High Protein Egg Muffins
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These quick and easy High Protein Egg Muffins are made with sausage, spinach, cheddar, and cottage cheese, packing each one with up to 10g of protein! Just one or two will keep you full and satisfied, even on your busiest mornings.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
Protein-packed – Baked egg muffins with cottage cheese are loaded with approximately 10 grams of protein EACH! One or two will keep you full ‘till lunch, just like my other healthy breakfast meal prep recipes, like these protein cookies and this cinnamon roll protein smoothie.
Easy meal prep – Spend 10 minutes prepping these on a Sunday for a week’s worth of high-protein breakfasts you can eat in 30 seconds.
Customizable – Change up the meat, cheese, or veggies with all your favorites!
Table of Contents
When I can’t decide between making a cottage cheese breakfast bowl or an egg white frittata in the morning, I’ll make these High Protein Egg Muffins. They bake my two breakfast faves, eggs and cottage cheese, into one of the most convenient, two-bite, protein-packed breakfasts.
Eggs and cottage cheese are whisked together, combined with breakfast sausage and spinach, and then baked in muffin cups until each egg bite is fluffy and soufflé-like. The 10 grams of protein in each one is just a great bonus next to that perfect texture. My Sunday breakfast meal prep game has never been better since they walked into my life!
Egg Bite Ingredients
Eggs – I used 12 whole eggs to fill all 12 egg bites with maximum protein.
Breakfast sausage – Any breakfast sausage you like goes here—fresh, frozen, links, ground, patties, you name it.
Cottage cheese – AKA one of the big sources of protein in these egg muffins. Blending and whisking it with the eggs also gives the muffins the most decadent, custard-like texture. Yum!
This list is to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See recipe card below for the full ingredient list.
Variations
- Instead of sausage – Make the muffins with chopped crispy bacon, diced ham, or Canadian bacon.
- Vegetarian option – Either omit the sausage or swap it for tempeh bacon or your favorite store-bought vegan breakfast sausage.
- Mix and match the veggies – Fold sautéed onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, or broccoli florets in with the eggs.
- Turn up the heat – When I need to wake up in the morning, I’ll add a diced jalapeño or a pinch of red pepper flakes to these cottage cheese egg muffins.
How to Make High Protein Egg Muffins
Step 1: Sauté the filings. Sauté the sausage in a skillet until it’s nicely browned. During the final minute of cooking, toss in the spinach and stir until it’s wilted. Remove the pan from the heat.
Step 2: Blend the cottage cheese. Add the cottage cheese and a splash of milk to a small blender and blend until smooth.
Step 3: Whisk the base. Crack your eggs into a large bowl, then add the blended cottage cheese mixture, salt, pepper, chives, and some of the shredded cheese. Whisk to combine.
Step 4: Assemble. Divide the sausage-spinach mixture between silicone muffin liners, then pour 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into each cup. Top each muffin with any remaining egg mixture so each cup is filled to the top. Finish with a sprinkle of shredded cheese.
Step 5: Bake and set. Bake the egg cups until they’re set and slightly golden. Let them rest for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Erin’s Tips and Tricks
- In a rush? You can skip blending the cottage cheese and whisk it straight into the eggs instead. You’ll just have small pockets of melted cheese throughout the muffins.
- It’s normal for the egg muffins to puff up like quiche as they bake and then deflate slightly as they cool. To keep them as plump as possible, whisk everything together for at least 60 seconds and fill the liners/tins to the very top.
- If you don’t have silicone muffin liners, grease your muffin tin generously with non-stick cooking spray to help the muffins pop out.
- You’ll know the egg muffins are done baking when the centers look set, and the tops are just starting to turn golden.
My Pro Tip
Don’t Skip The Cottage Cheese
The first time I tested this recipe, I didn’t add cottage cheese and ended up with a batch of spongy baked eggs rather than moist, fluffy egg muffins. That said, don’t skip the cottage cheese! You won’t even notice it’s there once it’s blended in, but you will notice that your muffins are creamy, fluffy, and, best of all, packed with protein.
Egg Muffin FAQs
Yes! Just swap the whole eggs for 2 cups of liquid egg whites.
This can happen when you use raw veggies in egg muffins vs. cooked veggies. Vegetables, like spinach and mushrooms, release a lot of moisture as they cook, which can weep into the egg. Sautéing them ahead of time will cook off any liquid and keep the egg muffins firm.
If you don’t have a muffin tin, you can bake the entire mixture in a greased 8×8 baking dish. You’ll just need to increase the bake time by 5 to 10 minutes and slice them into squares once cooled.
Storage
Refrigerator: The cooled egg muffins will stay fresh in a paper towel-lined airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
Freezer: Once cooled, wrap the individual egg muffins in plastic wrap or parchment paper, then place them in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Wrap the muffin in a damp paper towel (to create a little steam), then microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds (or 60 to 90 seconds if frozen). You can also pop them in a 350°F air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes.
More Breakfast Meal Prep Recipes
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High Protein Egg Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 oz. breakfast sausage, fresh or frozen, chopped
- 2 cups spinach, chopped
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 2 tbsp milk
- 12 eggs
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- ¼ cup chives, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a muffin tin with silicone muffin liners; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, then add the sausage and sauté until browned. During the last minute, add the spinach and stir for about 1 minute until wilted; remove from heat.
- Add the cottage cheese and milk to a small blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the eggs to a large bowl, then pour in the blended cottage cheese, along with the salt and pepper, ¾ cup of the shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives. Whisk everything together until combined.
- Divide the sausage-spinach mixture amongst the muffin liners, then use a ¼ cup measuring cup to divide the egg mixture amongst the muffin cups. After that, divide the remaining egg mixture amongst each cup, filling them up to the very top. Sprinkle each cup with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and wait a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- the first time I tested these without cottage cheese, and the cottage cheese not only adds more protein, but it makes the texture light and fluffy
- if you’re short on time, you don’t have to blend the cottage cheese
- fill each muffin cup up to the very top!
- each egg muffin has about 10 grams of protein!
Nutrition
