Dolly Parton's Trick for Perfectly Fluffy Eggs Is a Breakfast Game Changer (2024)

Dolly Parton grew up in Tennessee, which means she's no stranger to the comfort food that is Southern breakfasts. In fact, she cooks her husband of 55 years, Carl Dean, a Southern breakfast every weekend, which always includes scrambled eggs.

Over the years (and through dozens of dozens of eggs), the beloved singer and philanthropist has found a secret ingredient that makes hers light and fluffy: ice water.

"Somebody told me this once and it works. When you crack your eggs in the bowl, say if you're going to scramble them, use ice water. Put a few drops of ice water as you're cooking them, and that makes them fluffier — it really does," she said in an interview with Insider.

How to Make Scrambled Eggs Like Dolly

The 76-year-old Queen of Country is on to something: Rich ingredients, like cream or butter, can weigh the eggs down and create a tough texture, whereas water will produce airy, melt-in-your-mouth scrambled eggs.

Start with a splash of water, about one to two teaspoons. You don't want to add too much or else your eggs will be runny. As the water heats on the stove, it gives off steam that creates the fluffy egg texture that Dolly, and so many other cooks, love.

To get a Sunday breakfast spread like Dolly's, you'll need her fluffy scrambled eggs paired with French toast made with white bread and a side of bacon. Or, you can make another Dolly specialty and whip up some biscuits and gravy. We wouldn't mind eating like Dolly and Carl every weekend.

"This is not diet food now, mind you," she added. "I just cook whatever comes to mind and whatever I'm in the mood for."

Dolly has solidified herself as a country music legend, but she's also a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. She learned to cook by watching her mother, who used low-cost ingredients to feed her and her 11 siblings, and has used her cooking skills throughout her career.

Most recently she launched a line of Southern-style cake mixes with Duncan Hines that are already a hit with shoppers.

She doesn't often share her secret recipes, so we'll be gratefully making her eggs until further notice.