The Best Homemade Scotch Eggs, a popular British snack, perfect for a picnic, breakfast, or any occasion. Delicious eggs wrapped in sausage meat and coated in crispy breadcrumbs.
Scotch Eggs are truly a wonderful thing! They're very popular in Britain and often eaten alongside a salad, or as part of a picnic. You can eat Scotch Eggs hot or cold, (I prefer just slightly warm!).
This Scotch Egg recipe has got to be the best ever!
If you've only ever eaten shop bought Scotch Eggs, then be prepared to be pleasantly surprised at homemade ones. They taste nothing like the shop-bought scotch eggs, which, I often find, taste synthetic, with an overwhelming taste of cardboard in the sausage layer.
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I have no idea what they put in the sausagemeat when they do it commercially, but these homemade scotch eggs are just amazing!
What do Scotch Eggs taste like?
Taste-wise, you get the lovely flavor of egg, and if you're using good quality fresh eggs, the yolks will be a wonderful yellowy orange color and taste out of this world!
The sausage meat gives you a nice meaty texture (unlike the shop bought ones which have no texture at all), and a nice flavor when it's seasoned with simply salt and pepper and the other few ingredients I list below.
And of course, that outer breadcrumb layer... OH, MY WORD! If you can make homemade breadcrumbs, you must! It only takes minutes to make, and it will be so worth the extra little effort!
In this recipe, I've added a pinch of ground mace to the sausage meat.
What is Mace?
If you're not familiar with mace, it is part of the nutmeg family, and taste similar, but mace is slightly sweeter and a little spicier.
You can use mace for adding to desserts, some cream sauces, for example, if you like asparagus and cream sauce, you can add a tiny pinch to the sauce there. You don't need much at all, but it does enhance the flavor of food fantastically.
What can I use instead of mace?
If you can't get hold of ground mace, just swap for nutmeg! I've also made these scotch eggs using store-bought panko breadcrumbs and they were amazing too!
How do you serve Scotch Eggs?
Scotch eggs are traditionally served as a snack, say for a picnic, partly because they travel well without risk of getting messy during transport.
They're also great for portion control, one of these scotch eggs is more than enough to fill your tummy at brunch or lunch time! Simply sliced in half, you can serve these for a buffet party, make ahead the day before and keep chilled until you're ready to serve.
There are a variety of things you could serve with these scotch eggs, such as a simple salad, or your favorite chutney, one chutney we like is our spicy Caribbean Mango or Pineapple Chutney, again that recipe is quick and fuss-free and will store refrigerated for a few weeks.
So here I will show you how to cook the perfect scotch egg!
It's really easy, just follow the steps as described and please do send us in your photos via our Facebook page or Pinterest right on the pin itself! We love to see your creations!
What Sausagemeat should I use?
For these scotch eggs, make sure you use a good quality sausage meat, that will make a lot of difference to the taste and texture.
When you're shaping the scotch eggs, make sure the eggs are completely covered with the sausage meat so there are no spaces where you can see the egg, otherwise, they could split when they are cooking.
Can I bake or air fry scotch eggs?
You can also bake these, I would suggest at around a 400F or 200 C Oven, until golden brown, about 20 - 25 minutes. I've also tried these in the air fryer, set at 350F 180C, and cooked for about 25 minutes. Both methods work fine, but I always prefer them deep-fried.
There is something traditional about doing it the 'old fashioned' way by heating up a pan of hot oil and plunging those tasty scotch eggs in there!
So let's get straight to the recipe and see how we make these delicious homemade Scotch eggs. Please enjoy!
If you love all things egg, check out our basic scrambled egg recipe on our sister site, Newbie In The Kitchen too! It's really easy and takes minutes to make.
Ingredients
8 eggs
1 lb or 450 g plain sausage meat
2 tbsp chopped mixed herbs (I like chives and thyme)
A pinch of ground mace (see picture below if you are not sure what mace looks like).
1 tbsp English mustard
Splash of milk
½ cup or 50 g flour
1 cup or 100 g panko breadcrumbs, or homemade breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, to cook
Instructions
1. Put six of the eggs into a pan, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil.
Turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes, then put straight into a large bowl of iced water for at least 10 minutes
2. Put the meat, herbs, mace, and mustard into a bowl, season and mix well with your hands.
Divide into 6 balls.
3. Carefully peel the eggs.
Beat the two raw eggs together in a bowl with a splash of milk.
**If you are making your own breadcrumbs, I suggest about 6 slices of FROZEN bread. Cut into quarters and place in a food processor
Pulse until the bread is a medium crumb as in the photo
Put the flour in a second bowl and season, then tip the breadcrumbs into a third bowl. Arrange in an assembly line.
4. Put a square of clingfilm on the work surface, and flour lightly.
Put one of the meatballs in the center, and flour lightly
Then put another square of cling film on top.
Roll out the meat until large enough to encase an egg and remove the top sheet of clingfilm.
5. To assemble the egg, roll one peeled egg in flour
Then put in the center of the meat. Bring up the sides of the meat to encase it
and smooth it into an egg shape with your hands.
