These Make-Ahead Muffin Tin Egg Bites Are Extra Silky, Thanks to This 1 Simple Ingredient

It’s easy to see why Starbucks' sous vide egg bites are so popular—these custardy eggs filled with a variety of savory add-ins are a perfectly portable protein- and flavor-packed breakfast. And while we have sous vide egg bites (like this bacon and Gruyère egg bite recipe) that are loosely inspired by the Starbucks version, we know not everyone has a sous vide machine on hand—or the desire to use it to make their morning eggs. So, we wanted to create similar silky egg bites baked in a muffin tin instead.

To create the perfect muffin tin eggs, our Birmingham-based test kitchen colleague Elizabeth Mervosh baked batch after batch of these mini frittata-like bites. The result is a foolproof method that guarantees a silky, well-set egg custard every time. Her version is loaded with savory portobello mushrooms, earthy kale, and nutty Swiss cheese for a hearty breakfast that’s just as good for Sunday brunch as it is for busy weekday mornings—especially since these bites can be made up to four days ahead.

The prep and cooking process is fairly straightforward: The eggs are well blended with a combination of cottage cheese and Swiss cheese, mixed with sautéed mushrooms and kale, portioned into a muffin tin, and baked at a low temperature until the eggs are just set. But to ensure the eggs remain silky—not tough or rubbery, as some egg bites can be—and the veggies are evenly dispersed in every bite, there are a few key steps Elizabeth incorporates into her recipe.

5 Key Techniques for the Best Mushroom and Kale Egg Bites

1. Pull out the blender. For the smoothest eggs, you really do need to use a blender. While some recipes call for whisking the eggs and cheese by hand in an attempt to simplify the prep, Elizabeth found in her testing that the sharp blades of the blender are essential to ensure the mixture is smooth enough to produce the custard-like texture we're going for here.

2. Use a combination of cheeses for maximum silkiness and flavor. According to ingredient lists on the Starbucks website, their egg bites include a key ingredient that we've also incorporated here: cottage cheese. Blending cottage cheese with eggs helps create a custard-like texture in the bites. In this version we also add Swiss cheese for its tangy, slightly nutty flavor, which pairs well with the savory mushrooms and kale.

3. Add rice starch or cornstarch to the egg mixture to guarantee silky cooked eggs. The starch acts as a binding agent, preventing the egg proteins from setting too firmly, essentially protecting the eggs from overcooking and becoming rubbery. The result is a much creamier and more tender egg texture. Elizabeth’s many side by side tests confirmed that incorporating just a teaspoon and a half of rice starch or cornstarch into the egg mixture made a noticeable difference in the egg bites' final texture. When too much starch was added, the eggs became unpleasantly pasty, and when starch wasn’t added, the eggs verged on rubbery.

4. Blend some of the eggs with the kale and stir halfway through baking. Elizabeth’s early versions of the recipe called for sautéing finely chopped kale until tender, then stirring it with the mushrooms and blended egg mixture before portioning the mixture into the muffin tin cups. But as the bites baked, the kale sank to the bottom of each muffin tin, creating an unappealing layer of gloppy greens. What we wanted was vegetables evenly suspended in every bite for the perfect balance of eggs, mushrooms, and kale. 

The solution was blending some of the egg mixture with the kale before stirring in the mushrooms, portioning into the muffin cups, and pouring the remaining egg mixture over top. Stirring the egg mixture halfway through cooking further ensures that the vegetables don't settle to the bottom of the bites. This thoughtful blending, layering, and stirring of ingredients evenly disbursed kale from edge to edge.

5. Bake at a low temperature and use a water bath. While these egg bites are baked in the oven, we still wanted them to have the silky, custardy texture of sous vide egg bites. To mimic the gentle, steady, moist heat of sous vide cooking, we place the muffin tin in a water bath and cook the eggs at a low temperature of 325℉. The water bath insulates the egg bites, ensuring slow, even cooking. The water also creates steam in the oven, which helps prevent the tops of the bites from overcooking and browning.

Once the bites are baked, you have serving options. They’re great popped out of the tin and served warm right away for a hungry brunch crowd. But they’re also an ideal make-ahead breakfast option. They can be refrigerated in an airtight container for four days or frozen for up to a month and briefly reheated in the microwave or even eaten right out of the fridge. They’re a great filling breakfast option for busy weekday mornings—no trips to Starbucks needed.

Adjust oven rack to middle positions, and preheat oven to 325°F (160℃). Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray; set aside.

In a blender jar, combine eggs, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, rice starch or cornstarch, hot sauce (if using), salt, black pepper, and garlic powder and blend on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour 2 cups of the egg mixture into a liquid measuring cup; set aside. Leave remaining egg mixture in the blender jar.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Reduce heat to medium, and add kale. Cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Scrape kale into blender jar with remaining egg mixture. Process on medium speed until kale is very finely chopped, about 10 seconds. Stir kale and egg mixture into mushrooms in bowl.

Divide vegetable-egg mixture into prepared muffin cups. Gently pour reserved egg mixture over mushroom-kale-egg mixture.

Set filled muffin tin in a roasting pan. Place roasting pan on middle oven rack and pour boiling water around muffin tin until water is 1 inch deep, about halfway up the sides of the muffin tin. Bake until the center of the egg bites look dry, with some bubbles on the surface, but edges are still wet, 10 minutes. Carefully remove roasting pan with muffin tin from oven, and using a toothpick or small spoon, gently stir each egg bite, combining the soft egg curds with the wet egg mixture. Return to oven, and continue to bake until eggs are completely set, about 20 minutes longer. Carefully remove muffin pan from roasting pan. Let cool for 5 minutes. Run a small offset spatula or butter knife around the edges of each egg bite to loosen, then gently turn the pan upside down to remove the egg bites. Serve or let cool completely before storing.

Special Equipment

Blender, large skillet, 12-cup muffin tin, roasting pan, small offset spatula or butter knife

Make-Ahead and Storage

Cooled egg bites can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. For frozen bites, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat, microwave until heated through, about 30 seconds, or warm in a 350℉ (175℃) oven until warmed through, about 5 minutes.