15 Poached Egg Recipes Just Right for Any Time of Day

It might seem like one of the more intimidating techniques for cooking eggs, but poaching is easy once you get the hang of the technique. You have to create the perfect tornado of swirling water in order to poach the eggs properly, but even if you break your egg or don't get the whites to perfectly cover the yolks, the results will still be good to eat. Ahead, we're not only explaining our top tips for poaching eggs, but we're also sharing more than a dozen recipes that make use of this essential preparation.

We have a couple of recipes for eggs Benedict, starting with the Crab-and-Avocado Eggs Benedict that's pictured here. In this recipe, mashed avocado, lump jumbo crabmeat, and poached eggs are layered on top of English muffins and then are drizzled with a generous serving of homemade Hollandaise sauce. The seafood takes the place of the usual Canadian bacon, which makes it a lovely twist for summer when you want something lighter and a bit fresher. Of course, we have a recipe for the timeless version featuring a simple but satisfying combination of poached eggs and bacon, too.

You'll also find plenty of non-breakfast recipes that use poached eggs as a topping for salads, grain bowls, and side dishes. They add protein and all-around creaminess to vegetarian meals. Make them in the final few minutes of the cooking process and they'll add warmth to a salad or complement a bowl of legumes and roasted vegetables.

We've got breakfast, lunch, and dinner covered with these poached egg recipes—all that's left for you to do is master the technique and get cooking.

Easy Poached Eggs

Master the art of poached eggs with this easy-to-follow recipe that uses a straight-sided skillet. The key is to not disturb the eggs while they're cooking and leave plenty of room in the skillet so that they don't stick together.

Easy Eggs Benedict

Once you've learned how to make poached eggs, try the quintessential breakfast recipe: eggs Benedict. Our version, which serves four hungry diners, is simple and classic featuring a creamy Hollandaise sauce, Canadian bacon, and English muffins.

Cilantro Rice Bowl with Poached Eggs and Greens

For a healthy lunch or dinner, make this savory poached egg recipe. Serve the eggs with watercress, radishes, and scallions over fluffy white rice and complete the picture with a generous drizzle of a spicy vinaigrette over the whole dish.

Spring Ragout with Asparagus and Poached Eggs

Poached eggs are served over this warm and earthy one-skillet dinner. It's packed with greens including spinach, tomatillos, cilantro, scallions, and asparagus, and gets added flavor from coriander seeds and cumin seeds.

Warm Lentil Salad with Poached Eggs

This vegetarian recipe features a colorful and healthy combination of French green lentils that are tossed with sautéed Swiss chard, crumbled goat cheese, roasted almonds, and lots of fresh parsley. Top each bowl with a poached egg before serving.

Poached Eggs with Yogurt and Spicy Butter

Upgrade your usual egg breakfast with this vibrant recipe that pairs poached eggs with strained garlic-and-chive yogurt and a generous drizzle of butter that gets its heat from paprika and cayenne peppers.

Orzo Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

In this fragrant twist on the classic Italian risotto, this recipe calls for a combination of dried and fresh mixed mushrooms along with cooked fava beans, while orzo serves as the base for the dish. Before serving, top each umami-rich bowl with a poached egg.

Asparagus with Poached Egg

As an appetizer or side dish, asparagus and eggs are a classic combination. We've taken a simple approach with this recipe. Divide lightly boiled asparagus into four individual servings, place a single poached egg over each portion, and top with thinly shaved slices of Parmesan.

Creamed Spinach with Poached Eggs and Brioche Croutons

Much as we love creamed spinach, we like to ring the changes. That's where this recipe comes in—here, we added poached eggs and homemade buttery croutons on top of the decadent greens.

Sauteed Spinach with Poached Eggs

This five-ingredient recipe makes one of the simplest but most delicious grain bowls we've ever had. Poached eggs are served over a bed of cooked quinoa, sautéed spinach, and plenty of fresh cilantro. It's the ultimate healthy lunch.

Escarole Salad with Roast Lemon Chicken, Lardons, and Poached Eggs

With the robust team of roasted chicken, bacon lardons, and poached eggs, this salad is hearty for sure. Its base is made up of chopped escarole and a peppery Dijon vinaigrette brings it all together.

Roasted-Vegetable Salad with Poached Eggs

Poached eggs lend so much creaminess to this salad that's made up of roasted potatoes, onions, carrots, and red or golden beets.

Spinach Salad with Poached Eggs

You'll enjoy baby spinach in a whole new way when you serve it with bacon, poached eggs, and a slightly warm vinaigrette.

Poached Eggs, Polenta, and Marinated Artichokes

Polenta is plenty creamy on its own, but it gets an even richer and more savory edge when topped with poached eggs and quartered artichoke hearts.