Egg Bites with Bacon & Gruyère
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If you like the sous vide egg bites from Starbucks, you’ll love this copycat version — no sous vide equipment required!
This copycat recipe is a spot-on homemade version of the popular bacon and Gruyère sous vide egg bites from Starbucks. As an avid fan of the Starbucks version, I can confidently say that this recipe is nearly identical in taste and texture to the original—no fancy sous vide equipment required. The recipe is easy to make using just a blender, a muffin tin, and a few simple ingredients like cottage cheese, eggs, shredded cheese, cornstarch, bacon and hot sauce.
The secret to achieving the desired silky texture is baking the egg bites at a low temperature and also placing a pan of water in the oven to create a steamy environment. Egg bites can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Plus, they reheat beautifully in the microwave, making them a convenient, high-protein option for busy mornings or on-the-go snacks.
Table of Contents
“This is by far the closest I’ve ever made to the real thing, and that’s after trying many different recipes. You nailed it!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Egg Bites with Bacon & Gruyère
Step-by-Step Instructions
Add the bacon to a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 5 to 6 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
In a blender, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, Gruyère, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
Blend until completely smooth, 20 to 40 seconds.
Pour the egg mixture evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each well about three-quarters full. Divide the bacon evenly over the egg bites. Using a spoon or your finger, press some of the bacon into the batter so it is not all floating on top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the eggs are just set. You’ll know they are done when the egg bites start pulling slightly away from the edges.
Some of the egg bites may puff up and look a bit lopsided, but they will settle and deflate as they cool.
Let rest in the pan for about 5 minutes. Use a small spoon to loosen the egg bites from the edges of the pan and carefully lift them out onto a plate. Serve warm.
Video Tutorial
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Egg Bites with Bacon & Gruyère
If you like the sous vide egg bites from Starbucks, you’ll love this copycat version — no sous vide equipment required!
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 6 large eggs
- 1¼ cups (4% milkfat) cottage cheese
- 1¼ cups shredded Gruyère (or a blend of Gruyère and Cheddar or Monterey Jack)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
Instructions
- Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Set one oven rack in the middle position and another in the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Place a 9x13-inch metal or ceramic baking dish on the lower rack and fill it halfway with the boiling water from the kettle. This will create steam in the oven, which will help the egg bites to cook gently and attain a custardy texture.
- Spray a nonstick muffin pan generously with nonstick cooking spray (see note).
- In a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- In a blender, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, Gruyère, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Blend until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each well about three-quarters full. Divide the bacon evenly over the egg bites. Using a spoon or your finger, press some of the bacon into the batter so it is not all floating on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle rack, until the eggs are set. You'll know they are done when the egg bites start pulling slightly away from the edges. Some of the egg bites may puff up and look a bit lopsided, but they will settle and deflate as they cool.
- Remove the egg bites from the oven and let rest in the pan for about 5 minutes. Use a small spoon to loosen the egg bites from the edges of the pan and carefully lift them out onto a plate. Serve warm.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Once cool, the egg bites can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at 50% power for 60 to 90 seconds. The egg bites can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat using the microwave.
- Note: I don’t recommend using a silicone muffin tin for this recipe as readers have commented that the egg bites take longer to set and cook unevenly.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 egg bite
- Calories: 151
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 270 mg
- Cholesterol: 116 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Really good. Really rich. The texture was so smooth and silky. I used silicone cupcake liners greased with a little oil and they removed easily. I did have to bake mine almost 30 minutes to set. I will definitely make these again but will probably sub out the bacon as suggested by other reviewers to make it a little lighter 🙂
Made these the other day. Love them. Really perfect post-gym breakfast with a piece of toast or English muffin.
Mine took 25 minutes, but my oven runs a little cool. Definitely adding to my weekend rotation.
I was so bummed with these. I’m sure it was my error because I’ve made over 25 of Jen’s recipes with fantastic results – I trust this site! Mine were underdone even after popping them back in the oven twice- probably an extra 8-10 mins. Looked perfect on top and but remained custardy/wet on bottom. I did use 1% cottage cheese and a little extra gruyere so maybe that was the issue? Maybe fill less full? Oh well.
Hi Janette, Sorry you had a problem with these! These actually should be a bit more wet/custardy on the bottom, but if you felt they were still too wet after that extra time in the oven, I would guess that maybe the reduced-fat cottage cheese was to blame. (I haven’t tried them with 1% cottage cheese, but that’s the only thing I can think of that may have caused an issue.)
I made the egg bites exactly as directed however I used sun-dried tomatoes and cheddar cheese instead of bacon and Gruyere cheese. The egg bites looked perfect in the oven however when I took them out of the pan the bottoms were like custard. Any thoughts?
Hi Paula, it sounds like they were just a bit undercooked — next time I’d add an extra few minutes onto the baking time.
