If you like an all-american breakfast of eggs, bacon, and hash browns, then you’re going to love these easy egg breakfast muffins with a hash brown crust! They’re great for a quick breakfast or to feed a large group at brunch! And simple enough that you can make them ahead and eat them all week long!
Easy Breakfast Muffins with a Hash Brown Crust
I’ll be honest, I hate making breakfast. I love eating breakfast, but I hate making it. It just seems like it gets in the way of starting your day.
I’d much rather sleep in for a few more minutes and have a breakfast I can just pop in the microwave (like these bacon and egg breakfast rolls) and eat on my way to doing bigger and better things.
These breakfast egg muffins are just that. Make them once on Sunday and eat them all week long. And they’re good enough that I don’t even get sick of eating them, which seems to happen with food for me a lot when I eat it over and over again.
They’re also one of my go-to recipes anytime I’m hosting a brunch. These and this sausage breakfast casserole.
And a baby shower and let’s be realistic, anytime I can get away with making them. Because who wouldn’t love hash brown muffin cups for breakfast!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Hash brown crust – unlike so many other breakfast muffins out there, this one starts with a nice hash brown crust! You crisp it up in the oven before adding the egg mixture on top!
- Reheat great – like I mentioned above, these are great to make ahead of time then reheat when you wan to eat them!
Super easy – this recipe really couldn’t be any easier, as long as you don’t forget to take them out of the oven! - Versatile – while I have this recipe written with bacon bits, you could totally change it up and use ham or sausage inside of them instead!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Bacon – make sure it’s cooked bacon, and ideally you want it to be somewhat crispy!
- Cheese – I like to use shredded Mexican blend cheese but if you’d prefer something else like shredded cheddar instead, that’s fine as well!
- Hash browns – this is best made with fresh hash browns (that you can find in the refrigerated section) but you could also just shred your own fresh potatoes. Or if you’re in a pinch, frozen hash browns will work as well – just make sure to thaw them first and drain them so you don’t end up with a bunch of extra liquid.
How to Make the Breakfast Muffins
I told you these are really simple to make, and I promise it’s true! Get all of your ingredients together first. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve gotten 3/4 of the way through a recipe only to realize I’m missing a key ingredient, one of the only ones you can’t find a substitute for.
I used Simply Potatoes hash brown potatoes in my recipe, but you could really use any as long as they’re fresh and not frozen. If they’re frozen, just make sure to thaw and strain them first or the mixture will be too wet.
1 – Make the Hash Brown Crusts
Once you have all of your ingredients, make your hash brown potato mixture.
Spray a muffin tin with a non-stick baking spray.
Start by mixing the hash browns, one egg, oil, cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and parsley together in a large bowl until the hash browns are all coated nicely.
Once it’s all mixed up, use a spoon to divide the hash brown mixture among the muffin tins to make the crust of the breakfast muffins.
Use the back of a spoon or I personally use the back of a 1/4 cup measuring cup (so it’s flat), to press the hash browns down gently into the pan. This presses them together, forming the crust.
Pop those babies in the oven for a few minutes to let them crisp up slightly. They will not be super crispy (and you don’t want them to be), but they will have solidified into a crust. This will keep the egg mixture from just going straight to the bottom of the breakfast muffins.
2 – make the breakfast muffins
While the hash brown crust is baking, mix up your egg mixture by combining the rest of the ingredients, including the cooked bacon, in a large bowl. I recommend using a whisk to make sure all of the eggs get beaten well.
Once the hash browns are done, divide the egg mixture evenly on top of the hash brown crusts – filling them about 3/4 full.
Tip!
Make sure to scoop all the way to the bottom of the mixture every time you’re scooping in the egg mixture. The larger things like the pieces of bacon tend to sink to the bottom and you want to get some of that in every once of the breakfast muffins!
Bake the breakfast muffins for another 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are fully cooked. And with eggs, I tend to err on the side of overcooked compared to runny undercooked eggs!
You’ll know they’re cooked if you jiggle the pan (still in the oven) and the eggs are set and don’t jiggle.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin tins for a few minutes before using a silicone spatula to gently slide the breakfast muffins out.
