Egg Foo Young Recipe [VIDEO] - Dinner, Then Dessert

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Egg Foo Young is a Chinese-style omelet dish served over rice and topped with flavorful gravy. Make this restaurant favorite at home tonight!

Easy Chinese recipes like Egg Drop Soup, Easy Mongolian Beef, and Egg Foo Young are the perfect way to recreate your favorite takeout Asian cuisine at home.

Sabrina’s Egg Foo Young

Egg Foo Young is a classic recipe and one of the most popular dishes in both traditional Chinese cuisine and Chinese American restaurants. This Chinese-style omelet is filled with fresh mixed vegetables for a deliciously easy vegetarian dinner but it’s also the perfect leftover stir-fry to make at the end of the week. It’s adaptable, hearty yet healthy, and ready in about 10 minutes.

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Egg Foo Young Recipe

Egg Foo Young is a Chinese-style omelet dish served over rice and topped with flavorful gravy. Make this restaurant favorite at home tonight! Yield 6 servings Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Total Time 25 minutes Course Main Dish Cuisine Chinese Author Sabrina Snyder Egg paties with gravy on plate

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Ingredients US CustomaryMetric

▢ 8 large eggs
▢ 1/2 onion , chopped
▢ 1/2 cup carrots , chopped into chunks and steamed
▢ 1/4 cup green peas
▢ 1/2 cup green bell pepper , chopped
▢ 1/4 cup bean sprouts , cut in half
▢ 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
▢ 3 tablespoons sesame oil , divided

Instructions

Add the eggs, onion, carrots, peas, bell pepper, bean sprouts, and soy sauce together in a bowl and whisk to combine.
In a large skillet heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil at a time for each pancake you cook on medium heat.
Add about ⅓ cup of mixture per pancake and cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side and 1-2 minutes on the second side. Serve with our with or without gravy (recipe below).

Video

Notes

Egg Foo Young Gravy: 1 cup chicken stock2 tablespoons light soy sauce1 tablespoon dry sherry1 tablespoon cornstarch Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan and whisk well before the liquid heats up.Cook over medium-high heat and whisk until thickened.

Nutrition

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Sabrina’s Egg Foo Young
About this Recipe
Key Ingredients
Can this be made ahead of time?
How to Store
Frequent Questions
Variations

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About this Recipe

One of the best things about Egg Foo Young is that you don’t have to skip the recipe if you don’t have all the vegetables on hand, you can simply just swap them out. This is sure to be a new favorite family recipe if you have picky eaters because you can easily separate the omelet batter into individual portions before adding the veggies so everyone gets a Chinese omelet they will love! Serve the omelet with other favorite Chinese food recipes like Hot and Sour Soup, Orange Chicken, and Chinese Steamed Rice.

Key Ingredients

Eggs: Eggs are the main ingredient in these Chinese-style omelets. Use whole eggs for rich flavor and creamy texture, or lighten them up by replacing half the eggs with egg whites.
Vegetables: The blend of carrots, green peas, onions, bean sprouts, and green bell pepper provide a great balance of sweet, savory, sharp flavors and variety of textures to combine with the eggs.
Soy Sauce: Low sodium soy sauce is the only seasoning you need besides the veggies. It adds a savory umami flavor with just a touch of saltiness without overpowering the delicious egg and veggie flavors.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil has a strong nutty aroma and you just need a little bit to add a ton of flavor. This is why you want to only add a teaspoon at a time while you cook the individual egg patties. It gives the outside of the patties a mouthwatering, flavorful crispy crust.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes. While it is best enjoyed fresh and hot, you can prepare the omelet mixture in advance and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook. When ready to serve, simply heat a skillet, add the mixture, and cook as directed.

How to Store

Store: Don’t leave your egg dish at room temperature longer than 2 hours before refrigerating. Sealed in an airtight container, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat: You can reheat your egg patties in a skillet over medium-high heat so that they warm up quickly without over-cooking the eggs.
Freeze: Freeze in a freezer safe plastic bag for up to 4 months, with individual pieces separated by parchment. Let thaw in the refrigerator and reheat on a skillet.

Frequent Questions

Can you add meats to Egg Foo Young?

On top of the wide options of vegetable mix-ins, you can mix in any leftover meats you have as well. Just made sure the meat is cooked ahead of time. This dish cooks so quickly raw meat would stay raw by the time the eggs were cooked. You can make this recipe with chicken, Chinese sausage, roast pork, shrimp, beef, ham, or lobster.

What’s the difference between Egg Foo Young and an Egg Omelet?

While both dishes start with beaten eggs, Egg Foo Young is typically made with a variety of chopped vegetables and sometimes meat, mixed into the beaten eggs and cooked as a pancake-like omelet. It is often served with a savory sauce or gravy. On the other hand, an Egg Omelet is a more general term referring to a dish made with beaten eggs cooked in a frying pan, usually folded over a filling such as cheese, vegetables, or meats. Overall, this is a Chinese American classic that combines the flavors of Asian cuisine with the simplicity of an American-style Omelet.