Would it be ok to use paper baking cups in the muffin tin?
Hi Lily, I wouldn’t recommend liners here – I think the egg bites will stick to them.
My family loved these, although the ones I made did not come out of the pan quite as pristine as the ones shown in the picture. Very easy to make. The bacon, which took the most time to prep, could be made ahead of time and brought to room temperature before baking. I didn’t expect to find shredded Gruyère, and I was right (which I usually am, more often than not). I asked the supermarket employee how much she thought I should buy for 1.25 cups of shredded cheese, and she gave me a six ounce package that she said should be a bit more than enough. It was significantly more than enough, which was fine. We tend to like stronger cheeses (one of our daughter’s favorites cheeses when she was two years old was Stilton, which amazes me to this day, 20 years later), so next time I will try either a cave aged Gruyère or a mixture, perhaps shredded goat cheese, which I found at our local Whole Foods.
These came out perfect. So easy, too. I didn’t have enough bacon so half of the batch was without it, but still really good! Also, I think other things would work with this recipe, like red pepper, a little bit of onion, etc.
This recipe is amazing! I wanted to make a vegetarian option so decided to saute a shallot and spinach and added it the same way as the bacon. It turned out phenomenal! The texture is so creamy and delicious.
Don’t usually do this, but had to substitute diced ham for bacon, used a Mexican blend of cheeses, no hot sauce, and blended in my food processor. They were fabulous. Loved the texture and can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow morning. Excellent recipe and will definitely make again-with bacon, gruyere, etc. 😊 Thanks for sharing, Jenn!
I didn’t care for it.. maybe because I haven’t eaten bacon in ages lol. But I didn’t like the custard feeling with these eggs. .. I should have cut the recipe in half.. They did turn out like they are suppose to .. I won’t make it again and will probably throw them out.
Oh my, these are wonderful! I only have silicone muffin pans and they worked fine. I sent hubbs out for gruyere, and he came back with fontina, so I used half fontina and half parmesan. Also, our grocery only had the 2 percent cottage cheese but this didn’t seem to matter! Added two more slices of bacon (for hubbs) and followed remainder of recipe exactly. My result was a wonderful, buttery, custardy breakfast! Thanks Jenn for another winner!
I made these yesterday and they turned out great!
I used packaged crumbled real bacon and since the store didn’t have cottage cheese, but had ricotta (months ago it was the reverse), I used ricotta and without gruyere, I mixed some cheddar and monteray jack with jalapeño cheese. It stretches 6 eggs and is very satisfying. Definitely will make this again.
Made these this morning. Added shallots sautéed with the bacon for the last minute of cooking. Very delicious. Next time I might omit the salt. I did not see any of the other reviews comment on this but these little guys stuck like crazy.
I did serve them with your buttermilk biscuits!
I thought they were delicious and a great way to get protein in the morning.
These are delicious! I used cheddar as that was all I had and they still turned out very tasty. I love how quick and easy they are to whip up.
My partner is on a low glycemic diet so I kept the cottage cheese but substituted 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast for the other cheese. They turned out excellent! Thanks for a great recipe.
Sadly, this recipe was a flop for me. I was not familiar with the term sous vide and feel the recipe narrative could benefit from some clarification. The recipe states “to bake 20-23 minutes” ;however, I feel it should state that the muffin pan should be placed “on the middle rack that is above the rack with the baking dish filled with water.” The instructions were not clear to me and I placed the muffin tin in the baking sheet with water – made a bath. a disaster.
Oh no, I’m so sorry, JE! I have added clarification to the recipe. Hope they turn out well if you try them again.
Hey Jenn,
I was just wondering if you’ve ever made these without the bacon. I was thinking that maybe I could try adding some feta and sautéed spinach, mushroom, and shallot since I’m vegetarian, but I’m worried it’ll up the water content too much. Any suggestions? Thanks
Hi Juliana, Yes, I’ve made these without bacon. And think that you could make them with the ingredients you’ve mentioned. I would just sauté all the veggies first and make sure to remove any liquid from them before incorporating into the egg mixture so they’re not too watery. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them!
What else would I do on a wintry morning when I am snowed in but turn to Once Upon a Chef’s emailed recipe & cook away! We enjoy those Starbucks sous vide egg bites, too and I was thrilled to see you offer a recipe to make them in the oven. I went a wee bit creative with my ingredients … turkey bacon in some & sautéed shallots & red peppers in the others. This recipe is simple to assemble and the end result is delicious! Peter was a bit skeptical when I mentioned it included cottage cheese, but he gobbled down the finished product!
❤️
Fantastic. This should be Food52’s #1 Genius Recipe of 2021.
Are they good to serve cold, or can I bake them at home and reheat them after driving to girls’ night? Love your recipes – best ever!
