11 Sauces You Should Be Using To Season Eggs

Often, eggs are eaten as an element of breakfast; in fact, they are one of the best foods to eat in the morning, according to Healthline, due to their high protein and low-calorie content. The beauty of eggs is their versatility, as you can cook them in dozens of ways, either alone or paired with other ingredients or side dishes — all at nearly any time of day.

However, there are ideal pairings. Because of their mild taste when cooked, you can also enhance the flavor of eggs. Vegetables usually go well with them as the yolk has a creamy, almost cheesy flavor — examples being spinach and eggs in an omelet or a poached egg on top of avocado toast (via Sauder's Eggs). Additionally, fried eggs in oil pair well with other savory elements, such as bacon and cheese, when cooked together (via Eat With Drink With). Eggs can also complement foods that are different in flavor or texture, such as hard-boiled eggs mixed with mayo and mustard in an egg salad.

But one of the best ways to keep your egg dishes from feeling stale or overdone is to spice things up with fun sauces to drizzle or incorporate. Luckily, there are plenty of options to choose from no matter your tastes — even some that will surprise you with their unconventionality.

One of the easiest ways to change up your breakfast routine is to play with flavor. If you like things a bit spicier, hot sauce is a great way to bring some new life into the foods you're eating, especially with a classic like eggs. And with such health benefits as other pepper-based hot sauces, it might just be the healthiest choice you make.

According to Healthline, chemicals in peppers like capsaicin help the body in many ways, including increasing metabolism, reducing inflammation, and even relieving tension and pain. The spicier the pepper, the higher the levels of capsaicin available. That's not to say you should reach for the spiciest bottle on the shelf, but there are some favored options that satisfy this need. Tabasco, a popular brand of hot sauce that was originally built on three basic ingredients (peppers, salt, and vinegar), has a variety of spice levels and flavors — the Scorpion version being the spiciest.

No matter how you cook your eggs, there is a hot sauce that will pair perfectly. The most popular brands (Tabasco, Sriracha, Tapatío, and Cholula) offer a strong pepper, vinegar-based base, emphasizing garlic and salt (via Spicy Trio). Others offer subtle shifts in spice with different types of flavor, from mustard, ginger, and hot peppers from Caribbean-based sauces to citrus and dry chiles.

Salt and eggs can be the best pairing when brought together, though getting the sodium level exactly right can seem daunting. Soy sauce is a great way to season your eggs with salt while adding some unexpected umami flavor. Not only are they a great match, but they are appreciated worldwide in iconic, delicious dishes.

Asian countries like Japan and Korea utilize eggs in savory meals that push past the morning hours of breakfast. One notable dish from Japan is oyakodon, which, according to Piece of Japan, is a traditional donburi recipe that involves simmering chicken and egg in a sauce made with soy sauce, dashi, sake, mirin, and sugar. Combining the eggs, chicken, and rice with the bold, tasty sauce makes the meal rich and savory and showcases how well soy sauce and eggs go together.

For those looking to add a boost of soy-based umami flavor to their eggs at any time of the day, be cautious before going straight for the bottle of soy sauce. Some home chefs advise adding salt to the eggs and setting them aside for some time before cooking; the chemical reaction between the sodium and the protein in the eggs will result in more tender cooked eggs (via MyRecipes) — and the same goes for soy sauce. If you'd prefer a more savory topping, a delicious teriyaki sauce offers a pleasant balance of both salty and sweet.

A classic dish that is also a brunch favorite is eggs Benedict. Typically, a toasted English muffin sits at the base, topped with ham and a poached egg, then drizzled heavily in hollandaise sauce. If you want to make your eggs more decadent, a hollandaise recipe can instantly make your meal more upscale.

Though it might not seem feasible to make at home, hollandaise sauce is simply an emulsion sauce, according to Original Pancake House Denver. You can make a creamy, rich sauce that pairs especially well with poached eggs by whisking together clarified butter with egg yolks over very low heat. Hollandaise sauce can also be used to top sautéed vegetables, cooked red meat, and fish, as the rich taste of butter adds another layer of flavor that complements the other ingredients well.