Dip each egg in flour, then egg,then breadcrumbs, and then dip back in the egg and breadcrumbs to give it 2 coats.
Place prepared scotch eggs on a plate ready for cooking.
6. Fill a large pan a third full of vegetable oil, and heat to 325F, 170C
To see if your oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of bread in the oil and see if it sizzles and turns golden but does not burn. If it burns, turn the heat down and test again.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower each egg into the oil
and use your spoon to turn it every so often so it browns evenly. **You may need to cook in batches depending on the size of your pan.
Cook the eggs a couple at a time, for seven minutes, until crisp and golden,
then drain on kitchen paper before serving.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our Best Homemade Scotch Eggs recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
The Best Homemade Scotch Eggs
The Best Homemade Scotch Eggs, a popular British snack, perfect for a picnic, breakfast, or any occasion. Delicious eggs wrapped in sausage meat and coated in crispy breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 1 lb or 450 g plain sausagemeat
- 3 tbsp chopped mixed herbs (I like chives, and thyme)
- A pinch of ground mace .
- 1 tbsp English mustard
- Splash of milk
- ½ cup or 50 g flour
- 1 cup or 100 g panko or homemade breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil, to cook
Instructions
- Put six of the eggs into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes, then put straight into a large bowl of iced water for at least 10 minutes.
- Put the meat, herbs, mace and mustard into a bowl, season and mix well with your hands. Divide into six.
- Carefully peel the eggs. Beat the two raw eggs together in a bowl with a splash of milk. Put the flour in a second bowl and season, then tip the breadcrumbs into a third bowl. Arrange in an assembly line.
- Put a square of clingfilm on the worksurface, and flour lightly. Put one of the meatballs in the centre, and flour lightly, then put another square of cling film on top. Roll out the meat until large enough to encase an egg and remove the top sheet of clingfilm.
- To assemble the egg, roll one peeled egg in flour, then put in the centre of the meat. Bring up the sides of the film to encase it, and smooth it into an egg shape with your hands. Dip each egg in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, then egg and then breadcrumbs.
- Fill a large pan a third full of vegetable oil, and heat to 325F, 170C (or when a crumb of bread sizzles and turns golden, but does not burn, when dropped in it). Cook the eggs a couple at a time, for seven minutes, until crisp and golden, then drain on kitchen paper before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 6 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 248mgSodium: 283mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 12g
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Kimi
says:I just had a Scotch Egg at a Scottish Games event recently and really liked them. So I made this recipe on Mother’s Day and they turned out perfect!! The recipe was easy to follow and Accurate! Thank you!
Andrew
says:Great recipe. The second time I made them I added onion salt to the sausage meat for an added dimension. They were a big hit.
Jamie
says:This recipe is AMAZING I highly suggest it!!
Mer
says:If you want to try an interesting twist to it, freeze a raw egg, de shell it, use the frozen egg instead of the hard boiled egg. You will end up with this item but with a soft boiled egg center. Do not use high quality eggs, freezing the egg intensifies the flavor of the yolk.
Keran
says:I made these but instead of egg I did cheese and onion and also cheese and mushroom absolutely delicious
Laurie Manno
says:I made 18 of these Christmas morning. I baked mine though and added 1 cup of cornflake crumbs to the coating. They were DELICIOUS!
Cindy
says:Amazing!! I followed your exact recipe. I have made these before and they were not as good as yours and more complicated to make. I give these 5 stars. I served them with honey mustard. Eggs were perfect!
Henry John
says:I am impressed and will attempt some of these recipes which you have made so simple with your instructions.
They all look absolutely delish !!!
Miranda
says:How would you recommend reheating them? Can the leftovers be refrigerated? Took me two hours to make haha I’m saving the remains!
Lovefoodies
says:hi Miranda, these are also delicious cold! however, if you wanted to reheat i would suggest popping then in a medium heat oven for 10-15 minutes, making sure they’re hot right through, and yes, you can refrigerate for up to 3 days. hope that helps and glad you like them!
April J Harris
says:Scotch eggs are wonderful! I’ve never had homemade ones – I can just imagine how much better they are than store bought!
lovefoodies
says:They are definitely a million times better than from the shop April so please do give them a go!
Susie Gall/Simply Sated
says:I have wanted to make these for a long time. You have inspired me.
lovefoodies
says:I’m so glad you feel inspired. Hope you get to try them soon!
Lisa Sisco
says:would this turn out as well if baked instead of fried?
lovefoodies
says:Hi Lisa,
I have tried to bake them and I didn’t like them at all! They cracked open (the meat outer) and the eggs tasted a bit ‘rubbery’. So I personally wouldn’t recommend it. You could fry first to seal them and then bake, but in all honesty, if you do that, you might as well fry them completely! So long as the oil is hot enough, it will seal the outer very fast to avoid oil being absorbed into the meat. Then use kitchen paper after, and they won’t be oily. Often, when people fry food, it can be oily and quite horrible, greasy, because the oil was not hot enough to seal the outer surface of the food. (This sealing is what prevents further oil from soaking into food and therefore making it greasy and really unhealthy!)
Mary