Cottage Cheese Egg Bites

By Naz Deravian

Updated December 28, 2025

  • Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(4,729)
Comments
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Egg bites are a perfect, protein-rich snack to have on hand for busy mornings. Blending eggs with cottage cheese and shredded cheese, dividing the mixture among muffin cups and baking in a water bath result in a soft, delicate texture. For the right consistency, use a blender to combine all the ingredients until just smooth and frothy. You can add any fillings that you like (leftover cooked vegetables are a great addition). Use any of the shredded cheeses suggested or a combination, and finish with a sprinkling of Parmesan if you like. The water bath creates steam, which ensures the eggs bake gently and remain fluffy (see Tip). For best results, use a silicone muffin pan, so the egg bites pop right out.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 egg bites

  • Nonstick cooking spray

  • 8 large eggs

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) full-fat cottage cheese

  • 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Gruyère, Cheddar, mozzarella or Monterey Jack (or a combination)

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  • Raw chopped vegetables (optional), such as onion, scallions, bell pepper or spinach (or a combination)

  • Cooked chopped vegetables (optional), such as mushrooms, broccoli, roasted red pepper, cauliflower, potato, sweet potato or butternut squash (or a combination)

  • Cooked chopped bacon or sausage (optional)

  • Finely chopped herbs (optional), such as basil, parsley, chives or cilantro

  • Dashes of hot sauce (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

9 grams carbs; 141 milligrams cholesterol; 179 calories; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 278 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 325 degrees with the rack in the center position. In a kettle or a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil and keep at a simmer. Thoroughly coat a 12-cup muffin pan (preferably silicone or nonstick) with nonstick cooking spray.

  2. Step 2

    Place the eggs, cottage cheese, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, and the salt and pepper in a blender. Blend on high for 8 to 10 seconds, just until the mixture is smooth and frothy. (Don’t overblend, as too much air could make the egg bites collapse as they bake.)

  3. Step 3

    Place the muffin pan on a sheet pan. Pour the egg mixture into the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters of the way. If using any optional mix-ins, add them on top of each cup and, using a chopstick or small spoon, gently stir them into the mixture. Top with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese and transfer to the oven. Carefully pour the hot water into the sheet pan just to cover the very bottom of the muffin cups. (You can also skip the water bath; see Tip.)

  4. Step 4

    Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the egg bites have set. Remove the muffin pan from the sheet pan of water in the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove the bites from the pan. If using a silicone pan, they should pop right out. If not, use a butter knife or small offset spatula to run along the sides of the cups and gently lift them out. Egg bites will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in a microwave or a 300-degree oven until warmed through.

Tip

  • You can also make egg bites without the water bath. The egg bites will be firmer and more compact (rather than soft and fluffy), and they’ll brown on the bottom, like a frittata.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,729 user ratings
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Comments

Teresa

Rather than fiddle with water in a sheet pan, I just put water in a casserole dish on the oven rack below the rack with the bites. Works great.

sara

Love egg bites! This recipe is very adaptable and the bites microwave well. I don’t own a silicone mold and bake them instead in a nonstick muffin tin sans water bath. The texture is still great just not as visually perfect. 13 minutes is all they need at 325 this way.

Joan

@Tips for lactose intolerance? Lactaid cottage cheese works well. Aged cheese like Gruyere and Aged cheddar have little to no lactose, and work well.

BBG

This is one of those recipes I wish I’d tried sooner! Made these 3x now with different veg. I’m on doctor’s orders to reduce saturated fat so I omitted the cheese and used nonfat cottage cheese and they were still SO GOOD! I put the veg in the cups first and then pour egg mixture over, and I’m finding that 1 TBSP of veg filling per muffin cup is perfect. Makes a lovely light supper with a frisée salad and a l’il glass of wine.

Observer

Great recipe; used the water bath with silicone muffin cups in regular muffins tins. There was quite a bit of overflow, so I put the extra in glass custard cups spritzed with nonstick cooking spray. Given the amount of cheese, I would probably cut the salt in half next time.

Kevin K

Outstanding recipe, and fun to experiment. I've made this 4 times and am closing in on my version of perfection: pepper jack, frozen spinach, diced ham, and orange peppers (briefly sautee the peppers to soften them). Dash of hot sauce on top before adding the final cheese. And switch to convection bake (if you have it) about halfway through. Another TIL: avoid red onions.

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Credits

By Naz Deravian

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