13 Cheeses That Are The Perfect Addition To Scrambled Eggs

Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but for some of us, it can get a little boring. When you have time to indulge in more than a muffin on the go or a quick bowl of cereal, your thoughts might turn to scrambled eggs.

There is no need to throw the (egg) baby out with the bathwater, though. Welcome to the world of culinary magic, where the simple act of adding cheese to scrambled eggs transforms breakfast into a symphony of flavors. Imagine your morning eggs, soft and perfectly scrambled, with a velvety blanket of cheese gently melting, creating a harmonious blend of creamy richness. Now, picture a few targeted accompaniments, elevating your daily breakfast into something extraordinary.

All of this is possible with minimal cooking experience and very little effort. Cheese adds flavor, texture, and depth to your morning eggs and can be added at the very last minute. When it's time to make some changes to your morning routine, here are cheeses that are excellent additions to scrambled eggs.

Cheddar is one of the most popular and familiar cheeses in the U.S. Many people think only of a bright orange block or shreds when they think of cheddar. This versatile cheese is so much more than that, with a wide range of flavors that develop over time as it ages. Mild cheddars are aged for just a month or two — long enough to develop cheddar's signature tang — but sharp and extra sharp cheddar sits in the aging house for a year or more. Over time, the flavor deepens, and the texture becomes craggy. Aged cheddar breaks off with jagged edges rather than smooth slices.

The color of cheddar has nothing to do with its flavor. Orange cheddar cheese has been colored with annatto, a plant-based food coloring harvested from annatto trees. Coloring is added for consistency — cow's milk changes color depending on their diet, and not every consumer is ready for that.

But both mild and extra sharp cheddar work well with scrambled eggs. For easier melting, add shreds or small cubes when your eggs are nearly finished. If your cheese is not melted by the time your eggs are cooked, remove the eggs from the heat and cover the pan for a few seconds to finish melting.

Cottage cheese is having a moment. This protein-packed dairy product has been instrumental in helping many people boost their protein intake and is a key ingredient in everything from pasta to pudding. Cottage cheese is available in large- and small-curd, with a texture that some people love (and others love to hate). It's created by adding acid to milk and allowing curds to form before straining the whey and salting the cheese, and it's a perfect addition to scrambled eggs.

Add cottage cheese to your scrambled eggs in a couple of different ways. The first is to simply stir a few tablespoons into your eggs as they cook. Wait until the eggs start to form curds, then add cottage cheese and keep cooking the eggs until they are done to your liking. If you want to dip your toe in more slowly, add them as a topping once your eggs are cooked. Chop up some fresh chives and stir them into your cottage cheese along with black pepper. Add as much as you like to your eggs, and dive in. The contrasting hot and cold, plus the still-firm texture of the curds keeps things interesting.

Still not convinced? Cottage cheese makes a great bread spread for a scrambled egg sandwich. Add it to a food processor along with a little pepper and process until smooth. Spread on toast and top with eggs.

Feta cheese originated in Greece and is traditionally made of goat or sheep milk (although blends with added cow's milk are also available). It's crumbly, salty, and packed with flavor. Feta makes up 70% of all cheese consumption in Greece. Its crumbly, open texture is created by pickling or submerging in brine, but the texture and flavor also depend on the age of the cheese. Feta is generally a young cheese, though, and only those products made in Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Mainland Greece, the Peloponnese, Lesvos, and the Island of Kefalonia can bear the name (the European Union protects it).

Add crumbled feta and sundried tomatoes to your scrambled eggs for a delicious trip to the Mediterranean without leaving your home. It's easy to add texture here, too, by adding feta and chopped sundried tomatoes to a hot pan and allow it to melt and get a bit of a crispy crust before adding your beaten eggs. Cook until the texture of the scrambled eggs suits you, then remove from the heat and add a chiffonade of basil. Stack basil leaves, then roll tightly before slicing from the tip of the leaf to the stem to form ribbons of basil. Season with fresh pepper and enjoy.

It's a Jack of all trades, Monterey Jack cheese. Monterey Jack is the original American cheese, originating in the monasteries of Monterey, California, in the 1700s. It's as comfortable on a sandwich as it is in a sauce or casserole. Jack cheese is mild and melts beautifully, making it the perfect scrambled egg addition. You can have it in its plainest form — Monterey Jack — or try other versions, like Pepper Jack or Colby Jack. Both of these still retain the perfect melting qualities of the Jack but add another flavor dimension.

Because of its superior melting, Monterey Jack is often used in Mexican cuisine. Take this flavor profile as inspiration for your scrambled eggs and add tomatoes, onions, and green chiles. Chop veggies and cook them before adding beaten eggs and seasoning with salt. Cook until nearly done, then fold in your Monterey Jack cheese. You can add canned black beans at this stage, too. Serve with warm tortillas, fresh avocado or sour cream, and fresh chopped cilantro.

Gruyère's proper name is Le Gruyère AOP, and it's protected by French law. Making Gruyère is strictly regulated, and only cheese that conforms to the process is awarded the coveted name. It's another unpasteurized Swiss cheese that ages with holes of varying sizes. The size of the holes predicts both the cheese's flavor and age, with young cheese having smaller holes and a mild nutty flavor. As the cheese matures, the texture gets more grainy, and the cheese begins to crack. A fully aged Gruyère cheese is ready at one year.

A cheesemonger will offer more varieties and ages of Gruyère than your garden-variety grocery store, but any age of this cheese is delicious in scrambled eggs. The younger cheese melts smoothly and imparts a nutty flavor, while its elderly relations have a deeper, more complex flavor and texture. Add either age at the end of cooking, and consider adding some caramelized onions (or fried onions as a garnish).

Asiago is another protected Italian cheese that makes for a beautiful, unexpected breakfast. It comes in two forms: fresh Asiago with a smoother texture and older versions that become crumbly and resemble its close relative Parmesan. This cheese develops tiny holes, and pinpricks in comparison to Swiss cheeses, and the flavor deepens as it ages.

For an amazing twist on the Italian classic pasta dish cacio e pepe, select an older Asiago cheese and grate it finely (not shreds — you want a very fine consistency). Add a ¼ cup of grated Asiago for every four eggs. Beat these ingredients together (skip the salt for now — Asiago is very salty on its own). You do not want to add pepper at this stage, as it will make your final dish an unappetizing grey color. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and add the eggs. Stir constantly as curds begin to form.  Once you have scrambled the eggs to your liking, remove them from the heat and grind a ton of pepper onto them. Pass additional Asiago, and provide a salt shaker for those who want it.