These cute hash brown egg nests with avocado are fun to make with shredded hash browns and cheese baked into a crispy nest then topped with an egg, crumbled bacon and even more cheese.
These egg nests will make your grumpy mornings not so grumpy. I’m not a morning person so I can relate. But if you’re the type to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the mornings, this will make things even better. I’ve also found these nests are super popular around Easter, Mother’s Day, and Christmas mornings so this is something you can make together as a fun group activity.
Pair it with creamy chilled avocado slices for that hot and cold combo. While you’re busy chasing around that runny egg with crispy hash browns, bacon, and melty cheese, you can nip out a corner of chilled avocado to add to your fork. Yummy!
And if these egg nests are too delicate for you, you can try out a whole hash brown breakfast quiche instead. This one is equally fun to make but has even bigger portions and is filled with custard, zucchini, mushrooms, and bacon.
But back to these super cute, tiny nests! Let’s get started.
How To Make Hash Brown Egg Nests (1 Min Video)
HASH BROWN EGG NESTS RECIPE TIPS
‣ Muffin pan – I used a non-stick regular-sized muffin pan then sprayed it down with nonstick spray to prevent the nests from sticking and falling apart when you try to pry it out. Make sure to wait for a little once they are out of the oven for them to cool down, settle and solidify or they will fall apart. Once cooled, use a butter knife and work your way around the edges to loosen it from the muffin pan before prying them out gently.
‣ Making a nest – You’ll want to fill each muffin mold up with shredded hash browns and then using your fingers, press down in the middle to create a depression and force the hash browns to cover the sides. The more it sticks out the better! This is what makes it look like a nest.
‣ Blind baking – Pre-bake the nests so it sets before adding in the egg. This is to provide a firm base and foundation for your egg and toppings. Once that’s done crack the eggs into each nest and top with bacon bits, cheese, and parsley. Then bake again until the egg whites settle. You can opt to bake a little longer if you don’t like your eggs runny.
‣ Scrambled – If you’re not a big fan of sunny-side-up eggs, you can beat the eggs beforehand instead.
‣ Avocado – Feel free to leave out the avocado if you’re not a fan. The sensation of hot nests with creamy chilled avocado is a fantastic combination but if you only want the nests, this can be skipped.
Ta-da! You have breakfast. Or brunch, or a snack. Whatever time you decide to eat this, you will be munching happily. Serve with fresh chilled avocado slices or skip them if you’re cursed like me with two settings: unripe avocados and too-bad-you-missed-the-one-day-I-was-ripe avocados.
MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES TO TRY
- On-The-Go Breakfast Muffins
- Healthy Egg White Breakfast Muffins
- Cheesy Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- Hash Brown Breakfast Quiche
- Easy Hamburger Quiche
- Idaho Sunrise
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Hash Brown Egg Nests with Avocado
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 8 nests 1x
Description
Shredded hash browns and cheese nests baked until crispy topped with a baked eggs, crumbled bacon and more cheese. Served with chilled avocado slices.
Ingredients
- 15 oz. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 medium eggs
- 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled/2 tablespoons bacon bits
- 1/2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 2 avocados, sliced and chilled (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the shredded hash browns, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste in a mixing bowl.
- Grease a non-stick regular muffin pan and divide the hash brown mixture. Use your fingers to pack them tightly and shape them into nests.
- Bake at 425°F or until the edges have browned and the cheese has melted, about 15 minutes.
- Crack a medium egg into each nest and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with crumbled bacon, remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and parsley.
- Bake at 350°F until the egg whites set, about 13 to 16 minutes.
- Let it cool, gently slide a knife along the edges and use a fork to lift it out of the pan.
- Dish and serve with chilled avocado slices (optional).
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you don’t have frozen shredded hash browns, bake 4-6 russet potatoes. Let them cool off, then peel and grate them to form shreds.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Comments & Reviews
Has anyone tried egg beaters in these? Thinking the southwestern flavored egg beaters would be very good. I think Simply Potatoes hash browns would work well too. Saves time because they are not frozen. Just a couple thoughts.
Well you got me there, I haven’t tried egg beaters ever. Maybe someone who has could chime in? Loving hearing all the customizations people are making here!
I made these today and they certainly didn’t come out as pretty as yours still a big hit though. They tasted awesome. Any advice on keeping them from falling apart while taking them out of the muffin pan? I sprayed it with Pam before cooking and figured they would have come out easily but they didn’t. Thank you so much for the recipe!
LOVE getting ‘I made this’ comments! Well what I did was use a butter knife to gently pry the edges away from the muffin pan. I made sure to do this all around and focus on the bottom especially as that’s the hardest part. Then I used a fork and hooked it deep under the bottom of the nests to lift it out. At this point, since the muffin has been pried from the edges, the only part you need to worry about coming out intact is the bottom. That fork should act as a good base to take it all out in one piece. You are very welcome. So glad you lked it!
Could you put muffin/cupcake holders in the muffin tin and then just peel it off once it’s baked, just like cupcakes?
Good question! I haven’t done these with cupcake holders and while I’m sure you can bake them that way, I’m not sure if the liners will affect the crispiness of the crust, you know? I do recall seeing a comment that the crust wasn’t as crispy with a silicone pan vs regular metal ones so this might be something to consider. Do let us know, if you try it Karla. I’m super curious!
