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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!
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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
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- 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
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!