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Egg bites with cottage cheese are maybe my all-time favorite make-ahead breakfast recipe. They basically got me through my third pregnancy! Easy to make, a great boost of protein, and basically no carbs. They’re also endlessly versatile, thanks to their simple 3-ingredient base that works with any of your favorite mix-in combinations.
Before You Get Started
- These egg bites are made with cottage cheese, yes, but you’ll use shredded cheese in them, too. I recommend buying a block of cheese from the deli counter and shredding it yourself at home, rather than using prepackaged, pre-shredded cheese. The prepackaged stuff has starches added to keep it from clumping, but those starches affect the taste and texture of the cheese.
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Prep your mix-ins.
The beauty of egg bites (or egg muffins, or egg cups, or whatever you want to call them!) is that you can put anything you want in them, so decide what you want and let’s get going! If you’re including meat (bacon, ham, sausage, etc.) make sure it’s fully cooked first, then chop or crumble it into small pieces. You’ll want any veggies or fresh herbs to be well-chopped, too.
make the egg base.
Add the eggs to a blender with the cottage cheese, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend everything together until you’ve got a completely smooth mixture.
Fill the Pan.
Split your mix-ins evenly between each cup of the muffin pan, then pour in enough of the blended egg mixture to fill each cup so it’s approximately 75% full. I like to reserve a little of each mix-in to sprinkle onto the top of the egg mixture.
Cheryl’s Tip: The egg mixture will expand a little as it bakes, so don’t to fill each cup completely.
bake.
The exact bake time will depend on a few different things. Your oven, your kitchen, the type of muffin pan, the types of mix-ins, how much of each mix-in, etc., etc. Typically, you’ll need somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit.
Cheryl’s Tip: After the first 10 minutes in the oven, keep a close eye on the egg bites. If you bake them too long, they’ll end up rubbery and unpleasant.
What I Love About This Recipe
- I already mentioned how versatile egg muffins are, but that’s just one on a long list of reasons I love these simple little things. They’re also ridiculously easy to make, they store and reheat well, and they’re a great grab-and-go option for busy mornings. I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a lifesaver these were when I was pregnant with baby #3 and chasing around my 2 other kiddos all day.
- From a nutritional aspect, egg bites with cottage cheese are a fantastic little boost of protein. At least 7 grams in each one, and that’s not even counting any meat you decide to include! We don’t use any starches or fillers like store-bought egg muffins, either, so each one has only 1 gram of carbs. Of course, different mix-ins will change that, so make sure to calculate your own nutrition facts based on your specific ingredients if you’re watching your carb-intake closely.
Recipe Variations
Because the base is so simple, you can make egg bites with cottage cheese a little different each time you make them just by changing up your mix-ins! A few of my favorite combos:
- Ham, cheddar cheese, roasted red peppers, and sliced green onions
- Spinach leaves, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan
- Browned breakfast sausage, diced tomatoes, diced green bell peppers, and diced onions
- Shredded Mexican cheese, diced jalapeños, and chorizo, served with salsa
- Sautéed mushrooms, sautéed onions, and Swiss cheese
- Crumbled bacon and chunks of Boursin
You can also use a variety of fresh herbs, dried herbs, and spices in your cottage cheese egg cups, so the flavor possibilities are endless!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Egg Bites with Cottage Cheese
Equipment
- Oven
- muffin pan
- neutral-flavored spray oil
- standard blender or mixing bowl and whisk
Ingredients
For the Egg Bites
- 8 large eggs
- ¾ cup cottage cheese
- ¾ cup shredded cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Suggested Mix-Ins (All Optional)
- cooked, crumbled bacon
- chopped roasted red peppers
- sautéed onions
- chopped sautéed mushrooms
- diced ham
- spinach leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease cups of muffin pan with neutral cooking spray, making sure to coat sides of cups.
- Crack 8 large eggs directly into blender. Add ¾ cup cottage cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt of choice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Secure lid on blender. Blend ingredients together until mixture is completely smooth. Set blender aside.
- Divide mix-ins of choice evenly between cups of muffin pan. Note: consider reserving small amounts of mix-ins to sprinkle on top of egg mixture.
- Pour blended egg mixture into cups of muffin pan, filling each cup by approximately 75%. Garnish top of each egg cup with reserved mix-ins if desired.
- Place filled muffin pan in center of preheated oven. Bake egg bites 10 minutes, then check doneness. Continue baking egg bites, checking every 2 minutes, until egg mixture is just set. Note: cooking times will vary depending on pan type, oven, amount of mix-ins, and type of mix-ins.
- When egg bites have set, carefully remove muffin pan from oven. Let egg bites cool slightly, then remove egg bites from pan and serve as desired.
- Shredded Cheese: Use any type of shredded cheese you like! I do recommend shredding your own cheese from a block rather than using prepackaged shredded cheese.
- Storage: Let the egg bites cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. Refrigerate the egg bites up to 7 days.
- Freezer Storage: Let the egg bites cool completely, then wrap each individual egg bite in aluminum foil or food-safe plastic wrap. Place wrapped egg bites in a sealable freezer bag or other airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. Defrost the egg bites in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheating: Microwave refrigerated egg bites at 50% power for 30-60 seconds or until just heated through. Be careful not to overheat or the eggs can become rubbery.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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