Full English Breakfast Recipe (2024)

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by Emily Dingmannn 10 Comments

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Jump to Recipe·★★★★4 from 3 reviews

Let’s make a full English Breakfast! This hearty spread, also called a British breakfast or a fry up, consists of a filling meal made of breakfast staples and a few interesting components if you’re here in the US. It’s delicious, savory, super-filling and relatively easy to pull together. There isn’t anything complicated about Britian’s favorite breakfast, but it’s more of a pan juggle as you have to cook everything up separately.

If you love hearty breakfast feasts, be sure to try my bacon egg bagel, steak egg bagel, brunch charcuterie board, or super-creamy scrambled eggs next time.

Full English Breakfast Recipe (1)

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Table Of Contents

  1. What Is an English Breakfast?
  2. What You'll Love About Full English Breakfast
  3. Ingredients
  4. How to Make a British Breakfast
  5. Storage Instructions
    • How to reheat
  6. What to Serve with Full English Breakfast
  7. How to Feed a Fry Up to the Whole Family
  8. Want More?
    • Prefer to get updates by email?
  9. More Breakfast Recipes
  10. Let me Meal Plan for you!
    • In a dinner time rut? Overwhelmed with the task of meal planning? It's time to hand over meal planning to a pro!

What Is an English Breakfast?

Traditionally, a full breakfast includes bacon, sausages, eggs, and a drink like coffee or tea. In England, the Full English breakfast includes bacon, fried, poached, or scrambled eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, toast, and sausages. Traditionally, a large mug of tea is included.

Full English Breakfast Recipe (2)

What You’ll Love About Full English Breakfast

  • Delicious and fun
  • Hearty and satisfying meal
  • Easy to make
  • Made with simple ingredients
  • Easy to serve deconstructed so it works for everyone
Full English Breakfast Recipe (3)

Ingredients

  • Bacon – If you’re going for a traditional version, look for back bacon. I couldn’t find it, so I used classic bacon strips.
  • Heinz Beans in Tomato Sauce – The beans for a full English breakfast are especially important! They are in a teal container and have a tomato sauce base so are more savory than baked beans. You might be able to find them in your store, or you can order online. (I had to!)
  • Butter – Use high-quality butter for best flavor. You could also use vegetable oil or olive oil – it’s really just a cooking fat.
  • Mushrooms – I recommend using baby bella mushrooms, but white mushrooms or your favorite variety of mushrooms will also work.
  • Sausage – The sausage can also vary based on what you have access to. I used our favorite pork sausage (Jones Dairy Farm!) but the traditional version includes black pudding. Use that if you’re a purist and you can track it down. But really any kind of sausage will work.
  • Tomatoes – I recommend using plum tomatoes as they are a great size, but you could also use whatever type of tomatoes you have, even grape tomatoes would work.
  • Eggs – Use high-quality eggs for best flavor.
  • Toast – You can use whatever type of toast you prefer – slices of sourdough, whole-grain, or white are all fantastic options.
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Full English Breakfast Recipe (5)

How to Make a British Breakfast

This is an overview on how to make a British breakfast, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.

Cook mushrooms. Melt butter in large non-stick skillet and add mushrooms. Cook until golden brown and tender. Keep warm in microwave or oven.

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Cook sausages. Cook according to package instructions and transfer to a plate. Keep warm in microwave or oven.

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Cook eggs. Cook eggs in a large non-stick skillet and cook according to preferences. Sunny-side up and scrambled both work well. Season with salt and black pepper.

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Cook tomatoes. Sprinkle cut sides of tomatoes with salt and cook, cut side down, until softened and lightly charred. Meanwhile, toast bread and start taking everything to the breakfast table.

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Full English Breakfast Recipe (10)

Storage Instructions

This English fry up is best served immediately, but all of the leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

How to reheat

Reheat components on the stove top or in the microwave.

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What to Serve with Full English Breakfast

This is a pretty hearty breakfast, so you don’t need much besides a beverage and/or some fresh fruit to cut through the richness of the meal.

  • Black tea – if you want to stick with the traditional English breakfast theme
  • Coffee – Latte, cappuccino, dirty chai, or sweet cream cold foam
  • Fresh fruit
  • Orange juice
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How to Feed a Fry Up to the Whole Family

I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following theDivision of Responsibilityand knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.

This full breakfast is actually set up nicely as everything is cooked separately so everyone can pick and choose what they would like. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.

Full English Breakfast Recipe (13)

Follow Emily on Instagram or TikTok for family dinner recipe videos and tips for feeding kids.

