This copycat recipe for Costco & Starbucks-Style Keto Egg Bites is endlessly versatile in terms of flavor combos and is so much cheaper than buying them premade. Whip up a batch this weekend and enjoy easy, inexpensive, protein-packed breakfasts all week long!
My copycat Costco egg bites are a lifesaver for busy mornings. Much like the store-bought favorites, these fluffy little frittata bites are jam-packed with high-quality protein and are bursting at the seams with rich, savory flavor. They're the perfect quick breakfast that's safe for a keto diet!
The base of this easy egg bites recipe requires just two ingredients: eggs (or egg whites) and cottage cheese. From there, you can easily customize them with the fillings of your choosing. The prep is also a snap—you’ll only need to spend about 15 minutes in the kitchen to make a batch! And the best part? Microwaving egg bites takes just 30 seconds, so a healthy high-protein snack is never far from reach.
In the recipe card below, I’ll give you the details for making my three current favorites—the Mediterranean (sun dried tomatoes, sautéed spinach and feta), the Denver (ham, sautéed bell pepper and onion, and cheddar cheese), and the Cowboy (smoked gouda, crumbled black forest bacon and sliced green onions)—but feel free to mix and match to suit your mood.
Love easy, inexpensive breakfast recipes? Check out my DIY Egglife Egg White Wraps, Oatmeal Banana Protein Pancakes, and High-Protein Berry Cheesecake Overnight Oats next!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This DIY Egg Bite Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- Equipment Needed To Make Egg Bites At Home
- How to Make Keto Egg Bites in the Instant Pot
- Optional Variations
- Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Expert Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- FAQs
- Copycat Costco Egg Bites & Starbucks Egg White Bites
- 💬 Reviews
Why You’ll Love This DIY Egg Bite Recipe
- Meal Prep Magic. You can prepare a batch of 21 mini egg bites (in 3 different flavors) in just 15 minutes. That’ll set you up for a week’s worth of yummy mornings with no chance of boredom!
- Completely Customizable. Whether you prefer Costco egg white bites or you're a fan of Starbucks egg bites made with whole eggs, and whether you want vegetarian egg bites or meat-filled bacon and cheese egg bites, this recipe is for you! With tons of options for mix-ins and simple tweaks for dietary preferences, these low-carb egg bites can be tailored to your exact specifications.
- Budget-Friendly. Spending $5+ for just 2 measly egg bites from Starbucks stores is borderline offensive to me. For roughly the same amount (say $4 for a dozen eggs and $1.50 for 1 ½ cups of cottage cheese) I can make more than 10x as much and feed myself for a week—and they taste just like the real thing!
Ingredients & Substitutions
As promised, you only need a handful of simple ingredients to make Costco-style keto egg bites. Here are the main ingredients to grab:
- Whole Eggs - If you have the room in your budget, I recommend purchasing Certified Humane eggs for the best flavor, nutrient makeup, and animal welfare. Feel free to swap in egg whites for less calories, or use liquid egg whites (about ¼ cup per egg).
- Cottage Cheese - This secret ingredient boosts the protein and gives these little egg bites a deliciously custardy texture. Feel free to use either large or small curd cottage cheese; we’re blending it, so you won’t be able to tell either way. I personally prefer full-fat cottage cheese with 4% milkfat or higher, but you can use low-fat if you prefer.
- Olive Oil - Spritzing the inside of your egg bite molds with a bit of oil helps them slide out more easily. You’ll also want a bit of oil to sauté any raw veggies before adding them to the mix.
- Mix-Ins of Choice - The sky is really the limit here! Feel free to use any bits and bobs floating around in the crisper drawer or repurpose your leftovers. Below, I offer 3 particular flavor combinations, but hop down another section for more mix-in inspiration.
Mediterranean Egg Bites
I got the inspiration for these vegetarian egg bites from an old Starbucks breakfast wrap I used to love.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes - You can use either dried or oil-packed, but note that the oil-packed ones will be softer while the dried ones will be chewier. Make sure to drain the oil thoroughly before chopping and adding the tomatoes to the mix. Not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes? Roasted red bell peppers are a good alternative.
- Fresh Spinach - A handful or two of baby spinach will sauté down to bright green perfection. Feel free to season it with garlic or lemon if you like. You can also use defrosted frozen spinach pressed to remove any excess liquid.
- Feta Cheese - I love the sharp tang of feta, but goat cheese is another good option here. I recommend crumbling your own for the best flavor and the best price.
Denver Ham & Cheese Egg Bites
These ham and cheese egg bites are modeled after the famous Denver omelet.
- Thick Cut Ham - I prefer chopped ham steak to sliced deli ham, but either will work. I recommend using regular ham instead of honey-baked, but that’s just me.
- Green Bell Pepper - For a touch of vegetal earthiness. If you prefer spicier foods, try swapping in a poblano.
- Yellow Onion - I like how soft and sweet yellow onion gets when cooked, but you can swap in red onion, white onion, or shallots instead.
- Cheddar Cheese - Feel free to use yellow or white, mild, medium, sharp, or extra sharp cheddar.
"Cowboy" Bacon Cheese Egg Bites
These smoky bacon and cheese egg bites are Joe’s favorites.
- Scallions - Also known as green onions. Use both the pale and dark parts for the best combination of flavor and aesthetics.
- Bacon - I like to use uncured bacon, but you do you. Any variety will do the trick—thick or thin cut, maple or Black Forest, turkey or pork. You can also swap in vegetarian bacon bits if you prefer.
- Smoked Gouda - This mild, creamy cheese adds an extra hit of smokiness, perfect for pairing with bacon. Feel free to swap in the cheese of your choice. (The Starbucks version of bacon egg bites uses gruyère cheese.)
Equipment Needed To Make Egg Bites At Home
To make these Instant Pot egg bites, you’ll need an Instant Pot or electric multicooker and an Instant Pot silicone egg mold. If you're in the habit of buying your egg bites, these puppies will pay for themselves in a single batch. If you don't have an egg bite mold and don’t want to buy one, you can use silicone muffin cups instead—they'll just yield larger egg muffins.
You’ll also need a blender (or food processor) and a sauté pan or small nonstick skillet for any meats or veggies that would do better being cooked. If you're wondering what those items are, think of an omelette. You'd cook your mushrooms and bacon before adding them to an omelette, right? Same idea here.
How to Make Keto Egg Bites in the Instant Pot
The base of the "sous vide" egg bites are super simple. Just 4 eggs (or about 1 cup of liquid eggs or egg whites) and ½ cup of cottage cheese is all you need to create the fluffiest egg bites around. Remember that these increments will yield a full silicone egg bite mold for 7 bites. (Thank you Erin from Platings and Pairings for figuring out the base proportions!)
Step 1: Prepare your breakfast bite mix-ins and spray your egg bite mold with oil or nonstick spray. If you're making multiple versions of these Instant Pot egg bites, I recommend corralling your ingredients into your preferred flavor combos, as illustrated below.
Shred your cheese. Sauté any veggies that have a high water content— think mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash, leafy greens, etc.—with a touch of oil and a bit of salt. This will keep your egg bites from becoming watery and separating. Cook any meats that you're planning on adding to the mix. Sausage, bacon, chicken, steak, or even vegan "meats" should be cooked according to directions before adding to the mix.
Step 2: Make Egg Mixture. In the pitcher of your blender, add 4 eggs and ½ C of cottage cheese (to fill one egg bite mold). Blend until uniformly combined. (You may still see some small bits of cottage cheese curds; that’s totally fine.)
Step 3: Add Flavor. Tip in the mix-ins. Blend for 5-10 seconds to evenly disperse the additions, then pour evenly into an egg bite mold. It should nearly fill all 7 wells of a single mold.