For eggs, however, hollandaise is used best as a topping, as the high heat of dishes like scrambled eggs will cause the sauce to "break," separating the egg and butter (via Made in). You can also make variations of the sauce if you prefer a unique flavor, such as adding in a pinch of cayenne or paprika or throwing in a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Lemon juice also helps balance the richness.

Sriracha became popular years ago as the new trendy, spicy hot sauce. But more recently, a new contender is gochujang, often described as the Korean sriracha equivalent. Although both sauces are made with peppers, the flavor profiles of gochujang and sriracha offer different ranges in both spice and taste. The funkiness of gochujang's fermented ingredients and spicy peppers make it a delicious, complex addition to season your dishes, including eggs.

In its paste form, gochujang has an incredible umami flavor that is both smoky and spicy. While sriracha is garlic-forward in flavor and high in vinegar and kick, the depth of heat and slightly sour taste from the fermented soybeans in gochujang will give it a complex, more rich taste. It infuses heavily into the dishes it is added to, and for eggs, this means enveloping them in its flavor. With the spice, there is also some sweetness, which — especially in a dish like scrambled eggs or an omelet — will react well with it and other ingredients added (via PepperScale).

You can find gochujang in your local Asian or Korean grocery store in both paste and sauce form. However, name brands like Good & Gather from Target are helping to bring it into the mainstream. These versions of the sauce will also include flavor additives that balance out the heat for those who want the flavor but not as much spice in their eggs.

Honey and hot sauce: an iconic and simple recipe that has taken the culinary realm by storm in recent years. Though name brands like Mike's Hot Honey became cult favorites by being drizzled on pizza, the sauce is a unique way to season your meals with a bit of hot and sweetness. Though it might not seem like it, this is a great flavor to add to your favorite egg dish, particularly your morning plate of scrambled eggs.

Hot honey is fairly easy to find in stores if you'd like to support the name-brand distributors, but you can also make it more easily at home. There are other ingredients you can add to adjust the consistency and flavor balance, according to Today, like vinegar and salt, or simply changing the ratio of hot sauce to honey. The sweetness mellows out the spicy, and the ultimate combination provides a nice balanced kick to scrambled eggs. If you like pairing eggs with other savory dishes, throw some hot honey on those too — sausage, bacon, sautéed veggies — whatever you want!

While raspberries paired with eggs might seem like an unlikely match, the combination of tart berries with smoky, zesty sauce ultimately makes this an ideal way to season your eggs. Though the name of it gives off the notion the sauce will be sweet and savory, it has a lot more going on that could make it an unexpected hero with your favorite egg-based dishes.

Raspberry chipotle, originally created by chef Emeril Lagasse according to Savor the Best, is typically used with heavier foods with fat like beef, pork, or chicken but has other applications. It can be spread on bread or crackers, paired with goat cheese, or brushed onto a sandwich. Its complex flavor profile gives it room to spread its proverbial wings. The adobo seasoning from the chipotle peppers offers an acidic and spicy element, while the raspberries are both sweet and sour.

These ingredients, together with spices, form a thick barbecue-like sauce that can excel in more savory egg dishes. You can use this as topping on a filled omelet, spread onto ham or an English muffin for eggs Benedict, or even drizzle on a breakfast taco or burrito. A little dollop could even spice up your most basic deviled egg platter or egg salad sandwich.

As one of the most popular sauces in the world, according to HealthifyMe, pesto is also known to be versatile in flavor and use. While we know it as a herb-laden sauce that brightens up Italian dishes, it can also be an interesting addition to your eggs, complementing their taste while being quite healthy.

Experts in dietary nutrition can attest to the benefits of pairing eggs with herbs. Pesto offers vital nutrients, from the healthy fats in olive oil and nuts to antioxidants in essentially every other ingredient. On the other hand, eggs provide a wealth of protein and healthy fats that go great with herbs, especially in the morning (via Well + Good). The combination keeps you full for longer, leading to less unhealthy snacking.