Hi Terry, So glad you enjoy the recipes! They aren’t great cold but they travel well and reheat beautifully in the microwave in just a minute or two.
As expected, this recipe is a success; you really have made cooking fun and I forward your emails to my friends all the time. Being on Weight Watchers makes these a challenge, however, as according to WW one of this is 9 (!) points, and I only get to spend 23 a day. I did use 2% cottage cheese and am going to try to figure out the real number of points to allocate to each egg bite and it they taste wonderful. Thanks for another great recipe! Sigrid, Napa, CA
For WW try using turkey bacon, nonfat cottage cheese, using half the amount and the other half use almond milk. Instead of this cheese, use a smaller amount ofreduced fat Sharp cheddar. This is how I make mine, and they are delicious and many less points.
As stated above, I make them in my instant pot. I think they are smaller than the muffin tin. I use 4 eggs and get 7 egg bites. I use proportionally less of all the other ingredients.
I hope this helps.
WOW, these are a 10-star recipe! A group of 4-yr olds made them with me yesterday for snack and 30 minutes later, 24 mini muffins were GONE! I used the silpat liner, didn’t grease and they came out beautifully. All the kids have asked for the recipe so I know you’ll get lots of new fans.
There are delightful. Added spinach to the recipe and they were cooked to perfection with the steam. Another great one. Thanks, Jenn.
I make these in my Instant Pot. I use the sous vede moulds that they sell on Amazon and other places. If you want to try it, I cook them at low pressure for 8 minutes, allow. pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and that is it. You need to add 1 cup of water to your pot first and put the mould on a trivit that comes with the pot. They come out perfectly and taste delicious.
We love them at my house.
We love many of your recipes. Your French carrot salad is always in my fridg.
Susan, Century City, CA
Thank you so much Jennifer! I made these today hours after reading the recipe from your weekly email. I used a mix of old cheddar and monterey cheese. They are exactly like Starbucks but at a fraction of the cost!! My kids devoured them as an after school snack:)
Fast, easy and delicious! The ingredients for this dish are usually in my pantry/fridge so I can see making this a lot. My husband loved them! These are perfect when he comes from the gym or has a craving but wants to eat healthy. I may add a little fresh spinach next time and pour the egg mixture over top. We will see what happens. I love every recipe of Jenn’s that I have tried and also have her first cookbook. Her recipes are my goto and I can’t wait for her new book to come out!
I forgot to also ask. I don’t have cooking spray. Can I brush olive or veg oil into the cups? Or if I use the silicone tray would that work better without oil?
Yes, either oil will work well. I would still grease the silicone tray to be safe.
This looks great. I’ll have to make some for my friend. Do you think I can make it in silicone cupcake tin or is it better to do it in a metal one.
Hi Cherry, I’ve never tried this in silicone but it should work fine.
I use a silicone muffin tray and it works great.
This is such an amazing recipe. They turned out wonderful. I can’t wait to try other flavor combinations. Every recipe I have tried of yours turns out perfectly. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom!
Question. How could I make these using my sous vide? I have one and would like to use it more.
Thanks.
Gary C.
Hi Gary, I don’t have a sous vide machine but most people put them in little 4-oz mason jars and cook at 172°F for about 1 hour. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn, I actually have a sous vide at home! What would be the temperature and cooking time if using a sous vide?
Hi Caro, I’ve never tried it but most recipes call for cooking at 172°F for about 1 hour. Hope that helps!
I’m a huge fan and can’t count the number of times I’ve made the Spinach/Gruyere Quiche. It’s always a big hit with my family.
Question regarding ingredients for these egg bites… do you think sour cream would be a suitable substitute? I saw your recommendation for cream cheese, which also sounds great, but to be honest, I’m not a fan of cottage cheese and need an alternative before I try these.
Thanks, and I looking forward to your next new recipe.
Hi JoAnne, I haven’t tried these with sour cream, so I can’t say for sure how it would work, but I have made them successfully with heavy cream. For what it’s worth, you can’t taste the cottage cheese at all…promise!
I finally made these, substituting cream cheese for the cottage cheese. Although I greased the tin with butter (I didn’t have cooking spray on hand), I still had a minor problem with them sticking. Not a big deal… they were still awesome! I’m typically not very adventurous when it comes to cooking, but I trust your recipes (except for the use of cottage cheese… lol). Thank you again for sharing with us.
Hi Jen! I made these a few months ago and loved them!! I’m getting ready to make Easter brunch and wondered if I could use this in a deep dish pie shell instead of making individuals and if I need to pre-bake the shell….Thanks for another wonderful dish!!
Glad you enjoyed them! Yes, I think you could make this in a pie shell (and I would pre-bake the shell). Please LMK how it turns out!
This recipe made me so happy on a snow day. Thank you
I used sun dried tomatoes in lieu of the bacon and skim cottage cheese.
