Pesto Eggs are a viral TikTok high protein breakfast recipe that you have to add to your rotation! Sunny-side-up eggs cooked in pesto served on a creamy avocado toast.
For the homemade pesto (or use your favorite premade pesto brand)
- Fresh basil leaves (about 2 small bundles)
- Garlic cloves
- Sunflower seeds
- Lemon juice
- Nutritional yeast (can sub with 3 tbsp grated vegan or regular parmesan), plus more as needed
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Filtered water, only as needed to thin out to desired consistency
For the pesto eggs
- Egg
- Kosher or fine grain sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Red pepper chili flakes
Optional toast for serving:
- Drizzle of avocado oil or olive oil
- Rustic Sourdough, (or crusty rustic loaf of choice)
- Softened cream cheese (dairy-free or regular)
- Arugula leaves or baby spinach
- Small avocado, sliced
How to make Pesto Eggs
Make the vegan pesto (skip this step if using a premade pesto):
- To a food processor or a small blender, add the basil, sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and black pepper. Process / blend on high until combined and the mixture resembles a paste. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the food processor until a thick pourable sauce forms, or until desired consistency is reached, scraping down the sides, as needed. If the pesto is still too thick to your liking, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time, only as needed, until desired consistency is reached. Pulse a few times to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more seasonings. Transfer to a small / medium resealable glass jar. Chill until ready to use.
Fry the eggs
- Spoon in 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons of the pesto (or more as needed) into the same nonstick pan over medium heat and tilt the pan to spread them around. Gently crack the egg into the pesto and season with salt and black pepper. Fry the egg until the edges are golden and the whites are puffy and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes or to your liking. Tilt the pan on an angle while cooking as needed to ensure that the whites are fully cooked while leaving the yolk intact and nice and golden.
- Remove the pan from heat and use a spatula to carefully remove the egg from the pan (while ensuring that the yolk doesn’t break) and place it on a plate or serve on top of the avocado toast.
Assemble the optional toast
- Lightly drizzle some avocado oil on the bread. Toast in a nonstick skillet on low / low medium until golden and crunchy (or to your desired doneness) on both sides.
- Remove from the pan and spread with a little bit of cream cheese. Add arugula then top with avocado slices evenly on top, fanning it out to cover the spinach.
- Top with egg and sprinkle with a touch of the red pepper chili flakes. Cut in half, breaking the yolk and enjoy.

Pesto Eggs are a viral TikTok high protein breakfast recipe that you have to add to your rotation! Sunny-side-up eggs cooked in pesto served on a creamy avocado toast.
- 1 1/2 cups of fresh basil leaves about 2 small bundles
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast can sub with 3 tbsp grated vegan or regular parmesan, plus more as needed
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
- Sea salt or kosher salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Filtered water only as needed to thin out to desired consistency
- 1 large egg
- Kosher or fine grain sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Red pepper chili flakes
- Drizzle of avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 slice of rustic gluten-free Sourdough , (or crusty rustic loaf of choice).
- dairy-free (or regular) cream cheese , we like Kite-Hill
- A small handful of arugula leaves or baby spinach
- ½ small avocado , sliced
- To a food processor or a small blender, add the basil, sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and black pepper. Process / blend on high until combined and the mixture resembles a paste. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the food processor until a thick pourable sauce forms, or until desired consistency is reached, scraping down the sides, as needed. If the pesto is still too thick to your liking, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time, only as needed, until desired consistency is reached. Pulse a few times to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more seasonings. Transfer to a small / medium resealable glass jar. Chill until ready to use.
Spoon in 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of the pesto (or more as needed) into a nonstick pan over medium heat and tilt the pan to spread them around.
Gently crack the egg into the pesto and season with salt and black pepper. Fry the egg until the edges are golden and the whites are puffy and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes or to your liking. Tilt the pan on an angle while cooking as needed to ensure that the whites are fully cooked while leaving the yolk intact and nice and golden.
Remove the pan from heat and use a spatula to carefully remove the egg from the pan (while ensuring that the yolk doesn’t break) and place it on plate or over the top of the avocado toast below.
- Lightly drizzle some avocado oil on the bread. Toast in a nonstick skillet on low / low medium until golden and crunchy (or to your desired doneness) on both sides.
- Remove from the pan and spread with a little bit of cream cheese. Add arugula then top with avocado slices evenly on top, fanning it out to cover the spinach.
Top with pesto fried egg. Sprinkle the egg with a touch of the red pepper chili flakes. Cut in half, breaking the yolk and enjoy.
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