the pan will cause them to overcook. Your eggs will continue to cook from the residual heat, so remove them from the heat when they still glisten with moisture. 

1. Heat a nonstick pan to medium heat and add butter to melt. Just before cooking, add a pinch of salt to your eggs and whisk them.

2. Pour the eggs into the skillet and immediately reduce your heat to medium-low.

3. Allow the eggs to set for about 15 seconds and then run a spatula across the surface of the pan, scraping the cooked eggs off to the side and allowing uncooked egg to take their place against the surface of the pan.

4. Scrape your spatula along the bottom and sides of the pan to continue to form curds and to prevent any part of the eggs from drying out. If at any time the eggs seem to be cooking too quickly, continue stirring while removing the pan from the heat for about 30 seconds.

5. Continue cooking the eggs until they are about 90% done and they are still glistening with moisture. Take your pan off the heat and dollop the remaining ricotta on top of the mostly cooked eggs.

6. Fold the eggs over the ricotta. Transfer directly to serving plates. Garnish with fresh herbs and cracked black pepper, if desired.

Serving Suggestion

Sunday Brunch is a great time to catch up with family and friends over great food. Bring home the dream of an Italian Inspired Brunch, including this recipe!

Recipe FAQ's

Storage and Reheating

Storage

I rarely make enough scrambled eggs to have leftovers, but if you do, store leftover eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Reheating

It's difficult to reheat leftover eggs without overcooking them. That's just a fact. They are never going to be the same creamy ricotta scrambled eggs you started with, but here are a couple ways I've had success in reheating eggs, and a couple ways I would probably skip.

• Water bath - The best way to gently reheat your ricotta scrambled eggs is a bit of a hassle, but has the best result. Heat a pot of water until almost boiling and remove from heat. Place your eggs in a vacuum seal bag or freezer zip top bag, removing all excess air, and place in the water until the eggs are hot, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Oven - If you have a larger quantity of eggs to reheat, say you made a double batch, place them in a buttered dish, cover them with a lid, or aluminum foil and place in a 300°F oven for 15 minutes, or until hot.
• Microwave - If you just want hot eggs and don't care if they're a bit overdone, just zap them in the microwave for about 30 to 45 seconds.
• Stovetop - No. Just make new eggs. Love yourself.
  
  I guess all this is to say, just make as many eggs as can be eaten in one sitting. Reheating can either be a hassle or a disaster. You'll be happier making them fresh!

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