5-Ingredient Breakfast Egg Muffins
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These 5-ingredient Breakfast Egg Muffins are individual breakfast casseroles made with simple ingredients that you likely have in your kitchen. Delicious, budget-friendly, customizable, and filling! Great for meal prep.
This post is created in partnership with Hy-Vee Columbia.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy Breakfast Egg Muffins have been a reader favorite for a LONG time. Here’s why:
- Super fast and easy to make. The kids can help with this one!
- Made from simple ingredients you likely have on hand.
- This is a great recipe for 1 year olds or little eaters. They are easy for little gums and full of nutrition.
- The combo of protein and fat from the eggs, ham, and cheese keeps you feeling satisfied all morning. Feel free to add in chopped spinach or sautéed onions and peppers to include veggies, too.
- Very budget-friendly meal.
- Great for meal prep. It’s a make-ahead breakfast that’s freezer-friendly, like our Savory Breakfast Muffins and Baked Egg and Ham Cups.
Ingredients
Here are the 5 main ingredients in Breakfast Egg Muffins. You’ll find all these ingredients at your local Hy-Vee (Columbia). We like the Dilusso ham at their deli counter and fresh whole wheat bread or sourdough from their bakery for this recipe.
Ingredient Notes:
- Stale Bread – This is a great way to use up stale bread. Any kind will work but I highly recommend stale sourdough bread. See more on that below.
- Milk – You can use your milk of choice.
- Ham – You can replace this with cooked bacon pieces or chopped up leftover breakfast sausages instead.
- We’ll also have you add a few pantry seasonings to the egg mixture.
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Tips and Variations
- Recommended Pan: We highly recommend making these in a silicone pan, silicone muffin liners, or a non-stick enamel pan. The muffins come out easily and clean-up is a cinch. However, when we’ve tested these in metal pans (even after spraying with cooking spray), the pan was terribly difficult to clean.
- About the Bread: We tested this with several different kinds of bread. First, it’s best if the bread is stale. The muffins don’t get as mushy. Second, we preferred the taste and texture of sourdough bread the most in our tests. Try to avoid using bread with much sugar in it, because the muffins end up tasting a little sweet.
- Mix It Up: This is a forgiving recipe. Use whatever bread (English muffins work well!) or cooked breakfast meat (like cooked bacon or breakfast sausage) you want. You can even add in chopped spinach or sauteed peppers and onions, if you’d like veggies. Make it your own!
- Add Some Heat: If you like things spicier, try adding some dashes of hot sauce to the egg mixture.
- Let the Kids Help: This is a perfect recipe to let the kiddos help with. From tearing bread and ham to sprinkling them in the muffin cups, they’ll love being a part of it.
- Reduce Food Waste: Store any bread heels or stale bread in the freezer until you’re ready to make this recipe. It’s a great way to use up bread that would otherwise go in the trash.
How to Make Breakfast Egg Muffins
Find the full list of ingredients and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a non-stick muffin tin very well or use a silicone muffin tin (preferred for easy clean up).
- Dry Ingredients: Drop bread pieces evenly in muffin tin cups until they come about 2/3 of the way up the pan. Sprinkle ham pieces evenly in each tin. Sprinkle cheese evenly in each tin.
- Wet Ingredients: In a glass measuring cup with spout (or a mixing bowl), whisk together eggs, milk, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour egg mixture evenly in each muffin tin until bread is covered. (Tip: Gently mix each muffin ingredients around with a fork to evenly distribute them.) Sprinkle a little parsley on the top of each one to add a pop of color.
- Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes (depends on your pan) or until golden brown on top and cooked through the middle. (Note: They will deflate a little after coming out of the oven. That’s normal.) Either enjoy them while warm, store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or freeze using instructions below.
