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Omelette in a Bag is a perfect breakfast for camping, family reunions, or at even home. Everyone can customize their own with their favorite ingredients. And clean-up is a breeze!
Featured with this Recipe
This Omelet in a Bag recipe is so much fun! We make these every single time we go camping. They are SO easy and there is virtually no cleanup. I have all the ingredients prepped before we go camping so we simply wake up and get some water boiling – that’s it. Everyone loves making their omelettes EXACTLY how they want and it is fun! They always come out perfect and nothing tastes better after a long night of camping. I actually find myself making these a few times just at home throughout the year because they turn out so fluffy and tasty. They are way better than trying to do it in a pan, plus you can make them all at once instead of just one-at-a-time. We have made these when guests come visit and they are always surprised with how good they are.
Ingredients in Omelette in a Bag
- Eggs
- Water
- Fillings – see our list below for all our favorite filling ideas!
- Toppings – shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, salsa, ketchup, hot sauce, sliced green onions, chives, salt and pepper
Omelettes for a Crowd
This Omelette in a Bag recipe is a great recipe if you are cooking breakfast for a crowd. You can make big batches all at once and again, clean-up is a snap! Whether camping, at a reunion, or just at home wanting to switch things up, you just can’t lose with this simple, satisfying and super fun breakfast! Also, have you seen our FAMILY REUNION Meal Planning Guide? We share lots of other great meals you can make for big groups. Be sure to check it out!
Steps to the Perfect Omelette in a Bag
Here are the step by step instructions for making an Omelette in a Bag. It really is so easy!
Omelette Fillings and Toppings
The sky is the limit when it comes to omelette in a bag fillings. Here are some of the more common types of Omelette recipes with fillings.
- Denver Omelette – ham, bacon, bell peppers, onions, cheese.
- Western Omelette – ham, onion, green pepper, cheese.
- Mediterranean Omelette – spinach, feta cheese, olives, red onion, garlic.
- Southwest Omelette – bacon, tomato, avocado, Monterey Jack cheese, salsa, sour cream.
- Steak Omelette – sliced steak, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, tomatoes.
- Veggie Omelette – bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, baby spinach leaves, tomato, avocado, cheese.
- Meat filling ideas: Diced ham, bacon, ground sausage, Kielbasa sausage, steak slices, Spam, pulled pork, seasoned ground beef, pepperoni, salami, shredded chicken.
- Vegetable filling ideas: Red, green, orange, or yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, red onion, green onion, white onion, cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, any garden tomato, fresh spinach, diced zucchini, broccoli, avocado, butternut squash, alfalfa sprouts.
- Cheese filling ideas: Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Provolone, Pepper Jack, Swiss, Gruyere, Mozzarella.
- Topping ideas: Shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, parsley, diced tomatoes, diced onions, basil leaves, lime, Hollandaise sauce, Greek yogurt
BPA Free Plastic Bags
We have had some comments about the bags being safe to boil. We use Ziploc freezer bags which claim to be BPA free. If you are still worried about it, there are reusable boiling bags that you can purchase online as well. We have no qualms using the Ziploc freezer bags, especially since we only make these on special occasions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they are safe! Ziploc bags are BPA free and can be heated without issue. We make these all the time for ourselves and our kids.
We’ve found that 13 minutes works for up to 6 eggs. If adding more eggs, add 1-2 minutes per additional eggs. ALSO, cooking times vary depending on elevation – check your eggs every few minutes. Once they are no longer runny and feel like they are set, they are ready!
You can spray a little cooking spray in the bag before filling.
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How to Make an Omelette in a Bag
Omelette in a Bag
Video
Ingredients
additional ingredients (to your liking):
- bacon cooked & chopped
- sausage cooked & crumbled
- tomato diced
- bell peppers diced
- onion chopped
- mushroom sliced
- whatever other toppings you like
Optional Toppings:
- Salt & pepper
- sour cream
- salsa
- avocado
- guacamole
- any additional topping ingredients you like
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (approximately ⅔ full)
- While waiting for the water to boil, crack eggs into a Ziploc heavy-duty, large (at least quart-sized) freezer bag and add water.
- Seal and shake, smash, squish the bag – whatever you can to get those eggs really beaten up.
- Add any remaining ingredients that you would like, press as much air out of the bag as you can, and seal tightly.
