Breakfast Cups are crispy tater tots that are smashed and topped with cheese, bacon, and filled with an egg mixture, all baked in a muffin tin. If these sound good to you, be sure to try my Loaded Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole.
Breakfast Cups
Breakfast Cups are a delicious way to enjoy crispy tater tots, scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese all in a cute muffin form. They are a quick grab-and-go breakfast if you make them ahead of time. They are also a wonderful addition to your brunch menu. And, you can easily make the recipe your own by adding your favorite vegetables or protein to the mix.
Ingredients
Potatoes: I used frozen tater tots that were already seasoned. You could also use regular tater tots and season with seasoned salt. They will be baked for about 20 minutes before you add the fillings; then, they will be baked again when filled. This will help them get nice and crispy.
Bacon: I cooked and crumbled the thick-cut bacon ahead of time. To do this, bake it on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in the oven for 18-20 minutes at 415°F.
Cheese: Mild cheddar cheese was my cheese of choice. You could use your favorite kind of cheese or a blend of shredded cheeses.
Eggs: The egg mixture had added onions and will be poured on top of the cheese and bacon before being baked.
Pre-Baking the Tater Tots
To get started with this recipe, first, place 5 tater tots into each muffin cup of a muffin tin. Bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until the tots are slightly crispy. (They will bake more after the toppings are added.) Once slightly crispy, remove the tater tots from the oven. Then, use the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass to smash the tots into the base and up the sides of each cup. Now, it’s time to get the cups filled and baked.
How to Make Breakfast Cups
Once the tater tots have been pre-baked and smashed, they are ready to be filled. Add about a tablespoon of shredded cheese to each cup, followed by a tablespoon of cooked and crumbled bacon to each. Reserve a little bit of bacon for garnish (optional).
After the cheese and bacon have been added, whisk together the egg mixture. Evenly pour the egg mixture into each cup, filling them about 2/3 of the way full. Finally, bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the centers are no longer jiggly. If you want to be sure the breakfast egg muffin cups are fully cooked, an inserted thermometer should read 160°F.
Remove the egg muffin cups from the oven and top with the reserved crumbled bacon and parsley. Let them rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
How to Store Breakfast Cups
As I stated above, these are great grab-and-go breakfasts. To store the egg breakfast cups, let them cool completely. Then, store them in a sealed container or storage bags in the refrigerator for up to a week. When you are craving one, simply pop one in the microwave for about a minute and enjoy!
Can I Freeze this Breakfast?
Yes! To freeze them, first, let them cool completely. Then, store them in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 months. Be sure to label and date the container. When ready to enjoy, let them thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations to Breakfast Cups
There are lots of ways to make these to satisfy your taste buds. Here are a few ideas you could try:
- Try these with a different protein, like cooked breakfast sausage, turkey sausage, or even leftover ham.
- Leave out the bacon altogether and go meatless. (I would add more veggies in place of the bacon.)
- Add a variety of your favorite vegetables like peppers, spinach, and mushrooms.
- Use a shredded cheese blend or your favorite kind of cheese.
- Substitute hash browns for the tater tots.
- Top with hot sauce, ketchup, or your favorite sauce.
More Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast Cups
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 1 package frozen tater tots, seasoned
Egg Mixture
- 8 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve some for topping), divided
- ½ cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- parsley, minced (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. (Don't skip this step! You can also use muffin liners)
- Place 5 frozen tater tots into each cup.
- Bake 15-20 (or until slightly crispy); they will continue to cook in a later step.
- Remove the tater tots from the oven and use a glass or the round edge of a spoon to press and form the tater tots into the base and up the sides of the muffin cups.
- Top each with ½-1 tablespoon of shredded cheese.
- Top with about 1 tablespoon crumbled bacon.
- In a medium bowl combine eggs, onion, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Evenly distribute the egg mixture into each muffin cup, filling each about ⅔ full.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer jiggly in the center.
- Garnish with reserved bacon and parsley. Let them rest about 5 minutes before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
Very good!!! I used jalapeño cheese, red and green peppers with a little extra cheese. Also peppered bacon is good in this. Not changing your recipe because I tried it first as written. Being from Texas I added a little more kick to it.
Could you pre make the cups the night before and then bake them again with the mixture the following morning?
Any tips
Hi😊🖐, I’m wondering if I make these the night before, is there an easy way to reheat them? Thank you!👍
Sorry I just read the whole post and not just the recipe.
“Yes! To freeze them, first, let them cool completely. Then, store them in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 months”
Thank you for your very complete posting
Could these be put in the freezer for an easy breakfast option?
Can I put a veggie instead of bacon?
Really tasty!
Personally, my muffin tins seem small, so next time I would only use 4 tater tots instead of 5 so I get more egg in each cup – but delicious none the less.
Also, because my tins are older, I did spray them down TWICE and that seemed to do the trick. (: