These on-the-go breakfast muffins are a quick and easy way to get your eggs in the morning. Loaded with bacon bits, cheddar cheese and spinach and baked in a muffin pan for a quick grab-and-go bite on busy mornings!
A couple of months back I made some egg nests which were really popular. People seemed to like having muffin-sized breakfast bites or the idea of breakfast on the go. But for those watching their calories, hash browns aren’t too forgiving and some folks just don’t like runny eggs.
So today I’ll be making a scrambled egg variation of this sans hash browns and with a little spinach and smoked paprika. Think of these muffins as a healthy variation of my nests. For an even healthier version using only egg whites, try out these healthy egg white breakfast muffins instead.
ON-THE-GO BREAKFAST MUFFINS RECIPE TIPS
- Muffin pan – I used a regular-sized, non-stick muffin pan but you can use jumbo, square, or mini muffin pans – just adjust the recipe measurements accordingly. If you don’t own a non-stick muffin pan, you might be able to use cupcake liners. Let me know how that works out if you do!
- Greasing the pan – Make sure to grease the muffin wells before starting so you have an easy time popping the muffins out later. I like spraying the muffin wells and using a paper towel to spread it evenly on the bottom and edges.
- Eggs – This recipe uses large eggs so if you only have regular-size eggs, add an egg or two.
- Cheddar – I used sharp cheddar but feel free to substitute it with mild cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, cheddar Jack, Mexican cheddar Jack, triple cheddar, or creamy melt cheddar. There are so many cheese options to choose from. Check out the ‘Customize It’ section below if you want to substitute cheddar and experiment with other cheese.
- Spinach – Use baby spinach or chop up regular spinach so there’s more to go around in the muffins. You can also use frozen spinach, just cook it beforehand and squeeze out any excess water so your muffins don’t wind up soggy.
- Bacon – Make sure to pre-cook your bacon to get all the bacon grease out. Chop or crumble them and add them to the mix. If you’re short on time, you can also use real bacon bits.
- Filling – All the stuff that would work in an omelet can go into these breakfast muffins. Use this recipe as a base to build on and experiment with your fillings! There are a ton of options to pick and choose from in the ‘Customize It’ section below.
Recipe Notes:
This recipe is very versatile and you can use almost every kind of filling imaginable. Just make sure your fillings are cooked off of their water content so your muffins aren’t soggy and cook your proteins beforehand so they taste better and all the grease is rendered from them before adding to the muffin mix.
- Sectioning – Fill the muffin wells 3/4 of the way full. The muffins will puff up in the oven as you can see from the photos, so they need that extra space to grow. They will shrink in size once cool though so don’t worry if this happens to you. It should make it easier for you to pry the muffins loose from the muffin pan.
- Baking – Bake the muffins for 20-23 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Leftovers and reheating – Leftovers can keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Customize It!
- Add more veggies – Try other veggies like cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, kale, or broccoli.
- Substitute cheddar – Experiment with other cheese like mozzarella, gruyere, swiss cheese, feta, blue cheese, goat cheese, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or Parmesan.
- Add more protein – Substitute bacon with chorizo, cooked breakfast sausage or cooked crumbled sausage, cooked ground beef, chicken or turkey, or cooked ham.
- Add some bite – Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the mix for some bite.
- Add more flavor – Throw in more seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, or crushed pepper flakes.
Serve these breakfast muffins as is or with your favorite toppings like sour cream or hot sauce.
And that’s about it. Let me know how you liked them, what substitutions you made or what you paired them with in the comments below.
MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES TO TRY
- Healthy Egg White Muffin Breakfast Cups
- Hash Brown Egg Nests
- Hash Brown Breakfast Quiche
- Easy Hamburger Quiche
- Cheesy Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Did you make this recipe? Rate it!
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On-The-Go Breakfast Muffins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
These on-the-go breakfast muffins are a quick and easy way to get your eggs in the morning. Loaded with bacon bits, cheddar cheese and spinach and baked in a muffin pan for a quick grab-and-go bite on busy mornings!
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped / 1/2 cup bacon bits
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Grease a regular size muffin tin and fill each cup to about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-23 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool for 5 minutes before prying the muffins loose.
- Dish and serve hot or refrigerate later for leftovers.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Add more veggies – Try other veggies like cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, kale, or broccoli.
- Substitute cheddar – Experiment with other cheese like mozzarella, gruyere, swiss cheese, feta, blue cheese, goat cheese, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or Parmesan.
- Add more protein – Substitute bacon with chorizo, cooked breakfast sausage or cooked crumbled sausage, cooked ground beef, chicken or turkey, or cooked ham.
- Add some bite – Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the mix for some bite.
- Add more flavor – Throw in more seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, or crushed pepper flakes.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Comments & Reviews
Do these do well as a make ahead? That I can grab from the fridge and microwave? Or are they only good fresh?
They do. They’re better fresh though. I’ve made these and reheated them in the microwave for the next two days if I remember correctly. Two days was as long as I dared though. I’m freakishly squeamish about keeping egg related stuff out there too long.
Well I made them, looked good tasted good, lost all my bottoms. I sprayed the muffin pan with Pam cooking spray, and everyone was cooked good, but the bottom would not come off the pan. Oh well live to try another day.
5 stars for the recipe, but 3 because it would not come out, that is not on her, grease it really, really good.
