Egg Bites with Bacon & Gruyère
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This egg bites recipe is my take on Starbucks’ bacon and Gruyère egg bites, with the same creamy, custardy texture—no sous vide equipment required.
As an avid fan of Starbucks’ bacon and Gruyère egg bites, I can confidently say that this egg bites recipe is nearly identical to the original—and you don’t need any special equipment to make it. 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 their silky texture is baking the egg bites at a low temperature with a pan of water in the oven to create a steamy environment. They can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months, and they reheat beautifully in the microwave—a convenient, high-protein option for busy mornings on the go!
“I had Starbucks egg bites this morning and when I made these, couldn’t tell the difference. Delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Egg Bites with Bacon & Gruyère
- Bacon: Adds that signature salty, smoky flavor.
- Eggs and cottage cheese: The base of the egg bites. Use full-fat cottage cheese for the creamiest texture; it blends completely smooth, so you won’t notice the curds in the finished bites.
- Shredded Gruyère: Gives the egg bites their rich flavor and melty goodness. You can use all Gruyère or combine it with Cheddar or Monterey Jack.
- Cornstarch: Acts as a stabilizer to ensure a smooth, uniform texture.
- Hot Sauce: A small amount adds flavor without making the egg bites noticeably spicy.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Egg Bites
Cook the bacon: Cook the bacon until crisp, then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Draining off the excess fat keeps the bites from becoming greasy.
Make the egg mixture: Add the eggs, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, cornstarch, hot sauce, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Blending helps create the silky, uniform texture once cooked.
Fill the pan: Pour the egg mixture evenly into the prepared muffin cups, then sprinkle the bacon evenly over the top.
Bake: Place a pan of water in the oven to create steam, then bake the egg bites at a low temperature until just set. The gentle heat and steamy environment help give the egg bites their soft, custardy texture. Let them cool briefly before removing them from the pan, then enjoy warm.
Video Tutorial
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Copycat Egg Bites with Bacon & Gruyère
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 (150°C).
- Place a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) 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.
Notes
- 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.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing 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.
Nutrition Information
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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These did not turn out like the recipe. I love the Starbuck ones. These took longer to cook than the recipe calls for. My opinion way too much cottage cheese.
They were in the oven for almost 30 min not setting, took them out in hopes they would set but no luck and it slopped onto the plate. Good flavor but feels like a waste.
Hi Alexis, I’m sorry you had a problem with these! Did you by any chance use a silicone pan? Several people have commented that these have taken longer to set in one. Or did you make any adjustments to the ingredients?
Followed the recipe exactly, and they came out perfectly. I would cut back the salt, maybe in half, but everything else is phenomenal. Thank you!
OK. You win. These taste awesome. The same texture as the $5 bites from any major coffee chain. Easy to make 18 minutes on steam in the instant pot duo 6qt. I used your way first and they tasted the same. This isn’t a copycat, this is how it is done!!!!Better!
Love these! I’ve never had Starbucks egg bites, so I can’t compare. But this is such a quick, easy and yummy breakfast for kids. It’s been in heavy breakfast rotation at our house.
I got this to work on my 2nd attempt. The first time around, I could not get them to set properly and the middle of roughly half of the bites was mushy. This was with probably 30 minutes in the oven. Big issue was that I did not fill up all the slots on the muffin tin. I think I left the bottom row empty.
The 2nd time around, I filled each spot in the muffin tin. I cooked them for 21 minutes and tested one and it was not close to cooked through. I put some foil over the top of the tin to prevent the tops from overcooking and baked them for another 7 minutes. They were perfect at that point. Delicious!
Also, I should add that I used a silicone muffin “tin”. Not sure if that had anything to do with it.
It seems that others like this recipe, but how you get those beautiful bites shown in the picture above to pop out of the pan is beyond me. I cook/bake a lot, followed the recipe carefully, liberally oiled a non-stick muffin pan, and in addition to struggling not to destroy my bites while getting them out of the pan, I just did 15 minutes of hard scrubbing to get the pan clean. I felt the product was only so-so, so unless you would rather get your workout in the kitchen than the gym, I suggesting visiting Starbucks. Did anyone else encounter this problem?
No problem with my bites coming out. Used dark nonstick Pampered Chef muffin pan with olive oil spray. Cool for 10ish minutes then use a hard plastic spatula to circle each bite then lift to remove.
Yes! Very dissatisfied. They didn’t rise right. Took forever to clean tin!
Not that good. Not even close to Starbucks!
Any preference on hot sauce? I have Tabasco, Sriracha and a bunch of others to hand. Excited to try these as we have no Starbucks on island and have just discovered these bites after a week in Boston.
Hi Katie, I usually use Tabasco. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
So easy! They turned out looking just like yours and they taste exactly like Starbucks! Thanks for the recipe!
So delicious and easy! Perfect breakfast for a blizzard morning.
I used the base of your Starbucks egg bites and put in roast veggies (stuck into egg mixture in cups). Better than Starbucks and way way cheaper. Thanks for your recipe.
Made these for the second time just now. Added cooked, chopped mushrooms and spinach (squeezed out the water) with the bacon. So yummy! The first time I made them I used some new silicone muffin pans and it took them forever to set! Made these in my trusty stainless steel muffin pan and they were done in 20 mins. Thank you, Jenn, for the very tasty recipe!