- Smoosh the ingredients around a little bit to get an even distribution.
- Place bags (up to 6) in the boiling water and cook for 13 minutes (adding 1-2 minutes per additional egg if people want bigger omelettes).
- Also, cooking times vary depending on elevation – check your eggs every few minutes. Once they are no longer runny and feel like they are set, they are ready!
- Make sure the tops of the bag don't hang out over the edge of the pot, especially if you are doing it over a fire– you don't want the plastic to melt.
- One of our readers suggested clipping the bags together with a clothespin and draping them over a skewer or stick placed across the pot to keep them from falling over the sides– a great idea!
- Carefully remove the bags from the water. When you open the bag, the omelette should easily slide onto the plate.
- Top with any additional toppings and enjoy!
Notes
-
- Meat filling ideas: Diced ham, bacon, ground sausage, Kielbasa sausage, steak slices, Spam, pulled pork, seasoned ground beef, pepperoni, salami, shredded chicken.
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- Vegetable filling ideas: Red, green, orange, or yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, red onion, green onion, white onion, cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, garden tomato, fresh spinach, diced zucchini, broccoli, avocado, butternut squash, alfalfa sprouts.
-
- Cheese filling ideas: Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Provolone, Pepper Jack, Swiss, Gruyere, Mozzarella.
-
- Topping ideas: Shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, parsley, diced tomatoes, diced onions, basil leaves, lime, Hollandaise sauce, Greek yogurt
Can I use frozen veggies or should they be fresh?
Fresh usually tastes better but you can use frozen if that is what you have on hand.
I found it best to use sandwiches bags. Works great
Can I use milk or half and half in place of the water?
Sure!
Sounds like a winner! Will be trying this!
We started doing this a couple of years ago on our family group camping trips. We use a Turkey fryer filled with boiling water and write our names in permanent marker on the bag before filling. So much fun!
That is awesome! So glad you liked the recipe!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it. Pinning it now!
Since I’m already making boiled eggs. I’m going to try doing this at the same time. Don’t worry when my boiled eggs are done I’ll remove them.
Love this recipe and technique. I use a silicone bag instead of a Ziploc. The plastic slide bar that keeps the silicone bag closed could not be used with any heat, so I had to leave that off and secure the bag by clipping it to my pot with clothespins, but it worked perfectly. I cook mine a bit longer, maybe 15 to 16 minutes, and they are perfect every time.
Thanks for sharing that this works well with silicone bags! Very good to know!
Do you have to use the gallon size ziplocks or would quart size work?
Quart size actually works the best for individual servings. Thanks for asking!
Would this work with the quart size ziplock freezer bags or do you need the gallon size?
Quart size works great!
I made these years ago when my kids were little. I was thinking of doing it with a youth group who will be spending the night. I seem to remember that we actually put ours together the night before and then I put them in the boiling water the next morning. Has anyone tried it this way? It would certainly work with this group’s schedule much better!
We haven’t tried it that way but I don’t see why not! I guess just make sure everyone’s bags are clearly marked so they don’t get mixed up!
Is it possible to make the omelet in the microwave? And if possible for how long?
Hmmm this isn’t one I would do in the microwave in the bag… I have seen recipes where people make omelets in the microwave in a mug but I haven’t tried it so I can’t tell you for sure how long you microwave it for. Best of luck, let us know what you try and how it turns out for you!
Wonderful idea! I can’t wait to try it. Has anyone ever tried this with egg whites?
Every Christmas our family gets together the weekend before Christmas and cooks meals for 17 people. We have used this idea for several years now and it works great for so many. I fill my turkey fryer half full of water, turn on the propane and get the water boiling.
Then we put our 2 eggs, peppers, onion, ham pieces, sausage pieces, tomatoes, etc. with our names written on the gallon bags in the boiling water and 20 mins. later the omelettes come out perfect.
What a great idea using the turkey fryer! You are a genius!!!
Food container manufacturers are already mandated to eliminate BPA, starting with baby bottles, children’s cups, sport water bottles and all plastic containers. Last I knew neither Tupperware nor Rubbermaid has complied as yet. Tupperware has always said not to use any of their products in a microwave. And definitely not as a water bath cooking vessel. I have had freezer bags melt in the microwave. We use them only for reheating leftovers especially in microwaves without turntables.
