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 egg bite recipe is nearly identical 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—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.
- Large Eggs: Binds the other ingredients together, creating a custardy foundation for the base.
- Cottage Cheese: Gives the bites their creamy, custard-like consistency.
- Shredded Gruyère: Provides a rich, nutty flavor and adds melty goodness.
- Cornstarch: Acts as a stabilizer to ensure a smooth, uniform texture.
- Salt and Pepper: Balances and enhances all the other flavors.
- Hot Sauce: Adds a subtle kick that brightens the overall flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Place the bacon in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until it’s nice and crisp—about 5 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—it should take about 30 seconds.
Pour the egg mixture evenly into the muffin pan, filling each well about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the bacon on top, dividing it evenly.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the egg bites are just set and starting to pull away from the edges. Let them rest in the pan for about 5 minutes, 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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How would you recommend reheating an entire batch in the oven? I made the recipe, which was delicious, as a test in preparation for an upcoming brunch. (It easily beat out several similar versions). The egg bites were perfect out of the oven once I finally got the ones in the middle of the pan to cook fully… The next day, I reheated 6 in the oven at 300 for 10 minutes on a baking sheet loosely covered with foil as I found recommended several places. They were still wonderful, but the tops seemed overcooked and they were not as creamy. I realize there might not be much I can do since I am reheating something delicate. I also have a problem with my oven running cold if it’s set at 300 or lower and running hot if it’s set above 300!
Hi Nicole, you’re right in that reheating a whole batch in the oven may change the texture a bit. If you use the oven again, I would tightly cover them with foil (instead of loosely). I also find the microwave works well to reheat them. While I haven’t done a full batch, I’ve microwaved several at the same time with good results. I’d set it to 50% power, and reheat in 60 to 90 second increments. Hope that helps!
I am curious to know why it is necessary to add cornstarch as your quiche recipe, similar, does not. Thanks!
Hi Pat, The egg bites have a unique extra silky texture that the cornstarch helps achieve. It is not necessary with quiche.
Love this recipe! I use it every week!
I double it and use lemon pepper and garlic powder and no salt. I omit bacon and add cheese to tops.
I reheat in microwave for a quick breakfast!
This is a fabulous recipe! The bites always disappear when I take them on a picnic (so easy to transport and taste delicious cold or at room temperature). I sometimes make them in mini muffin tins (I bought a tin especially) and then I add these mini egg bites to a grazing platter. They never last long. On occasions I’ve substituted chorizo for bacon and ricotta for cottage cheese with great success and one time by mistake I picked up onion and chive flavoured cottage cheese instead of regular, but this too added a great flavour dimension to the bites.
Oh my gosh….my new fave breakfast recipe! I didn’t have Gruyère cheese, so I used a combo of grated Havarti and bagged shredded marble. Also, I wanted a larger egg bite, so I used my 6 cup jumbo muffin baking pan and changed the quantities as follows. Eight eggs, one and a half cups of cottage cheese, 2 cups of the Havarti/marble cheese, and 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. I don’t eat bacon, but I always have cooked ham on hand, so I substituted the bacon for cubed ham, and also had some previously-sautéed mushrooms in the fridge so chopped them up and sautéed them along with the cubed ham. Instead of Tabasco, I added smoky paprika. Yum! I didn’t feel like pulling out my blender from downstairs, so I used a large whisk and vigourously whisked everything together. Because of the increased quantities of ingredients, I baked the bites for 30 minutes instead of the suggested 20 to 25 minutes. And I watched for the egg bites pulling away from the edges as my cue that they were done. The result was nothing short of FABULOUS! They were moist, cheesy, flavourful and delicious! Jenn, thank you for continuing to share with us your wonderful recipes. I have a recipe stand on my counter, and I have to say, probably about 80% of the printed recipes are from Once Upon a Chef. I am definitely a super fan!
I will need to reheat several at the same time so that I can take to meeting. Can I reheat in the oven?
Hi Mary Ellen, I haven’t tried it, but it should work. I’d reheat them, covered, in a 350 degree oven and check them at 10 to 15 minutes to see if they are heated through.
Worked perfectly! Thank you for answering in only a few hours!
Mary Ellen
I made the bacon and Gruyere cheese just as the recipe stated because I love the Starbucks’ ones. They came out absolutely perfect! Plus, I had to use liners for my pans so I found the parchment paper kind on amazon and used those. No sticking at all. Once I froze the egg bites, I pulled them out and let them thaw for about an hour and then microwaved them for 1 minute. Again they came out perfect! Next time I’ll try adding peppers and onions maybe. They were so good.
I made your recipe step by step
I substituted the cottage cheese with Ricotta left over I had in the fridge handy and the gruyere for provolone.
I love tomatoes so I added chopped tomatoes and they are delicious. I can eat these all day long.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Is it possible to use muffin liners (paper)? I am hesitant to use a non-stick spray on my USA PAN non-stick muffin pans. If this is possible, would the cooking time be altered?
Hi John, I wouldn’t recommend paper liners here – I’m concerned they’d stick.
Thanks Jenn.
I have the same pan . How about using olive or another oil to lightly coat the pan?? I’m going to do that when I make them this week.
Hi! Have you tried this recipe in a casserole dish?
No, I’ve only made it in a muffin tin.
Can whole milk ricotta cheese be substituted for the cottage cheese?
Yep I’ve tried it and it works well.
Jenn, would you know if that would change the calorie count? Thank you
Hi Nadia, I just plugged it into the nutritional calculator I use and it would increase the calories per egg bite slightly (to 164).
I used ham and because there is so much water in ham these days I could not get them cooked through. Just to avoid waste I stirred each one and continued cooking 30 minutes longer. Basically was scrambled eggs. But tasty!