Step 4: Cook. Cover the mold with silicone top, then wrap top tightly with foil. (While the foil isn't necessary to making the egg bites, it will keep them from popping the lids off the molds and making them into wonky shapes.) Repeat with other batches as needed.
If you have the 6qt Instant Pot like me, only two egg bite molds will fit in at a time. Pour water (1 cup is sufficient) to the base. Using the trivet handles, lower in the first two egg bite containers. Set the instant pot to steam on high for 10 minutes, then naturally release for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Store or Eat. Remove the lid and carefully remove the trivet. Invert your yummy egg bites onto a plate when they're cool enough to handle. Eat straight from the mold, or allow to cool about 10 minutes before popping into deli-tainers for the fridge or a relatively airtight bag for the freezer. If you made several flavors, I recommend labeling each container so you can get the variety you want.
Optional Variations
- Egg White Egg Bites - Swap in egg whites for some or all of the whole eggs for a lighter version. Liquid egg whites will make short work of it!
- Dairy-Free Egg Bites - Use your favorite vegan cottage cheese for all the flavor and none of the dairy.
- Vegan Egg Bites - I haven’t tried it, but I think you should be able to make JUST egg bites using vegan liquid eggs and plant-based cottage cheese. Either omit the cheese as a mix in, or use your favorite vegan version.
Mix-In Ideas
Y'all, I'm not even joking here. These egg bites are infinitely adaptable to whatever you have on hand. I'd recommend no more than about ½ cup of soft cheese per 4 eggs, and no more than ¾ cup of additional fillings. In terms of what you can add, the sky is basically the limit. The following list is in no way comprehensive, rather is just a launchpad for your imagination!
- Cheese: Pretty much any kind of melty cheese will do. Some of my favorites include cheddar, gouda, havarti, goat, feta, monterey jack, fiery pepper jack, and low-moisture mozzarella cheese. You can also use a cheese blend.
- Meats: Go for breakfast classics like cooked crumbled sausage, chorizo or vegan sausage. You can also expand your range to include deli meats, or leftover chicken, steak or pork.
- Cooked Veggies: Most fresh produce will need to be cooked first. Try roasted or sautéed mushrooms, spinach, kale, arugula, hash browns, home fries, onions, harissa roasted carrots or harissa sweet potatoes, zucchini, summer squash, roasted peppers, or corn.
- Fresh Herbs: Stick to tender herbs like parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, or tarragon, or small hard herbs like thyme.
- Canned Beans are a great source of fiber and vegetarian protein—try black beans, chickpeas, or cannellini beans. Make sure to drain and rinse them first.
As you can imagine, there are tons of creative flavor combinations for these copycat Starbucks egg bites. My advice is, if you’d like it in an omelet, chances are you’ll like it as breakfast bites. Here are just a few of our other favorites:
- Broccoli cheddar egg bites made with roasted broccoli florets. You can also use leftover curried chicken divan—just leave out the croutons.
- Bacon and gruyere egg bites are a Starbucks staple. If you can’t find gruyere cheese, regular swiss cheese will do the trick!
- Kale and mushroom egg bites made with sautéed greens, browned mushrooms, and monterey jack cheese are perfect for vegetarians.
- Spinach and roasted red pepper egg bites are another Starbucks favorite. Add some jack cheese for richness.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- These low-carb Costco egg bites will last you up to a week in the fridge. Let them cool to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container.
- This copycat version of Kirkland egg bites will keep for up to three months in the freezer—make sure to use a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn. If you don't have a vacuum sealer and want to freeze your egg bites, try this water displacement hack.
- Reheating: Pop however many you'd like to eat on a microwave safe plate. To reheat from refrigerated, microwave for 30-40 seconds. To reheat frozen egg bites, microwave for 1:15-1:45 minutes. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- For the best results, make sure to grease the silicone mold first before pouring in the egg mixture.