I am seeing more recipes using muffin pans in nontraditional ways and I really like it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Very welcome Bill! It’s great news for non-muffin eaters like myself 😉
These would be great with scrambled centers. A little less messy and more portable. A bit of good salsa would be a great addition too. You think? Thanks for the ideas. (potato boats too!)
shannon
Scrambled is also an option, if you like it that way. I just like my eggs runny 🙂 I heard you can freeze the scrambled version of it somewhere: I was a little leery suggesting freezing it the way it is. But it might work on top of being portable for breakfast on the go! Also, salsa works too!
I would definitely want scrambled, but would be afraid the hashbrowns would get too brown. Would it work to bake the hashbrowns for a slightly shorter time? I was really excited until I saw the runny yolk (I’m just the opposite of you–runny grosses me out!).
Based on what people have been telling me and trying out, scrambled worked just fine! I would not worry about the hash browns, but if you wanna be safe the first time trying this out, you could pre-bake the hash brown cups for a slightly shorter time and feel it out as you go along. Good luck!
If you want your nests to be a little bigger, try turning your muffin pan upside down, and baking your hash brown mixture one OUTSIDE of the cups, rather than the inside. Place the baked cups on a cookie sheet before filling. If you don’t like soft yolks, you can also beat the eggs, and stir in you bacon, with tiny pieces of tomato and green onion or chive snips. Then top with cheese before baking your cups again. That makes mini omelette nests. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Good idea, Collette! I’ve seen a recipe similar to that floating around Pinterest today where they did it with strips of bacon. How decadent, giant bacon cups! I’ll be posting a recipe for omelette muffin cups somewhere along with way with my favorite ingredients 🙂
You know what Farah, sometimes I feel that you can read my mind 😉 I always thought of this dish but never really made it, just wondered how it would taste, but seeing your pics I think I have to make some soon. Looks soooo delicious and beautiful too!
Oh they were really good for a first meal of the day kind of thing. I think I may have to make some again soon!
Frozen hash brown shredded potatoes? I’m in Australia and have never heard of these.. Could I use grated fresh potato instead? Or does the frozen variety have something else in it?
Hi Belle! If you don’t have frozen shredded hash browns, you can bake your potatoes, let them cool, then peel and grate them to form shreds. I’ll add a note to the recipe for those that can’t buy them. 🙂
Another Australian here, you can actually use fresh/raw potatoes just fine. The baking time will vary depending on how finely you grate your spuds though 🙂 I make a similar thing to this quite often and have never prebaked my potatoes. They do require a good squeeze though to get rid of the potato juice!
Thanks for letting us know, Liz! Always great to exchange recipe tips! Hope this will help others 🙂
My husband found this, great recipe! We had fun personalizing them and experimenting which way we like them better, making them 6 at a time!! The 5 year old had 2, I won’t disclose how many were devoured by the hubby and myself!!
It’s a fun group activity to make these together. I can’t remember how many I ate in one sitting by myself but it definitely was more than one! 😉
Lovely recipe!!!!
Thank you, Sherien! Happy everyone likes it 🙂
Do you buy the hash browns already grated ??
Yes, I bought them from Target in the frozen aisle under ‘Breakfast’. If you don’t have frozen shredded/grated hash browns available or prefer not to use them, you can bake potatoes and grate them!
After u thaw the hash browns, do u cook as is or do u wring/squeeze/pat dry?
I cooked it as is. If you look at the pic on how I molded it to the pan, it wasn’t soggy at all. I’m not sure if it’s because of the brand I used (Target Market Pantry) though. If your brand gets soggy, then you can wring it out. A trick I heard to make it more crispy is to let it sit in salt for 15 minutes before wringing it out, but I never had to do that.
Thanks for the recipe. My hash browns turned out a bit soggy. I’m wondering if I should’ve let the cup get completely brown instead of just the edges before cracking the egg? Thoughts?
You could try that too. If the cup takes longer to brown than the edges and you’re worried the edges will burn, I’ve heard a trick is to wrap tin foil around the edges once they’re all browned so you can work on the base.
These look fabulous! I’m wondering have you made one with the yolk broken, for those who do not like it runny? If so how did it turn out
If you want the yolk to be firmer, bake it a little longer. If the hash browns start browning too much during, cover it with foil to prevent burning. I would try an extra five minutes or so and test by poking the yolk with a fork. I haven’t tried breaking the yolk but that should work too. Hope this helps! 🙂
Your pictures are amazing! Great photography. I can’t wait to try these, they look so good.
Thank you! Let me know how they go for you if you do try them out. I’d love to hear!
Totally doing this for tomorrow’s brunch!
That’s fantastic Ami! Hope you like them as much as I do!
Holy moly, these look AWESOME! And you cooked it perfectly with the runny yolk and everything! PINNING! I am going to hash brown heaven 🙂
Ohhhhh these were the best things ever and even tasted good the next day! Just be careful heating it up in the microwave. 30 seconds at most. One minute and it explodes! #oops #learnedthehardway
This is such a clever idea. And I just love the way these photos came out. Pinning these!
Hey thanks Katie! I’m glad my take two of shooting was worth it! 🙂
OMG, these look absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS!
Did you thaw the hash browns over Night in the fridge?
I let them thaw on the counter for an hour or so before cooking it. Just enough thawing to let them separate and spread nicely.