I love my mini muffin tins! In my opinion, every mom with little kids should have at least one miniature muffin tin in her kitchen arsenal…they’re just so versatile! These 3-Ingredient Egg and Cheese Mini Muffins are a great make-ahead, healthy toddler breakfast or snack. Keep a stash in your refrigerator or freezer and reheat as necessary -- they're like portable, mess-free scrambled egg cups!
I’ve used my mini muffin tins for for more obvious recipes like miniature cupcakes and miniature blueberry muffins, but I also pull out these little pans when I want to make less conventional kid-friendly foods like mini mac and cheese cups or these Egg and Cheese Mini Muffins.
These little scrambled egg bites are a perfectly-sized breakfast for your toddlers to feed themselves. Want to serve a big kid or an adult instead? Just bake them in regular-sized muffin tins and increase your cooking time. They’re fast, portable, and freezable!
These Egg and Cheese Mini Muffins are my solution to hectic weekdays when I don’t have time (or any desire) to stand at the stove and make scrambled eggs for breakfast. Bake a batch, put them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer, and just microwave (or toast) one at a time when you need them. No defrosting necessary!
Serve with some toast and fruit for a healthy breakfast and savor your peaceful morning!
Egg and Cheese Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt NOTE: some folks have commented that the addition of the salt makes these too salty, so feel free to omit it or decrease the amount!
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅓ cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly spray miniature muffin pan with cooking spray or grease with butter.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.
- Pour egg mixture into prepared pan, filling cups about ⅔ full.
- Sprinkle cheese evenly among the cups. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until eggs set.
- Allow to cool in pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. When completely cooled, muffins can be wrapped in plastic and frozen.
- When ready to eat, simply microwave each mini muffin for 15-30 seconds, or until heated through.
How can I reduce the serving amt? I dont need it to feed 4-8. Or is there a way to preserve the muffins longer?
Hi, Amanda! You actually can do two different things:
(1) You could cut all of the ingredient measurements in half so that you're only using 3 eggs, 1.5 tablespoons of milk, etc. Then just fill as many muffin cups as you need with the ingredients that you have. OR;
(2) -- this is what I do: You can freeze any extra muffins in a ziploc bag and just take them out 1 or 2 at a time as you need them. You can thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and then microwave briefly in the morning, or you can just take them straight from the freezer to the microwave until they're completely thawed. Either way works great!
I have these in the oven for the first time. I tweaked it slightly with tiny diced ham, crushed Ritz on the bottom of the tin, and a tiny pinch of dry mustard and onion powder. I cut recipe I half for first try. Kiddo loves broccoli, so may add that next time. I hope it turns out well. Thanks for the recipe!
That's great! Thanks so much for letting me know. I hope that your little one likes them!
I followed some of your ideas , Poodys mom 😉 Thanks! Here's what I did: a few goldfish crackers, crushed in the bottom of each muffin spot; once I had the egg/milk (I used 2%)/salt+pepper+pinch of garlic powder+pinch of dry ground mustard whisked up, I poured it into the muffin spots filling 1/2 full, then I plopped about 7 diced ham pieces per muffin, then I didn't just sprinkle the shredded cheese 😉 I kinda stuffed it in (we love cheese in our family). Put it in the oven for about 13 to 14 minutes. Delicious!! And bonus: my picky eater girls (5y & 2y) loved these!
Thanks for stopping by, Ali-mama! I'm glad that your little girls enjoyed them, and I LOVE all of the variations on the recipe. Awesome ideas!
I'd like to cry to make these muffins and freeze them. Now I don't have a microwave, do you think these will work with a regular toaster oven?
Hi, Alice! Yes, I think that the regular toaster oven would work great. Let me know if you give them a try!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I just made it, but I don't have a mini muffin pan so I used my regular muffin pan. I had a question, though: I just tried one and it seems really salty. I kind of wondered when I was putting in the 1/2 t. of salt the recipe calls for if that wasn't too much, but I'm a strict stick-to-the-recipe kinda gal so I went ahead. Do you think it was too salty because the salt was not distributed evenly throughout mini muffins or is that really too much salt? Idk... thought?
