As a mom of four and a small business owner, mornings are my favorite time of day! I’m always up early to get some work done and get myself ready before my kids are up. It’s a blissful time of quiet to start my day.
I use every last second I can get in my mornings. Which means I don’t have a lot of time to cook breakfast.
So I have become the queen of make-ahead breakfasts. If there are steps I can take the night before to get a decent breakfast on the table quickly, I’m all in!
But that often includes more carbohydrate-based breakfasts like baked oatmeal, homemade granola bars, and muffins.
I’m always trying to include more quality protein in my family’s breakfasts. Plus my husband is getting bored with the same breakfasts every week. But I don’t often have time to stand at the stove cooking.
So I came up with a simple solution – make-ahead egg cups.
Protein Rich Make Ahead Breakfast
As a Nutritional Therapist I know just how essential it is to include quality protein (especially animal protein) and healthy fats in a child’s breakfast. This promotes better brain function, focus, and stable moods.
I also have a child who is allergic to both nuts and dairy. So that eliminates some of the easy protein options.
My go-to for a nourishing breakfast with protein for my kids is some form of eggs. But as I’ve mentioned before, not all of my kids are egg lovers (that’s putting it mildly).
This means I must do what I love most – get creative in the kitchen!
There are so many ways to serve eggs. Prep ahead egg cups are one of our favorites!
Make Ahead Breakfast You Can Prep at Night
Delicious egg muffins are so easy to make. This is a great recipe for kids of all ages to help with! They will get practice cracking eggs, measuring, pouring, and possibly slicing, grating, and stovetop cooking, depending on what you add.
The recipe in a nutshell – put all the ingredients in a mason jar and store it in the refrigerator. In the morning, shake, pour, and bake! That’s it.
I typically prep this the night before. Then I can have the egg cups baked and ready to go when my kids wake up.
Even if you forget to prep ahead, you can still make these nourishing egg muffins the same day. It will only take a few extra minutes.
Make Ahead Egg Cup Recipe
Egg cups are gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free, and can be made dairy-free. So they are perfect for those with allergies and intolerances.
Any muffin pan can be used. But my favorite equipment is silicone muffin cups. They make serving and clean up so easy. The eggs slide right out – no greasing necessary!
I don’t recommend paper cupcake liners, as the eggs will stick. If you don’t have silicone muffin cups, a greased muffin tin works well.
Print
Easy Make Ahead Breakfast: Egg Cup Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A protein-packed, allergy-friendly, make-ahead breakfast like this is hard to come by. But what makes it even better is that you can tailor it to your family’s tastes and what you have on hand. Plus it’s very budget-friendly!
Ingredients
- 6 free-range eggs
- 1/2 c. milk or milk substitute
- 1/2 tsp. salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase)
- 1/2 – 1 tsp. additional seasoning (garlic powder, onion powder, herbs)
- Optional: 1 Tbs. non-fortified nutritional yeast
- Optional: 1/2 lb. cooked ground sausage
- Optional: 1/4 c. diced ham
- Optional: 1/2 c. shredded cheese or dairy-free cheese
- Optional: 1/2 c. sauteed and cooled vegetables (onions, pepper, spinach, etc.)
Instructions
- Cook and cool sausage and/or vegettables if using.
- Add all of the ingredients to a quart mason jar. Cover with a lid and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- When ready to bake, heat oven to 400-degrees F.
- Shake/mix all ingredients in the jar.
- Pour egg mixture into silicone muffin cups or greased muffin pan.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until eggs are fully cooked.
- Serve warm.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated in oven at 350-degrees F for 10 minutes.
- Fully cooked egg cups can be frozen.
- This can be baked in a greased 8-inch baking dish instead of individual muffin cups.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 egg cups
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 481mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 33mg
Making the Perfect Egg Muffins
A protein-packed, allergy-friendly, make-ahead breakfast like this is hard to come by. But what makes it even better is that you can tailor it to your family’s tastes and what you have on hand. Plus it’s very budget-friendly!
Egg muffin cups can be as simple or as complex as you like. Some add-in options include:
- Cooked ground sausage
- Sauteed vegetables
- Crumbled bacon
- Diced ham
- Shredded cheese (regular or dairy-free)
- Non-fortified nutritional yeast
- Pesto
- Salsa
- Any seasoning you like!
How Do You Store Egg Muffins?
Egg muffins are best served fresh out of the oven. But if you have leftovers, they are easily stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Or if you are a fan of cooking once, eating multiple times, you can make a big batch of breakfast egg cups and freeze them. Simply reheat as many as you need at a time for quick breakfasts.
Prep Ahead Breakfast Kids Love
As I mentioned earlier, I have some kids who aren’t too fond of eggs. But everyone eats these nutrient-dense egg cups. Sometimes I think it’s the form that helps! Who doesn’t love muffins for breakfast?
Breakfast egg muffins are great warm, but they are just as delicious cold! We eat them as quick snacks straight out of the fridge or packed in lunches. They also reheat easily in the oven.
If you aren’t in the mood to wash individual muffin cups, this recipe works just as well in an eight-inch baking dish. You can even double the recipe for a full 9×13 pan and serve it for multiple breakfasts!
Whether served individually or as a casserole, these make-ahead breakfast egg cups pair well with toast (don’t forget the butter!), muffins (such as these allergy-friendly orange raisin muffins), or fresh fruit. Or if you really want to wow your kids, you can serve egg muffins with breakfast cupcakes! What a fun way to start the day.
Get the kids in the kitchen to whip up this amazing make-ahead breakfast! In the morning you are a shake and a pour away from nourishing food.
What is your go-to nourishing, yet quick breakfast?
Hi. Could these be made in the microwave? What would the timing be?
Thanks.
Unfortunately I haven’t used a microwave in over 15 years. So I can’t give you specifics. I’m guessing they would work in the microwave. Maybe start with 1-2 minutes and check them for doneness.