These sausage egg cups are mini baked breakfast bites made in a muffin pan for easy portions. One batch makes 12 breakfast bites so they're handy when you want a savoury breakfast meal prep for several mornings without having to fry an egg each day.
I've made plenty of egg-based breakfasts and one thing I've learnt is that you have to be careful adding in milk or cream into the mixture as once it's reheating it can go a little gluggy. I use a water trick (I do the same in my freezer-friendly breakfast sandwiches) which helps keep the eggs light and fluffy rather than dense after reheating-you can even see the little air pockets in these once they're baked.
TL;DR
- Servings: 12 cups (approx. 4 servings)
- Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 18-22 minutes
- Meal prep: Easy to portion into individual serves and eat cold or reheated. Pair with toast, fruit or another breakfast side if you want something more substantial.
- Fridge storage: 3-4 days in airtight container. Add paper towel between layers to prevent sogginess.
- Freezer storage: up to 2 months for best texture
- Reheating: Microwave approx. 30 secs (add 15 secs each cup). Oven or air fryer at 180°C / 350°F for 5-7 minutes from chilled.
- Customise: Swap the sausage, vegetables, herbs or cheese depending on what you already have.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Customisable. Add whatever vegetables need using up, similar to how I add extra zucchini and vegetables to my sheet pan breakfast burritos and bacon tomato egg bites.
Small. Individual muffin cups make these easy to portion, pack and grab from the fridge on the way out.
Freezer-friendly. The egg mixture uses water rather than milk, which is the method I use when preparing baked eggs specifically for freezing and reheating.
Ingredients
Water. I use water instead of milk because I've found it gives my baked egg meal preps a lighter texture and performs better after freezing and reheating.
Frozen spinach. I recommend frozen because it is already wilted and much easier to distribute through the egg mixture; microwave until thawed, then remove the obvious excess liquid without squeezing it completely dry.
Sausages. I used cheap supermarket beef sausages and they worked a treat because the sausage meat is already seasoned and can simply be broken out of the casing. Slightly more expensive sausages with better-quality beef and additional seasoning do give you more flavour, so choose based on your budget and preference.
Feta. Adds salty pockets through the sausage egg and cheese mixture and gives you a different texture from grated cheese alone.
Grated cheese. I generally use mozzarella alongside feta because it melts easily, but cheddar, tasty cheese or a cheese blend will also work.
Dried oregano. Sausage and cheese already bring plenty of flavour, so oregano adds a simple savoury herb note without requiring another handful of ingredients.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and variations
Different sausages. Beef, pork or chicken sausages can all work in these breakfast bites. Remove the casings and distribute the raw sausage meat evenly between the muffin cups.
Other protein Prefer bacon to sausage? Swap the sausage for diced bacon. You could also use some leftover shredded chicken if you want!
Different vegetables. Finely diced capsicum, mushrooms, onion, zucchini or leftover roasted vegetables can all be added, but cook or drain watery vegetables first so they don't make the egg cups soggy.
Different cheese. Use all mozzarella, cheddar, tasty cheese or whatever combination needs using up. Stronger cheeses will naturally give the breakfast bites a more pronounced flavour.
Ingredient.
How to make Sausage Egg Cups
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Generously grease a regular 12-hole muffin pan or use a silicone muffin tin, which makes the cooked egg cups much easier to remove.
Step 2. Microwave the frozen spinach until thawed enough to separate. Press or squeeze out the obvious excess water so it is damp rather than dripping wet.
Step 3. Add the eggs, spinach, feta, cheese, oregano, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Whisk and stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Step 4. Remove the casings from the sausages and break each sausage into small pieces directly between three muffin cups. This works out to approximately one sausage across three regular muffin holes.
Step 5. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage, leaving a little room at the top of each muffin cup because the eggs will puff as they bake.
Step 6. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden and the egg is completely set through the centre. A skewer inserted through the middle should come out without liquid egg attached.
Because the sausage goes into the muffin pan raw, it also needs to cook completely through. If using a thermometer, check the sausage in the thickest section has reached at least 71°C.
Step 7. Let the sausage egg cups sit in the muffin pan for approximately 5 minutes before removing them. This gives the egg structure a chance to settle and makes them easier to release without tearing.
Lauren's Top Tips
Don't overfill the cups. Eggs expand noticeably in the oven, so leave some space at the top instead of filling each muffin hole to the rim.
Break the sausage into small pieces. Smaller pieces distribute more evenly through each egg cup and cook more consistently than one large lump of sausage meat.
