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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I perfected this almost perfect recipe: use silicon baking cups set in a 9 x 13 baking dish filled with boiling water to halfway up the cups. Bake covered with foil.
Substitute simulated bacon bits for Jewish or vegetarian friends!
Tried these today and after 23 min the eggs were set on top but too undercooked when I released them. Tried to put them back in and cook more and that really didn’t work out well. Will have to work on cooking time 🙁
Hi! I used silicon cups and it took 30 mins for the eggs to set for me, and rested for 10
Finally found a recipe that is as good as Starbucks! I made these in my instant pot – pressure cooked/steamed with 1 cup of water for 9 mins, let sit for 6 minutes, then released the steam and let cool. They were done perfectly. The only thing I would change would be to reduce or omit the salt. I added a bit more bacon than the recipe called for and perhaps my bacon was extra salty. So good 😋
Curious as to what you used to hold the eggs and how many were you able make at one time.
I make hard boiled eggs in the IP using the 5 5 5 rule.
I think this is the first of your recipes I really didn’t like, and I’ve had great luck with pretty much every one I have tried. I’ve never had the Starbucks recipe it was compared to, so perhaps I wouldn’t have liked that either. Gruyere is one of my favorite cheeses, so I was sure this would be a winner. Maybe my muffin tins are larger than normal, but I only was able to make 7 instead of 12 bites. When I dropped the diced bacon on top, it sank right into the batter and didn’t need to be patted in. I had to cook the eggs closer to 30 minutes to get the eggs to set, and they were still kind of slimy. In addition to not liking the texture, the flavor was overly salty and slightly sharp tasting. I imagine I made at least 1 error in the preparation, but I can’t figure out what I did wrong. Sorry.
So sorry you had a problem with these! The fact that you only had enough of the mixture to make 7 egg bites makes me wonder if you made a measuring error or inadvertently omitted an ingredient. Is there any possibility that could be the case?
I made these today and they turned out amazing! I did make a couple subs: subbed gouda in place of the gruyere, subbed two ounces of plain cream cheese and a splash of milk in place of the cottage cheese. These substitutions worked great! For easier removal and cleanup I also bake my egg bites in silicone muffin liners.
10/10 recommend this recipe. I will be adding this to usual line up.
Just made these and this is a great recipe thanks. I used lactaid cottage cheese and had to cook them for much longer, but it was just like the Starbucks bites but far cheaper and actually better because I used a higher quality bacon. Thanks for this recipe!
Made these egg bites today.
They are delicious. Because I hate washing muffin tins I decided to try using the jumbo muffin cup liners. It worked very well. Just slowly peel cup liners off the cooled egg bites.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
I fell in love with the Starbucks version of these Egg Bites a month ago while on a short vacation. (I need some form of protein in the morning or I am not fun to be around.) I found this recipe and I must say, they are delicious! I like that she recommends a pan with boiling water to add steam, it really helps keep them moist. I also covered them with a dish towel to trap the steam into the egg bites once they were out of the oven.
I will make them again! I have already shared the recipe a few times, too!
The light, cloud-like Starbucks egg bites are easily and perfectly duplicated with this recipe. I’m obsessed with it and creating new variations! Tip – when using add-ins, chop them up very finely so you can enjoy the smooth egg texture. I’ve also lazily poured the mixture into a glass pie tin with bigger chunks of cooked veggies (broccoli, onion, spinach, mushrooms) for an easy crustless quiche. Baking time for the quiche in my oven was about an hour and 20 minutes at 300 degrees over a steam bath. It was still a tad loose in the middle but set as I let it cool. If you want to serve it hot, it could probably cook a bit longer to firm up. Thanks for a wonderful, fun, healthy recipe!
Sorry to say, these were disappointing. I haven’t had the Starbucks bites, so I can’t compare them.
