Vegan egg in a hole with Just Egg

Vegan egg in a hole is a delicious and eye-catching breakfast. It takes only minutes to make, but it never fails to impress.

Enjoy it any weekday morning, or serve it at brunch.

Breakfast just got a “hole” lot more fun! 

If you thought vegan eggs in a hole were impossible, think again. 

By using tofu as the egg white & Just Egg as the yolk, you can have that classic breakfast all over again.

What is egg in a hole?

Egg in a hole is a fried egg that’s cooked in the middle of a slice of bread.

It’s known by a variety of names like:

• Egg in the basket
• Eggs in a frame
• Eggs in a nest
• Hole in one
• One-eyed Jack
• One-eyed Pete
• Pirate’s eye
• Popeye

In the United States, it’s sometimes called toad in the hole. However, across the pond, the name “toad in the hole” is usually reserved for sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding.

Egg in a hole originated around the turn of the center. It came on the scene about the same time as eggs Benedict. 

Decades later, it was featured in the Cher flick, Moonstruck.

Vegan egg in a basket

Obviously, eggs aren’t vegan. So usually egg in a hole isn’t vegan either.

However, this easy breakfast can be veganized with a few substitutions.

1. Butter the bread with non-dairy butter. 
2. Use tofu for the egg white.
3. Use a vegan liquid egg replacement like Just Egg for the yolk.
4. Finish with a few shakes of nutritional yeast, kala namak, and black pepper to bring home that eggy flavor.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need for this vegan eggs in a nest recipe.

Bread: Any sandwich bread will work here. I especially like a grainy bread that won’t fall apart when cooking. 

Trader Joe’s sprouted wheat 7-grain bread is what I use every day. And that’s what’s shown here.

Vegan butter: Use your choice of non-dairy butter like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.

Buttering the bread directly gets everything evenly toasty and browned. 

Super firm tofu: I recommend using a 16-ounce package of vacuum-sealed, super firm tofu.

It doesn’t need to be pressed first, because it’s not packed in water.

Just Egg: This liquid egg replacement is made with mung beans.

You can find it in the refrigerated section at chain stores like Walmart and Target. It’s also available in many mainstream grocery stores, and most natural grocery stores.

Oil: Any neutral flavored oil will work. Avocado oil is my go-to.

Black salt: This sulfurous salt is also known as kala namak. It’s what gives the tofu its eggy flavor.

You can find it online or at Indian grocery stores. It adds a lot to the flavor, so you don’t want to skip this one.

Nutritional yeast: Also known as nooch, this flaky supplement adds cheesy, savory, umami flavor.

You can find it at Trader Joe’s, online, or at most natural grocery stores. If you can’t find it, omit it.

Black pepper: A few shakes or grinds of black pepper adds to the “fried egg” experience.

How to make it

Here’s how to make the recipe at a glance.

For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

1. Open a 16 ounce package of vacuum-packed tofu.

Turn the tofu on its side. Cut it in 4 long, even slabs.

(If you’re only making one piece, you can use a bread slice as a guide for how thick the tofu should be.)

2. Use a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to cut a circle in each tofu slab.

3. Use a smaller round cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of the tofu circle.

If you don’t have a small round cookie cutter, use a shot glass or stainless steel jigger (shown here).

4. Use a knife to butter 1 to 4 slices of bread, depending on how many you’re making.

5. Use the same larger biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of each bread slice. 

(You won’t need the bread circles for this recipe. You can either brown them separately. Or save them for tiny vegan grilled cheese sandwiches or BLT’s.)

6. Put the buttered bread in a lightly oiled skillet at a medium heat. 

(Depending on how many eggs in a hole you’re making & the size of your skillet, you may need to work in batches.)

Add the tofu circles to each bread slice.

7. Fill a tofu center with Just Egg. Add a little more Just Egg around the edges of the tofu, so that it can seal to the bread. 

You don’t have to add it everywhere. Just enough to hold the two together.

8. Continue filling all of the tofu circles.

9. Add a sprinkling of nutritional yeast, kala namak, and black pepper to the “eggs.”

10. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bread has browned on one side.

11. Use a spatula to flip each bread slice, being careful to really get the spatula underneath the “egg.”

12. Add a sprinkling of nutritional yeast, kala namak, and black salt to the other side of the “egg.”

13. Cover & cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, until the other side has browned.

14. Remove from skillet & serve.

Make it your own

Make vegan fried egg in toast your own with these simple variations.

Try a different vegan liquid egg

I haven’t tried the recipe with a different brand of vegan liquid egg. However, it would probably work just as well. 

Trader Joe’s sells Simply Eggless, which is made with lupini bean. I’m not a fan of it. But if you like it, give it a go here.

You could also try a homemade chickpea egg (like pudla) in the center.

Use a different shape for the hole

Instead of cutting a circle in the bread & toast, choose a different shape. 

Hearts are especially fun for Valentine’s Day. 

Add toppings

Vegan egg in a hole can be a great vehicle for avocado toast. 

(If you add avocado, sprinkle it with kala namak too for even more eggy flavor.) 

Here are more topping ideas:

Can I make this ahead of time?

I don’t recommend making vegan fried egg in toast ahead of time. While tofu reheats fine, bread is less forgiving. 

However, you can do some simple prep work ahead a day or two ahead:

• Cut holes in the bread
• Slice the tofu
• Cut holes in the tofu

Store the tofu and bread in airtight containers or plastic baggies. Store the tofu in the refrigerator and the bread on the counter. 

Then when you’re ready to prepare it, you can simply butter the bread, put the tofu into place in an oiled skillet, fill with Just Egg, and season.

What to serve with it

Vegan egg in a hole is substantive enough, it can be a complete breakfast on its own. 

Or you can fill it out with any of these side dishes:

Content, photos, and recipe updated October 3, 2022. Originally posted February 12, 2015.