Healthy 5-Ingredient Breakfast Egg Muffins for Busy Mornings

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.

Photo byThriving Home

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.
• The combo of protein and fat from the eggs, ham, and cheese keeps you feeling satisfied all morning. Feel free to add chopped spinach, sautéed onions, peppers, and veggies.
• Very budget-friendly meal.
• Great for meal prep. It’s a make-ahead breakfast that’s freezer-friendly, like our Savory Breakfast Muffins and Spinach and Bacon Mini Quiche.

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.

Photo byThriving Home

• 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

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.

Photo byThriving Home

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.

Photo byThriving Home

How to Make Breakfast Egg Muffins

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 seconds increments until heated through (about 1-2 minutes). Or thaw in the refrigerator and warm in the microwave.