This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These High Protein Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins are a great make ahead breakfast that make getting your protein for breakfast easy and fast!
Getting a high protein breakfast is not always the easiest thing. I’ve never been a morning person, and now that I have kids there are even more challenges to hurdle over before I can even think about breakfast. My husband and I started making high protein egg muffins without cottage cheese years ago, such as THESE and THESE. But I had never tried to add that super star ingredient that is cottage cheese until recently.
What are the nutritional benefits of cottage cheese?
Cottage Cheese is having a moment, and for good reason. If you are trying to get more protein in your diet, cottage cheese is a great source. It has more protein than Greek yogurt, about 24 grams of protein one cup. It is also high in other nutrients like vitamin B12 and selenium. I have never liked the texture of cottage cheese, so blending it into these silky egg cups allows me to take advantage of this benefits without having to struggle with the texture.
One thing to keep in mind about cottage cheese is that it tends to be pretty high in sodium. Check the labels when purchasing and look for a lower sodium version if you can find one. Although low sodium versions do exist, I haven’t been able to find any at my local grocery stores. For that reason, and because the other ingredients in this egg muffins recipe are salty, I add very little additional salt to the recipe.
The secret to silky smooth egg muffins
If you have ever made high protein egg muffins, you may have noticed they can get a rubbery texture pretty easily. I found that the easiest way to combat that is to bake these egg cups in a water bath. After filling the muffin tin cavities with the egg mixture, set the muffin tin in a baking sheet in the oven. Pour boiling water into the baking sheet so that the muffin tin is sitting in the water. Much like you would bake a cheesecake in a water bath, this gently heats the eggs at a more even temperature, keeping them tender and not rubbery. The cottage cheese also helps with this, as it keeps the egg proteins from forming tight bonds.
Make Ahead High Protein Breakfast
What I love about these cottage cheese egg cups is that they are an easy way to get a high protein breakfast on busy mornings when I don’t really have time to cook. I make a batch of these on a day I have some extra time, then keep them in the fridge for the rest of the week. My son loves them and it makes the chaotic school day mornings so much easier! Not to mention getting breakfast for myself which I am otherwise likely to forget. I pop a few of these in the microwave and in 30 seconds we have a warm, delicious and nutritious breakfast that we can eat while running out the door.
More Make Ahead Breakfast Recipes You Will Love
- Make Ahead Croissant Breakfast Casserole
- Make Ahead Croissant French Toast Casserole
- Make Ahead Egg Muffins
- Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal.
High Protein Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 6 slices bacon
- 12 ounces cottage cheese about 1 and 1/2 cups
- 4 ounces Grated cheddar cheese about 2 cups
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Place rimmed baking sheet on rack and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 12-cup nonstick muffin tin with parchment paper muffin liners (do not use regular paper liners) or spray with vegetable oil spray. Bring a kettle of water to boil.
- Meanwhile, add chopped bacon to a cold 12 inch skillet, then heat over medium-high heat. Cook bacon until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate.
- Add 1½ cups cottage cheese to blender, blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Add 1 egg to blender blend until just combined. Whisk remaining 11 eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Pour cottage cheese mixture into the bowl with the eggs and whisk to fully combine.
- Divide the grated cheddar cheese and bacon evenly among prepared muffin cups. Pour egg mixture over filling (cups will be very full). Use skewer or butter knife to carefully stir each muffin cup to evenly disperse fillings and remove air bubbles.
- Transfer muffin tin to baking sheet in oven and pour enough boiling water onto baking sheet to fully cover bottom. Bake until sides have begun to pull away from muffin tin and centers are set. Internal temperature should register 170 to 175 degrees, about 25 minutes.
- Transfer muffin tin to wire rack and remove eggs muffins from muffin tin as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Serve right away, or allow to cool completely and then store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat egg muffins in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