I followed the recipe, and really wanted to love them, but these badly need a flavor punch! I used a Gruyere & Swiss mix (same as I use in quiche); I’ll try them again with a stronger cheese or add in some parmesan. I will also add some sauteed onion & red pepper.
They did not cook in the 20-23 minutes called for in the recipe. I had to put them back in the oven for another 20 minutes or so. And they stuck to the pan terribly. I used avocado oil spray – maybe that was the problem – I’ll try a different spray oil next time.
Haven’t made these yet – wondering if I can freeze them. If so, how would you suggest reheating them? Thanks
Yes, they can be frozen. See the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. Hope you enjoy!
These are very very good! Used mostly egg whites, I used 1% Cottege cheese. I had to quadruple the cooking time and they are still loose. Maybe because I used mostly egg whites?
Hi Christina, I haven’t made these with egg whites but I suspect the combination or egg whites and 1% cottage cheese required them to be cooked longer. Glad they turned out well though!
What brand(s) of sesame (toasted or plain?) do you recommend?
Thank you.
Hi Joann, I’m assuming you’re referring to sesame oil — if so, I like Sun Luck toasted sesame oil.
Love these!
A few tips to make them 5-star:
I cook them in silicone baking cups dropped into a aluminum muffin tin. They release perfectly this way.
I needed to cook them for 35 minutes, at which point they were still a bit wobbly at the bottom, allowing them to set just right when I microwave them on subsequent mornings.
A toothpick works great to “sink” some of the bacon bits after sprinkling them on top.
I really appreciate the option of weight-based measurements in the recipe. Combined with a kitchen scale, it makes things even easier for me!
Hi Jenn,
I love these! Have made them with variations- one time with pancetta- another with mushrooms and another with mushrooms and zucchini. Tried lower % cottage cheese- and even tried 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites to lighten up calories. All tasted great.
Question- I just got a silicone muffin pan and they came out quite loose and needed quite a bit more cooking time. Is that because of the silicone? Suggestions?
Hi Amy, so glad you like these! I don’t have any experience using silicone pans, but if they came out differently the first time you used it, I suspect it had to do with that. Next time I’d leave them in for a few extra minutes. 🙂
These are amazing! My husband eats the Starbucks version multiple times a week and he said your recipe is better than theirs!
Hi Jenn!
I just made these egg muffins, using your recipe and instructions with the addition of 1.5 cups fresh spinach. They were delicious! I cooked an extra five minutes but when removing from the muffin cups, noticed they were teetering on falling apart. (I greased the muffin tin with olive oil.) Other than being a touch salty, I found them wonderful! QUESTION: What adjustments should be made to ingredients or cooking time if replacing bacon with vegetable such as spinache, broccoli, shredded carrot? Thanks for a delicious recipe and way to change up our morning eggs.
Bella
So glad you enjoyed them! If you’d like to swap out the bacon with veggies, just make sure you cook them first and season them well. Hope that helps!
Yo! I was super dubious of all the reviews that said these were better than Starbucks since Ive tried a few copycat recipes before to recreate them, but man this is it! Ive made them both in muffin tins and a silicon egg bite mould they are always incredible.
I’ve tried reducing the gruyre to a generous 1/2 cup to keep them under 100kcal/serving and have used 2% cottage cheese, which works wonders but does take a few extra minutes in the oven as others have indicated.
Sautéed portobello mushrooms with spring onion, and chunky country ham have been my two fav combos.
Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m really excited to make these! Have you or anyone else tried making these with a lower fat percent cottage cheese like 2%?
Hi Mandy, I haven’t tried these with 2% cottage cheese, but a few readers have commented that they have pretty successfully, but they may take a few more minutes to set in the oven. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Hi Jenn, looking forward to trying this recipe. What brand of hot sauce do you recommend? Thanks!
This is much better than the Starbucks egg bites, I had them one time but I generally make my own. There is a cafe downtown that makes great coffee and pastries but they don’t have anything low carb or keto friendly.
