Recipes · Breakfast
Egg Muffins for Kids (Easy, Freezer-Friendly Breakfast)
A 15-minute tray of egg muffins kids fill themselves: breakfast for half the week or a lunchbox main.
Egg muffins are the breakfast we come back to most on school mornings. They take fifteen minutes of hands-on time, a single bowl, and whatever vegetables are hiding in the fridge. Bake a tray on Sunday and you have warm breakfasts for half the week, or a protein-packed main for the lunchbox.
Why they work for picky eaters
Children are far more likely to eat food they helped make. Here the job is easy and safe even for a three-year-old: pick the vegetables, drop them into the cups and sprinkle the cheese on top. Each muffin is its own little portion, so a child who only wants pepper can have a pepper one, and nobody has to negotiate over a shared dish.
The egg also holds the vegetables in place. Spinach that would be pushed to the side of a plate gets eaten when it is baked inside something soft and cheesy.
Which vegetables to use
Any mix works, as long as it adds up to about 2 cups. A few combinations our kids like:
- Pizza: tomato, red pepper and a pinch of dried oregano.
- Green: spinach, peas and green onion.
- Clean-out-the-fridge: leftover roasted vegetables, chopped small.
Frozen spinach or a frozen vegetable mix is fine. Thaw it and squeeze out the water first, or the muffins turn soggy.
For the lunchbox
Pack egg muffins cold, next to an ice pack, because eggs need to stay chilled until lunch. They go well with a few cherry tomatoes (halved for little ones), cucumber sticks and a piece of fruit.
Make ahead and freeze
Cool the muffins completely, then keep them in a sealed box in the fridge for up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap each one and freeze for up to 2 months. Warm them in the microwave until hot all the way through, then let them cool a little before serving.
A note for younger children
For toddlers and preschoolers, cut the muffin into small pieces and halve or quarter any round foods served alongside. The muffins must be fully set in the middle before they come out of the oven: no runny egg for small children.
Egg Muffins
- Serves 6
- Prep 15 min
- Cook 20 min
- Vegetarian
- Nut-free
- Freezes well
- Ages 3–12
Kids can help: Choose the vegetables, drop them into the muffin cups and sprinkle over the cheese.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup diced bell pepper
- 1 cup cooked spinach, squeezed dry and chopped (or frozen and thawed)
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- ½ cup diced tomato
- ½ cup grated Edam or mild cheddar cheese
- 6 eggs
Method
- Heat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) and lightly grease a 6-cup muffin pan (non-stick is best).
- Divide the vegetables between the muffin cups and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Beat the eggs and pour them over the vegetables to fill each cup.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until puffed and set all the way through, with no runny egg in the middle.
- Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before lifting out.
Tip: Cooked mushroom, broccoli or a handful of mixed frozen vegetables all work in place of the spinach.
Allergens: Egg, milk. Check labels on bought ingredients. Cooking with heat, knives and blenders is a grown-up job.