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More Breakfast Recipes

If you like this proper English breakfast, you might also like some of these other breakfast and brunch recipes:

  • Brunch Charcuterie Board
  • Steak Egg Bagel Sandwich
  • Acai Bowl
  • Greek Yogurt Parfait
Full English Breakfast Recipe (16)

Let me Meal Plan for you!

In a dinner time rut? Overwhelmed with the task of meal planning? It’s time to hand over meal planning to a pro!

This done-for-you plan can easily be customized and your grocery list is made with the click of a button – all while you sit in the school pick up line.

You’ll save time, save money, waste less food, and go into meals calm instead of stressed. Your dinner is planned and your grocery list is made and everything is conveniently delivered to an app so you can print it out, access from your phone, or computer.

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Full English Breakfast Recipe (17)

Full English Breakfast

★★★★4 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Emily Dingmann of myeverydaytable.com
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Stove
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

Let’s make a full English Breakfast! This hearty spread, also called a British breakfast or a fry up, consists of breakfast staples and a few interesting components!

Ingredients

UnitsScale

  • 8 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 15 oz. can of Heinz beans in tomato sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, divided
  • 8 oz. sliced white mushrooms (baby bella)
  • 8 oz. breakfast sausage (about 12 links)
  • 4 small or roma tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 slices toast

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon. Add bacon to cold pan and cook over medium heat, flipping frequently, until fully cooked. Drain on a plate lined with paper towel.
  2. Heat beans on the stove in a small pot over low heat. Keep warm until it’s time to eat.

    First batch of pans. (You need two non-stick skillets)

  3. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet and add mushrooms to pan. Season with sea salt and black pepper and cook, stirring frequently until mushrooms until tender and golden brown, about 4-7 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan and keep warm in the microwave. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.
  4. While mushrooms are cooking, add sausages to a second non-stick skillet and cook according to package instructions. Remove sausages and keep warm in the microwave. (Save oil in skillet!)

    Second batch of pans.

  5. Start toasting bread while you’re cooking the eggs and tomatoes.
  6. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the large non-stick skillet and cook eggs according to preferences. Season eggs with salt and pepper to taste. (I did sunny side-up for adults, scrambled for kids.)
  7. Heat sausage skillet over medium heat and sprinkle cut side of tomatoes with sea salt. Add tomatoes, cut side down, to skillet and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until softened and lightly charred.

Notes

  • If you don’t love the texture or flavor of cooked tomatoes, leave them raw and serve them on the side!

Keywords: English breakfast, full English Breakfast, British breakfast

Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.

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Comments

  1. Claire

    I am from England so I loved seeing this! One very important thing to note with a full English is that American baked beans and British baked beans are very different. Proper baked beans for a full English are Heinz beans in a tomato sauce, more savory than the sweet American baked beans. They come in a turquoise colored tin and I get them from my regular grocery store!

    Reply

    • Emily

      Oh I’m so happy to now know this! I have to check my local store to see if I can find the British Baked Beans. Do you like that version better?

      Reply

  2. Kyle

    I wasn’t even aware America had a different type of tinned beans in sauce, Heinz are good, for the unhealthy and original version some bacon and fried slice along with black pudding if you can stomach it. Your version definitely is healthier though…

    Reply

    • Emily

      Yes, but we call them baked beans. I would definitely add bacon to my english breakfast! Black pudding I’m not sure. HA

      Reply

  3. Clive Pritchard

    Ate you trying to start a war here? The Full English has english back bacon with it in some regions black (blood) pudding too. You may also see fried left over potatoes but hash brown is a decent substitute

    Reply

    • Emily

      I love those additions, Clive!

      Reply

  4. John Ross

    Full English Breakfast:
    Black Pudding is a must
    Fried Eggs
    Smoked Bacon (definitely not that european streaky thin stripe sh*te)
    Sausages
    Mushrooms
    Hash Brown
    Baked Beans (traditionally Heinz but i’m afraid since lowering salt content flavour has gone so use HP or Crosse and Blackwell)
    Tinned Tomatoes or Fried Tomatoes
    Toast with butter
    COFFEE

    Reply

    • Emily

      Yes! This is the English breakfast PLUS! Love it. I’ve never had black pudding, do you love it?

      Reply

  5. Kendall

    Not 100% authentic, but a super tasty and easy meal!

    Reply

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Full English Breakfast Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What should be included in a full English breakfast? ›

A common traditional English breakfast typically includes back bacon or sausages (usually pork), eggs (fried, poached or scrambled), fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, bread, both or either fried bread and toast, black pudding, and baked beans.

How many items make up a common full English breakfast? ›

A full English breakfast typically includes bacon, fried, poached or scrambled eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, fried bread or buttered toast, and sausages. Black pudding, baked beans, and bubble and squeak are also often included.