When I was there the other day getting an Americano I asked if they had anything low carb, they said they didn’t but that we should brainstorm and come up with a couple of things they could make. This is the recipe I’m going to suggest. It’s better than mine, simpler and delicious. I can serve this with some slices of avocado drizzled with a little lemon and salt. The perfect light meal, good protein and healthy fats, very low carb.
Thank you for another great recipe.
**Regarding the cheesecake question from a week ago, in the end I made it with a little less than 1 1/2 cups of sugar and it was absolutely incredible. It was thick, dense, creamy, the right notes of vanilla and the slight tang from the lemon. I did add a little lemon zest and a tiny bit of nutmeg to the graham cracker crust and I made 50% more crust so I could build it up an inch on the sides. Everyone loved it, they said it was art!
I know this isn’t the cheesecake recipe but for anyone reading my review on these egg bites, go make the cheesecake too!
Hi, glad to hear you like these enough to suggest them as an option At the cafe you frequent! Also, happy that the cheesecake came out well with your tweaks – thanks for taking the time to follow up!
These are super!
I made them today in a 9 inch pan instead of little ones. It was fine, but the texture was not as nice as the individual ones. It took about 40 minutes to set properly. Stick to the little muffin cups!
This is the perfect Starbucks egg bite copycat! I have tried about 6 different copycat recipes and nothing comes close besides these! I think blending the eggs cottage cheese and shredded cheese together makes all the difference so don’t just hand whisk it! I didn’t have gruyere so mixed cheddar and mozzarella and it was delicious! Will be making these again and again for sure!
I have made these several times following the recipe. When my mom came to visit I made them for her and she loved them.
I made them today and did not have cottage cheese. I had made a hollandaise sauce and used the extra egg whites (from 4 eggs) and about 3/4 cups of greek yogurt to substitute. They came out pretty good.
Thank you for all the time and effort you put into posting and publishing your creations. I hope to get your new cookbook this Christmas. It is on all my list.
Could your recipes have the iron level? that is important for people needing some iron and some that don’t need iron.
Hi Brenda, I use an online tool called Edamam to calculate nutritional information for my recipes. Unfortunately, if I included all the different nutritional requests that I get from readers on various diets, it would take up too much space on the site–I’m sorry! If you ever have a question about a specific recipe, Edamam is free to use (and does include the values iron), so feel free to plug the recipe ingredients in and you’ll know whether or not it will work for you. Hope that helps!
These are even better than Starbucks! Thank you so much for a simple & tasty recipe. I used Costco’s bacon bits to make it even easier/faster/less cleanup.
Absolutely delicious. My only change was I substituted pancetta for the bacon. Big hit with the entire family. Will make again and again.
I made this for a long weekend getaway at a cabin in the woods. They were perfect. Two of them paired with a mimosa and a good cup of coffee were a great start to our day.
Just made it! Did a lil leaner way which made each one 95 calories. Thank you soo much!! Love it.
These are so delicious. I love the Starbucks ones so much I had to find a copycat. These are perfect! Mine turned out just a little undercooked so I left them in the oven about 5-6 more minutes, but they were amazing after that. I love the flavors! Thank you so much for creating this recipe.
Made this following the recipe except I used cheddar as there was no gruyere at the grocery store. They are delicious. Will try with gruyere when I can get some; I bet they will be even better. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
I don’t normally leave feedback on recipes (mostly because I forget to), but these egg bites were too perfect to miss the opportunity to thank you. I was looking to recreate the Starbucks version, but did not have high hopes with no sous vide. I am blown away!!! I’ll try this technique with other ingredients too. Thank you!
Love these! Yet another star. Every recipe of Jenn’s I’ve made is consistently great- not just good. I’m a very confident home cook and I love how the recipes are laid out on the website with the photo of what I’ll need and then photos of different steps and finally a printable recipe.
