5-Minute Gyeran Bap (Korean Egg Rice Bowl)
Make gyeran bap (Korean egg rice) in just 5 minutes! This quick and cozy rice bowl uses leftover rice, fried egg, soy sauce, and sesame oil for a comforting meal.
Gyeran bap (계란밥) is the ultimate Korean comfort breakfast—a warm bowl of rice topped with a runny fried egg, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
This simple Korean egg rice is something I learned to make on my own before school—frying an egg, mixing it into hot rice, and seasoning it just right. Later in college, it became my go-to when money and time were tight. It’s fast, comforting, and always hits the spot, no matter the season of life.
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Whether you call it egg over rice (Korean style) or gyeran bap, this easy Korean rice bowl is still one of my favorite ways to use up leftover rice.
All it takes is a few pantry staples and a few minutes—that’s the beauty of this dish. Let me show you how to make this easy egg rice at home—the way I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.
If you enjoy quick rice dishes, try my egg fried rice or garlic fried rice next—both are easy ways to turn leftover rice into a satisfying breakfast with just a few basic ingredients.
Making Gyeran Bap (Korean Egg Rice)
If you’ve got rice, an egg, and a few basic seasonings, you’re halfway there. I usually cook the egg sunny-side-up so the yolk stays runny—it creates a rich, creamy sauce when stirred into the rice. Over-easy works too, but I don’t recommend cooking it all the way through.
While the egg cooks, heat your rice until steaming hot. You can use freshly cooked rice or leftover rice from the fridge—just make sure it’s fully reheated. I sometimes use multigrain rice (japgok bap) when I want something a bit heartier.
Once the egg is ready, layer it over a bowl of hot rice with a thin slice of butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Break the yolk and stir to combine—simple!
Topping Ideas for Gyeran Bap
I usually keep my egg rice simple, but sometimes I like to turn it into a full meal with a few extra toppings. Over the years, I’ve tried everything from avocado to chili crisp, and they all bring something a little different to the table.
Here are a few of my go-to combos, depending on what I have on hand:
- Crumbled roasted seaweed : Adds crunch and umami. I sometimes use my homemade roasted seaweed for a freshly toasted flavor.
- Green onion: A sprinkle of sliced scallions brightens up the whole bowl. I also love serving it with my green onion kimchi for an extra flavor boost—so simple and so good.
- Kimchi: Cabbage kimchi is classic, but radish or cucumber kimchi works just as well.
- Gochujang: I occasionally swirl in a spoonful of gochujang for a sweet-spicy kick. If you do, skip the soy sauce to balance the saltiness.
- Chili crisp: A modern touch I love for extra heat and crunch.
- Avocado: Creamy, mild, and surprisingly perfect with the salty egg and soy.
- Myeongnan-jeot (명란젓): Salted pollock roe adds a punch of flavor. Just a little goes a long way.
- Ground beef bulgogi: If I want to make it a full meal, I’ll top it with leftover bulgogi for a meaty, satisfying finish.
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Gyeran Bap (Easy Korean Egg Rice with Leftover Rice)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tbsp (7 ml) oil
- 1 serving (about 1 cup / 200 g) cooked rice, warmed
- 1/2 tbsp (7 g) butter, optional
- 2 tsp (10 ml) soy sauce, preferably low sodium
- 2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil
- 2 tsp (6 g) toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Crack an egg and fry it to your desired doneness. (I recommend sunny-side-up.)
- In a bowl, add warm rice. Place a thin sliver of butter over the rice and place the fried egg on top. The heat of the rice and egg will melt the butter instantly. Drizzle soy sauce and sesame oil over the egg, and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds.
- To serve, break the egg yolk with a spoon and break up the egg white into chunks. Mix the egg and rice together until well combined. Serve with kimchi on the side and enjoy!
Notes
- Typically, one egg is used per serving, but you can increase it to two eggs if you prefer a creamier and richer taste.