Pesto is easy enough to find at the store, though it's a great sauce to throw together at home in a blender or food processor. Its main ingredients, like basil and pine nuts, can be swapped out with other items if you don't have them available, such as parsley and cilantro or almonds and walnuts. The bold flavors of garlic and herbs, combined with the mellow sharpness of parmesan and nuts and your favorite olive oil, make a flavorful topping for any egg dish.

Worcestershire sauce is one of the most common elements in a steak sauce, no matter if you buy it or make it. Its slightly bitter taste comes from sour components like vinegar and tamarind combined with molasses and sugar — and sometimes even onion and garlic, according to MasterClass. Ultimately you get a unique-tasting condiment that, when paired with a thick, rich steak, cuts through the fat in a way that makes you taste a balanced bite. But while this sauce makes a great addition to your table when seasoning meats, you can also keep it around in the morning to top your side of eggs.

Some people use Worcestershire sauce to add a salty smokiness to their scrambled eggs, but steak sauce can have the same effect simply as a topping (via Kitchen Stories). Eggs cooked with other savory dishes higher in fat or dairy, such as egg and cheese sandwiches or scrambles, will benefit from steak sauce to balance the flavor. There are also plenty of varieties of steak sauce to choose from if you are interested in giving it a try — though culinary fans usually note A.1. Original Sauce as their favorite.

When combining eggs and maple syrup, recipes that come to mind are inherently sweet or dessert-like. Examples include French toast or oeufs dans le sirop d'é rable — or "eggs in maple syrup," a traditional dish in Quebec (via Food and Wine Chickie). The eggs are cooked in maple syrup like an egg drop soup, topped with ice cream for a sugar-fueled treat.

Maple syrup is also known to dip into the savory sphere of culinary creations, such as maple-syrup-infused chili. As a "sauce," it makes a great pairing with eggs, particularly scrambled eggs, as this dish often needs something to amp up its simpler taste. According to Fine Dining Lovers on YouTube, adding a small drizzle of maple syrup adds "a surprisingly smoky sweetness," ideally when paired with other savory breakfast dishes, including bacon. Plus, with traditional meals like pancakes and eggs, it won't upset the balance of your plate to pour syrup on everything.

Eggs go well with ingredients with bold flavors. As a condiment, mustard can be seen as an equally bold choice of topping, but the combination is actually pretty common. Who doesn't love a little mustardy zest in their egg salad or deviled eggs? Entire dishes are devoted to this pairing, including a German specialty where hard-boiled eggs are enjoyed with a mustard-forward sauce, according to Where is My Spoon.

To get the right mustard for your egg dish, it's best to know the balance of flavors in different varieties, as each carries unique taste notes that will make all the difference. For something more tart and "peppery-hot," a Dijon mustard would work best in something like a salad or sandwich (via USA Today). Dijon also comes in various textures, which can affect the overall outcome of the dish.

Overall, the spectrum of mustard flavors is vast. Sweeter versions like honey and Bavarian mustard work well with meats, while spicier ones like Chinese hot and spicy brown mustards are better for fried foods. Whichever type you go with, the condiment works best as a light seasoning for eggs, so only add it in small increments.

One serious debate across breakfast foodies is ketchup on eggs — is it complimentary in taste or wholly unnecessary? The numbers are pretty evenly split when surveyed, with a slight lead on "no ketchup," according to Original Pancake House Denver. However, there might be a compromise that satisfies both sides. An original creation born out of Utah, fry sauce seems like the simple combination of ketchup and mayo (via Eater), but its use as a condiment makes it a great addition to your morning plate.

If you love the acidic richness of ketchup but want it a bit lighter, fry sauce is the perfect sauce to spice up your eggs. Versatility is an essential element of the sauce because of its simplicity, meaning you can add your favorite spices to customize it. Originally, fry sauce included essentials with extra flavoring like garlic and other spices (via Atlas Obscura). Famed TV food personality Ree Drummond makes her fry sauce with equal parts ketchup and mayo, with a dash of hot sauce to give the base sauce a bit of a kick. But you can dress up your breakfast staple however you like!