- Use hot water to fill the Instant Pot to help it come to temperature faster.
- Cage-free eggs are shown to have better nutritional stats—if the cost isn’t prohibitive, consider making the switch!
Serving Suggestions
If you're like me, mornings are a serious struggle. About all I can handle before the work day begins is microwaving 1-2 of these puppies and pouring myself an enormous cup of coffee. I literally eat them straight from the plate with my fingers like a caveperson, maybe with a few shakes of hot sauce.
If you're a bit more sophisticated, or at least more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed than I am at o-dark-thirty, they'd go great with a side salad, fresh fruit, or a sweet yogurt parfait with granola, and a homemade Starbucks pumpkin spice latte or spicy Mexican mocha.
FAQs
Absolutely! They’re a great option for meal-prep and can be frozen for up to 3 months. For more details, hop back up to the storage instructions.
Up to a week, but use your best judgment. If they smell “off,” toss them.
I turned to my favorite Certified Nutritionist, Megan, to answer this question. Here’s what she had to say:
“With approximately 9 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs, and 103 calories per egg bite, I would consider these little guys to be a healthy snack or breakfast for most. The nutritional data will obviously change depending on what you add to the mix—sticking to low-calorie, nutrient-dense options like sautéed spinach or other cooked veggies and skipping heavily salted or processed meat (e.g. bacon or sausage) will be healthier than meat-and-cheese-heavy varieties.
You should also note that the online nutritional calculator we use in our recipe cards doesn’t give perfectly accurate nutritional information. For example, in this recipe, the stats are based on an average of all 3 types of egg bites—chances are the Mediterranean has a better nutritional profile than the Cowboy thanks to the inclusion of more veggies.
All in all, I have no problem calling these “healthy egg bites.” Just be mindful of things like sodium and saturated fat when choosing your fillings and make sure to supplement your meals with high-fiber items like fruit and veggies throughout your day for a balanced diet. And, if you’re still not sure if eggs are a good fit for your diet, consult with your doctor or an RDN like me!”
Technically, these are not made using the French sous vide technique of vacuum sealing a food and immersing it in warm water to cook. In fact, I'm not even sure how you could vacuum seal an egg bite for sous vide cooking! But since this is a copycat recipe for Starbucks sous vide egg bites or Three Bridges egg bites, I used the parentheses to indicate the style of the food rather than the method of the cooking.
Absolutely! The beauty of these Instant Pot egg bites is how little time they take to prep. Increasing the number of batches you want to make shouldn't impact your prep schedule much at all, unless you're making a bunch of different flavors.
Once you have the method down, you can cook up to two silicone molds worth at a time. While I only listed three filling ideas below, cooking 4 trays takes the same as cooking 3. And don't feel like you have to wash out the molds if you're just going to pop them back in the pot!
Each cook time takes about 5 minutes to warm up, then 10 minutes to cook and 10 minutes to release. But remember, once the egg bite molds are in the Instant Pot, you can go about your business until it's time to take them out.
No worries at all. Just make a single batch of 7 if you prefer, using just 4 eggs and ½ cup of cottage cheese and up to ½ cup of grated cheese and up to ¾ cup of whatever other mix-ins you want. But remember, these homemade egg bites freeze beautifully, so maybe do Future You a favor and freeze the second 7.
If you tried this recipe and loved it, be sure to rate and review it below! For more inexpensive and delicious recipe inspiration, be sure to follow me on Pinterest. You can also get all of my newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my email newsletter!
Copycat Costco Egg Bites & Starbucks Egg White Bites
Ingredients
- 12 large Eggs preferably Humane Certified
- 1 ½ C Cottage Cheese preferably 4% milkfat
Mediterranean Bites
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- ¼ C Sun Dried Tomatoes chopped fine
- 3 handfuls Fresh Spinach
- ¼ C Feta crumbled
Denver Bites
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 2 slices Thick Cut Ham chopped fine
- ¼ C Green Bell Peppers chopped fine
- ¼ C Yellow Onion chopped fine
- ½ C Cheddar Cheese shredded
Cowboy Bites
- 2-3 Scallions sliced thinly
- 2 slices Bacon preferably Black Forest, cooked, drained and crumbled. Keep sauté pan out for other bite mixes.