Serve warm or let cool for a few more minutes before eating.
Expert Tips
Double the batch and freeze half. To reheat from frozen, simply put them in the cold oven and set it to 350 degrees. Let the egg muffins thaw and heat with the oven!
Mix it up and try using chopped ham, cooked breakfast sausage, or even leaving out the additional meat all together. These are super versatile and great for making your family’s favorite breakfast!
Use silicone muffin tins to make it super easy to get the breakfast muffins out of the pan! Sometimes non-stick (even when you spray them) muffin tins can get stuck, silicone ones work great every time!
Recipe FAQs
These egg muffins are just eggs, potatoes, milk, cheese, and the added meat of your choice. They’re a great protein heavy breakfast option!
Just like with any egg dish, refrigerate any leftovers! Refrigerate in an airtight container and you can enjoy these for up to five days or freeze!
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Banana choc chip muffins – this is the best banana muffin recipe ever! The perfect way to use leftover bananas!
- Pineapple bread – this may be more of a dessert than a breakfast recipe, but I enjoy it for breakfast! A bread that’ll make you want to be in the tropics!
- Bacon cinnamon rolls – a salty version of a classic favorite!
- Homemade sausage gravy – the ultimate southern breakfast food, perfect with homemade biscuits!
- French toast casserole with cream cheese – a perfect make ahead breakfast for a crowd!
Easy Breakfast Muffins with a Hash Brown Crust
Ingredients
For the hash brown crust:
- 1 20 oz shredded hash browns (or frozen, thawed and strained)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tsp olive oil
For the egg mixture:
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend (or your other favorite) cheese
- 12 slices crispy bacon cut up into bite-size pieces
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray two 12 cup muffin tins with non-stick baking spray.
For the hash brown crust:
- Mix entire bag of hash browns with egg, oil, cheese, salt, pepper, minced garlic, paprika, and parsley in large bowl until seasonings are well combined.1 20 oz shredded hash browns, 1 egg, 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp dried parsley, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1 Tsp olive oil
- Split hash brown mixture evenly among the 24 baking cups then pat it down with the back of a cup or other round container that fits into the muffin tins.
- Bake hash brown crust in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until it gets slightly browned and crispy.
For Egg Mixture:
- While crust is cooking, mix eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper, parsley, and bacon in a large bowl.12 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup shredded Mexican blend, 12 slices crispy bacon, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- Once hash brown crust is slightly browned, split the egg mixture evenly on top of the hash browns in the muffin tins, filling to about 3/4 full.
- Bake in the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked.
- Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing from the muffin tins by sliding a silicone spatula around the outside of the cups.
- Serve hot or at room temperature.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info
Update: This post was originally published in 2018. The recipe remains the same but the photos have been updated since. Below is an example of the original photos for reference.
ann e says
…can I use regular muffin liners
(the paper kind)??
BritniV says
I don’t really use muffin liners Ann, I just put the hash browns right into the pan. Make sure to spray well so they don’t stick!
jd says
I’ve made these twice now and have had the same issue both times. The egg mixture is only enough to fill 12 muffin cups 1/2 way. So I end up with 12 muffins of just hashbrown, unless I want to whip up another batch of eggs. The recipe itself is okay, I just wish the proportions were more accurate.
BritniV says
Thanks JD, you were right, the proportions were off. I just updated the recipe to address a couple of the comments – added more flavor to the hash brown crust and changed the egg proportion. I’d love to hear what you think if you make them again!
Lynn elwood says
These look so good,I’ll probably add extra veg of meat or change cheese. I just wanted to tell ur readers that is OK,as long as u r following the basics,u can change it up a bit. Ty casserole sounds good as well and that should work out fine,but would need a longer cook time. Ty for letting speak! Btw I love ur page and ur recipes,girl!!!
