If you’ve enjoyed the egg bites at Starbucks, here’s how to make them at home! These egg bites have become a staple recipe in my kitchen. Sure, they’re not the prettiest egg recipe, but they’re wonderfully flavorful and silky tender. They’re a protein-rich snack or ready-made breakfast to keep in your refrigerator (they freeze and defrost well, too).
These egg bites are a fun cooking project with a few twists along the way. I was surprised to find cottage cheese in Starbucks’ ingredient list. It’s the secret ingredient that offers a lovely tang and extra protein. Once blended, the lumpy texture disappears, which explains why I’d never guess it was there.
Instead of Starbucks’ sous vide cooking method, we’ll bake the muffin tray on a rimmed baking sheet filled with a small amount of hot water. The steam from the water bath gives these bites a luscious, smooth texture. Without it, the eggs would brown at the bottom and taste more like frittata muffins. It’s a small detail that makes a big difference!
Inspired by Starbucks
I modeled the recipe after Starbucks’ vegetarian egg bites. I ate a ton of them when I was pregnant with our daughter, as I had trouble with gestational diabetes. My brother stayed in the hospital for a month as he recovered from a bad accident, and Starbucks was a short walk across the street. Their egg bites were one of the few protein-rich, low-carb snacks I could find that didn’t spike my blood sugar.
Starbucks uses egg whites in its recipe, but I used whole eggs because the yolks are high in choline, and separating eggs can be fussy and wasteful if you don’t have a good use for them. This recipe doesn’t taste exactly like theirs because the ingredients and cooking method are a bit different, but it’s definitely similar. If you like Starbucks’ version, I’m confident you’ll enjoy these, too.
This recipe and my energy balls have been my go-to postpartum snacks, so consider making a batch for your friends who have just had a new baby.
Egg Bite Substitutions
This recipe is so flexible! It’s the perfect way to use the leftover veggies and cheese in the fridge. Here’s guidance on how to adjust the recipe yourself, and you’ll find my suggested variations in the next section.
Change the cheese
Instead of mild Monterey Jack, try cheddar cheese, Gruyère, mozzarella, crumbled goat cheese or your cheese of choice. You could replace some of the cheese with crumbled feta or grated Parmesan, but using all feta or Parm could make it too salty.
Change the veggies
Substitute up to 2 cups of vegetables for the spinach and red peppers used in this recipe. They’ll retain their texture after baking, for the most part, so I recommend cooking and chopping them before stirring them into the egg mixture.
Timing considerations: The recipe below calls for sautéeing green onions, spinach and roasted red bell peppers for just a minute or two, until tender and wilted. You could substitute arugula for the spinach, or try kale, chard, or collard greens—they’re tougher, and would likely require a couple extra minutes on the stove.
If you’re using tougher veggies, you’ll need to cook them longer—consider steaming for a milder flavor or roasting for caramelized complexity. This recipe is a great use for leftover roasted vegetables, like sweet potatoes or cauliflower.
A note on the green onion…
I prefer it lightly cooked as written below for a more mild flavor and tender texture. If you’re not cooking any other ingredients in a skillet, you could substitute 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or 1 medium clove of garlic, pressed or minced, for similarly irresistible allium flavoring.
Suggested Flavor Variations
This section draws inspiration from my favorite egg-based recipes on the blog.
Spinach, goat cheese and sun-dried tomato
Sauté the spinach as described in the recipe below, add some chopped sun-dried tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese. (Inspired by these scrambled eggs.)
Broccoli cheddar
Use steamed broccoli, cheddar cheese, and chives or sautéed green onion. Include some chopped spinach if you’d like. (Inspired by my this frittata.)
Arugula, cremini mushroom and goat cheese
Sauté the mushrooms, then add arugula and cook just until it’s wilted. (Inspired by this quiche.)
Butternut squash and Parmesan
Start with roasted butternut squash, and add some chopped chives. (Inspired by this frittata.)
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Egg Bites
These egg bites are cheesy, tender, fluffy and delicious! Inspired by Starbucks, this recipe is easy to make at home. Egg bites are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast or protein-rich snack. They freeze well and defrost quickly in the microwave! Recipe yields 1 dozen egg bites.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and line all twelve muffin cups with paper liners. In a kettle or medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil and maintain a simmer until it’s needed.
- In a blender, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, and the salt and pepper. Blend on high for 8 to 10 seconds, just until the mixture is smooth and frothy (no longer!). Set it aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green onion and a pinch of salt, and stir to combine. Add the spinach and roasted red pepper, and cook just until the spinach is wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes, then stir it into the blender mixture.
- Place the prepared muffin pan on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the muffin cups, filling each cup about three-fourths full. Divide the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese over the egg bites, then transfer the stacked pans to the oven. Carefully pour the hot water into the sheet pan, just enough to submerge the bottom of the muffin cups.
- Bake for 26 to 30 minutes, until the egg bites have set. Remove the muffin pan from the sheet pan of water in the oven, let the bites rest for 5 minutes, then transfer the bites to a cooling rack. Egg bites will keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Remove the paper liners before reheating them in a microwave or on a rimmed baking sheet in a 300-degree oven until warmed through (they will release some moisture while reheating, which you can discard; the paper liners will trap it, so remove those beforehand).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