For a more tender omelet try adding a couple of spoons of Skim Milk powder and a bit of butter or bacon grease. But just the milk is fine. I always carry dried milk powder, great coffee lightener add a spoonful to coffee and it is a nice milk lightened color. Not dishwater grey like Skim milk, and it is far better for you both chemically and Calorically than CoffeeMate or any other coffee lightener. You can use it in cocoa as well. Some mixes don’t have enough creamy body after the marshmallow is gone, it also helps baked goods have better texture. I have to admit I like the canning jar idea you don’t need a tight seal so save some lids and rings. A rack in the bottom of a soup pot or even a water bath canner and jar tongs will be handy. Extra water too. Just make sure the water stays below the cover. Give each person a dish towel so they can open the top and hold the hot jar. Then give them a spoon. And let it cool enough to eat. The jar will retain enough heat to keep it warm.then eat straight from the jar. It will definitely stay hot while making toast or what ever to eat with it. This a great idea, Thanks.
Thank you for this information, Mary Ann. This is very helpful!
I’m adding your link to a campfire recipe roundup I’m publishing tomorrow on Crafty Mama in ME! Great idea 🙂
Thanks for adding us to the round-up! Looks great!
Seeing this inspired me to try cooking whole eggs in a Ziploc. I cracked two eggs and added one Tablespoon of water, squeezed out the air, and put it in a pot of rolling, boiling water. I cooked for 10 minutes (but they probably could have gone as long as 13 if you like the yolk very firm). They slid out like a charm and were cool enough to chop for egg salad in about 5 minutes. Yay! No peeling! (Especially hard with super fresh eggs.)
Wow, I had never thought of doing that before, great idea! So they came out like hard boiled eggs or more like poached eggs? I am definitely curious to know!
genius idea!!! love the no pealing!!!
Made this once. Wasn’t bad but was more like scrambled egg than an omelette.
For those worried about BPA and the toxins from boiling ziplock bags leaching into food, maybe try a BPA free vacuum sealing bags, but just use the sealing part. Those bags are supposedly safe to reheat food in hot water … its a form or cooking “Sous-vide”.
Premake the omelette mix, seal in bags ready to boil.
This sounds like a great idea. You can even use boilable bags for sealing in any sealing tool. I like the quick clean up as well, and you could make omelettes for several days using different seasonings and toppings as well. the bags would stack well in the refrigerator of an rv, taking up less room than the egg carton! If sealed ahead of time they could be kept safely in an ice chest as well.
We use ziploc bags which have a declaration on the box stating that the product not formulated with BPA.
I think I’ll give this a shot for breakfast tomorrow. I’m one of those nutcase people who don’t trust plastics when cooling .. so I’ll try a mason jar and see how that works. May be hot, but hey – I’ll try it anyway!
Let us know how it works! Thank you!
Great variation on a old theme. KISS. When camping we do this O in a bag a lot and it gives us hot water to wash the other items. Split the water in half, add soap. Wash utensils, etc. Use the other half as the rinse water. Simple and FAST. Cheers,
Mel
My granddaughters (7 & 9) love these omelets! We make them together when they stay overnight. After their first time trying them at my house they surprised their parents (with Mom’s supervision) by cooking and serving them.
No salt is added to the egg/water mix?
Nope, if you want to add salt, add it after it is cooked. Salt keeps the eggs from setting up right.
Just made these & they were delicious!!! The bags did not melt! They roll right out on the plate when they’re done…..love em!!!
Just made these for supper tonight…….WOW!! Super easy and super delicious!! Entire family loved them!! So glad I found this! Thank you!!!!
This is such an awesome idea! We tested it out over 4th of July weekend. The 1st attempt, we immediately got a hole in the bag & was able to quickly transfer it into a new one. They turned out awesome & we will be doing this every camping trip from here on out. Thank you for the great recipe!!!
Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a comment! Glad you liked the omelets– it is our go-to when we camp! Hope you had a happy 4th 🙂
Looking forward to giving this a try. Jotted your fab recipe down with my own notes so my Omelette loving friends and I can pamper our palates at home, too. Thank you!
I have been making these for years also. I however, do not add the water. I had a “sleep-over” for my girlfriends 60th birthday for 9 women. We did these omelets in the morning with an overnight coffeecake and fruit. The omelets stole the show!!
Yay! So glad that you (and the girls) liked them!