BritniV says
Thanks Lynn! I just made some changes to the recipe to add a bit more flavor to the crust, so make sure to use the updated recipe!
ruthie says
I really like that this made a large amount. I agree it needed more seasoning…like the ideas to add in onion, peppers, more seasoning. Also agree that the hash browns were the right amount but the egg mixture was too small for two muffin trays. I also would like to figure out a way to make the hash browns more flavorful…less dry and bland…maybe just more seasoning but thinking they needed some minced onion too. Anyway…glad I tried them and have some to reheat for the next few days.
BritniV says
Thanks for the comment Ruthie, I just updated the recipe to address a couple of the comments – added more flavor to the hash brown crust and changed the egg proportion. I’d love to hear what you think if you make them again!
Ale says
What temperature are you supposed to bake these at?????
BritniV says
The recipe at the bottom of the post specifically says 400 degrees. Hope you enjoy!
ale says
sorry, that was super hard to find on my phone/pinterest! thank you!
Michelle M. says
I was thinking of making for my family for breakfast this week. Can I just keep in fridge and pop in microwave to reheat?
BritniV says
Definitely Michelle, I do it all the time!
Delma says
Can this be done as a casserole and made the night before? Would all the eggs be put in over the hash browns?
BritniV says
I’ve never made it as a casserole but it should work okay. And you can do it the night before, but it definitely tastes better fresh. I’d put everything together and cook it the morning of if possible.
Heather says
Have you ever made them up the night before & then put them in the crockpot the next morning on warm to serve them for a big brunch?
BritniV says
I haven’t. I typically make the mixture the night before (you could even crisp up the hash browns if you want) and then just bake them the morning of.
Rhonda says
Hi Britni – have you made these without cheese? Any recommended recipe modifications? Have friend visiting who can’t do cheese. Thx!
BritniV says
I haven’t ever tried it without cheese, sorry!
Melania says
Made as ingredients listed with 24 count. Nutritional information per muffin: 226 calories, 15.5 g fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 714 mg sodium, 284 mg potassium, 9.1 g carbohydrates, 0.8 g fiber, 0.7 g sugar, 11.8 g protein.
Suggestions: For those that struggle to get it evenly into 24 cups or want a consistent calorie count. Mix hash browns per instructions. Weigh on scale and divide ounces by 24. Clear scale and measure out to evenly fill out each cup. Do the same thing for the bacon (do not mix with eggs). Mix the eggs as per instructions. Weigh egg mixture same as before. Measure out each portion per cup. NOTE: depending on size of the eggs will yield different volumes. Note the ounces so if your a little short you will know to add an egg next time.
Want to save a few calories. Omit the oil and just spray or mist the top of the hash browns with oil. Used turkey bacon and/or less cheese. We also sub the milk for cashew milk. By using turkey and cashew milk drops the calories to 137, 7 g fat, 80 cholesterol, 391 sodium, 163 potassium, 8 g protein.
Sorry we agreed the original recipe is a little bland. But if your cooking for kids probably just right. Variations: caramelized onions, garlic, sauté mushrooms, bell peppers, jalapenos, dill weed, tarragon, parsley and chives, or thyme. Serve with fruit or small dollop of sour cream, avocado, or salsa. I’ve omitted the bacon and made little piles of sausage or ham with the cheese just in the middle. Like a “nest” surprise. Try different cheese or think themes like Mexican or Italian etc.
One or two for serving suggestions. When I need to feed LARGE usually male appetites I serve them with biscuits and gravy.
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Haven’t had a chance to freeze them yet because theirs never any left. But my grandmother froze eggs all the time. We had chickens growing up and you never knew if you were going to have 30 eggs one day or 5. When in abundance we traded eggs with neighbors and what was left she scrambled and froze in small portions. Technically frozen eggs should be good for about three months but I would eat it within a month. If making large batches to freeze undercook the eggs a little. If just freezing left overs pop them in the freezer. Once frozen wrap in saran wrap a couple times and put them in a freezer container or zip lock bag. Reheat in the microwave.
BritniV says
Thank you for all of these suggestions and details Melania! I actually just updated the recipe to address some of the comments like adding more flavor, etc. I’d love to hear what you think if you make them again!