How to Freeze and Thaw Breakfast Egg Muffins
Freeze For Later: Bake according to instructions and let fully cool. Place muffins in a single layer in a gallon-sized freezer container or bag. Seal well, squeezing out excess air, and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Wrap a muffin in a moist paper towel and microwave in 30-second increments until heated through (about 1-2 minutes). Or thaw in the refrigerator and warm in the microwave.
FAQs
Try different combinations of vegetables (i.e. sauted bell peppers and onions), cheeses, and breakfast meats (cooked bacon or breakfast sausage) to create new flavors. You can also experiment adding in fresh herbs like chopped basil, parsley, or thyme.
Yes. Bake according to instructions and let fully cool. Place muffins in a single layer in a gallon-sized freezer container or bag. Seal well, squeezing out excess air, and freeze.
To reheat, wrap a muffin in a moist paper towel and microwave in 30-second increments until heated through (about 1-2 minutes). Or thaw in the refrigerator and warm in the microwave.
We highly recommend making these in a silicone pan, silicone muffin liners, or a non-stick enamel pan. The muffins come out easily and clean-up is a cinch. However, when we’ve tested these in metal pans (even after spraying with cooking spray), the pan was terribly difficult to clean.
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5-Ingredient Breakfast Egg Muffins
We love these easy Breakfast Egg Muffins. They’re individual breakfast casseroles, made with simple ingredients that you likely have in your kitchen. Delicious, budget-friendly, and filling!
Ingredients
- About 4 slices (4–6 ounces) stale bread, diced (see cooking notes; enough to fill muffin tins about halfway)
- 4–6 slices (6–8 ounces) deli ham, diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- Minced fresh parsley or dried parsley, for garnish
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a non-stick muffin tin very well or use a silicone muffin tin (see cooking note below).
- Dry Ingredients: Drop bread pieces evenly in muffin tin cups until they come about 2/3 of the way up the tin. Sprinkle ham pieces evenly in each tin. Sprinkle cheese evenly in each tin.
- Wet Ingredients: In a glass measuring cup with spout (or a mixing bowl), whisk together eggs, milk, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour egg mixture evenly in each muffin tin. (Tip: Using a fork, gently mix around the muffin ingredients to more evenly distribute them.) Sprinkle a little parsley on the top of each one to add a pop of color.
- Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes (depends on your pan) or until golden brown on top and cooked through the middle. (Note: They will deflate a little after coming out of the oven. That’s normal.) Either enjoy them while warm, store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or freeze using instructions below.
Freeze For Later: Bake according to instructions and let fully cool. Place muffins in a single layer in a gallon-sized freezer container or bag. Seal well, squeezing out excess air, and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Wrap a frozen muffin in a moist paper towel and microwave in 30-second increments until heated through (about 1-2 minutes). Or thaw in the refrigerator and warm in the microwave.
Notes/Tips
- Recommended Bread Type: We tested this with several different kinds of bread. First, it’s best if the bread is stale. The muffins don’t get as mushy that way. Second, we preferred the taste of sourdough bread the best in our tests. Try to avoid using bread with much sugar in it, because the muffins end up tasting a little sweet.
- Muffin Pan Recommendation: We highly recommend making these in a silicone pan, silicone muffin liners, or a non-stick enamel pan. They come out easily and clean-up is a cinch. However, when we’ve tested these in metal pans (even after spraying with cooking spray), the pan is terribly difficult to clean.
- To spice these up, add in a few dashed of hot sauce to the egg mixture.
- This is a great way to use up stale bread. In fact, I just store old bread pieces in a freezer bag until I’m ready to use it.
Hi how long can you keep these in fridge for and in Tupperware ok ?
I would say about 5 days in the fridge. Up to 3 months in the freezer, if you wrap them tightly.
Hi!
I absolutely love this recipe but have just one question:
Do we cook the ham before putting in the muffin tin or just leave it raw?
I’m sorry, my English is not that good .
I just used fully cooked ham from the deli for this recipe.
Have made these several times. Never any left to freeze.