So excited to try tonight for breakfast for dinner!
I love this recipe. I make it when I have groups staying overnight. Just before they all head to bed we do the assembly thing and I then store all the bags together (more or less standing up) in the pan I will use to boil them. First thing in the morning I add water to the pan and count the minutes from when the water actually begins to boil. As people drift into the kitchen they pull out “their” bag and eat. Tortillas make a nice addition … egg burritos!
Can you make these in the microwave too? Curious if anyone has tried it that way. Almost sure I’ve heard of this same thing being done in the microwave.
Try it people!! We have been doing this for years!! When you have a big crowd it’s perfect!! We normally get a couple pots boiling so we can feed more people at once. It’s a great way to feed picky eaters; they can personalize their eggs. We use liquid egg versus actual eggs, just for the ease. 1/3 cup liquid egg is equal to 2 eggs.
Happy cooking!!
You could also buy some no-crack eggs that come in the carton(: works wonders for camping!
Hi! I think this is a great idea. I do have a question though… Do you need to hold on to the tops of the bags while they are boiling? Or can you just plop the whole thing in? or do they just sit with the top of the bag upright and out of the water? I was a little confused on that part. *also, I’ve written down several of your recipes, I believe… and they are great! thanks! 🙂
You don’t need to hold the bags… just check on them to make sure the bag tops don’t hang over the outer edge of the pot and melt.
If doing multiple bags you could clip the tops together with a clothespin and drape a skewer across the top of the pot to clip it to. Haven’t tried it yet but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
That is actually a REALLY good idea. I am definitely trying that next time!!!
could you do these ahead and freeze um? i don’t see why not but would like more imput thanks
I haven’t tried that, let me know if it works!
I’m curious about freezing them as well. I love making freezer meals ahead of time, and this would be a great breakfast option!
Wonderful blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option?
There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Cheers!
Our friends over at Six Sister’s Stuff wrote a great e-book about starting your own blog, and they actually hold a conference each year about it. I would say that is a really great place to start!
How far in advance can you assemble everything in the bag? I’d like to have it all prepped in each bag ready to go in the cooler possibly a day in advance! Thanks for sharing : )
Hmm.. that’s a good question. I would imagine it would be fine but I can’t say for sure. If you do it let us know how it turns out!
Melissa, I have done this so many times for camp that it really is so easy. My only thought about prepping it the day before is that eggs have a shell to keep them nice and fresh. The minute you break that shell they start to go bad. Even in the fridge, they have the risk of going bad quickly. Personally I wouldn’t risk it, especially because prepping these while camping is so easy.
I tried this over the weekend and I used ziplock freezer bags and the eggs stuck to the sides of the bags. What did I do wrong?
You may have not let it boil long enough. I have never had that happen before so I can’t say for sure!
Hi! I just finally got around to trying these tonight. I did 3 eggs in each bag so I added an extra half tablespoon of water. I used gallon sized freezer bags that came from Dollar Tree (they didn’t say Do Not Boil like some of the other bags I had). I folded the bags together some & secured with a metal paperclip. I used a wooden spoon to drape the bags over the pot to make sure they didn’t melt to the side. My pot was deep with lots of water to make sure they didn’t touch the bottom. I boiled all 3 bags together for about 20 minutes checking them at the 15 minute mark. Worked perfectly! Slides right out of the bag onto the plate! Easy, fast, & yummy! Make sure what you are seeing is actually runny egg & not the egg crusting. Like she said, time may vary. This is not something I would leave unattended just in case the bags you are using do begin to melt 🙂
So glad you liked them!!! It is always our go-to breakfast when we go camping because clean-up is the easiest! Thanks for your nice comment! 🙂
These look great! The bags really don’t leak?? I worry that if I planned this for our camping breakfast, that we would end up with watery eggs in baggies and no breakfast. I love the idea so I hope it works!!!
People worried try at home first in pot it works
Going to try this tonight for dinner, it sure looks yummie!!
I did my omelette this way this morning, very easy. Cannot wait until my next camping trip, so that i can do a easy and not so messy breakfast.
my dad had mentioned doing this at an upcoming reunion and i happen to be in charge of one of the breakfasts. i was so excited to see this a couple of days after we’d talked and guess what i made that night? ha ha. easy and delicious! thanks so much!
