The Griddle Omelet
This Griddle omelet is super-fast to make and is really thin and packed with vegetables and cheese. Just like you would find at a diner!
The Griddle Omelet
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I have been making omelets for as long as I can remember. That said, there are a lot of authorities on omelets (or omelettes) and bunch of different techniques so I’m not going to claim that I’m the best at it. But out of all the different varieties, the griddle omelet has to be one of my favorite.
I’m not really sure if “griddle omelet” is even the official name. It’s also common in diners so maybe a Diner Omelet is more appropriate. That’s just what I call it. I would also accept awesome omelet. By cooking the eggs on a griddle, you can make the egg layer really thin which means that you can stuff it with more stuff.
This kind of omelet is really easy if you have a 5 foot flat top grill like they have in diners. For the average home cook though that isn’t really an option. But you can simulate the effect with a normal griddle, lots of heat, and a little bit of guts. I say you’ll need guts, because there is a step, which you’ll see in a minute, where you think everything is going horrible wrong. It’s not! But it might be scary.
Preparing the Vegetables
Some fillers you may not want to cook ahead of time, but they won’t cook much in this omelet. They will only be on the griddle for a few seconds in the omelet so if you want them cooked at all, do it beforehand.
For this version, I sauteed a mix of summer squash, cherry tomatoes, and red peppers for about a minute just to soften them up slightly. Totally personal preference though.
Why to Use a Griddle for Omelets
Traditionally omelets are made in a skillet, but I find this takes longer and the result is a thicker omelet. The griddle omelet is fun because it’s super-fast to make, results in a thinner egg layer, and you can stuff them full of whatever fillings you want!
Making an Omelet on the Griddle
Take a deep breath. This is going to all happen very fast. First, get your griddle hot. A drop of water should dance like crazy on it. Then quickly add your butter to the griddle and move it around to coat everything with your spatula.
Once the butter stops bubbling, add your eggs. If your griddle is silly like mine and not completely level, the eggs are going to run all over the place! Have no fear.
Work quickly now, but use a spatula and scoop all your eggs into a rough rectangle. They shouldn’t run away from you this time. They’ll stay right where you put them.
Then add your cheese and any other fillings you have. Again the benefit of making an omelet like this is that you can fill them to the brim. Don’t be shy!
Note: If you are using a cheese that is hard to melt like cheddar, definitely put it under your fillings so it will be as close to the griddle as possible. It should melt okay as long as you aren’t using a pound of it.
Then do a two part fold. Fold your top over the fillings and then your bottom half over the top.
Now you have two options. 1) Pull the omelet off the heat. It’s done! You may have some runny egg around the edges, but some people like it like that. 2) Using your spatula, deftly flip (or roll) the omelet over so the seam of the fold is down on the griddle.
If you let it cook for another 30 seconds or so like this, then your egg will be completely cooked through. Your cheese will be really melted by now also.
Notice the very thin layer of egg around the fillings? I love that. It’s not quite as heavy somehow as a normal omelet even though you are using the same amount of eggs.
Omelet Filling Ideas
You can go crazy with filling ideas once you get the hang of the griddle omelet. Here are some of my favorites:
- Bacon, Jalapeno, and cheddar or cream cheese
- Sauteed onion and mushroom with gouda cheese
- Cherry tomatoes, garlic, chives, and cheddar
- American cheese for the gooey cheese omelet!
You do need a bit of confidence to try this recipe and a quick spatula hand as you need to gets those eggs together pretty fast once they hit the griddle. It’s not that hard though. Once you make one, you’ll get it down really quickly.
The Griddle Omelet
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 or 3 large eggs beaten very well with a pinch of salt
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- ½ cup assorted vegetables
- 1-2 ounces cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Sauté fillings for about a minute just to soften them up slightly. You can do this on the griddle or in a separate skillet.
- Get the griddle hot. A drop of water should dance like crazy on it.
- Quickly add the butter to the griddle and move it around to coat everything with the spatula.
- Once the butter stops bubbling, add the eggs. Use a spatula and scoop all the eggs into a rough rectangle.
- Add the cheese and any other fillings you have.
- Do a two part fold. Fold the top over the fillings and then the bottom half over the top.
- Now you have two options: Pull the omelet off the heat. It’s done! You may have some runny egg around the edges, but some people like it like that OR using the spatula, deftly flip (or roll) the omelet over so the seam of the fold is down on the griddle.
- If you let it cook for another 30 seconds or so like this, then the egg will be completely cooked through. The cheese will be really melted by now also.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
Snap a photo and tag @macheesmo so I can see your work.
Anybody else make their omelets this way? Favorite fillings?