Hi, Dayo! I'm so glad that you like the recipe! You know...salt is a really personal thing. Some folks have a higher tolerance for it than others, so maybe your food just doesn't need as much salt as ours does? I don't think that 1/2 teaspoon is too much, but maybe for your taste it is. 🙂 You should definitely try using 1/4 teaspoon next time or even skipping it altogether. Definitely give it a good whisk, too, just to be sure that all is mixed well. Perhaps the salt in the cheese alone is enough! I'd just play around and see what you like best!
Tried this recipe, done 5 min ago 🙂 It's pretty salty though... Will omit the salt in the future 🙂 thanks for the recipe!
Hi, Yvonne! Sorry that you found them too salty, but thanks for your feedback! I'll adjust the recipe accordingly. 🙂
How long would you say to bake them in regular cupcake size pans? Also, would it work just as well using cupcake liners?
Hi, Lisa! Sure -- give it a shot in regular muffin cups! I bake my Egg and Veggie Muffins (also on the blog!) at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes when I make them with regular muffin cups, so I would guess that these should be about the same. Anywhere between 25-30 minutes, I imagine. If you want to use paper liners, I would spray the paper liners with cooking spray before adding the egg mixture...just to be sure that they don't stick. I've never tried the paper, so let me know if it works out! 🙂
Pretty much all I had in the way of breakfast-making ingredients yesterday were eggs, cheese, and milk, but I wanted to make something tasty and not all dried out like some breakfast casseroles can be. This recipe was just what I was looking for.
I only had 4 eggs to work with, but I was still able to make 16 mini muffins. I used a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and lots of cheese (don't know how much) since we like our eggs cheesy & salty around here, and they turned out great.
They got a glowing review and requests for more from both my husband and toddler! What I love most about this recipe was how quick and easy it was to whip up and how healthy and hearty a breakfast it makes.
One tip I thought I'd pass on: I was worried about spilling egg everywhere when I poured the mixture into the muffin tin from my bowl, so I scooped it out with an 1/8 cup measure. I did 16 mini muffins with an 1/8 cup mixture in each. This worked really well!
That's awesome, Sarah! Thanks so much for letting me know about your success. 🙂 I'm glad that your family enjoyed them!
This sound fantastic! Do you think it will work with wheat flour? Would you make any modifications?
Hi, Lisa! You actually don't need to use any flour at all in these muffins, so I wouldn't even worry about switching to whole wheat. 🙂 Enjoy!
I made a batch for breakfasts this weeks to try something healthier than pre packaged food.. My 3 year old ate 4 before I could even put them away! I'm gonna saw she loves them.
Hi- does it have to be whole milk? Would skim work? Thanks!
Hi, Katie! Nope, it doesn't have to be whole milk. Skim will work fine! 🙂
Hi,
This is going to be a strange question but, I don't have a microwave any ideas on how I would reheat these??
Not strange at all, Kimberly!
I can't ever imagine eating eggs without salt... I think that these are perfect as is and thank you for the wonderful recipe! Both my 15 month old and 5 yr old love them!
That's wonderful, Kerry! Thanks so much for your kind words. 🙂 Isn't it great when you find an easy recipe that all of your kids will happily eat?!
These look great, how long would they last in the freezer and do you find if you don't defrost them first rather just put straight in the microwave to warm the egg is very soggy? Looking forward to giving these a try- thanks for posting 🙂
Hi, Niomi! It's funny that you just asked this question, because I currently have a container of these that are defrosted and waiting in my refrigerator! I don't think that they get too soggy, but you can put them on a paper towel to absorb some of the extra liquid if you prefer. Another great way to reheat them would be in the toaster oven at about 350 degrees. Left uncovered in the regular oven or toaster oven they would definitely dry up a bit. I don't think you can go wrong, though! I even eat them cold! 🙂
Hi I'm gonna be baking these up tomorrow to see how the kids like them and I'm wondering how you think they'll hold up in a lunch box for 4hrs before eaten without refrigeration/ice pack and no microwave to reheat? My son needs quick meal options with the little amount of time he is given and I'm trying to find things other than pbj sandwiches everyday. I'm all ears on any other suggestions for no fridge, no icepack, no reheatable lunch ideas.
Hi, Dorothy! Packing healthy, kid-friendly options can be so hard! I feel your pain. 🙂
I think that these are a great idea. Since quiches and frittatas can be served at room temp and they taste great, these little muffins should hold up perfectly as well.
