Need a tasty on-the-go breakfast? Make this egg bites recipe! Inspired by Starbucks, it's healthy, flavorful, and easy to make in a muffin tin.
This egg bites recipe is the best grab-and-go breakfast! The egg bites keep well in the fridge for a couple of days (and longer in the freezer), so they’re great for meal prep. Plus, they’re packed with protein and flavorful veggies for an energizing start to the morning.
The recipe is loosely inspired by the famous bacon and Gruyère Starbucks egg bites. They’re known for their velvety texture, which Starbucks says comes from cooking them using the French sous vide technique.
I’m not about to get out a sous vide machine to cook breakfast, so I had to find another way to make these egg bites delicate and creamy. My solution was one simple ingredient—cottage cheese!—which Starbucks also uses in its recipe. Blended with the eggs, it gives these bites a perfect texture and rich, cheesy flavor. You have to try them!
Egg Bites Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Eggs, of course! 6 large eggs do the trick.
- Whole milk cottage cheese – The secret ingredient! It gives this recipe an AMAZING custardy texture and cheesy taste. Plus, it adds lots of protein!
- Fresh spinach – Starbucks loads up its egg bites with bacon and Gruyère cheese, but I love these with fresh veggies! The spinach adds a lovely green fleck and earthy flavor. Feel free to use frozen spinach instead of fresh.
- Roasted red peppers – Make homemade roasted red peppers, or simplify this recipe by using jarred peppers from the store.
- Green onions – For savory flavor.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Variations
I love this recipe as written, but if you want to experiment with other veggies, feel free!
- Try small florets of steamed broccoli,
- sautéed kale,
- sautéed asparagus,
- or caramelized onions.
A sprinkle of cheese on top would be tasty too! I like these with shredded cheddar cheese or crumbled feta cheese.
Note: I recommend sticking to about 1 1/4 cups vegetables total—any more will add too much moisture.
How to Make Egg Bites
This recipe is easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, blend the egg mixture. Crack the eggs into a blender and add the cottage cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Set the mixture aside while you prep the veggies.
To prepare the vegetables, start by cooking the spinach. Steam it for 1 minute, or until wilted. Transfer it to a strainer and squeeze out the excess water. Try to remove as much liquid as possible—you don’t want the egg bites to be watery! Roughly chop the spinach.
Chop the peppers and scallions and place them in a medium bowl. Add the spinach and mix to combine. Measure 1/4 cup of the veggies and set aside.
Next, assemble the egg bites. Grease a nonstick muffin tin with olive oil or cooking spray. Then, evenly divide all but the reserved 1/4 cup vegetables among the muffin cups. Pour the egg mixture on top, dividing it evenly among the cups. You’ll need about a scant 1/4 cup for each one. Finally, top with the reserved veggies.
Bake the egg bites at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before enjoying.
That’s it!
Egg Bites Recipe Tips
- Use a nonstick muffin tin. These egg bites love to stick to the pan, so make sure your muffin tin is nonstick. If you don’t have a nonstick pan, a good alternative is a silicone mold. It’ll allow you to easily to pop out the egg bites!
- Make them ahead. These egg bites keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for a quick on-the-go breakfast!
- You can also freeze them. If you want to keep the egg bites around for more than a few days, I recommend freezing them. Allow them to cool to room temperature, and then seal them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow frozen egg bites to thaw overnight in the fridge before zapping them in the microwave to reheat.
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
If you love this recipe, try one of these healthy breakfast ideas next:
- Breakfast Egg Muffins
- Overnight Oats
- Baked Oatmeal
- Chia Seed Pudding
- Breakfast Burrito
- Spinach Quiche
- How to Make a Frittata
- Or any of these 60 Healthy Breakfast Ideas!
Egg Bites
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan
- 6 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk cottage cheese
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups fresh spinach, 3 ounces
- ½ cup diced roasted red bell pepper, about 1 pepper
- ½ cup chopped green onion, about 2 green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a nonstick muffin tin with olive oil.
- In a blender, place the eggs, cottage cheese, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Place the spinach in a steamer basket and set over a pot filled with 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and steam for 1 minute, or until the spinach is wilted. Transfer to a strainer and squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop.
- Place the spinach in a medium bowl and add the peppers and scallions. Toss to combine and measure ¼ cup of the mixed vegetables. Set aside.
- Evenly divide the remaining veggies among the muffin cups. Pour a scant ¼ cup of the egg mixture over the vegetables in each well. Divide any remaining egg mixture evenly among the wells. Evenly sprinkle the reserved ¼ cup vegetables on top.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.
OMG my “baked egg” woes are over! I have tried and tried over the years to make eggs in the oven (egg cups, egg muffins, quiche, fritatas, etc.) and was never satisfied with the outcome….. until now!
My pan was definitely not non-stick enough, s9 lesson learbed for next time, but the taste and consistency was top notch.
Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Can these be baked in casserole form?
Hi Amanda, we haven’t tried that, but it might work in an 8×8-inch baking dish or 10-inch cast-iron skillet. We also have a full breakfast casserole recipe: https://www.loveandlemons.com/breakfast-casserole/
Have you tried making these with thick yogurt instead of cottage cheese. My grandkids cannot tolerate cows milk products so we use sheep or goat. I have a great sheep yogurt that I use and it is high in fat and nice and thick.
Hi Jane, we haven’t tried it, but it might work! If you try it, let us know how it goes.
Have you made these in muffin paper liners? I want to make them for a Grad Party. Will they stick??
Hi Julie, I haven’t tried them in muffin liners. I’d just suggest using a really non-stick pan. Non-stick coatings wear off over time, but if you have a pan that’s on the new-ish side and spray well, they won’t stick.
I have made them in the muffin cups. They work well, although after they’ve cooled, they shrink down and aren’t very attractive, but still taste amazing.
We made them in reusable muffin things they work but are delicate
I also used silicon muffin pans. I got a muffin shaped one and a got one that is shaped like hearts. I purchased from Amazon.
I make these all the time. I put either sausage or bacon on the bottom of the muffin tin, then cheese, then I put sauteed onions and asparagus, then I pour in egg mixture and top with everything bagel seasoning. I never had luck with freezing them. The eggs come out kinda runny or wet. I only make a dozen at a time and they are gone within a week.
My daughter used this recipe the other day and when I tried them
I couldn’t believe how delicious they were!
Will you please share where you purchased the beautiful silicone pan that is shown in your recipe?
Try amazing. Just search for silicone muffin tins. I got a heart shaped pan in addition to my regular muffin tin ones.
Try Amazon!!! They have a beautiful selection of silicon muffin tins
I bookmarked this recipe, I’m not a fan of breakfast, my nutritionist said I need more protein in my diet. I made them today, my nonstick pan failed me(even with olive oil) but they are delicious. I had some bacon so I chopped that up too, I may next time add a bit of feta cheese. I need to have more grab and go in my life to mitigate bad choices on the run. Thank you!
Hi Catherine, I’m so glad you loved the egg bites!
I had the same issue, but other recipes I’ve made call for the muffin tray to sit in a baking sheet with about an inch water. I think that makes a difference, mine tasted great but I lost half of the egg bite because it was stuck to the side even with greasing.
Silicone cup cake tins St Walmart. Pop tight out. Not greasing butter or anything else. Works great!
May I have the nutrition information, please.
Thank you
This what I get after entering it into my fitness pal, per bite:
62 calories
1.1g carb
4g fat
5g protein
I don’t have a Vitamix blender. Can I use a regular blender?
yes! Any blender will work fine for these.
I use a hand mixer and I’ve used an immersion blender thing too. Anything that will combine the ingredients and put some air in them would work. If you are a good whisker, try that vigorously.
These came out perfect. I used 2% cottage cheese because that’s what I had. Also roasted red beel peppers, as I did not have any jarred ones. I cooked for 20 minutes. Really flavorful. Will definitely make them again.
Hi Karen, I’m so glad you loved them!
Per doctors orders I am needing to increase my protein intake. I’m going to make your egg bites. Could you tell me how much protein would be in each egg bite? Many thanks.
Hi! For some reason a few of them are still liquidy in the middle. I’ve put them back in for an additional 3 minutes after the 22 minutes and still liquidy. Will it improve when I put them in a microwave tomorrow? Are they safe to eat?
Love this recipe, they turned out perfect! Yeah they deflated, but it was bound to happen. I heat mine in the microwave for 45secs and they come out perfect. If I use the ones that are from my freezer, I take the amount out that I will need for three days the night before and put them in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Thank you!
I see that you don’t do nutritional information, that is the only downside.
Hi Alexus, I’m so glad you loved the egg bites! Thanks for sharing your make-ahead and reheating method.
How can these be reheated? I am making them for tomorrow morning.
Hi Joy, you can microwave them until just warmed through.
We don’t have a microwave. How can we reheat them?
Hi Jenny, I actually think they’re delicious cold.
Jeanine, you write in your blog that these Egg Bites can be reheated in the microwave. Ours is not working. Is there an alternative way you could recommend to reheat these?
Do you have nutritional information with your recipes? They look delicious. I am monitoring protein and carbs in my diet. Thank you
These look wonderful as I have been looking forward to a healthier version to what SB has. Can I substitute feta cheese instead of cottage?
Hi Elizabeth, I’m sorry, we don’t post nutrition facts. I haven’t tried these with feta (they might be too salty), but we use feta in this egg muffin recipe that you might like: https://www.loveandlemons.com/egg-muffins/
great idea, much better home made than at SB’s, love being able to customize the ingredients too, thank you
Fabulous. These would be really funny with a lot of kids in the house!