Variations

St. Paul Sandwich: For a well-loved Midwestern Chinese-American dish, serve the egg patty on slices of White Bread with mayonnaise, dill pickle, lettuce and tomato. This would make a great vegetarian lunch!
Korean Style: You can recreate a Korean-Chinese Dish called jjajang bokkeumbap by adding a black bean sauce mixed with ground pork. Look for Jajangmyeon Sauce or Korean black bean paste, and cook the raw pork then toss in the savory sauce. Top some Fried Rice with the egg patty then ladle the pork black bean sauce over patties and serve.
Indonesian: In Chinese-Indonesian cuisine, you’ll find this egg dish made with cabbage instead of bell pepper and with crab meat, shrimp, or chicken added. It is served with Sweet and Sour Sauce instead of the gravy.
Veggies: Switch up the mixture of vegetables with other veggies like shredded cabbage, slices of mushrooms, spring onions, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, or corn. You can also add raw vegetables like zucchini or summer squash but soak them in salt water and pat them dry so they don’t make the omelet batter runny.

close up of cooked and sauced chicken pieces.

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Main Course

Mapo Tofu

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

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Comments

What is the white sauce in the photos? White gravy? Sour cream? I have to know!
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1. Hi Ann, Here ya go and thank you for asking! Let us know if you try it on your Egg Foo Young!
  
