Easy Oven Egg Bites

Savory, custardy homemade Egg Bites are a portable, hand-held cross between an omelet and a frittata. This oven egg bites recipe is fast and easy: no special equipment required. Add your favorite cheeses, veggies, and meats for nearly infinite flavor possibilities! (10 minutes hand-on prep)

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love this Egg Bites Recipe
• Homemade Egg Bites Ingredients
• How to Make Egg Bites
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• More Eggs for Breakfast
• Pairing
• Easy Oven Egg Bites

Why You Will Love this Egg Bites Recipe

No Sous Vide Required

If you've had Starbucks egg bites, you probably know that they are cooked in a sous vide machine. Not everyone has one of those sitting around, and you definitely don't need one for this recipe. In fact, this easy oven egg bites recipe requires no special appliances or equipment at all – no sous vide machine, no InstantPot, and no special molds.

One of the secrets to these soft, tender egg bites is in the cooking technique. We bake them in the oven using a modified bain marie (French for water bath): the same technique you use to make crème brûlée or flan. However, instead of placing the muffin pan directly in the water, a pan of hot water steams from the rack below, keeping the egg bites moist as they slow cook.

Using this recipe and technique, your egg bites will always turn out soft, moist, and custardy.

Save Money & Time

Homemade egg bites are way less expensive than Starbucks! A batch of twelve of these homemade egg bites currently costs only about five dollars to make. That’s $5 for twelve egg bites - about 42¢ per egg bite - instead of $5 for just two! That's a phenomenal savings!*

But how does this egg bites recipe save you time? You can make enough to last a week with just 10 minutes of hand-on prep, which is a lot less time than it takes to drive to Starbucks six times to pick them up. And yeah, I know you're probably going to go for the coffee anyway, but next time, tract how much longer it takes to get your egg bite order than it does to get a straight-up coffee order and you'll become a believer.

*The average price for a dozen eggs at the time of posting is $4.21.

Simple, Healthy Ingredients

Egg bites are packed with healthy protein, and making them at home lets us tocontrol what goes into them. Our basic egg bites recipe takes just six simple ingredients, plus your choice of flavor add-ins. By contrast, this is the ingredient list of Starbucks' Bacon & Gruyère Egg Bites, taken directly from their website:

COTTAGE CHEESE [CULTURED NONFAT MILK, MILK, NONFAT MILK, CONTAINS 2 % OR LESS OF: WHEY, SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, CITRIC ACID, CARRAGEENAN, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, LOCUST BEAN GUM, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, CARBON DIOXIDE (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), ENZYMES], EGGS [EGGS, CITRIC ACID, WATER], CHEESE BLEND [MONTEREY JACK CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), GRUYERE CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), POTATO STARCH, POWDERED CELLULOSE, NATAMYCIN (A NATURAL MOLD INHIBITOR)], UNSALTED BUTTER [PASTEURIZED CREAM, NATURAL FLAVORS], UNCURED BACON - NO NITRITES OR NITRATES ADDED EXCEPT AS NATURALLY OCCURRING IN SEA SALT AND CELERY JUICE POWDER [PORK, WATER, SEA SALT, CANE SUGAR, CULTURED CELERY JUICE, CHERRY POWDER], RICE STARCH, CORN STARCH, SALT, WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR [DILUTED WITH WATER TO 4% ACIDITY], HOT SAUCE [DISTILLED VINEGAR, RED PEPPER, SALT]

_{Starbucks Menu Nutrition}

Granted, take away the cheese blend and the bacon, as they would fall into the Add-ins category in our recipe, but still! I mean, the cottage cheese alone has sixteen ingredients! (I use a cottage cheese with four ingredients - cultured skim milk, cream, salt, vitamin A palmitate.)

While we're asking, why do the eggs have more ingredients than... well, eggs? (And were the chickens who laid them happy? Did they have chicken friends? #portlandia) And do we really need three kinds of starch and a mold inhibitor in our egg bites? (I don't think so.)

(Did I mention that this egg bites recipe is high-protein, low carb, and keto-friendly, too?)

Flavorlicious

No matter how easy, inexpensive, or healthy a recipe is, it all comes down to flavor - and these egg bites have got it goin' on. While I can only speak for myself, I think these homemade egg bites are notably more tasty than Starbucks'. Their soft, custardy texture and rich, savory flavor is so satisfying, and the fact that you can make them using your favorite combinations makes them positively flavorlicious.

Homemade Egg Bites Ingredients

Basic Egg Bites

• Eggs: We use USDA Large/ EU Medium size eggs for this recipe.
• Cottage cheese: Use 2% cottage cheese for this recipe. Cottage cheese adds a creamy flavor and fluffy texture to the Egg Bites. Do not use non-fat cottage cheese; the egg bites will turn out runny. (This recipe has not yet been tested using 4% cottage cheese.)
• Ketchup: Even if you usually turn up your nose at ketchup on eggs, this is one time when you should definitely add it. The salty sweetness of ketchup adds a layer of acidity that complements the rich, eggy custard of the Egg Bites.
• Hot sauce: The minute amount of hot sauce used doesn't make the egg bites spicy, but it does enhance the flavor of the egg bite.
• Garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• Parsley: This is optional, but a nice addition, particularly if you are make plain cheese egg bites.
• White pepper: We use white pepper for its mild, smooth, hot flavor.

