Necessity really is the mother of invention! This recipe came about one day when I didn’t have enough bacon to make my bacon and egg breakfast muffins. I had some nitrate-free ham in the fridge and I figured since ham and eggs are delicious together, it was worth a try.
I’m so glad I decided to try it out, because these were so tasty and easy to make. (They were so simple, in fact, that the second time I let the kids make them!)
Easy Ham and Egg Breakfast Cups
These ham and egg breakfast cups have become a regular at our house, especially on busy mornings when we don’t have a lot of time to spend on cooking or cleaning up. Added perk, they’re portable! (Note: Make sure they are cooked until firm if transporting. I definitely do not recommend runny eggs in the car!)
To make these ham and egg cups, line each hole of the muffin tin with a couple pieces of ham. Crack an egg into each hole… this is the part my kids think is fun! (They knew how from my favorite Kids Can Cook course, but this video on how to crack eggs also helps.)
Add sprinkle of salt and a dash of pepper and they are ready to slide into the oven.
Pro tip: Don’t worry if the ham hangs over the edges quite a bit. It will shrink considerably as it cooks.
Customizing Your Breakfast Cups
The breakfast cups don’t take long at all to cook, so set a timer!
- If you like your eggs soft-set, cook them for about 8-10 minutes.
- If you like them a little firmer, cook them for 10-15 minutes.
Also, if you prefer the texture of scrambled eggs, you can whisk the eggs in a bowl with some salt and pepper before pouring them into the ham-lined muffin tin compartments. If you have any chicken egg allergies, you can substitute with duck eggs if you have access to them.
Like all egg recipes, these are delicious with all kinds of toppings: green onion, feta, salsa, caramelized onion, dill… the sky’s the limit! Just add a dollop or sprinkle or dash of whatever suits your fancy after the breakfast cups come out of the oven.
Note when adding cheese: Layer it over the ham and under the egg for the best results.
Ham & Egg Breakfast Cups Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 24 slices ham
- ¼ cup shredded cheese (optional)
- 12 eggs
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line each compartment of a regular muffin tin with two slices of ham.
- If using, sprinkle one teaspoon of cheese into each compartment on top of the ham.
- Crack one egg into each compartment.
- Sprinkle each with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how firm you like the yolks to be. If you prefer soft or runny yolks, cook 8-9 minutes.
- Top with green onions, feta, or other desired toppings and enjoy.
Nutrition
Notes
Maybe I’ll try these next with the filling for my spinach quiche!
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What is your favorite on-the-go breakfast? Any unhealthy options you wish there was a healthy version of? Share below!
Made this morning. Only had sliced Turkey on hand and they were delicious even without extra toppings. What a smart idea! So easy too.
These look absolutely delicious. Can they be made in such a way as to be able to freeze them, then microwave? I’m looking for “meals on wheels” ideas to bring to the elderly in my family.
Hi there, just wondering how long these would keep in the refrigerator? Wondering if I could make a batch up for the week, or part of it etc. Cheers, look delicious, will have to get some more eggs and try them!
I love these! Try pouring a little bit of cream or milk into the eggs–no need to mix–it makes them lovely and creamy (no pun intended). I cooked them in ramekins set in an inch of water in my pyrex. Heavenly!
these are YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Made these with bacon instead of ham and OMG SOOO YUMMY! even my daughter ate half of one and i usually have to cover an egg in cheese to get her to eat them. thanks for the recipe!
preheated oven to 400….but after 10 minutes the eggs were just barely beginning to cook. Just gave it another 10 minutes and will see what happens. Sounds delicious so fingers crossed they cook up soon!
cooked at 400 for 30 minutes…at 10 minutes they just weren’t done. Very delicious!
Glad you enjoyed them… It’s amazing how different ovens can be… I think our oven runs really hot, but I’m glad they turned out good for you!
I made this for me and my hubby this morning but we don’t eat pork so we used Turkey instead and they were amazing….it took more like 15-20 minutes of cooking though.
Yummy suggestions for nitrate free ham!
Boars Head is a good brand. Even Drs say it’s OK for pregnant women.
This looks great! Do you think it would work well with bacon? I prefer that to ham.
Bacon works great too, in fact, here is a similar one I make with bacon… https://wellnessmama.com/1084/breakfast-egg-muffins/
Perfect, thanks!
Oh my stars, those look incredible! Can’t wait to try!!!
These look so good! I haven’t found a nitrate-free ham (mainly because I haven’t looked for one), but I think I might stop by Whole Foods so I can try out this recipe. I love that you didn’t scramble the egg- makes it look pretty and I know I’d like it cooked that way as well.
My favorite breakfast is bacon, sausage and eggs with ketchup on the side. But my favorite on-the-go breakfasts are, without a doubt, your Bacon and Egg Breakfast Muffins. SO YUM! The only thing I don’t love about them, and it might just be the kind of bacon I get, is that they get really greasy while baking. But I look past it and enjoy them either way!
Yum Sounds great, can’t wait to try!