Thanks for the review, Lelah. I’m so happy these have worked well for your family!
New family favorite!
Love that! Thanks for the feedback, Liz.
Could you add zucchini or broccoli without throwing off the muffins texture after it’s been defrosted.
Yes! I have a similar recipe in the Recipe Index called Broccoli Cheese Bites that are really delicious (at least to my family), so you could check that out. Chopped spinach does well in these, too, but I worry the zucchini may release too much liquid.
Great recipe
Muffin pans are very hard to clean even when sprayed individually
Can I put shredded hash browns on the bottom instead of bread?
Yes, you can. Be sure to grease the pan really well, as they will stick.
I used defrosted sweet potato crowns or tater tots in the bottom of mine. Love it so much.
Yum! Great idea!
Made these this morning, they were very good. Thank you.
Great to hear that feedback!
Do you have the nutritional information? Specifically the carbs for a type 1 dietetic?
I’m sorry, but we don’t offer that at this time. There are many free apps and sites where you can plug in the recipe quickly and get that information. Here’s more about why we don’t offer nutrition facts: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/2018/04/will-you-ever-include-nutrition-information-on-your-recipes/
Oh man, these are so unbelievably tasty! Last week I prepped about 6 different breakfasts that I could freeze, and that would be easy to eat after my daughter arrives in a few weeks. I mayyyyyy have snuck a few of these before they made it to the freezer. I’ve linked your recipe in my blog post 🙂 Thanks for the yummy recipe!
https://her-happy-home.com/breakfast-freezer-meals-6-options-2-hours-40/
Really great to hear that, Amanda. Thanks for sharing your review.
Wow, thank you for providing me with a great breakfast solution.
Quick, healthy breakfast when on the go! I changed it up a bit, adding baby spinach leaves, a slice of avocado chopped, & a cherry tomato quartered; versatile to accommodate whatever your desire! I chose not to use mustard; instead added a pinch of basil leaf; also cooked @350° 10 min; then 400° 5 min re: veggies & high altitude. It came out perfect! Making up combo’s to freeze for easy campout dishes & at home! Thank you Thriving Home!
Thank you so much for the high altitude adjustments, Danna. Love the idea of your veggie additions!
Hi,
Some of my turned out but others had spots of egg white bubbled up areas. Do you know what I did wrong? Other then that they turned out fine.
Hmm, sorry to hear that. Was the mixture whisked really well? I’m thinking maybe the eggs were still separated some from the start. Sorry about that. Hopefully they still tasted good.
Made these Easy Breakfast Casserole Muffins for my family this morning, they are so light flavoursome they were a great hit, definitely will be making them again. Better still so quick to make. ?
I’m trying this recipe now and have run into a couple bumps. After 18 minutes, the eggs are still runny, but I think that may be because 1) the ham was frozen, 2) I’m using a silicone muffin “tin”, and 3) our stove usually takes 3-5 minutes longer than the max in most recipes anyway. Between the extra moisture, the presumably lower oven temperature, and the different bakeware I added an extra 15 minutes. Looking through the window, it seems to be going fine now. I mostly wanted to add a comment that, I have a casserole with similar ingredients that I frequently make in advance, especially when I have guests. You fix it just like you would if you were cooking it right away, but cover it and set it in the fridge over night. In the AM, (if using glassware) pull it out and let the glassware warm a bit so as not to shatter the dish, then bake as usual. This recipe seems like it could also be prepped the same way. A great treat for guests to wake up to and no thumping in the kitchen. ?
These were very good and easy. I made them for 12 people Christmas morning. I made three batches several days ahead of time and put in the freezer. Some were with bacon and some with sausage. I also sprinkled some season salt on each individual muffin before baking to give it more favor. On Christmas morning I took them out of the freezer to thaw, about 45 minutes before everyone arrived I put them on a cookie sheet, covered lightly with foil and warmed in a 300 degree oven. They were very tasty.