LOVE your recipes.
Low and slow cooking with a water bath – steam. What temperature are we running the oven at? Don’t see this important item noted anywhere.
Hi Rod, the oven temp is 300°F/150°C. Hope you enjoy!
Another 5 Star recipe! These little bites are packed with flavor & the texture is amazing. I’ve never had the Starbucks equivalent but these reminded me of a crustless quiche with regard to the velevety, silken texture. Absolutely loved that everything gets dumped in the blender, so quick & easy!!
Will definitely make these delicious bites again!!
Can these be made in mini muffin tins? If so what would the timing be? Thanks!!
Sure, Maureen. I’d start checking for doneness around 10 to 12 minutes.
Are u kidding me?! You are one of my TOP 3 go to’s and this recipe comes up this morning! I am hooked on these from Starbucks and get them about 3 times a week. I’ve tried a couple of recipes that were terrible and now I’m sure this one will be delicious! SO EXCITED! Thanks Jenn!
Do you think this would work in a pan? What size , 9 x11?
I do think the 9×13 would work, Marsha, but the cooking time will be longer. It’s hard to say for sure how much longer, so I would just keep an eye on it.
Looking forward to making these….one question. Do you leave the pan with water in the oven at the same time as the egg bites are cooking or just while the oven is pre-heating?
Thanks
Elaine
Hi Elaine, You leave the pan in the oven the whole time. Hope you enjoy!
This came out great Jen! I was so excited to make it, I had to use what I had on hand which was shaved Parmesan cheese and chopped Canadian bacon. Delicious!❤️
If I wanted to cut the recipe in half and make 6, could I add water to the remaining empty cups to replace the extra pan of water in the oven? They look so good!
Yep, I’ve done it! 🙂
Is there any problem using this steam method for the bacon and gruyere bites when using the oven of an electric stove?
It shouldn’t be a problem (my oven is electric). Enjoy!
I also love the egg bites at Starbucks and am excited to try this recipe. Every recipe I’ve made so far of yours (online and in cookbook) has been really good, so I’m pretty sure these will be too! Thanks
Oh Jenn…. you never disappoint. I too love the Starbucks egg bites and typically only get them when at airport flying somewhere… which has been a very long time. I will make and enjoy these for sure – and will also substitute the bacon for some roasted red bell peppers for a vegetarian flair. THANK YOU!!!!
Can’t wait to try this! I modified your recipe to make the red pepper egg white bites as I prefer those. On the plan for tomorrow’s breakfast! Been a fan of yours for a while and was happy to find your cookbook under the Xmas tree.
😊
These look marvelous. Can they be baked in a paper muffin cup that’s inserted inside a muffin tin? I’d like to drop them off to a neighbor and want them to be a bit prettier for presentation. Or…should I just bake them and then insert inside a muffin cup? Thanks!
Hi Karen, I’d go with option #2, as I think the egg bites will stick to the paper liners.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! I LOVE the egg bites at Starbucks and am going broke buying them LOL! I haven’t even tried the recipe yet and already know these will be fabulous…I know I don’t have as much influence as your Mama, but any chance you have been working on the spinach and egg white version?? 😉
Ha! Happy to add those to my list. 🙂
Hi! I would be very interested in seeing a recipe for an egg white 9×13 dish version w/spinach and red peppers…?! I’m not a good cook unless I’m following your recipes/specifications 🙂
LOL – I appreciate your confidence! I will add that to my list of recipes to potentially develop. 🙂
Same here! I hate eggs but love Starbucks egg bites. Can’t wait to try this version at home. Cottage cheese. Who knew!
I’d love that too!
What can you substitute for cottage cheese?
Hi Barbara, Cream cheese would be a good substitute; you would need about 11 ounces.
Ricotta cheese will work too.
How about whole milk ricotta as a cheese sub?
I know these will be perfect and welcome.
Hi Joyce, I haven’t tried these with ricotta, but I worry it would give the egg bites a slightly grainy texture.
This sounds amazing, but my family doesn’t handle spicy foods well. What could I substitute for hot sauce to still give flavor without heat? Mild salsa?
Hi Agnes, It’s totally fine to just omit or reduce the hot sauce, but mild salsa is a fine option.
I have ricotta on hand. Would that work in place of cc?
Hi Cindy, I think ricotta would give these a grainy texture — sorry!
These were so wonderful!!! They were easy, very creamy, and just delicious!! I love that I can easily store them for later too. Most of all I was worried to make any kind of egg cups for my kids because I thought they’d be dry or rubbery; these were not! Everyone loved them. Keeping this recipe for sure, and gonna try some spinach with it next time instead of bacon for a little bit healthier version. Thank you!!!!!
Instead of spraying the muffin pan, can I use muffin liners/baking cups?
Hi Christine, I worry the eggs will stick to the liners.