Make these Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups for a seriously easy, transportable breakfast meal prep using only three ingredients! The simple tot crust is the best base for a soft or hard cooked egg inside, topped with chopped bacon!
Me in 2023: Trying to embrace the simple. Also trying to reduce my cheese intake 😅 The good news for both of us is these Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups will make you believe that maybe cheese isn’t always necessary for a scrumptious savory breakfast.
I got the idea for tiny tater tot egg cups after making one of the best breakfast casseroles of my life with an entire bag of tater tots. It was so damn good, I realized tots could be the foundation of individual breakfast cups just like the casserole version.
That casserole was made with basic breakfast ingredients, but with these egg cups, I went even simpler with just the tots, eggs, and bacon. Meal prep doesn’t always have to be the most creative thing ever. Frozen potatoes can be the answer!
What are the ingredients in these Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups?
The simplicity of this recipe is really what makes it so amazing. Just three ingredients (plus salt & pepper: pantry staples!) give you these make-ahead friendly, beautiful breakfast cups.
Here’s a little more detail on each of the ingredients I used in these Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups:
- frozen tater tots – In total, we use exactly 32 frozen tater tots for this recipe! That’s because there are 8 muffins total and 4 tots go into each muffin. I tested this with Ore-Ida brand and Trader Joe’s Potato Tots. The TJ’s brand actually browned much better around the outside with the same cook time, but both were totally delicious.
- eggs – For this recipe, you’ll need 8 eggs. When choosing eggs from your carton, pick the smaller ones for this recipe if possible. That way, the eggs won’t overflow when you crack them over the tots.
- cooked bacon (or bacon bits) – You can choose to make your own bacon bits at home, or use store-bought. If making them at home, cook your bacon until nice and crispy, then chop up 6 slices into small bits. If there’s other leftover bacon from the pack, use it on sandwiches, salads, or just eat it 🙂
- salt & pepper – These are traditionally not included when counting ingredients because they’re pantry staples everyone should have. For this recipe, I used about 1/4 teaspoon each of fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Recommended equipment:
To make these Tater Tot Crust Egg Muffins, you’ll need a standard sized muffin pan that can hold at least 8 muffins.
I really like my OXO Non-Stick Muffin Pan (affiliate link!), which is pictured here. You could also use a silicone muffin pan (affiliate link!). I don’t have one of this size but I think it would work perfect for this recipe!
If you do use a metal muffin pan, I recommend lining it with these Reusable Silicone Baking Cups (affiliate link!). I tested lining with paper and it did not work at all! Go for these or spray very liberally with non-stick cooking spray.
These egg cups are super simple to make as long as you have a muffin pan. You’ll start by preheating the oven and cooking the tater tots.
I already said this above, but it’s important to grease the pan liberally, OR use a silicone mold or liner for your egg muffins. By the way, I did test with paper liners, and it went horribly. Do not try it!
After your muffin pan is prepped, grab the tater tots. You’ll need exactly 32 of them. Add 4 tater tots to each muffin pan well, then arrange them so they’re standing upright with no overlap. This way, each tot will be equally exposed to the heat to get crispy.
Bake the tots until they look nice and crispy on top, which takes about 22-25 minutes depending on your tots and your oven. When you remove them from the oven, you want to get going on the next step so everything stays nice and hot.
Use an oven mitt with one hand and a shot glass or spoon in the other. Carefully smash the cooked tots down into the muffin pan wells. Use enough force so that the smashed tots start to come up the sides and form a crust, but don’t push so hard that you can see the bottom.
If you’re using a shot glass, I found that twisting the shot glass on the way up helps the tater tots remain in the muffin pan instead of sticking to the glass. I prefer this method over using a spoon because it’s the perfect shape and works in one swift motion!
Next, crack an egg into each muffin pan well, taking care not to let the egg spill over the side of the liner, if that’s what you’re using. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt and pepper to taste, then add about 1-2 tablespoons of chopped cooked bacon on top.
Immediately place the muffin pan back into the oven for bake for another 10-16 minutes, until the whites on top are set. Your exact cook time on this step will depend on how well done you like your eggs cooked.
For softer cooked eggs (pictured), cook for 10-13 minutes. The top might still jiggle just a little bit, but the whites on top should be set. For harder cooked eggs, cook for 13-16 minutes. The egg cups should not jiggle at all when the pan is moved.
If you take the egg cups out of the muffin tin and discover they are not cooked enough to your liking, that’s okay! It’s super easy to cook the eggs more when they’re reheated. The bacon and tots are already cooked through, so you only need to worry about cooking the egg a little more later.
