This Egg foo Young Recipe, also known as egg fu yung, is a delicious light, airy Chinese omelet filled with red pepper, celery, mushrooms, onions, bean sprouts, scallions, and chicken smothered in a flavorful, tangy, and savory brown gravy that will leave you licking your plate.
It is one of our favorite breakfast recipes and always a hit with friends and family, and it tastes even better than your local Chinese restaurants. My family loves Asian cuisine or anything with an Asian flair. This recipe, Chicken Fried Rice, Sesame Chicken, and Shrimp Fried Rice are just a few of our favorites.
Do you like eggs? We love them! If you have never tried Egg Foo Young, then you really must give this a try. It is fabulous. What is not to love about fluffy eggs filled with onions, mushrooms, celery, bean sprouts, and chicken and topped with the most incredible gravy? This wonderful recipe works well for breakfast or dinner! If you like this recipe, try steak and eggs, baked eggs, and hashbrowns casserole.
What is Egg Foo Young?
It is a fluffy Chinese omelet shaped like a pancake filled with finely chopped vegetables and meat or seafood. Traditionally, it is served smothered with a soy sauce-based tangy gravy. You can skip the gravy and make a St. Paul Sandwich. Serve the omelet between two slices of white bread with mayonnaise, onion, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Either way, you can’t go wrong, as both are delicious.
Ingredients Needed
- Eggs: large ones
- Vegetables: bell pepper, celery, mushrooms, onion, bean sprouts, and green onions
- Seasonings: kosher salt and white pepper (or black pepper)
- Chicken:
- Oil: vegetable or canola, and sesame oil
- Chicken broth: low sodium is best
- Soy sauce: low sodium
- Brown sugar: just a touch, substitute mirin
- Cornstarch: for thickening the gravy
How To Make Egg Foo Young
This is just the summary version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and complete instructions.
Combine the beaten eggs, red pepper, celery, mushrooms, onions, bean sprouts, half of the scallions, salt, white pepper, and chicken in a large bowl. Mix gently to combine. Set that bowl aside for a few minutes while making the gravy.
In a small saucepan or frying pan over low heat, stir together the chicken broth, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and sesame oil. In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet with 1/2 tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat. Pour approximately 1/2 cup of the egg mixture into the hot skillet and fry until golden brown on the bottom. Carefully flip and brown the other side. Move to a plate, cover, and keep warm. Repeat until all the egg mixture is gone. Serve warm with the chicken soy sauce gravy and sprinkle with the rest of the scallions.
Do you have to serve it with gravy?
Egg foo young is traditionally served with gravy. However, there is an equally delicious recipe for this Chinese omelette that does not include gravy. The Chicken St. Paul is a cooked Egg Foo Young omelet served between two slices of bread with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions. It is equally delicious, and the kids love them.
Can you swap vegetables and meat?
Oh yes, you most certainly can! In fact, this is the super fun part of the recipe! You can adjust the flavors to your liking or to what vegetables or meat you have in your fridge.
- Veggies – red or green bell peppers, onions, celery, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, water chestnuts, peas, bean sprouts, cabbage
- Meats – chicken, ham, crispy cooked bacon, roast pork, beef
- Seafood – shrimp, crab meat, smoked salmon
Storage
Store leftover egg foo young in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For best results, store the gravy separately. Reheat the egg foo young and gravy in the microwave at reduced power for 30-second increments until warm. Pour the warm gravy over the omelet.
More Egg Recipes
Egg Foo Young
Ingredients
Egg Foo Young
- 8 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery sliced thin
- ½ cup mushrooms finely chopped
- ½ onion finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped fresh bean sprouts
- 4 green onions chopped green & white parts
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 cup cooked chicken finely diced I use rotisserie chicken
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
Egg Foo Young Gravy
- 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- In a large bowl with the beaten eggs, add the red pepper, celery, mushrooms, onions, bean sprouts, half the green onions, salt, white pepper, and chicken.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and sesame oil. In a bowl, blend cornstarch and water. Slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
- Heat a nonstick skillet with 1/2 tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat. Add approximately 1/2 cup of the egg mixture and cook until lightly browned on the bottom. Flip and brown the other side. Plate and keep warm. Repeat until all the batter is gone.
- Serve warm with the gravy and sprinkle with the rest of the green onions.
Video
Notes
- Bean sprouts are getting more difficult to find. The recipe is delicious, with or without them.
- Other vegetables to use are zucchini and snow peas, but saute them in a little olive oil before adding them to the egg mixture.
- Store leftover egg foo young in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For best results, store the gravy separately. Reheat the egg foo young and gravy in the microwave at reduced power for 30-second increments until warm. Pour the warm gravy over the omelet.
Nutrition
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Sienna Thomas
This was amazing and such a treat! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Sienna!
Angie Schubert
This was a great way to use up some leftover eggs I had in the fridge! It turned out perfectly – it was light, super flavorful and really filling too!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Angie! So glad that you liked it!
April L
Egg Foo Yung is my favorite thing to order for take out – I had no idea how easy it is to make at home. From now I am skipping the takeout and making it myself! Loved this recipe!
Tricia
I wasn’t sure I was going to be a fan of this, but man was I! This is so good and I’m so glad I decided to try it!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Tricia! So glad that you liked it
Janelle
I made this for the family and we all LOVED IT! Gotta love a recipe that makes everyone happy, haha! Thanks!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Janelle!
Sandy Martin
This was so delicious and very filling! I could eat this anytime of the day!
Beth Pierce
Me too!
Erin
The flavor of these were so authentic, it was a wonderful way to enjoy a restaurant-quality dish at home! I can’t wait to make it again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Erin! So glad that you liked it!
Krystle
One of my all-time favorites. We love making it for weekend brunch
Andrea L
I had no idea it was this easy to make egg foo yung. It was fabulous. I’m going to be making this often as my family loved it.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Andrea! So glad that they liked it!
Paula
This Chinese omelet was so delicious! We enjoyed ours over rice and loved it!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Paula! So glad that you liked it!
Elisa
Love this egg foo young recipe!! It was delicious, healthy, and easy to make. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Elisa!
Shelby
This egg foo yung is super flavorful and a delicious alternative to typical American omelettes. Yum!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Shelby! So happy that you like the egg foo young!
Jill D
Had some eggs and wanted to try something new. Came across your recipe and we all loved it. Thank you!
Cindy
We made this for dinner tonight, it was absolutely delicious. A healthier version of the traditional takeout!
Highly recommend if you are a fan of egg foo young!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Cindy! I am so glad that you like it!
Gerard Zubrowski
I am always skeptical of online recipes. This one was killer and a hit with everyone. It was so good that I overate until I was stuffed. I actually sprout my own mung beans so it was nice and loaded with veggies too. We had recently ordered egg foo young out recently and was disappointed with it. From now on it will be this recipe and homemade. Thanks for a killer recipe.
Beth Pierce
That is great, Gerard! I am so glad that you liked it. The pleasure is all mine! T
Sadie
I’ve have been on the lookout for a new egg dish to try, and this Egg Foo Young caught my attention. It was easy to make, delicious, and fairly on the healthy side. I could not find bean sprouts. They are getting harder and harder to find. Oh well, it was still delicious.
Beth Pierce
When I asked my grocer about them he said that they are harboring too much bacteria and such so they stopped carrying them.