Air Fryer Egg in a Hole (Ready in 8 Minutes)

Air Fryer Egg in a Hole is the four-ingredient breakfast I make when I have eight minutes and zero interest in washing a skillet. A slice of buttered bread, a hole cut in the middle, one egg cracked in, and the air fryer does the rest — crispy golden toast on the outside, a soft runny yolk in the middle.

You might know it as eggs in a basket, egg in a nest, gashouse eggs, or toad in the hole. Same dish, and it works beautifully in an air fryer because the circulating heat toasts the bread and sets the egg white at the same time. No flipping a hot pan, no butter spattering, no babysitting the stove.

Why This Air Fryer Egg in a Hole Works

• Endlessly adaptable — bagels, English muffins, sourdough, cheese, bacon.
• Eight minutes, start to finish. Three to preheat, five to cook.
• Four ingredients you already have: bread, egg, butter, salt and pepper.
• One dish, no pan. Breakfast and toast cook together.
• Kids will actually eat it. The novelty of the hole does most of the work.

What Is Egg in a Hole?

Egg in a hole is a slice of bread with a circle cut out of the center and an egg cracked into the gap. As it cooks, the bread toasts to golden brown while the egg white sets around it, so you get toast and a fried egg in a single piece.

It goes by a lot of names depending on where you grew up — eggs in a basket, egg in a nest, bird’s nest eggs, one-eyed Jack. In an air fryer it comes out crisper than the stovetop version because dry heat hits the bread from every direction instead of just the side touching the pan.

If you want the toast and the egg cooked separately instead, my air fryer fried egg recipe and my guide to making perfect toast in the air fryer cover both.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Full measurements and nutrition are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Bread — 4 slices, and thickness matters more than type. Aim for slices at least ½ inch thick so the bread holds the egg instead of going soggy. Sturdy white sandwich bread, Texas toast, sourdough, and brioche all work.
• Large eggs — 4. One per slice. Cold eggs straight from the fridge are fine, though room-temperature eggs set slightly faster.
• Butter — 4 teaspoons, softened. Butter both sides of the bread for the crispiest edges.
• Salt and pepper — to taste, added after cooking so the salt doesn’t draw water out of the white.

Which Bread Works Best?

This is the difference between a great egg in a hole and a soggy one.

• Best: Thick-cut white sandwich bread, Texas toast, brioche, challah, or day-old sourdough. Sturdy enough to hold a whole egg, thick enough to crisp without drying out.
• Works, with adjustments: Whole wheat and multigrain toast faster — check at 5 minutes. Rye is delicious but denser, so add a minute.
• Skip it: Thin sandwich bread under ¼ inch. The egg will overflow the hole and the bread turns to cardboard.
• Bagels and English muffins are excellent here — a bagel half already has the hole, and you only need to press the center down a little.

Do You Need a Special Cutter?

No. A biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter gives the cleanest edge, but the rim of a drinking glass works just as well — press and twist. You want a hole roughly 2½ to 3 inches across: big enough for a whole large egg, small enough to leave a solid border of bread.

Don’t throw away the cut-out circle. Butter it and cook it right alongside the toast. It comes out like a little crouton, and it’s the best part for dipping in the yolk.

How to Make Egg in a Hole in an Air Fryer

Step 1: Preheat. Set your air fryer to 350°F and let it run for 3 minutes. Preheating matters here — a cold basket means the bread steams before it toasts.

Step 2: Line the basket. Place a sheet of parchment paper, a parchment round, or a small piece of foil in the bottom of the basket. This is not optional. Raw egg white runs straight through a perforated basket and burns onto the heating element.

Step 3: Butter and cut. Spread softened butter on both sides of each slice, then cut a 2½-inch hole in the center with a biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Set the circles aside.

Step 4: Crack the egg. Lay the bread flat on the parchment and crack one egg directly into the hole. Crack it into a small bowl first and pour it in if you’re worried about shell. Add the bread circles to any empty space in the basket.

Step 5: Air fry. Cook at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes. Start checking at 6. The egg is done when the white is completely opaque with no clear jiggle. For a firmer yolk, go the full 8 minutes.

Step 6: Season and serve. Lift it out with a thin spatula, season with salt and pepper, and eat it hot. The toast loses its crunch within a few minutes.

How Long to Cook Egg in a Hole in an Air Fryer

Air fryers vary more than any other appliance in your kitchen, so treat this as a starting point and note what works in yours.

