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.
Made this recipe for a friend recovering from surgery. They turned out fantastic! I didn’t use any green onion and used some yummy jarred roasted red peppers from the grocery. I also added some sautéed baby bella mushroom pieces chopped pretty fine and browned italian sausage crumbles and sprinkled a little cheese on top. Not sure you need to reserve 1/4 cup veggies to put on top because it just sank in when I added anyway. Can’t wait to make a double batch of these for my family to have on hand in the freezer!
Hi Hilary, I’m so glad they came out well! That sounds like a delicious variation.
They came out perfectly!
Hi Chris, I’m so glad you loved them!
LOVE THESE!! I make them for my 18 month old & myself. Such a great quick breakfast!! I make the night before & eat them for a few days for breakfast!
Hi Leah, I’m so glad you love them!
Made these for the grandkids and didn’t have any green onions, but they were still delicious. Use used 2% cottage cheese still good!
I’m so glad you loved them!
These are amazing and do taste like the Starbucks egg bites!! I will say I didn’t have cottage cheese on hand so I substituted the amount with mostly cream cheese and roughly 2 TBS of half and half. It worked great and cooked perfectly! My 2 toddlers and I ate all but one of the 12 for breakfast this morning ? definitely going to be a go-to breakfast for us.
Hi Michelle, aww yay! So glad everyone loved them.
Can you freeze these?
From the end of the article:
“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.”
Excellent recipe although too a lot long than 30 minutes! Have made twice now and worth the time!
Big family hit! Added a light topping of Gruyère cheese and they were fantastic!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Delicious! Make ahead for the whole week! You can change up anything you add!
These Egg Bites are a perfect, quick breakfast food. So easy to put together (I made the homemade smoked red peppers – what a delicious change from chopped raw peppers!)
By popular demand, I will be making these quite often.
Hi Sandra, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I can’t wait to try this recipe, it look delicious! Do you think this will stick work well with low fat cottage cheese instead of whole milk?
Hi Nikki, yep! I think low-fat cottage cheese would be fine here.
So good! Cottage cheese… isn’t generally my favorite thing… so I was a bit unsure about that addition, but I think it actually really added a lot of flavor and creaminess. Didn’t even miss the feta I usually add to egg bites, and am happy with the healthier substitution!
Hi Carson, I’m so glad you loved them!
Can you use a mini muffin pan for these?
Hi Marissa, I haven’t tried so I’m not sure.
I always use a mini muffin pan! I bake for about 14-15 minutes
Is there a nutritional value on the egg bites.
. I used some egg whites with the egg.
Hi Angela, I’m sorry, we don’t post nutrition facts, but you could plug the ingredients into an online calculator like my fitness pal.
I made these this morning and ended up
Making 6 bell pepper and zucchini and 6 with sausage and mushroom and they’re seriously SO good. Thank you!!
Also- I used a regular muffin tin, a tiny bit of olive oil wiped down inside, on top of a sheet pan filled with water. 350F, 35m
Hi Becca, I’m so glad you loved the egg bites! Thanks for sharing your baking method too.
These turned out delicious!
What adjustments would you make if you were to use jumbo sized silicone muffins instead of standard size?
Hi Eileen, I’ve never worked with those muffin cups, so I’m not sure exactly how you’d need to change the recipe. The bake time may be a little more or less depending on how much you fill the muffin cups. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
I had two problems, first was my nonstick muffin pan wasn’t so nonstick. I use cooking spray. And number two once the eggs cool, they kind of flattened. Is there a way to keep them more fluffy and not flatten
These are SO tasty! I did broccoli and cheddar cheese with this recipe instead and it worked well.
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Mik, I like to use a very slick nonstick pan with any kind of egg recipe. These breakfast egg muffins are more fluffy, these bites are meant to be flat: https://www.loveandlemons.com/egg-muffins/
The egg bites will deflate naturally. Cannot undo the deflation, I’m sorry.
These were very tasty. I subbed artichoke hearts for the spinach because that’s what I had in hand. I did have a problem with them sticking even though it was a non stick pan and I oiled it like suggested. I think next time I will try using my spray instead. Thanks for a great recipe!
These were so yummy!! I subbed artichokes hearts for the spinach because that is what I had and it was a good combination. I did have trouble with them sticking even though it was a non-stick pan and I used oil to grease it. Next time I think I will use my spray instead. Thanks for a great recipe.
If I wanted to use liquid egg whites instead of regular eggs, do you know how many cups I would use for this recipe? Thank you so much!
Hi Ruth, we haven’t tried using liquid egg whites here, so I can’t guarantee the results, but I think 1 1/4 cups would work in place of the eggs. If you try it, let us know how it goes!