What is the American version of a full English breakfast? ›

An American 'Full Yankee' is equivalent to the 'Full English' Breakfast. You can top this with brown sauce but no beans are allowed. If you want a breakfast with beans, go for the TexMex Breakfast Burrito which is much better than the British tomato flavoured mush.

What is the order of eating full breakfast in England? ›

Your breakfast starts with a glass of freshly squeezed orange or apple juice. You then have a cereal, such as bran or similar, followed by the full English breakfast which always includes toast. During the meal, you would take tea or coffee. The toast should arrive with the crusts cut off and in rectangles.

What kind of beans do Brits eat for breakfast? ›

And Heinz (yep, the ketchup company) claims the combo was invented by one of its executives in 1927. British baked beans are traditionally made with navy beans, which are a small white bean.

What is a plate of full English breakfast? ›

In England, the Full English breakfast includes bacon, fried, poached, or scrambled eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, toast, and sausages. Traditionally, a large mug of tea is included.

What are the most popular items on a full English breakfast? ›

The survey identifies the core ingredients in a decent Full English, with six food items identified by more than half of people as being essential to their ideal breakfast. As well as bacon, these include sausage (82%), toast (73%), beans (71%), fried egg (65%) and hash brown (60%).

Does full English breakfast include potatoes? ›

Potatoes/hashbrowns

Any sort of potato is frowned upon on a full English. They're seen as filler. If you even think of putting fries on, someone might get stabbed. You could do bubble and squeak (potatoes and cabbage mixed together and fried) but even then, some people are going to come after you.

Do Americans eat full English breakfast? ›

Most Americans eat cold cereal for breakfast more often than anything else. Our closest thing to your full English breakfast would be eggs, bacon (streaky, not English) or pork sausage links or patties (rarely, both), hash browns or home fries, and toast or an English muffin.

What is a full Scottish breakfast? ›

So, what is a full Scottish breakfast? Usually made up of bacon, link sausages, Lorne sausage (also known as square sausage or slice), black pudding, haggis, baked beans, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, toast, tattie scones and fried eggs, the full Scottish breakfast is a sight to behold.

What is a full Irish breakfast? ›

All full Irish breakfasts include some or all of the following: Bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and perhaps some cooked leftover potatoes made into a hash or a bubble and squeak. There will also be toast, butter, marmalade, and lots of tea to drink.

Is it OK to have a full English breakfast? ›

Research suggests that consuming an English breakfast may be more beneficial for weight loss than a breakfast high in carbohydrates such as cereal or fresh fruit. This is down to the fact that a full English breakfast is higher in protein and will therefore leave you less likely to snack on other foods until lunchtime.

What time do British eat breakfast? ›

Breakfast: Generally served between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., breakfast varies enormously: it can also consist of cereals (often porridge), toasts and a drink (and in this case it's not that far from the French breakfast) than the ingredients of the Full English Breakfast with beans, sausages, eggs, tomatoes, bacon...

Do the British eat 3 meals a day? ›

Britain is now a nation of all-day-eaters, with just 41% of modern Brits still consuming three square meals. Breakfast is now the most common meal skipped (61%), due to a rise in popularity of intermittent fasting and new hybrid working roles.

What is the queen of England eat for breakfast? ›

For breakfast she keeps things simple. Royal biographer, Katie Nicholl, has previously said: "HRH typically starts with a simple cup of tea and biscuits, followed by a bowl of cereal." (The Guardian previously reported she likes to keep it in Tupperware to preserve its freshness.)

What is English breakfast included? ›

A traditional full English breakfast includes bacon (traditionally back bacon), fried, poached or scrambled eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, fried bread or toast with butter, sausages, and baked beans. Black pudding, bubble and squeak and hash browns are often also included.

What is a plan an English breakfast to include all the necessary food items? ›

Also known as a “fry-up,” a full English breakfast includes an assortment of hearty, savory breakfast foods. Think eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. Other potential dishes include potatoes like hash browns or potato pancakes, corned beef hash and black pudding. On the side, expect buttered toast.

What is a full English breakfast at a hotel? ›

The full English is a traditional hearty meal. This breakfast includes sausages, toast/fried bread, tomatoes, mushroom, beans, bacon, eggs (fried or scrambled), black pudding, and tea/coffee/fresh juice.

What is an English brunch menu? ›

Elements of a proper English breakfast

Especially popular are rashers (back bacon) and plump sausages. Black pudding, or blood sausage, might also make an appearance. Side dishes are equally important: baked beans, fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes and buttery toast.

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