- ½ C Smoked Gouda shredded
Instructions
- Prepare each bite mix. For Mediterranean Bites, heat oil in sauté pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add 3 large handfuls spinach, chopped sun dried tomatoes and a three finger pinch of kosher salt. Cook until spinach is just wilted, then remove from pan and toss with feta.
- Using same sauté pan, heat another teaspoon of olive oil for the Denver Bites mix. Once shimmering, add ham, bell peppers and onions. Cook until veggies are getting a bit soft. Remove from heat. Keep cheese separate.
- Stir together bacon and green onions for Cowboy Mix. Keep cheese separate.
- In the pitcher of your blender, add 4 eggs and ½ C of cottage cheese. Blend until uniformly combined. Tip in Mediterranean Bite mix. Blend for 5-10 seconds to evenly disperse the additions, then pour evenly into an egg bite mold. It should nearly fill all 7 wells of a single mold. Cover mold with silicone top, then wrap top tightly with foil.
- In the pitcher of your blender, add 4 eggs and ½ C of cottage cheese. Blend until uniformly combined. Tip in cheddar cheese for Denver Bites and blend until uniformly combined, 10-15 seconds. Tip in Denver Bite mix, then blend for 5-10 seconds. Pour evenly into an egg bite mold. It should nearly fill all 7 wells of a single mold. Cover mold with silicone top, then wrap top tightly with foil.
- If you have the 6qt Instant Pot like me, only two egg bite molds will fit in at a time. Fill the bottom well of the Instant Pot with 1 C water. Using the trivet handles, lower in the first two egg bite containers. Set instant pot to steam on high for 10 minutes, then naturally release for 10 minutes. Remove lid and invert egg bites onto a plate.
- Add remaining 4 eggs and cottage cheese to the pitcher blender. Blend until uniformly combined. Add cheese and blend until combined, 10-15 seconds. Tip in Cowboy Bite Mix, then blend for 5-10 seconds to combine. Pour evenly into an egg bite mold. It should nearly fill all 7 wells of a single mold. Cover mold with silicone top, then wrap top tightly with foil.
- Using the trivet handles, lower in the last egg bite mold. Set instant pot to steam on high for 10 minutes, then naturally release for 10 minutes. Remove lid and invert egg bites onto a plate.
- To reheat from refrigerated, microwave for 30-40 seconds. To reheat from frozen, reheat for 1:15-1:45 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- These egg bites are infinitely adaptable to whatever you have on hand. The base should always consist of 4 eggs and ½ C cottage cheese. Then add in up to ½ C of soft cheese. Fillings should not exceed ¾ C after cooking. The following list is just a launchpad for your imagination!
- Cheese ideas:
- Cheddar, Gouda, Havarti, Goat, Feta, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, You get the idea...
- Filling ideas:
- Cooked crumbled sausage, chorizo or vegan sausage
- Deli Meats
- Cooked mushrooms, spinach, arugula, hash browns, home fries, onions, sweet potatoes, zucchini, summer squash, roasted veggies, etc.
- Fresh herbs: parsley, cilantro, thyme, basil
- Canned black beans (drained and rinsed)
- Frozen (briefly sauté if frozen) or canned corn (drained)
- Cheese ideas:
- It will take the same amount of time to make 4 trays of egg bites as 3. If you have a big family or just want to knock out even more meal prep, follow the same instructions for a 4th recipe!
- Wrapping with foil after the silicone lid will keep the egg bites contained and ensure a more even shape. If you don't have foil on hand, don't worry, they just might end up looking a little wonky
- Egg bites will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days. They should last in a relatively airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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