Oh, I’m sorry you lost your bottoms! Did you give it enough time to cool down first before prying them out? That usually helps. They need some breathing time to solidify after baking in the oven is the way I like to think of it as. Also having a non-stick muffin pan helps.
I’ve made various versions of this recipe and they’re always great. I use leftover ham, potatoes, beef or veggies sometimes. Basically anything you’d put into an omelette works. In addition, you can use a quarter of a flour tortilla as a liner, put you veggies and meat in the bottom, then pour in your egg mixture, and top with extra cheese and sprinkle with paprika.
Great way to put it, Elaine. “Anything you would put into an omelette works”. Couldn’t have said it better myself! Also, that tortilla liner idea is wonderful. Especially with the crunch factor!
How long would these last in the fridge? You call them ‘On-The’Go’ so i assume you would be cooking these the night before and stocking up for a few days?
I would say 1-2 days. 3 days would be pushing it, I think. So make enough to last you a couple of days per person. Hope this helps!
Hi Farah, I was wondering if you have any quick, high calorie (that’s not a typo, “high” as in lots of calories, 200+) breakfast on the go, lunch, and snack revipes. I am first year law school student and spend lots of time with me, myself, and I outside of class time. Unfortunately, I’ve picked up the bad practice of skipping meals. I try to make meals on the weekends and need something calorie-packed, portable, for my teen daughter and I to eat for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. P.S. we eat just about anything .
Your recommendations are appreciated.
Heya Lisa! I just sent you an email with my recommendations. Hope some of them will work for you and your daughter. Good luck with your studies. I did law for two years way back when. It can be stressful!
I want to make these for a crowd. But I’m trying to decide if I want to do this recipe or the hashbrown breakfast nest, I’m not a runny egg person so I like the idea of this one. Do you think I can add the hashbrowns?
Sorry for the delay, Janay! I’m still on vacation but I’m trying to reply as I go. I suggest following the instructions and timing for the hash brown crust in that recipe – blind baking them first to get them nice and primed, then switch to this recipe for the filling with the scrambled mixture. Use the time in this recipe to have your eggs set nicely in the hash brown crust. If the hash brown crust starts to brown too much since it’s a longer baking time, you can cover the crust with foil to protect them but I don’t think this will happen. Good luck!
Just made these for the first time, and they turned out great! I was a bit nervous, since I’m definitely not the chef of the household, but I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out delicious. Very easy and cooking-newbie-proof.
“Cooking-newbie-proof”. I love it! That’s exactly what I try to do, making things approachable for new home cooks as much as I can. We’re all learning 🙂 Thanks for the feedback, Lin.
Do these keep for a few days? Do they freeze and unthaw ok?
They kept for a couple of days for us, about 2-3 days is the max I would go before I get uncomfortable with it sitting in the fridge for too long. I never froze them so I can’t honestly say much about it. As for freezing them safely, here’s a guide from FoodSafety.gov about freezing eggs in all forms. I would say to go with ‘Quiche with filling’ for this chart. Hope this helps answer your question!
Just made these tonight. They’re great! But – should you cook the bacon first? Didn’t add salt, with the bacon bits and cheese already in it. Will add onions next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yes, you should absolutely cook the bacon first! Sorry for the misunderstanding. When I list bacon bits in my recipe I mean cooked bacon diced up into little bacon bits. You can either cook and dice them yourself or buy pre-made bacon bits from the store. Thanks for trying this recipe out, Mary Ann!
PS: I’ve updated the recipe for the bacon to be cooked to avoid any confusion. Thanks for pointing it out! 🙂
My mornings usually begin with a fresh juice and breakfast muffin or cookie.. so these savoury muffins are definitely one I will be making, and hopefully be adding to my repertoire!
Sounds like a good breakfast to me! 🙂
Do you cook the bacon first then crumble into the mixture or do you add raw to bake in the oven? Thanks for a great looking recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
I cooked it first and chopped it up to little bits. Or if you want to save time you can always use store bought bacon bits. Happy eating!
Has anyone tried making these ahead of time and heating in the morning?
I’ve reheated them the next day in the microwave and they’re fine, just a little rubbery. The more the eggs cook past the done stage, the more rubbery they get so I guess adding in the extra reheating time will do that. I reheated mine for about a minute and a half. Hope this helps, Laura!
I have warmed similar egg based muffins before but I put them in a toaster oven at 300 degrees on a small baking pan with a piece of aluminum foil laid over them loosly for 15 minutes. They come out oven fresh. I put them in while I am getting ready of the morning. Enjoy!
Thanks for chiming in, Kathy!
Fantastic Thank you
You’re very welcome, Dorothy! Enjoy 🙂
Hey! These looks super-duper cute!! My husband is an avid egg-lover and he will just freak out on them! 😀
Hope he likes this version, Priyanka!
Breakfast on the go is just what I need! These muffins are gorgeous and look delicious. I will need at least four 🙂
And four you shall have!
These are a perfect on-the-go breakfast…and I love the addition of the spinach and paprika! Don’t you just love that moment when they stand tall and puffed?
Oh yeah, I was so proud of them all puffed up like that! When they deflated, I deflated haha 🙂
I love this recipe. I make many variations, bacon, ham, sausage (pre-cooked), all different veggies (steamed), and cheese. When I visit my Dad, I make these with different soups and put in the freezer. He loves them and it’s easy for him to warm up. Plus I know he is getting a good healthy breakfast.
Wow, I didn’t know they work with soups too! I’m so glad you found a base recipe to build an empire of breakfast egg muffins on!