- Try adding these toppings to make your gyeran bap more hearty: crumbled roasted seaweed, avocado, fish roe or fermented pollock roe (myeongnan-jeot), gochujang sauce (if using, omit the soy sauce), chili crisp, and ground beef bulgogi.
So yummy
Funny, I grew up eating something similar with leftover rice for breakfast though not Asian. We warmed up the rice & fried the egg in bacon grease (of course because I am Southern US), then piled the egg on top of the rice, topped with crisp fried bacon, salt & pepper. Last we chopped it all up finely together. Still my favorite breakfast. Did the same with leftover cold mashed potatoes fried into patties. No one else I’ve met does this, so I don’t know where it came from.
This was really good. I just made it for my boyfriend and I and this is a winner!! Will make again!
I’m curious – what kind of rice did you use for this?
Tamar, what a sweet story that is? It is so nice that you were able to hear from your grandfather about the Korean war and what he experienced. I also had my grandmother-in law who grew up in depression time and helped raising 8 brothers. She was one of the most frugal person I have encountered. I learned a lot about being thrifty and frugal. We live in time of abundance and often forget about tough time that previous generation had gone through. A lot of lessons to learn for us.
Short grain rice.
I know this is an older post, but I just wanted to say that I LOVE this recipe. The creaminess of the butter and fried egg with the nuttiness of the sesame… Goes to show that sometimes the best recipes are the most simple. I’ve been eating it almost daily for breakfast/lunch while I’ve been on vacation and feeling lazy. ^^
That is so great Courtney!
I make this egg rice often too. My kids always wants more whenever I make it. You are right. The best recipes are the most simple one.
Have a great day!
My girls (5 and 8), scarfed this down! I added edamame beans to the rice. What an easy dinner!
Thank you for this wonderful dish! It is delicious and so easy to make. Now I have a terrific use for my leftover rice. And I love the flavors!
Hi Martha
Thanks for you comment. So happy that you liked the dish. It is indeed quick and easy to make and so tasty!
Thank you Holly for this delicious recipe! I love having leftover rice!
I make this dish too time to time when I need a quick lunch. But not with the butter. Will definitely try it with the butter 🙂 btw love your blog and recipes!!
This is fantastic! We had this for breakfast this morning and my five year old and two year old twins loved it. Thanks so much for breaking up the boring breakfast as usual!
That is great Stephanie! This egg rice bowl is wonderful to serve as a breakfast for a busy morning.
Hi,
This recipe sounds fab! Is there a substitute I can use for the butter or do you think it would taste just as good without the butter? I wonder what the egg would taste like with the kewpie mayo… Without the sesame oil of course!
You can omit the butter. I often not use butter and it still is delicious. I am not sure about with kewpie mayo though. The sesame oil adds very nice subtle fragrance and flavor, and I never omit the sesame oil in this egg rice bowl.
mmmmMMMMmmmm. Pardon my ignorance, but is this the basic foundation of bibimbop? Korean food is an unexplored frontier for me, but I do love the few things I’ve had and this reminds me of bibimbop. I came to your site because I am craving kimchee and wanted to find some quick Korean food-love to help me eat my kimchee. Thank you for your gifts 🙂
Hi Julie
This falls in to the category of bibimbap since bibimbap means mixed rice and anything can be bibimbap if yiu mix with rice and sauce.
This particular dish is really easy and simple with ingredients you might already have.
It is also great to eat with kimchi as well. Hope you can give it a try soon.
You can also look into my recipe index to search for more recipes that uses kimchi.
Thanks.
rice and eggs are asian best friends! i dont know if i can live without both these food in my house!
This looks luxurious and simple! Reminds me of my childhood.
Ahh, this is what I ate almost every day as a kid. If I was really lucky, my mom would put some ketchup in it. Sounds weird, but it’s AWESOME.
