How Do You Make Cloud Eggs?

Food-focused social media has been blowing up lately with images of cloud eggs — fluffy, lightly toasted eggs whites with yolks nestled in the middle. Although these bizarre-looking breakfasts seem like they should be complicated, tutorials of how to make cloud eggs reveal that the method is actually pretty simple. In fact, you only need a couple of ingredients to make this yummy, highly Instagrammable variation of the standard egg.

Aptly named, cloud eggs really do look like fluffy cumulus clouds with yellow yolks in the centers. The cloud-like effect hinges on egg whites’ capacity to go really fluffy and stiff when beaten — it’s the same quality that gives soufflés their puffy height. (So maybe we could call this a “soufflégg”?) (I’m sorry.) To transform normal eggs into these celestial wonders, you simply separate the whites from the yolks, beat the whites until they’re stiff, and then bake them, adding the yolks back in part way through. Most recipes also add Parmesan cheese to the egg whites, and some cooks go further and add ingredients like bacon and herbs.

Although cloud eggs are all the rage on Instagram and Twitter at the moment, this preparation is actually nothing new. “It's an old classic that has been around for ages and ages. I remember having them as a little girl," Kate Morgan Jackson, publisher of Framed Cooks, told TODAY Food. “It's always interesting to see what old faves all of the sudden are new again.”

There are a bunch of recipes and tutorials for cloud eggs online. (Try out here and here, for starters.) But they all follow the same basic process as described in this video by DIY Presto:

1. Gather your ingredients.

This recipe calls for eggs, grated Parmesan, and salt, but you can make your eggs fancier by adding herbs, spices, or bacon.

2. Separate your eggs.

The DIY Presto video uses a special egg-separating tool, but it’s fairly easy to separate eggs by hand. (Here’s how.)

3. Whip your egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

If you have a very muscular arm, you can whisk your eggs by hand, but I’d recommend using an electric mixer.

4. Fold in the cheese and salt.

Be careful not to stir too hard — you want to keep as much air as possible in the whites to keep your “clouds” fluffy.

5. Divvy up your egg whites onto a baking sheet.

Add a little dent into the center of each “cloud” for the yolk to go into.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven.

7. Add the yolks, and bake for another 3 minutes.

If you want a firmer yolk, add it to the “cloud” earlier.

And you’re done! Fancy eggs for all!

Watch the full DIY Presto tutorial, above.