Scrambled Eggs for a Crowd

By Ali Slagle

Published December 18, 2024

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(254)
Comments
Read comments

Making fluffy, tender and creamy scrambled eggs for a crowd is easier than you might think — and it doesn’t require learning a totally newfangled method. This recipe makes just a few tweaks to a common technique to accommodate two dozen eggs. Trade the skillet for a Dutch oven and add the eggs to a warm, not hot, pot. As you slowly scrape in long sweeps, the eggs will begin to clump. Once you see the bottom of the pot behind your wooden spoon, take the pot off the heat and add cold butter, which will drop the temperature to prevent overcooking. Flip the curds until the still-runny egg and melting butter form a creamy, obviously buttery, coating.

Featured in: The Simplest Way to Make Creamy Scrambled Eggs for a Crowd

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 12 servings

  • 24 large eggs

  • ½ cup half-and-half or heavy cream

  • 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

  • Black pepper and sliced chives, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 12 servings)

2 grams carbs; 469 milligrams cholesterol; 251 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 20 grams fat; 338 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Blend or whisk the eggs, half-and-half and salt together until no streaks remain.

  2. Step 2

    In a large Dutch oven or nonstick pot, melt half the butter cubes over medium. Refrigerate the remaining butter. When the butter is melted, swirl the pot to coat, then add the eggs.

  3. Step 3

    Use a wooden spoon to slowly scrape the sides and bottom of the pot in figure-8 motions. As you do so, big clumps will form. Repeat until one drag of the spoon reveals the bottom of the pot, then quickly fills with runny egg, 6 to 8 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Working quickly, immediately remove the pot from the heat and add the remaining chilled butter. Scrape and flip the clumps over until slightly underdone, 30 seconds to 1 ½ minutes, depending on how firm you like your eggs. The runny egg should be barely set but still shiny.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer to a bowl or plates, sprinkle with black pepper and chives, if using, and serve right away; while it’s tempting to serve the eggs from the pot, they will overcook as they sit.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
254 user ratings
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Comments

James

I followed the recipe to the letter to great success. I did have to make a few changes in ratios as I was cooking for a horde and not a crowd, and I ended up serving with bits of cured mutton and kumis (a fermented beverage made from mare's milk) instead of coffee and toast. All the same, I sent everybody off to the steppe well fed from the perfectly cooked eggs and slightly buzzed from the kumis.

Laura

Add a handful of a cheese that melts really well, like pepperjack or Colby. It helps keep it even creamier. A smidge of bacon fat is also amazing

Steve

As a teenager, with kitchen job in a Catholic retreat facility, the chef baked the scrambled eggs in a low temp oven, stirring a several times and added butter at the end. Same concept but simpler execution.

kallan

Served these at a 25-person family reunion to great success. Made no changes (except that I always use salted butter) and multiple people asked for the recipe.

P.S

I’m a small curd guy personally. Constant stirring. Finish with crème fraiche. Loose, creamy, small curds.

Beverly Nelson

Curiosity. I use an enamel skillet, melt the butter and stir in the eggs, cream and seasonings. Why do you add the butter at the end not the beginning?

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