May 1, 2023

Fluffy Steamed Egg Patty Breakfast Sandwich

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
This custardy steamed egg breakfast sandwich is made with harissa mayonnaise, breakfast sausage and cheddar cheese but can be customized with your breakfast favorites.
Featured Recipe Image

jump toRECIPE

Rather than the typical creamy scrambled eggs or fried egg with a drippy, runny yolk, this sandwich is unique. The eggs are whisked with half and half and steamed in a water bath for a custardy and soft texture. I love this method for cooking eggs because they can easily be made ahead of time and assembled for a quick and delicious breakfast. It’s better (and slightly fancier) than the standard rubbery make ahead eggs on say, an egg McMuffin. 

This style of steamed, soufflé egg was hard to name – it’s not technically a soufflé since the egg whites aren’t separated and beaten, however, they’re cooked in a bain marie and it’s not like a Korean steamed egg or Japanese chawanmushi.

Fluffy Steamed Egg Patty Breakfast Sandwich 

What does a water bath do? 

This French technique, also called a bain marie, is the method of setting what needs to cook into a pan of hot water before it goes in the oven. This protects the mixture so it slowly cooks at an even temperature. It keeps eggs in custard mixtures like this one from turning rubbery and results in a velvety texture. It’s frequently used for custards like creme brûlée or pot de creme. Use hot water not warm water so it keeps a more even temperature.

Key Ingredients in This Recipe 

  • Eggs – Beating whole eggs until they fall like ribbons from the whisk makes for the best texture eggs. 
  • Half and half – Combining half and half into the eggs makes for a rich and custardy texture when they are baked. If you prefer a little less rich and more egg tasting mixture, swap with whole milk. 
  • Cheese – I melt slices of sharp Cheddar cheese over the egg patties. 
  • Buns – Eggy buns like brioche or challah are a great texture for these egg sandwiches. Toast them in the broiler as the cheese melts over the eggs for easy assembly. 
  • Harissa – Harissa is a North African spice paste, specifically from Tunisia, made from red chilies, garlic, oil, vinegar or lemon and aromatic spices like cumin, coriander and caraway. This spicy and smokey condiment is combined with mayonnaise for a flavorful spread. 
  • Breakfast sausage – This raw pork sausage is seasoned with black pepper, sage and maple. Look for the kind that is sold as ground meat or patties rather than shaped sausage links. If you can only find links, remove the casings and shape the meat into patties. 

How to Make a Steamed Egg Patty Breakfast Sandwich

whisked egg for steamed egg sandwich
Step 1: Whisk the eggs. 

Heat oven to 300ºF (150ºC). Set a rack in the middle of the oven and coat an 8” x 8” (20cm x 20cm) pan with butter. Line the pan with parchment paper and butter once more. Add the eggs to a medium mixing bowl and whisk well until the eggs fall like ribbons from the whisk. Add the half and half, chives and season with salt. Pour the egg mixture into the greased pan.

Step 2: Prep bain marie and bake. 

Set the pan with the eggs into a larger 9”x11” (23cm x 29cm) baking pan. Boil water and pour into the larger bottom pan then carefully transfer to the oven. Bake until the eggs are just set, about 30 minutes.

baked bain marie for steamed egg sandwich
bain marie
Step 3: Let cool. 

Use towels or oven mitts to transfer the dish out of the water bath and onto a cooling rack and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Step 4: Cut up eggs. 

Carefully run a knife around the edges of the pan and lift out of the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the eggs into 4 equal squares.

cut eggs for steamed egg patty
breakfast sausage for steamed patty
Step 5: Cook breakfast sausage. 

Divide the breakfast sausage into 4 equal portions and shape them into patties just larger than the buns. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage patties and press down with a metal spatula so they are thin and smashed. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip using a spatula and continue to cook until just cooked through and browned on the other side, about an additional 2 minutes.

Step 6: Make the harissa mayonnaise. 

In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise and harissa until combined.

harissa mayonnaise
bun and patty
Step 7: Melt cheese. 

Turn the oven to broil on high. Top each egg piece with a slice of cheese and transfer to one side of a baking sheet. Arrange the buns on the other side of the baking sheet. Broil until the cheese has melted and the buns are toasted, about 1 minute.

Step 8: Assemble and serve. 

Spread harissa mayonnaise on the bottom bun. Top with a sausage patty followed by the egg with the melted cheese. Close each sandwich and serve hot.

steamed egg patty sandwich

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe 

How to Make Ahead 

This method is a great way to pre-cook eggs for a quick assembly on busy mornings or to serve a crowd. Make the soufflé eggs up to three days ahead of time and stored refrigerated in an airtight container then cut into squares when ready to serve. Simply top with the cheese and broil until the cheese has melted and the eggs are warmed through. 

Swaps and substitutions 
  • Swap the buns for toasted slices of bread, English muffins or even bagels. 
  • Add bacon slices of Taylor ham or Canadian bacon to the breakfast sandwich. 
  • Try adding caramelized onions or slices of avocado.
  • Rather than making harissa mayonnaise, make a more standard spicy mayo sauce with mayonnaise and sriracha.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this fluffy steamed egg patty sandwich, give these a try and follow me on Instagram

Fluffy Steamed Egg Patty Breakfast Sandwich

Print Pin
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • Unsalted butter, as needed, for the pan
  • 8 large eggs
  • ½ cup half and half
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • Kosher salt, as needed
  • 1 pound breakfast sausage
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons harissa
  • 4 slices deli-sliced sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 4 brioche buns, split widthwise

Instructions:

  • Heat oven to 300ºF (150ºC). Set a rack in the middle of the oven and coat an 8” x 8” (20cm x 20cm) pan with butter. Line the pan with parchment paper and butter once more.
  • Add the eggs to a medium mixing bowl and whisk well until the eggs fall like ribbons from the whisk. Add the half and half, chives and season with salt. Pour the egg mixture into the greased pan.
  • Set the pan with the eggs into a larger 9”x11” (23cm x 29cm) baking pan. Boil water and pour into the larger bottom pan then carefully transfer to the oven. Bake until the eggs are just set, about 30 minutes.
  • Use towels or oven mitts to transfer the dish out of the water bath and onto a cooling rack and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
  • Carefully run a knife around the edges of the pan and lift out of the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the eggs into 4 equal squares.
  • Divide the breakfast sausage into 4 equal portions and shape them into patties just larger than the buns. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage patties and press down with a metal spatula so they are thin and smashed. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip using a spatula and continue to cook until just cooked through and browned on the other side, about an additional 2 minutes.
  • In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise and harissa until combined.
  • Turn the oven to broil on high. Top each egg piece with a slice of cheese and transfer to one side of a baking sheet. Arrange the buns on the other side of the baking sheet. Broil until the cheese has melted and the buns are toasted, about 1 minute.
  • Spread harissa mayonnaise on the bottom bun. Top with a sausage patty followed by the egg with the melted cheese. Close each sandwich and serve hot.

DID YOU MAKE THIS?

TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON MY STORIES! @cookingwithcocktailrings

Rate + Review

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS RECIPE?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




  1. I gave this one a test run today as I create menus for a holiday season guest. They are fluffy and super easy! The substitutions I made were green onions for the chives, corn tortillas instead of buns, tukey sausage crumbles (thanks Jimmy Dean), and salsa instead of mayo-harissa sauce. This will be on my table for my guest later this week for sure! Thanks again, Kylie!

  2. 5 stars
    This recipe was so easy and so tasty! We had two decadent sandwiches on the weekend, and saved the other half of the eggs for a no carb weekday egg bite! Definitely add this to your recipe queue!