Do you think this could also work in thinner Tupperware/Rubbermaid containers since people are so worried about the plastic melting?
hmmm.. I don’t know if I would try that. I would just be afraid that it would leak. If you get a leak it will get ruined real quick.
We use to make these when we went camping with the cubscouts. Since there was so many people they added all the eggs and mixed them in a pot then put a scoop in each campers ziplock bag. The scouts would use sharpie markers to write their names on the bags too. It was so much fun even the pickiest eaters liked it. No one ever got sick and we never had issues with the bags melting.
Love the idea!!! Can NOT wait too try it!!!
This is neat! I can’t wait to try.
OMG, get over it ppl what about your water bottles and everything else you reuse, and the MSG, and MGO, and all the other things in your food!!!! put there by the Government!! I had one this morning just to try it before company this morning and no melting of the bag and it really did taste very good….. Thanks for the share and remember you will always find someone who complains!!
Karen— THANK YOU 🙂
Love this for camping or any busy morning.
It’s not about complaining, it’s not about ‘getting over it’. It’s making sure that people are aware that this is bad for you so that they can make their own decision on whether they want to risk it. You really shouldn’t heat up plastic and eat from it. It’s not safe. It’s a fact that you can get cancer from too much BPA. BPA is banned in many other countries.
So get bpa free bags.. or dont even comment if you just want to complain.
You are absolutely right, Karen! No matter what we do, someone will have something to complain about! There will always be those complainers out there with nothing better to do. These omelets in a bag are awesome, & easy, especially while camping! Everyone, please chill & enjoy life!
Of course we are already getting emails about whether this is safe or not…. Ziploc’s website mentions that there could be an issue with the bags melting if they get over the sides so they don’t recommend boiling in them, HOWEVER, I have done this MANY MANY times and have never had a bag melt once. As far as “toxins” go… some threads are all hysterical but most places I have looked say it is totally fine. We have made these a bunch of times and no one has ever gotten ill. I figure if Ziploc bags are safe to microwave in, there isn’t much risk in boiling them. If you are REALLY REALLY concerned about it and can’t get past it, of course you can google “boilable bags” and there are lots of options that will come up.
my omelet came out really runny 🙁
I have been making these for years. Love them! The 12 -13 minutes is not totally set in stone. If it is runny, you just need to cook it longer. Before opening the bag, remove it from the water and press the eggs. If there is still liquid egg, cook it a few minutes more.
just tried it for the first time… ran out of ziplock sandwich bags, so i used a freezer bag.. good thing i did, cause it melted to the bottom of the pan. lost most of an egg before the egg clogged the holes in the bag. couldn’t bear to waste it, so i finished cooking it and tried it. it wasnt bad. i just hope i didnt ruin my pan..
Can these be frozen and then cooked at a later time?
Possibly, but I don’t know if we would recommend it. I think you risk contamination and possibly food borne issues by mixing all the ingredients first and then freezing and thawing again. Honestly, it is probably easiest (and safest) to make them fresh. Hope this helps!
Why in the world would you 2 eggs in a GALLON SIZE ZIPLOCK is way beyond me!
Hi. The toxic part is the build up in your system, of the phytochemical that are definitely kicked out from plastics. That is hy drinking out of plastic bottles is not a great idea. Short term great. But its a leading cause of cancers, and autoimmune illnesses. Worth thinking about. The omelet looks delicious.
https://ziploc.com/en/sustainability-and-safety
John and Johnson says ziplock bags are BPA free?
It appears that they definitely claim that they are BPA free– good to know! Thanks for posting this link!
We whisk the eggs well in a small bowl, then pour into the freezer bag. It’s only 2 more objects to wash and the omelets come out a lot fluffier. We also like to make these the morning after tacos in a bag for supper. We use up any leftovers for our omelets.
Thank you for the tip!
I use freezer bags, they’re stronger and don’t melt or shrink
We make these at Girl Guide camp. It’s important to use the freezer ziplocks or reusable silicone bags. Also, we’ve found cheese can melt the bags, so it helps not to put cheese in the bags – just add it when you take the eggs off the heat. Finally, we love popping the eggs in a whole west pita bread to save on dishwashing and add healthy carbs.
Oh I love the idea of putting it in a pita! That is genius! I also love your idea of using the reusable silicone bags. Thanks so much for sharing!