Can your son bring nuts with him (I know that at some places they are off limits because of allergies)? If so, a homemade trail mix with cereal, nuts, raisins, pretzels, etc. would be filling and your son could customize it how he likes. To round out the meal I would add a cheese stick (I think it would be fine for a few hours without refrigeration) as well as an apple or other piece of fruit.
If you freeze squeezable yogurt tubes, applesauce pouches, and other items like that I know that you can put them in the lunchbox and they will thaw by lunchtime (but still be cold). They also act as an ice pack for other food in the lunchbox.
Some pasta salads are also good at room temp. My boys love pasta wheels with pesto sauce on them. You can add some grilled chicken or fresh mozzarella cubes to the pasta to make it more of a "meal," and it's great at room temp.
Hope that helps, and thanks for stopping by!
Just made the mini egg & cheese cups but added the cheese and cut up sausage to my muffin tin prior to pouring in the egg mixture. This filled 24 mini cups and wound up taking 20 min to cook through. They're currently cooling so i don't know how they taste yet. Ha! I'm making them for my 4 yr old & 2 yr old boys....hope they like them! Thanx for the base recipe!
That's great, Christina! Your "twist" on the recipe sounds perfect. I hope that your boys enjoy them.
Thanx so much! They loved them! I had wanted to freeze them to have for a later date but we went through them all in a week! Yay! Success!
Hello! Do you think unsweetened almond milk will work instead of cow's milk? Thank you!
Definitely! I've used both! 🙂
This seems to be a perfect recipe. I need something I can get my husband to eat in his way to work. He won't take the time to eat before he leaves. I'm going to make these today. I'm sure they will be a great hit. He is a diabetic and needs to eat breakfast. I am also going to add some ham to it. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe
Sonya
Hello,
can we use any cheese like mozzarella or tasty cheese instead of cheddar?
Hi, Swathi! Absolutely! These are very flexible, so feel free to use a variety of different ingredients -- including different cheeses, veggies, and meats!
"Perfect Breakfast" for my lil ones and their everyday health.. and of course Me - who is always on the rush.....
Thank you, Heather!
Delicious little bites!! My mini muffin pan must be smaller, as I easily filled 24 mini muffins and some were a bit too full. Next time I would put the cheese in first, then pour the egg mixture on top. Thanks for a great recipe!
Just made these, as I just found your website last night searching for kid friendly foods! So excited I found your website. I just made these and the kids love them. I did cut the salt in half but wish I would have followed the recipe exactly. Like you said it's personal taste but we are fam that likes flavor & salt! Thanks for the great recipe!
Wonderful! I'm so glad that you enjoyed them, Lindsay!
These are THE BOMB and now I finally have my toddler eating eggs. I replaced the cheddar with veggie cream cheese and used heavy whipping cream instead of milk. So yummy!
Blair, thank you so much for this recipe!
Thanks, Chris! I'm so glad that you found a way to get your toddler to eat eggs. I always like to snack on them, too. 🙂 Love the idea of using veggie cream cheese!
Is there a way to keep them from sinking in the middle? My spd toddler keeps saying “oh no” “oh no” because they are dimpled in the middle. He is obsessing.
Hi, Tanya! Not really -- they're not like flour-based muffins or baked goods that have leaveners or yeast in them, so they won't rise and stay firm in a dome shape the same way.
Hi Tanya,
I chopped some pomodorino tomatoes in half and popped one half (cut side down) in each muffin before sprinkling the cheese on top, and that seemed to support the dome quite well. I am using a very mini mini muffin tin though (the whole recipe did 30 muffins for me) so you might find if you have larger muffins a whole pomodorino might work better.
I realise I’m replying to a year old comment, but just in case this is still helpful I thought I might as well.
Thanks for the recipe, Blair! Yummy and healthy!
Thanks,
Kathleen
Thank you, Kathleen! I'm glad that you enjoyed them! 🙂
Hi!
I cooked mine and let them cool down completely before putting them in the freezer, when I took one out this morning and defrosted it in the microwave, it was kinda hard.. is it cause I over cooked them to begin with?
Thanks!!
Hi, Nikie! I'm not sure. The texture should be firm but not hard. I would compare it to the texture of a frittata or quiche. If your "muffins" were harder or more firm than that, it sounds like they may have been overdone...but it's really hard for me to say. I haven't run into that issue. Sorry I can't be more helpful!