Don't overbake. Don't keep baking them because they still look very puffed. Egg cups naturally rise in the oven and then settle as they cool; extra oven time won't stop this and can instead make them dry.
Recommended Equipment
I recommend using a silicone muffin tin for sausage egg cups because baked egg releases from silicone far more easily than it does from a standard metal muffin pan.
A regular 12-hole muffin tin works perfectly well, but grease it generously before adding the sausage and egg mixture.
If you're using a mini muffin pan, begin checking the breakfast bites earlier as the smaller portions will cook more quickly.
Meal Prepping Sausage Egg Cups
These sausage egg cups are particularly useful for meal prep because the muffin shape already portions the recipe for you. You can store several together in the fridge, freeze extras individually and reheat only what you need.
They contain eggs and sausage with spinach mixed throughout, but they're still quite small. For a larger breakfast, I would generally have a few egg cups with toast, an English muffin, fruit or whatever else suits your morning.
Storing
Make sure the egg bites are cooled before popping a lid on as sealing them early will leave condensation in the container which will change the texture (no more than 2 hours at room temperature).
If stacking the egg cups, separate the layers with baking or parchment paper so they don't stick together.
They'll last in the fridge for 3-4 days if stored properly.
Lauren's Meal Prep Tip
The water in this recipe is particularly useful if you're planning to freeze the cups. I've tested water against milk in my other freezer-friendly egg meal preps and prefer the lighter texture I get once the eggs have been frozen and reheated.
Reheating
You can eat sausage egg cups cold, but I prefer them warmed slightly.
For one egg cup, microwave for approximately 30 seconds. If reheating two or three together, add around 15 seconds per additional cup and check the middle before eating.
Place them on a piece of paper towel in the microwave to catch some of the moisture released during reheating. The microwave is the quickest method, although it will give you the softest texture.
For slightly firmer edges, reheat the sausage egg cups in the oven or air fryer at 180°C / 350°F for 5-7 minutes from the fridge. This takes longer but gives you a better texture if you have the time.
Freezing
Let the sausage egg cups cool completely before freezing. Place them in a single layer on a lined baking tray and freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container.
Freezing individually first prevents the egg cups from sticking together, which means you can grab one, two or three without defrosting the whole batch.
Store in the freezer for up to 2 months for the best texture.
If reheating from frozen, add an extra 30 seconds to the microwave and an extra 2-3 minutes to the oven/air fryer method, checking the centre and adding extra time if needed.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
A silicone muffin pan is the easiest option because the cooked egg cups can be pushed out from underneath. With a metal muffin pan, grease every cup thoroughly and let the cooked egg bites rest for around 5 minutes before loosening the edges.
Egg cups puff as heated air and steam expand inside the egg mixture, then naturally settle as they cool. Some deflation is completely normal, so don't leave them in the oven longer trying to keep them tall.
You can add raw sausage meat directly to these egg muffins because it is broken into small pieces and cooks while the egg cups bake. Make sure both the egg is completely set and the sausage is cooked through; if checking with a thermometer, the centre of the sausage should reach at least 71°C.
Don't blame the water in the egg mixture - that's there intentionally to help keep the sausage egg cups light and fluffy. Excess moisture is more likely to come from spinach that hasn't been drained enough or from putting the egg cups into a container while they're still warm, which traps condensation.
Other meal prep breakfast recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my breakfast meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Sausage Egg Cups
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup water, see note 1
- 100 g (⅔ cup) frozen spinach, see note 2
- 4 thin sausages, subs note 3
- ½ cup feta, subs note 4
- ½ cup grated cheese, subs note 4
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preparing
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and generously grease a regular 12-hole muffin pan, or use a silicone muffin tin.
- Microwave 100 g (⅔ cup) frozen spinach until thawed, then press out the obvious excess water (damp is fine but not dripping wet)
- Add 8 eggs, ½ cup water, ½ cup feta, ½ cup grated cheese, 1 tbsp dried oregano, Salt and pepper and the spinach to a large bowl. Whisk until the eggs are well combined and the fillings are evenly distributed.
- Remove the casings from 4 thin sausages, thin and break the sausage meat into small pieces. Divide evenly between the 12 muffin cups, using roughly one sausage across three cups.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage, leaving a little space at the top of each cup for the eggs to puff as they cook.
Cooking
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and the centres are fully set. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out without liquid egg attached.
- Check that the sausage is cooked through before serving. If using a thermometer, the thickest piece should reach at least 71°C.
- Leave the sausage egg cups in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes before removing. This helps them set slightly and makes them easier to release without tearing.
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