5 Minute Gyeran Bap (Korean Egg & Rice Breakfast)
Gyeran bap is a satisfying Korean egg rice dish made of fried eggs and rice. This Korean breakfast comes in handy when you are in a hurry in the morning because it’s a quick recipe to prepare. All you need is egg, leftover cooked rice, butter, soy sauce and sesame oil. In 5 minutes, you have a simple egg and rice breakfast bowl.
Back in the day, when I was just a little tot in Korea, my go-to Korean breakfast was gyeran bap – rice, fried egg, a splash of soy sauce, and sesame oil. This Korean egg rice was so easy to make, even a child could do it!
And trust me, I did. No need for my dear mother to fix me up a meal when I could whip up a sunny-side-up egg myself in no time.
This fried egg with rice breakfast remains a cherished dish for me even as an adult. It was a staple during my college years when I needed a cheap and easy meal, and I continue to make it today when I’m short on time.
Along with Korean street toast, gyeran bap brings back fond memories of my childhood, and I’m sure it does for many other Koreans as well.
What is Gyeran Bap?
Gyeran bap is a traditional Korean breakfast recipe that features steamed rice mixed with a fried egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Some people also add a thin slice of butter to bring extra richness to the dish.
It’s also known as Korean egg rice or fried egg with rice, but regardless of its name, the dish consists of the perfect combination of egg and rice. The topping can vary depending on personal preference.
Gyeran bap is not only delicious, but also a quick and easy dish to make, making it a great option for simple breakfast or lunch on busy days when you need a satisfying meal in a hurry.
If you love simple fried rice, try my egg fried rice or garlic fried rice for another quick recipe using leftover rice and basic pantry ingredients. They both are great for breakfast.
Ingredients
- Egg: The main ingredient of gyeran bap, providing protein and flavor.
- Typically, one egg is used per serving, but you can increase it to two eggs if you prefer a creamier and richer taste.
- Butter: Optional ingredient that adds richness.
- Soy sauce: Adds a savory taste and seasons the dish.
- Sesame oil: Adds a nutty fragrance to the aroma and enhances the overall flavor.
- Toasted sesame seeds: Provides a nutty taste and adds texture.
How to make Gyeran bap (Korean egg rice)
Step 1: 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.)
Step 2: In a bowl, add warm rice. Place a thin sliver of butter and place the fried egg on top. The heat of the rice and egg will melt the butter instantly.
Step 3: 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!
Topping options for gyeran bap
- Crumbled Roasted Seaweed: Adds texture and umami flavor to the dish. Try my Easy Homemade Roasted Seaweed Recipe if you are interested.
- Green Onion: Provides a fresh, crunchy taste and aroma to complement the richness.
- Kimchi: Cabbage Kimchi or other Types adds a spicy and tangy taste that pairs well with the dish.
- Gochujang Sauce: Try this Homemade Gochujang Sauce. it adds a sweet and spicy flavor to the dish.
- Chili Crisp: Adds heat and texture to the dish.
- Avocado: Provides a creamy and rich taste.
- Fish Roe or Fermented Pollock Roe (Myeongnan-jeot, 명란젓): Adds a salty and savory flavor.
- Ground Beef: Cooked Ground Beef Bulgogi adds a savory and meaty taste.
Recipe Tips and Advice
- Egg: For the best results, use fresh organic eggs. I recommend cooking them sunny-side-up, as breaking the yolk and mixing it with the rice creates a creamy sauce that is utterly delicious.
- If sunny-side-up is not your preference, you can cook to over-easy, but do not cook the yolk completely.
- Rice: Freshly cooked rice is always the best, and you can use either white rice or multigrain rice (japgok bap) to make gyeran bap. If using leftover rice, be sure to reheat it in a microwave until hot.
- Butter: Although optional, a thin sliver of butter adds richness and enhances the flavor in my humble opinion.
5 Minute Gyeran Bap (Korean Egg & Rice Breakfast)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1 serving cooked rice, warmed
- 1/2 tbsp butter, optional
- 2 tsp soy sauce, preferably low sodium
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp 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!