Cheese & Flavor Add-ins

This egg bites recipe will cook up fine with nothing else added - like a plain egg omelet - but you probably want to add a little extra flavor.

• Cheese: You will need about ¾ cup of cheese to make 12 egg bites. Use grated semi-hard or hard aged cheese or cheese crumbles (e.g., cheddar, feta, cotija, parmesan, Pepper Jack, gouda, havarti, Monterey Jack, asiago, etc.)
  • For Starbucks copycat egg bites, use grated Gruyere.
• Add-ins: You will need about ¾ cup of cooked veggies and/or meat to make 12 egg bites. Use finely chopped meats and/or cooked vegetables. See the Add-in list for ideas.

Use any combination of add-ins that you like. (This is list is by no means exhaustive.)

Tip: Egg bites are a great way to use up little bits of leftover meat and veggies!

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Egg Bites

Place a 9x13 pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Fill with one inch of very hot water. Position another rack in the middle of the oven.

Preheat oven to 290℉ (143℃).

Spray a 12-cup silicone muffin pan lightly with non-stick cooking spray. (If you use a regular muffin tin, spray it liberally.)

Place the silicone muffin pan on a 9x13 quarter-sheet pan or baking sheet. (If you are using a regular metal muffin pan, you don't need to use a baking sheet.)

Sprinkle a total of 1 - 1½ tablespoons of cheese and other add-ins into each muffin cup. Set aside.

Hint: Don’t overdo the add-ins: you will be surprised at how much flavor you get from just a small amount.

Using a stand blender or immersion blender, blend eggs, cottage cheese, ketchup, hot sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Pulse in the chopped parsley at this time if you are using it.

Pour the blended egg mixture evenly over the cheese and add-ins into the muffin cups. Fill each muffin cup almost to the top.

Use a chopstick to gently stir one time around the bottom of the muffin pan to make sure the egg mixture coats everything.

Place the muffin pan in the oven on the middle oven rack. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the egg bites are set and just beginning to lightly brown on top.

Do not be alarmed if you look in the oven and the egg bites rise a little above the pan edges. They will almost immediately fall back down and become level with the edge when removed from the oven.

Allow egg bites to rest for 2-3 minutes, then pop them out of the muffin pan.

If you use a metal pan, run a thin knife around the top edge of each one before removing them from the pan.

Egg bites are ready to eat immediately, or may be stored for later.

Substitutions

Eggs: You can use 1½ cups of Egg Beaters or homemade egg replacement for this recipe. (This recipe has not been tested with vegan egg replacers or straight egg whites.)

Variations

The list of add-ins that can be used in this egg bites recipe make the possibilities nearly infinite, but here are a few of our favorite flavor-combos to get you started:

• Gruyère and bacon (Starbucks copycat)
• Feta, fresh spinach, and sautéed red onion
• Cheddar, grilled chicken, and green onions
• Feta, sweet peppers, and oregano
• Pepper Jack, taco meat, and salsa
• Feta, tomatoes, and green onions
• Gruyère, bacon, sautéed onions, and tomatoes
• Cheddar, bacon, and tomatoes
• Asiago, sauteed onions and mushrooms
• Parmesan, basil, and tomato
• Gruyère, ham, and sweet pepper
• Cheddar, pulled pork, sautéed red onion (sub BBQ sauce for ketchup)

You get the idea.

Hint: Don’t overdo the add-ins: you will be surprised at how much flavor you get from just a small amount.

Equipment

A silicone muffin pan makes all the difference when baking homemade egg bites! Sure, you can use a metal muffin pan, but the egg bites do have a tendency to stick if you don't get each and every micron of surface well-oiled with cooking spray.

Silicone muffin pans are inexpensive and can be used over and over again. They are safe to use in the oven, microwave, and freezer, and are easy to clean and dish-washer safe. Their non-stick surface makes them an excellent choice for low-fat cooking, too.

When using a silicone pan, you don't really have to oil the muffin cups when making egg bites; we do it just to be on the safe side.

Storage

Refrigerator: Store the egg bites in a covered container or resealable bag in the refrigerator for up five days.

Freezer: Cooked egg bites can be stored in the freezer for up to two months.

To freeze, first allow egg bites to fully cool. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze them for about an hour, then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer resealable freezer bag.

Reheat in the microwave at 30 intervals.

More Eggs for Breakfast

Looking for a bigger breakfast? Check out our list of 30+ delicious, easy-to-make frittata recipes!

Pairing

Egg bites are so often used as a grab-and-go that we sometime forget they can be a delicious part of a proper sit-down breakfast, too. Try pairing them with:

• Greek yogurt
• Fresh fruit
• Sweet potato breakfast hash
• Potato pancakes
• Half an avocado (my favorite!)
• Muffins
• Breakfast bars
• Bagel & cream cheese

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