Copycat Starbucks Egg Bites

My husband came home raving about the Sous Vide Starbucks Gruyere Egg Bites, and he asked if I could recreate them based on his description.  Let me just say that I have made A LOT of egg bites in the past 3 weeks to find the best way to make fluffy Gruyere & Bacon Egg Bites for easy grab-and-go breakfast.  Yes, I even made a "Green Eggs and Ham" version. 

While we have a Sous Vide, trying to recreate the egg bites using other recipes I found didn't produce the results we were looking for.  I also tried pressure cooking them, but they came out much more dense than we wanted.  

So noting all that didn't work, I've finally come up with a recipe that we love.  I have used Gruyere and sharp white cheddar, arugula, spinach, and kale.  We LOVE adding my pickled cowhorn peppers and blending them into the mixture for some extra kick, too.

Enjoy!

Copycat Starbucks Gruyere &  Bacon Egg Bites

Printable Recipe

By Dawn at LearningAsISew.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs - yolks & whites separated

• 1/4 C Heavy whipping cream

• 1+ C  grated  Gruyere cheese (or hard cheese of your preference)

• 1/2 C cottage cheese

• 2 C fresh greens of choice, chop for about 1 C (spinach, kale, arugula, etc.)

• 4-6 slices of thin cut bacon, cooked, and chopped

• Tabasco - to taste (optional)

• Peppers (optional)

• Salt & Pepper as desired

Directions:

1. If using the Instant Pot and Silicone Egg Bite Mold, add 1 C of water to the pot, cover with glass lid, and set to saute.  If using the Egg Poaching pan, add water to the bottom reservoir, cover with the lid only, and place over low heat on the stove.

2. Spray the molds (silicone or for the egg poaching pan) with cooking spray.

3. Place egg whites and heavy whipping cream in a blender or whip with an immersion blender until very frothy. (2-3 minutes)

   
   
   

4. Add cheeses (reserve a bit of the grated Gruyere to top the egg bites after they cook) and Tabasco or other hot sauce as desired and blend until smooth and uniform.  (I wouldn't recommend salsa, because it will make it runny.)

   
   

5. Add yolks, and blend.

   
6. If you choose to add pickled or fresh peppers, you can add them now and blend again, or you can just stir them in according to your preference.

7. If you want "Green Eggs & Ham," add the spinach and blend thoroughly.   If you want "regular" egg bites, you can add greens and pulse very briefly to mix them in.

   

8. Add most of the chopped bacon and stir.

9. Place remaining bits of bacon in the bottom of molds.  (If you need to reserve some for a second batch based on the size of your molds, then set some aside.)

   

10. Pour EQUAL amounts into each mold.  I would recommend filling them about 3/4 of the way, because they will "inflate" like a soufflé before shrinking, and if they get too big, they can break and fall into the water below.

    

11. If using the Instant Pot, use the metal trivet with handles to lower the mold into the I.P. and recover with the glass lid.  Do not seal and set for pressure.  If using the Egg Poaching pan, add the tray layer with the egg poaching molds, recover with the lid, and turn heat to medium.

12. Set a timer for 8 minutes.  Do not uncover while they cook.  If you have a glass lid, you will see them puff up and "dome" as they cook.  If they aren't fully domed, continue to cook for another minute or two.

13. Carefully remove molds and use a small knife to loosen the egg bites from the sides of the molds and turn onto a clean surface.

14. Top with remaining shredded cheese and a slice of pepper if you desire. (You can broil them at this point to brown the cheese, but I just let the residual heat melt the cheese.)

    

15. Refrigerate or freeze, and reheat when ready to eat!