  Egg Foo Young Gravy Here’s a classic and incredibly easy gravy to add to the top of your dish. 1 cup chicken stock 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 tablespoon dry sherry 1 tablespoon cornstarch Add everything to a small sauce pan and whisk well before the liquid heats up. Cook and whisk until thickened.
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Tried this and Basically it’s an omelette with soya sauce in it.
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This is excellent. I didn’t mKe the gravy, just added a bit more tamari sauce to serve. Now I have to make a whole Chinese (keto) dinner to go with it. Thank you Sabrina and I look fwd to more recipes.
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This is a great recipe. Simple and easy to change things in and out and still have a great meal. Only problem is how do you get a white gravy? Once you add the soy sauce it’s brown. Did I miss something ?
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Looks super yum!
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Sabrina. Thank you for another great recipe. Will make it again and again. The only changes I made was added minced garlic and 6 eggs. It made 9 small pancakes. How do I make them thicker?
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1. Smaller pan
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My husband loves egg foo young…made this recipe this week for his birthday…he LOVED them! So did I…thank you for this recipe!
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This looks so yummy but what can I substitute for the dry sherry in the gravy, since I never have that or use? Thank u, I love any recipe of yours I have made so far!!
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Sabrina, Can you please send me a link to your Chinese Veg fried rice. There is some ingredient(s) in this that has a distinct flavor and I don’t know for the life of me what it is. And the restaurant Ling Garden here in NW Portland (OR) used to make it…the father retired and it’s not same??
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This Veg egg fu yung recipe with the gravy was exactly what I have been looking for. Thanks to Sabrina Snyder. I’ll look up her website for Chinese Veg fried rice.
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Wow, this recipe is super easy and my husband LOVED it!!! 5 stars!!! Unfortunately I used regular soy sauce and was looking for tamari but Walmart didn’t have it. Yes, regular Soy sauce is too salty; but light soy sauce would be best (as listed on the recipe). Thank you for sharing it. Oh, seems that with 8 eggs I need to add more vegetables because the egg was runny in the pan. The gravy is delicious and perfect recipe. This one is a keeper!!
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I was wondering if I could use leftover chicken chow mein? It has a protein and veggies, I was just thinking of draining off excess liquid before adding it to the eggs. Do you think this would work? I’m not planning on making the gravy just using some soy sauce after it’s all cooked if I need more seasoning.
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1. Hello Tracy, I’m sure the chicken chow mein will work. I don’t see it making a difference 🙂
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Out of curiosity I wanted to know what goes into egg foo young. I’d never thought it was authentically Chinese, because of the gravy; which is a north American or European item. The recipe at this web-site confirms my suspicions. While I don’t myself like gravy, I don’t object if others do. Although I’m not a vegetarian, I’ve cut back on meat. For my part, it’s easy to overdo on. It is a flavor food: not the main course. I eat meat a couple times a week, because of its high B12 and complete protein. Contrary to the idea that Mexican cuisine with its rice and beans provide complete protein, historically its been those two plus corn and squash. (I most times use frozen.) I am not only happy, but also pleased to have found this recipe and to learn about its history too.
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1. I love that you are not only cooking non-traditional foods but you are also learning about where they come from as well! This is awesome, Thank you Roger!
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I think your recipe is an excellent one. To me it’s very clear that there are many mix and match (or not) options as to ingredients – you shouldn’t have to apologize to those who don’t realize this. I put a little toasted sesame oil in the egg mixture and in the gravy mixture then fry in a neutral oil (avocado). Yum!
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Does this recipe serve 4? And when do the carrots and the sprouts go in – the carrots surely with the other veg in the main mix, and the sprouts towards the end. Unless I’m missing something they were left out? The recipe looks great otherwise, but it would be much easier to follow if all the ingredients were listed right at the top of the page – so many descriptions and so much discussion before you actually find the ingredients list!
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1. This recipe yields 6 servings. Enjoy!
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Mushrooms? Not in ingredients list yet step one said to mix in mushrooms?
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1. Thanks for catching that. I’ve edited it to read correctly. I didn’t end up using mushrooms in this recipe.
  Reply
Hi! I am just starting a low carb diet. Are you certain about the carb count? Is it with the sauce?
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1. If you are on a strict diet, I would suggest using your own calculator for nutritional information. The one in the recipe card is a plug in that calculates based on the ingredient list.
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How many does this recipe cook for
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1. This yields 6 servings. Enjoy!
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Can I make the gravy without the dry sherry?
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1. Yes, you can substitute with white wine, brandy or dry vermouth. Even vinegars would work although any substitute might adjust the original flavor a bit. Good luck!
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I’ll usually mix in a large can of drained albacore tuna to the egg mixture, so easy, super fast and delicious!
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Wow I just made Egg Drop Soup in less than 10 minutes! Amazing taste!!!All your recipies are spot on in directions and your comments! Winner!
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1. Thanks, Eileen.
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Just proves there is no magic in cooking only magic people who show you how easy it is
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1. Thank you
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If you really want to up your gravy game, try 1-2 tbsp of oyster sauce.
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1. Thanks
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Can the patties be frozen?
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1. Certainly. You can freeze them after they are cooked for up to a month. Reheat in the oven. Hope this helps!
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Great it’s in my grocery shopping list budget
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1. Yay! Love to hear that!
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I have always made my egg foo yung with mushrooms. I always precook them so they do not liquify the eggs by going watery. As noted by another comment made this recipe needs seasoning.. 1 grated garlic clove and 1/4-1/2 tsp grated ginger along with black pepper to your taste.
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1. Thanks for the feedback.
  Reply
  1. Do I have to use sesame oil?
    Reply
    1. It will greatly change the flavor if you leave it out.
      Reply
2. You can always add oyster sauce to the eggs.
  Reply
I’m trying this recipe for dinner tonight. Just one question, what measurement amount is it for the mushrooms?
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1. I’m so sorry, my final testing of the recipe didn’t include mushrooms and it looks like I forgot to take it out in the instructions portion. Feel free to leave them out too or if you want to use them, inlcude 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms. I just found that they released too much water in the 2nd to last testing that’s why I decided not to use them. Hope this helps!
  Reply
I am going to try this recipe it looks great. I have been so disappointed with the egg foo young in the south west it is so different than what I grew up with on the north east. The egg foo young in the south west is awfully it has a bread/muffin like consistency without any indication of eggs at all. My husband and I are longing for some good Chinese food.
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1. I hope you enjoy it!
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Sabrina, I tried making your gravy from this recipe. I whisked and cooked this for at least 20min, and it would never thicken. It only turned brown, the color of tea. You instructions kept me wondering! Should it come to a boil, first? How high should the heat be? How long should it take? Can you give further instructions, on how to cook this gravy?
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1. It sounds like your heat might have been too low. You’ll want to have it over medium heat and it should take about 10 minutes to make. Hope this helps!
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  1. If it doesn’t thicken, you can add 1 tsp. of cornstarch and 1 tsp. of water mixed into slurry, then added to the sauce.
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This recipe was not too badd in my opinion you need an extra half a cup of bean sprouts, some seasoning added to to egg mixture 1/2t garlic powder and 1/4t ground black pepper. All in all this was a great recipe, tysm for sharing it here.
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Egg Foo Young is our FAVORITE! I am definitely going to try this!
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1. I hope you enjoy it Cathy!
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Looks like something my kids will love! I can’t wait to give this a try!
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1. Enjoy!
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Sabrina, you are my hero(ine)!!! I cannot tell you how long I have been looking for an Egg Foo Young recipe-especially without napa cabbage or bok choy-as it is served in Central GA at EVERY restaurant, as they claim that it “Can’t be made without it” although I grew up without ever having it served with cabbage in the Midwest!!! Anyhoo, I am beyond thrilled to try this recipe “House style”!!!! Thanks SO MUCH for this and all of your fabu recipes!! Will let you know how this turns out!
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1. You just made my day! I hope you enjoy it!
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This looks so good! I have to give it a try!
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1. I hope you enjoy it Krista!
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Never had this before – will need to try!
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1. It’s fun trying new things! Enjoy!!
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This is seriously making me hungry!
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I’ve never had egg foo young. I need to make your recipe soon! Love this idea for leftovers!
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Amazing job with this recipe, so easy to follow and delicious!
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1. Thanks Amanda!
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