High-Protein Egg Muffins
⏱ 40 min💪 32g protein per 3 muffins🔥 ~325 cal🍽 12 muffins (4 servings)
Most egg muffins come out spongy and weeping water. Two things fix that: blending cottage cheese into the eggs so the set is custardy instead of rubbery, and squeezing every drop out of the spinach first. Three of these get you to 32g of protein, which is a real breakfast and not a snack. The batch takes 40 minutes and covers most of a work week.
Ingredients
- 10 large eggs
- 1 cup liquid egg whites
- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
- 3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin thoroughly, including the flat surface between the cups, or use silicone liners.
- Wring the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel until no more water comes out, then scatter it, the roasted red peppers, feta, and green onions evenly among the 12 cups.
- Blend the eggs, egg whites, cottage cheese, salt, garlic powder, and pepper for 20 seconds until completely smooth with no visible curds.
- Pour the egg mixture over the fillings, filling each cup about three-quarters full, and bake 22 to 25 minutes until the centers are just set and no longer jiggle.
- Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around each muffin and lift them out. They deflate a little as they cool, which is normal.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze them on a sheet pan and bag them for up to 3 months. Reheat 40 seconds from the fridge, 90 seconds from frozen.
Tips
- Blending the cottage cheese instead of stirring it in is the whole trick. Stirred, you get white lumps and a watery set. Blended, you get a smooth custard.
- Wet fillings are the number one cause of soggy egg muffins. Squeeze frozen spinach hard, and pre-cook mushrooms, zucchini, or tomatoes before they go in.
- Pull them the moment the centers stop jiggling. They keep cooking in the hot pan, and an extra three minutes in the oven is the difference between custardy and rubbery.
FAQ
- Why do my egg muffins deflate after baking?
- They puff from steam and settle as they cool, the same way a souffle does. It does not hurt the texture. Overbaking makes the collapse more dramatic, so pull them early.
- Can I make these with only egg whites?
- Yes. Use 3 cups of liquid egg whites in place of the whole eggs and whites together. Protein stays close to 30g per serving, but keep the cottage cheese or they turn dry and springy.
- Do egg muffins freeze well?
- They do. Freeze them uncovered on a sheet pan first so they do not stick together, then bag them. Reheat from frozen for 90 seconds wrapped in a paper towel to absorb the steam.
- How do I get 30g of protein at breakfast from these?
- Three muffins gets you to 32g. If you only want two, add a half cup of Greek yogurt or a glass of milk on the side to close the gap.
