If you’re like me, you’ve grabbed those convenient little egg bites from Trader Joe’s on your way to work more times than you can count. They’re delicious, protein-packed, and so convenient, but they can get expensive when they become a daily habit! Today I’m sharing my perfected copycat recipe that tastes just like the real thing, but at a fraction of the cost.
If you love those egg bites as much as me, but would prefer to customize them to suit your own personal preference or just want to save some dollars. Check out this recipe because with it you can add pretty much add whatever ingredients you want as long as you stick to the basic recipe. You can add different cheeses, different meats like sausage or ham or bacon or whatever you can think of. Then, of course the veggies! Again, the sky is the limit here.
My kids really love these and I make them and freeze them all the time. So easy to throw a couple of these in the microwave when they are getting ready for school for a filling protein packed breakfast with minimal fuss.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Make-ahead friendly: Perfect for meal prep Sunday!
- Customizable: Add whatever veggies, cheese, or protein you prefer
- Budget-friendly: Much cheaper than store-bought versions
- Protein-packed: Great for a satisfying breakfast or snack
Cloning Trader Joe’s Egg Bites
Trader Joe’s has three egg bites and I will briefly describe them so you can make them to your own specifications. Using whole eggs will result in more calories but also more flavor in my humble opinion.
- Trader Joe’s Egg White Bites with Kale and Cheese and Spinach
- Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar and Turkey Sausage Egg White Bites
- Trader Joe’s Cheddar Cheese and Uncured Bacon Egg Bites
Trader Joe’s makes excellent cottage cheese and it’s the key ingredient to making these egg bites so rich and creamy.
You will need a blender to do this. It’s really hard to whip them, but if you don’t have a blender a wire mixing whip will do.
Trader Joe’s Egg Bites Clone
Equipment
- 1 12 cup silicone muffin pan You can do it with a metal one but a silicone one is so much easier to work with.
- Blender
Ingredients
- 8 Eggs (or 12 egg whites)
- 1 cup Trader Joe's Small Curd Cottage Cheese Whole Fat
- 1.5 cups Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Or Quattro Formagi, (any cheese of your choice)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- Finely chopped raw veggies Kale, Green Onions, Broccoli, Asparagus, Chives, Red Peppers, the sky is the limit.
- Diced Cooked meat Bacon, Turkey Bacon, Breakfast sausage, etc
- Chopped Herbs Basil, Oregano, Chives, Parsley
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F and position the rack in the center. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan (you'll need this for the water bath). Thoroughly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. I highly recommend a silicone pan if you have one! Trader Joe's Olive Oil spray is good here.
- In a blender, combine eggs, cottage cheese, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend for 8-10 seconds until just smooth and frothy. Try not to overblend the egg mixture, it will lead to collapsed egg bites from too much air.
- Place your muffin pan on a sheet pan. Pour the egg mixture into each cup, filling about three-quarters full. Add your special ingredients here. The herbs, meat and veggies. Use a small spoon to gently mix them into the mixture. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese on top.
- Carefully pour hot water into the sheet pan, just enough to cover the very bottom of the muffin cups. This creates a gentle steam bath that gives the egg bites that signature custardy texture that makes the Trader Joe's version so good.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until set. Let them rest for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. They should just pop out.
Notes
Storage and Reheating
These egg bites will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds (from refrigerated) or 1-2 minutes (from frozen), or warm them in a 300°F oven until heated through.Recipe Notes
- The water bath is optional but recommended for that signature Trader Joe’s texture. Without it, the egg bites will be firmer and more frittata-like.
- If you don’t have a silicone muffin pan, be extra generous with the cooking spray, or use parchment paper muffin cup liners.
- For a lower-fat version, you can use part-skim cottage cheese, but the texture won’t be quite as creamy.
What’s your favorite egg bite flavor combination? Let me know in the comments below!
This recipe was adapted from a classic egg bites technique, perfected after many test batches to match the Trader Joe’s version we all love.
