The sous vide machine may be most closely associate with meat—it is, after all, the secret to perfectly juicy chicken and steak cooked exactly the way you like it. But the tool can also come in useful for other ingredients, too. Take, for example, these sous vide eggs bites inspired by the ones at a famous Seattle coffee chain.
Crisp slices of bacon and a creamy egg mixture are cooked in a temperature-controlled water bath to yield light and fluffy bites that savory and satisfying. They can be made ahead of time and frozen, making them a great meal prep option.
The bites heat up easily when you're ready to head out of the door—just pop them in the microwave for one minute and you have an easy meal on the go.
Tips for Making the Best Sous Vide Egg Bites
- Canning jars are great for sous vide cooking since they are safe to heat up and come with lids.
- To prevent the jars from bobbling in the water, place them into the container or pot before adding water. If they're still not staying in place, you can place something heavy on top—just be sure it's also heat-safe.
- Do not seal the jars too tightly, which can cause them to break during cooking. Instead, use the “two-finger twist tight,” meaning you can easily untwist the jar with just two fingers.
Egg Bite Add-Ins: Get Creative!
There's no shortage of ingredients that you can add to egg bites. Try any of the following, alone or combined:
- Proteins: Browned sausage, chopped ham, cooked pancetta, crumbled plant-based bacon
- Cheeses: Shredded cheddar cheese, goat cheese, feta cheese
- Greens: Sautéed spinach, sautéed kale, sautéed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, chopped tomatoes
- Aromatics: Caramelized onions, chopped red onion, diced jalapeños
“These sous vide eggs bites are great if you need a protein-packed breakfast that’s easy to prep ahead of time. Aside from the bacon, most of cooking is hands-off. I had some trouble keeping my jars submerged and had to get creative finding items to place on top, but once that issue was resolved, I was able to walk away and let my sous vide stick do its thing. The bites were very creamy and decadent thanks for the Gruyere and heavy cream and reheated nicely the next day.”—Patty Lee
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
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3 slices bacon
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6 large eggs
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1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
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1/4 cup heavy cream
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2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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Chopped fresh chives, for garnish
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients. Set your sous vide machine in a large pot of water to 172 F.
The Spruce / Leah Maroney
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Bake, fry, or air fry the bacon until crisp.
The Spruce / Leah Maroney
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Add the eggs, grated cheese, heavy cream, cream cheese, salt, and pepper to your blender.
The Spruce / Leah Maroney
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Blend the ingredients until completely smooth.
The Spruce / Leah Maroney
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Grease six 4-ounce jars or ramekins with cooking spray. Cut the bacon in half and add a half to the bottom of each glass jar.
The Spruce / Leah Maroney
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Pour an equal amount of the egg mixture into each glass jar.
The Spruce / Leah Maroney
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Seal each jar with its lid until just “two-finger twist tight,” meaning you can easily untwist the jar with just two fingers. Any tighter and you run the risk of the jar exploding in the water bath.
The Spruce / Leah Maroney
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Place the jars in the water bath (completely submerged) and cook for 1 hour. Remove from the water bath with tongs.
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Slide a knife around the edge of the egg to release.
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Flip out of the jar onto a plate, Serve with chopped chives.
The Spruce / Leah Maroney
How to Store and Freeze
- Allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Place the cooled egg bites in freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat them in the microwave directly from frozen.
Recipe Variations
There are endless variations for these egg bites. Try out the different combinations below or create your own:
- Kale and Portabella: Sauté a cup of chopped kale and 3 sliced portabella mushrooms in olive oil with a 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whip the eggs with the heavy cream and cream cheese and then portion the kale and mushrooms evenly between the jars.
- Egg White and Roasted Red Pepper: Use 8 egg whites and beat them with 4 tablespoons of low-fat cream cheese. Divide a 1/4 cup of diced roasted red peppers among the jars and top with the egg white mixture.
- Sausage, Spinach, and Cheddar: Beat the eggs with the heavy cream and cream cheese and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Brown a 1/2 pound of sausage, then sauté 1 cup of spinach. Divide them equally amongst the jars and pour the egg mixture over the top.