Slow Cooker Scrambled Eggs Recipe

Slow cooker scrambled eggs are the key to winning the breakfast game, says food blogger and photographer Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table. Take the stress out of hosting a big family brunch or even holiday breakfast with our easy, cheesy slow cooker scrambled eggs recipe.

The slow cooker is the decades-old answer to hassle-free cooking, and an unexpected player in the women's liberation movement. First developed in the 1940s by an inventor who wanted to prepare a warm, traditional meal on the Sabbath (via Washington Post), the early slow cooker gave women back hundreds of hours otherwise spent in the kitchen prepping fresh meals. With its set-and-forget approach to cooking, the device that became popular under the Crock-Pot brand made it possible for newly working women and even single parents to get a dinner ready by the time they came home with minimal effort.

Today, the slow cooker still remains a household name when it comes to hands-off cooking. And our simple method for making eggs in the slow cooker is going to change the way you see making eggs for a crowd forever.

As befitting a recipe that's made to claim back those hours you would normally spend prepping a festive brunch or breakfast for a crowd, there are very few ingredients involved in making slow cooker scrambled eggs.

You will need butter or margarine to coat the inside of the slow cooker and prevent your eggs from sticking to it. The obvious star ingredient is eggs. Our recipe calls for a dozen eggs, which should feed about six to eight people, even if you serve nothing but toast alongside them. You can scale it up or down as needed, taking into account about one and a half to two eggs per person.

Salt and pepper are the only spices used in our recipe, but of course, you should feel free to get creative and use your favorite seasonings. Paprika, oregano, and even a pinch of chili flakes will all go great with some scrambled eggs.

Due to their long cooking time, to avoid drying out your scrambled eggs, we use cream in our batter. You can also use cooking cream or half and half, but cream definitely produces the best results.

And finally, the last ingredient in our recipe is some grated cheese. We love the cheesy, delicious flavor it gives these eggs, making them worthy of a special occasion breakfast. But, if you're not feeling it, feel free to omit the eggs without changing anything else.

The first, and possibly most important step in making a big batch of slow cooker scrambled eggs, is generously coating the inside of your slow cooker pot with a thick layer of butter.

If you prefer to avoid butter, feel free to use margarine or even shortening or coconut oil here, but don't use a non-stick spray or oil. Those will not coat your slow cooker enough, and you will end up having to scrape eggs off the sides.

We promised you a hassle-free breakfast, and we like to keep our promises. So do yourself a favor, and slather on that butter.

Let's get cracking on whisking all those eggs! It's going to take you a couple of minutes to crack the shells of 12 eggs, so grab a large bowl, and get started. At least you don't have to separate them, right?

Once all the eggs have been cracked into the large bowl, add the cream, and whisk them well, until a single cohesive mixture is achieved. Stir in the shredded cheese, if using. The cheese will look like it sunk to the bottom, and that's totally fine — it's going to cook evenly when you pour it into the slow cooker.

The active part of prepping your big batch of slow cooker scrambled eggs is mostly over, and now you're going to let your slow cooker do most of the work. (There is another active part coming up in the next stage, but it's up to you how involved you want to make it!)

Pour the egg mixture into the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to the high setting, and cook the scrambled eggs for two hours. If you're making the scrambled eggs in an Instant Pot, cook them on the "keep warm" setting.

The next step is optional, but highly recommended.

To achieve the nice, rolling waves of good scrambled eggs, we recommend giving the scrambled egg mixture in the slow cooker a gentle stir every 30 minutes or so. If you forget about it and only scramble them once, after an hour, and then in the end, that's perfectly okay too, but you'll end up with smaller, "broken" scrambled egg pieces rather than the big fluffy scrambled egg clouds.

But, it's totally up to how much attention you're able to pay the eggs. They'll taste great either way!

Once the slow cooker scrambled eggs are cooked to your liking, give them one final stir, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Taste and correct seasonings as needed.

You can serve the eggs with toast and butter, for a simple, easy brunch spread that everyone can just replenish as they need. Or, you can go all out and also make some pancakes, home fries, or hash browns to have on the side. You can even throw in some sausages for the really hungry people! It's really entirely up to you and the occasion for which you're making this scrumptious recipe.

Slow cooker scrambled eggs are great for a simple breakfast to fit a crowd, or fancy enough for when you're looking to impress your loved ones with a delectable breakfast spread.

If you have to wait for everyone to come to the table, the eggs can also be kept warm in the slow cooker with the lid on for up to two hours. Store leftover slow cooker scrambled eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.