Last week I shared a recipe for eggs in purgatory, a breakfast dish where eggs are baked in a rich tomato sauce and served for breakfast. This week I’m going for something creamier (and even simpler!). These French baked eggs (aka shirred eggs or “Œufs cocotte”) combine eggs, cream, and cheese in ramekins for a fool-proof, simple breakfast/brunch dish. If you want to serve up something rich, creamy, decadent, and – as a bonus – that seems like it took effort but is pretty much effortless, then this oven-baked eggs recipe is going to be your new favorite. Combining eggs with a dash of cream and cheese makes a practically sinful custardy mixture. Bake the eggs until soft-boiled or hard-boiled, then serve up with your favorite bread ready to dip into the gooey, creamy egg mixture. Once you’ve only got hard egg whites left, smear it all over the bread for such a simple breakfast treat! This method for baked eggs in ramekins is also great for catering to a large number of people. I mean, there are only so many eggs you can fry at once in a pan. Yet you can easily add tons of ramekins to the oven so everyone can eat at once! Plus, these oven-baked eggs take just a couple of minutes of prep, and there are tons of ways to customize these French baked eggs, too – keep reading for my top suggestions! Best of all, there’s no whisking, boiling, flipping, etc. Instead, just shove the ramekins in the oven and bake to perfection every single time! Looking for more eggy breakfast inspiration? Why not try this recipe for fluffy cloud eggs or this how-to for boiling your eggs perfectly every single time!
The Shirred Eggs Ingredients
Eggs: use large eggs. I like to use free-range eggs with deep yolks.Cheese: Comté, Emmental, or Gruyere will work particularly well with these French oven-baked eggs. However, you can use the cheese of your choice, mozzarella, other melty cheese, etc.Herbs: I love to use fresh thyme or chives to garnish the oeuf en cocotte. Rosemary, basil, or parsley would also work.Cream: you can use light or heavy cream (the latter is the authentic option) or even half and half. Alternatively, use plain yogurt (not as rich, but it’s healthier). Sour cream would also work.Butter: I used homemade unsalted butter to grease the ramekins. Alternatively, you can use cooking spray.Salt & Pepper: to season to personal taste.Bread (optional): to serve with the oven-baked eggs, I recommend a type of bread for dipping. Traditionally baguette will work. However, I’ve also enjoyed them with Turkish simit, soft pretzel, naan, or a simple crusty loaf.
Optional add-ins and Variations
The ways to adapt this French oven-baked eggs recipe are practically endless as eggs and cream pair well with so many ingredients. Here are just a few suggestions on ways to customize your baked eggs in the oven.
Smoked salmon: line the ramekin with smoked salmon before adding the egg mixture for a smoky, salmon-infused oeufs en cocotte.Other protein: if you eat them, you could also add lardon pieces of bacon or ham for salty, smoky flavor. Greens: alternatively, line it with spinach or arugula. Finely chopped and sauteed Swiss chard or kale would also workOther vegetables: as long as they cook fairly quickly, there are all kinds of veggies you can add to this dish, including bell peppers, zucchini, shredded broccoli, asparagus, olives, sun-dried tomato, cherry tomatoes, etc. Certain veggies do best with pre-sautéing them like leeks, mushrooms, eggplant, etc.Aromatics: minced shallot, red onion, and/or garlic would make excellent additions to these French baked eggs.Spice: to add a hint of spice, sprinkle over a pinch of red pepper flakes. Alternatively, add some chili or chili sauce to the egg-cream mixture.Tomato base: as I mentioned in this eggs in purgatory recipe, you could easily spoon some of the tomato sauce (or marinara) into the bottom of a ramekin and top with the egg mixture, then bake.Potato: my favorite spud addition is to press thawed hash brown into the bottom of the ramekin, bake for 13-14 minutes, then add the egg and bake once more. You could also add pre-baked diced potato or sweet potato.Other cheese: for non-traditional options, there are tons of cheese varieties that would work well for these baked eggs: feta, goat cheese, Boursin, brie, etc.Truffle: for a 5-star breakfast, add a drop of truffle oil to the top of the baked eggs (or shave some truffles if you have them).Pesto: swirl a little green pesto over the top of the egg before or after baking.
How to Make French Baked Eggs in The Oven?
Step 1: Prepare the egg ramekin
First, preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Then generously butter the ramekin/s and crack in the two eggs. Pour over the cream and add the freshly grated cheese and salt and pepper. Then cover the ramekin with a lid.
Step 2: Bake the French Eggs
To a large, oven-safe dish, add about an inch of water (a bain-marie) and then place the ramekin into the water. Bake the eggs in the oven for 15 minutes (10 minutes covered, 5 minutes uncovered) for soft-boiled eggs or 18 minutes (13 covered, 5 uncovered) for hard-boiled.
Step 3: Garnish and serve
Remove the oven-baked eggs from the oven and top with your fresh herbs, then serve with the bread of your choice.
How to Store?
Storing: I prefer to enjoy my shirred eggs immediately for the best texture and runny yolk. However, feel free to refrigerate any leftovers, covered, for between 3-4 days. Reheat: you can gently reheat the French baked eggs in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
How to Serve Oeuf en Cocotte?
You can enjoy these shirred eggs with a simple bread side. Alternatively, serve it up as a larger breakfast or brunch spread alongside:
Baked beans,Fried/grilled tomatoes,Protein – like smoked salmon, or your favorite breakfast meat,Sauteed spinach,Fresh fruit or fruit salad,Serve with this sweet potato hash (excluding the eggs in that recipe, of course) or skillet potatoes.
You can also serve these as part of a brunch spread alongside French toast, pancakes, baked oatmeal, banana bread, and waffles!
Recipe Notes and Top Tips
When serving a large crowd: instead of serving each portion in an individual ramekin, you could bake lots of eggs in a large casserole dish. Though, the baking times will need adjusting somewhat, so keep an eye on it.For a single egg serving: you could use a greased muffin tin instead of the ramekins and reduce the baking time by 2-3 minutes.When making oven-baked eggs for the first time: I recommend keeping an eye on your oven as each oven is slightly different, and the times needed for the eggs to bake might differ slightly. However, once you have the times and temps sorted, it’ll be the same every time.If baking eggs from room temperature: you may need to reduce the time slightly.
More Eggy Breakfast & Brunch Dishes
Fluffy Scrambled Eggs (With Butter | + Flavor Variations!)Italian eggs in purgatorySweet potato breakfast hashFluffy cloud eggsOne-Pan Vegetarian Full English Breakfast (British Fry-Up)Savory oatmeal with eggMexican huevos rancherosBreakfast fried riceHow to boil eggs perfectly (soft, medium, hard)
If you try this French oven-baked eggs recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