I subbed pancetta for bacon and it was great. Next batch going to try using spinach and feta and another batch with mushrooms and goat cheese. I love that these are so rich tasting and great re-heated. I don’t know if I have a smaller muffin tin or Jenn’s holds more- but I get 18 out of this recipe.
Am I missing the oven temp?
Hi Rhonda, the oven temp is 300°F/150°C. Hope you enjoy!
Outstanding recipe! I substituted Swiss cheese as I didn’t have Gruyere, and these were super creamy and delicious! So easy to make!
I have not made this, but I do enjoy a lot of your recipes could you add veg to these egg bites like peppers, onions etc…
Hi Linda, Glad you like the recipes! I do think you could add some veggies to these. I would just sauté them 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!
Yummy! I just made this recipe for the second time. This time I didn’t have bacon, so I substituted for sun-dried tomatoes. It turned out very good too! I used muffin paper cups (I put them inside the muffin tin) and the egg stuck a bit to the paper. Perhaps I should have greased the papers cups? It was delicious anyways. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes with us! I love your website.
Glad you enjoyed, Isabel, and yes greasing the cups will help!
Can you use egg substitute. If so, how much equal 6 eggs?
Hi Barbara, I’ve never tried this with egg substitute so it’s hard to say. And I’m not sure what the equivalent of 6 eggs would be, but I would imagine the packaging would specify that. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Can you substitute the cottage cheese with half n half or even 2% milk??
Hi PK, I haven’t tried these with half and half or milk, but I have made them successfully with heavy cream if you want to give that a try. Hope you enjoy!
Could you use a mini muffin tin, or just the
full size?
Sure, Lori, You could use a mini muffin tin but they won’t take as long to cook; I’d start checking for doneness around 10 to 12 minutes. Enjoy!
Easy to make and delicious!
Sooo good!
I have tried a lot of egg bite recipes only to be disappointed. This recipe is MORE than 5 stars. Hands down the very best. I have now made it twice, the first following the recipe exactly and the second using sausage. It was perfect both times.
Every recipe of yours is so good I bought your first book!
Glad you liked these and thanks so much for your support of the book! 🙂
absolutely amazing! mine were a tiny bit too salty but that’s an easy fix for next time. the texture is perfect – i had to stop myself from eating all of them at once. absolutely going to be a staple in my house!!! genius idea to steam/bake them. thank you!
Delicious and easy to make! They’ve become a staple in my home.
Fantastic recipe. Perfect technique to achieve the same texture as Starbuck’s egg bites. Thank you so much for this easy, tasty recipe for breakfast or brunch. Can’t wait to share with friends and family.
Made these for a weekend trip and they were delicious! Easy to make and heated easily in microwave. Will definitely make again.
Love these!! So quick and easy. Made these with spinach, onion and roasted red pepper. I think your recipe is better than the Starbucks!!
This came out perfect. No mods needed.
About how many ounces of cheese do you use in the recipe? Is the 1 & 1/4 cup packed or loose?
Thanks!
Hi Connie, you’ll need about 4 ounces of cheese. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks! Made some today and they turned out great.
WOW! This hit THE SPOT! I made these and they were DELISH! Thank you so much for sharing!
They came out perfect the first time I made them and sunk horribly the second time. All I did different was use butter to grease the tin. What do you think went wrong?
Hi Kris, Sorry you had a problem with these this time around. It sounds like they were underbaked. Next time, I’d leave them in a few minutes longer.
Oh my stars, these are delicious. I pulled these out of the oven a while ago and after tasting one I had to leave a review. THEY ARE DIVINE! Forget Starbucks. These are where it’s at. The texture is absolute perfection. I followed Jenn’s recipe to a T, which resulted in the fluffiest egg bites. Just be sure to use a heavy hand when you spray the muffin tin. I baked mine for 17 minutes since my oven tends to run a bit hot and the eggs were completely set. Way to go, Jenn! Another winner!!