Oh, I love this idea. I never finish omelets because they're so heavy and eggy, but this I can handle. Thanks for the idea!
Interesting technique. I haven't tried them that way before and will have to give it a shot. Thanks for sharing.
That looks so good I might even get my husband – Mr. No Eggs for Dinner – to eat it.
Thank you so much for this post. I am very omelet-o-phobic. Your pictures and instructions are excellent. I may be brave enough to try this (and I do love a thin restaurant style omelet).
I actually had the pleasure (once) of using one of those large/big ass griddles in a diner. It was amazing for making lots of pancakes at once. I didn't get to make a nice long & wide omelet though; I would have loved too though.
After reading this, I now realize I have to get a griddle, my wok isn't the best for long omelets.
I usually mix my ingredients (like cheese, parsley, and mushrooms) into the egg before frying it up, so I completely forgot how much I love filled omelets! Zucchini and tomatoes is my favorite, with the parsley chopped finely and mixed into the egg-part.
I'm not sure how well this will work in an itty-bitty pan, though…
Brilliant! I love spinache and some sorta melty cheese in mine, but zuccini is on my menu for breakfast tomorrow or maybe dinner.
Thanks for the comments everyone. Yea. Just remember to not be scared if your eggs run all over the place. You can scrape them into shape pretty easily.
And go crazy with fillings. Any and all are good :)
This solidifies my desire to own a griddle pan. Mmm melty cheese omelet.
Hey Nick! Great post…I used to work at a diner, too, and this was so fun! I was wondering – would you mind if I linked to your site? I'm thinking of making a favorite links section on my site. Thanks : )
Laura
Sounds like I'll need to retry my omelettes sometime soon with this technique. Oh, and not be scared of course. And use plenty of butter…
Wonderful photos and I love your spirit AND your recipe!
I just bought a grill today and found your recipe for my dinner. Yes, the thinness of the egg layer makes all the difference, otherwise it's just scrambled eggs.
My Cusinart Griddler has 2 temp controls for each side of the grill so what a boon — I can lightly saute the veggies on one side while I'm freaking out squaring up the eggs on the other side.
Thanks for a great and entertaining post. I'm now a subscribed fan!
tried this this morning and it turned out perfectly – i always thought an omlet had to be made in a skillet!
thanks for sharing
this is acually a messy french style omelet
many years ago a western omelet was eggs,onion,ham,cheese if you could afford it. in toast of course. all made at once, no precooked ingredients. this was the commercial way,done for speed and economy. When i make one now i am asked where is the peppers,mushrooms and garlic? that is not a western folks,more a spanish or denver. r culver.
Nick, thank you so much for posting this, i tried the recipe this morning and it came out pretty good for this first time, also love the picture of Tipsy
Works great. I looked this up at work (I work as a CAN in the nursing home and we cook for the residents), works fine in a large skillet. Real quick, looks, smells, and tastes pretty good.
I realize this is an old post, but I landed on this page after trying to figure out what to call this kind of omelet. Griddle or diner omelet was all I could come up with, so I’m glad to see someone else call it that, too. I grew up eating one at a diner that was filled with cheese and onions and then covered with chili. So. Darned. Good. I need to make some chili now so I can make one of these with the leftovers.
Hey Kari! Thanks for the comment. Yea… I’ve made many omelets over the years now but this still ranks as one of my favorites. I just love how thin the egg gets and how much stuff you can pack it with. :) Thanks for swinging by!
googled how to cook omelet on griddle and this came up. best freakin’ omelet ever – thanks for the tips!
Heya! So glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment sir!
I’m going to have to try this recipe. I usually dice up my onions and peppers in the microwave and after pouring the egg onto the griddle, add ham, onion and peppers and cheese, flip over half the egg and then flip the rest of the egg over. Am going to try melting butter on the griddle before cooking. Duh
This looks good! Def gonna try it – love my omelets! And that picture of Tipsy is lovable! Cheers!
I love eggs and I love omlettes. I HATE Omlettes made this way. This is more of a an egg burrito. All the ingredients just fall all over the place and the egg is so thin you barely taste it. If you don’t really like the egg part of the omelette and are more focused on quantity of filling instead of quality than This is the omletter for you. If you like eggs and want the ingredients of the omelette to stay on the fork when you take a bite, this is not the omlette for you. I now always ask at restaurants how they make their omlettes before I order. This is a quantity vs quality . If you grade the “goodness” by how big your food is instead of how great it tastes, you will love this recipe.
Love this recipe! Seems like a pretty good way to make an omelette – I am definitely going to try this!
Has anyone ever shopped at ECigwizard? ;-)