I often ate something similar to this as a kid, only I would add some quick kimchi to the bowl. There is something about quick kimchi and buttered sticky rice that tastes sooo good! Thanks for taking me back to my childhood and bringing back a dish I had forgotten about!
Holly! I love this dish. It’s probably every Korean child’s favorite. I still make it all the time and with jangjorim, it’s the best!
Jangjorim has to be my favorite side dish of my childhood. Thank for the comment, Jen!
I had rice left over from the Jeyook Bokkeum I made last night, so this was my breakfast. Super simple and tasty as heck!! Thanks for the nice easy recipes!
Hi Liz
It is good to hear that you liked this simple egg rice. It is even better with Korean pork, isn’t it?
Just found your blog and seriously LOVE! This dish looks awesome. I grew up on a Thai variation, just add fried minced garlic, a lil oil from the fried garlic and then green onion.
Garlic and green onion sound good. I am going to try that next time. Thanks.
I love this meal. It is very similar to comfort food my mom would make for me when I was growing up: Rice with soy sauce and butter. Thanks for sharing your tip to bag individual servings amount of leftover rice in the freezer. It’s come in handy so many times when we are hungry and want to make a quick meal of fried rice!
I love quick comfort food! For me it’s usually spam, rice and egg but I’ve gotta try this soy sauce and sesame combination next time I’ve got a hankering.
I love this recipe, especially the addition of sesame seeds! I love how eggs + carbs form a meal in so many parts of the world. Yum!
I think Many Asian countries share the same idea. Never new that Chinese have the similar version.
I thought I was the only one who did this… : D
There are plenty, Shuhan. 🙂
Thank you! This delicious recipe has become a staple in my life!
Oh boy, this sounds so good, like the perfect midnight supper food! How about some kimchi on the side?. I need to make this tomorrow pronto!
I love this quick dish. I usually add bits of kimchee but that might be too much for people.
I see your page nearly everyday, wait for new posts everyday because I love to see how you put your passion in your food and very nice photos…it’s really enjoyable to read your daily story as well :”). Love your egg rice! I usually use a little pepper with hot oil, when the smell comes up, I’ll crack the egg. Yummy!
Thank you Tien for your sweet compliment. Adding pepper in a hot oil before you crack the egg is great idea to infuse the fragrance. I will try that next time.
I do this once in a while, because it reminds me of childhood. Sometimes, I put shredded up dried “gim” (seaweed) or canned tuna in it, too. YUM! :~)
Yes, ‘Gim’ will add nice flavor the rice. Yum!
Yum, yum… It’s quite similar to a Chinese rice dish where you add a raw egg to hot boiled rice and then stir with your chopsticks, creating a smooth creamy consistency to the rice. A bit of scissored spring onions or coriander completes the dish with the usual salt and pepper.
I love your food photography – simply styled but effectively enhanced with the right props. Which camera do you use?
Thanks Nicole. I use Nikon camera.
This reminds me of one episode of a Japanese drama (which is about the story of a dish each episode). The rice dish in that drama was served with butter and soy sauce. Now your version adds a fried egg. I can just imagine how good it is. Will definitely try it out!
Could you be talking about Shinya Shokudou? I read the manga. Most of the dishes featured are simple, but the cute stories that come with it makes me want to cook and eat it.
Yum! I would have this as an afternoon snack when I was a kid all the time!
YUM!! It’s like a very simplified version of bibimbap! 🙂 I think I’ll add some frozen (steamed) veggies to mine. Great idea- love this post!
What a nice, fast dish! You’re right that there isn’t much to it, but I can sure taste the flavor – you don’t need a ton of ingredients to get flavor, just one or two really tasty ones. Love the idea of freezing leftover rice. I’ll definitely be trying this – such a great idea.
putting the butter on top of the rice looks interesting! Will definitely give this a try.
Thanks for this …I am looking for some more breakfast foods. I am trying to eat a big breakfast and then slim down on lunch and dinner. This looks amazing, something I would love for any meal actually!