Yolk doneness	Time at 350°F	Internal temp
Runny	6 minutes	~145°F
Jammy / soft-set	7 minutes	~150°F
Fully cooked	8–9 minutes	~160°F

Basket-style air fryers run hotter than oven-style ones and may finish a minute early. If you cook a lot of eggs, my air fryer cooking charts and tips has temperature guides for the rest of the breakfast lineup.

Tips for the Best Air Fryer Egg in a Hole

• Line the basket every single time. Egg white through the vents is the number one thing that goes wrong with this recipe.
• Butter both sides. One side gives you a toasted top; both sides gives you crisp edges all the way through.
• Don’t overcrowd. Bread slices need to lie flat in a single layer with airflow around them. Two at a time in most 4-quart baskets, four in a 6-quart or oven-style.
• Cut the hole a little bigger than you think. A large egg needs about 2½ inches. Too small and the white spills over the top of the bread.
• Salt after, not before. Salting raw white pulls out moisture and makes it watery.
• Skip the flip. Circulating air cooks both sides. Flipping risks breaking the yolk for no real gain.
• Add cheese in the last 2 minutes. Any earlier and it browns past the point of being good.

Variations to Try

• Cheesy egg in a hole — Sprinkle shredded cheddar or Gruyère around the egg in the last two minutes. If cheese is the whole point for you, my air fryer cheesy egg toast is built around it.
• Bacon and egg — Cook bacon first, crumble it around the egg before air frying.
• Bagel egg in a hole — Use a bagel half. The hole is already there; just widen it slightly.
• Everything bagel seasoning — Sprinkle on the buttered bread before cooking.
• Avocado toast style — Cook plain, then top with smashed avocado and red pepper flakes.
• Spicy — A few drops of chili oil or hot honey on the finished egg.
• Ham and cheese — Lay a thin slice of ham on the bread before cracking the egg. Same flavor idea as my air fryer ham and cheese omelette, in half the time.

What to Serve With It

One egg in a hole is a light breakfast. To turn it into a real plate:

• Air fryer breakfast potatoes — crisp them while the eggs cook
• Frozen hash browns in the air fryer — the fastest possible side
• Fresh berries or sliced avocado
• Air fryer egg bites if you need extra protein for the week

For a slower weekend morning, I’d make an air fryer breakfast casserole instead and save this one for weekdays.

Storing and Reheating

Honestly? Eat it fresh. Toast and eggs both suffer in the fridge, and this recipe is fast enough that making it to order is easier than reheating.

If you do have leftovers: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 320°F for 2 to 3 minutes. The yolk will finish cooking through, so expect it firm rather than runny. Don’t microwave it — the bread goes rubbery immediately.

Freezing is not recommended. Cooked egg whites turn watery when thawed.

For actual breakfast meal prep, air fryer egg bites with sausage hold up far better and reheat in 90 seconds.

No Air Fryer? Use the Oven

Heat the oven to 400°F. Butter the bread, cut the hole, place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, crack in the eggs, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the whites are set. Slightly less crisp than the air fryer version, but it lets you make eight at once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my egg leak through the air fryer basket?

The basket wasn’t lined. Raw egg white is thin enough to run straight through the vents before it sets. Always use parchment paper, a parchment round, a silicone liner, or a small piece of foil.

Can I make more than one at a time?

Yes, as long as they fit in a single layer without overlapping. Most 4-quart baskets hold two slices; 6-quart baskets and oven-style air fryers hold four. Stacking means uneven cooking.

What size air fryer do I need?

A slice of bread needs to lie completely flat, which usually means at least a 4-quart basket. Anything smaller and the bread curls up the sides.

Do I need to flip it?

No. Air fryers circulate heat around the food, so both sides toast without flipping — and flipping is the easiest way to break the yolk.

How do I keep the yolk runny?

Pull it at 6 minutes and check. The white should be completely opaque with no clear patches; the yolk should still wobble. Every extra minute past that firms it up.

Can I use egg substitute or a vegan egg?

Liquid egg substitute works but sets faster — check at 4 minutes. Plant-based liquid eggs work too, though they won’t give you a runny center.

What do I do with the bread circle I cut out?

Butter it and cook it in the basket next to the toast. It becomes a crouton for dipping in the yolk.

Can I make this ahead?

Not really. This one is best made fresh — it takes eight minutes, which is faster than reheating anything.

More From My Kitchen

This is one of the recipes I make most often out of my whole air fryer breakfast collection, and it’s a staple in my weekly meal plan when mornings get tight.

If you make it, leave a star rating below — it genuinely helps other readers find the recipe.