Best tips for making Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups:
Here are my tips for making the best Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups:
- Undercook the eggs. If you’re meal prepping these egg cups, I recommend slightly undercooking your eggs by 1-2 minutes. The eggs will fully cook through when you reheat them later. This helps prevent them from overcooking.
- Use silicone. Silicone is by far the best tool for this job. I recommend using either an entire silicone muffin tray, or silicone liners. Just don’t use paper.
- Use smaller eggs. Large eggs might overflow your muffin liners (if you’re using those). Aim for using the smaller eggs in your carton.
- Watch the toppings. Be careful not to add too many toppings. It could cause the egg cups to overflow.
Can I use ham instead of bacon?
Sure! Just be sure not to use so much that it overflows the egg cup. I recommend sticking with just 1-2 tablespoons of topping, depending on the size of your eggs.
Can I add cheese?
Totally! A sprinkle of shredded cheese under the egg, on top of the egg, or both would be delicious!
Can I add more veggies?
As noted above, you can change out the toppings and swap the bacon, but be careful not to add too many extras because it could cause the egg to overflow. Stick with 1-2 tablespoons of extras, bacon included.
How should you serve these Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups?
This is a marvelous breakfast meal prep because it’s super basic and has several applications. Here are a few ways to serve and enjoy these tot egg cups:
- on their own, in all the glory that potatoes, bacon and eggs deserve
- hear me out! SMOOSH this entire egg muffin onto a toasted and sliced bagel. Perfect in every. single. way.
- reheat with some cheese on top and some fruit on the side!
- if you don’t have a microwave, a quick option is to chop it all up and reheat in a skillet!
- add some fresh peppers, mash it up, and serve it on a tortilla!
How do you meal prep these Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups?
This recipe is excellent for meal prep – it’s portioned, transportable, and super simple to make ahead of time. Here are some ideas for meal prep:
- Prep for the week: Make the recipe as written, then portion the ingredients evenly into four meal prep containers and enjoy throughout the week.
- Complete prep & freeze: Make the recipe as written, then wrap each egg cup tightly in parchment paper and stick in a freezer safe bag in the freezer. Take the egg cups out as needed, thawing overnight if possible. Enjoy within 3-6 months for best quality.
- Enjoy now & later: Prepare all the ingredients and make the recipe as written. Eat some for breakfast right now, then save the rest in an airtight container and enjoy over the next 4 days.
Store cooked Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups in an airtight container with lid in the fridge and enjoy within 4 days.
To freeze, wrap each egg cup tightly in parchment paper and stick in a freezer safe bag in the freezer. Take the egg cups out as needed, thawing overnight if possible, then following the reheat instructions below. Enjoy within 3-6 months for best quality.
To reheat, wrap the egg muffin in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave in 20 second intervals until hot and steaming all the way through. This should take about 1 minute and 20 seconds or so.
We also like using our HotLogic Mini Oven (affiliate link!) to reheat these egg cups, as it doesn’t overcook the egg and keeps everything hot until we’re ready to eat.
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Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups
Make these Tater Tot Crust Baked Egg Cups for a seriously easy, transportable breakfast meal prep using only three ingredients! The simple tot crust is the best base for a soft or hard cooked egg inside, topped with chopped bacon!
- Total Time45 minutes
- Yield8 egg cups 1x
Ingredients
- 32 frozen tater tots (about 1/3 of a bag)
- 8 medium eggs (see note)
- salt & pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon each)
- 6 strips of cooked bacon, chopped into bits (see note)
Instructions
- Prep & cook tots: Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying non-stick cooking spray liberally into 8 of the 12 muffin tin wells, or by lining with silicone muffin liners (my preferred method). Place 4 frozen tater tots into each of the 8 muffin tin wells, arranging them so they are standing up straight and no tots are overlapping each other. Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, or until the tops of the tots are noticeably browned and crisp. Remove from the oven and immediately continue with the next step.
- Add eggs & bacon: Carefully use a shot glass or a spoon to smash the cooked tots down into the muffin pan wells. Use enough force so that the smashed tots start to come up the sides and form a crust. Next, crack an egg into each muffin tin well, taking care not to let the egg spill over the side of the liner (if using liners). Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle each one with about 1-2 tablespoons of chopped cooked bacon.
- Bake: Immediately place the pan back into the oven for bake for another 10-16 minutes until the whites on top are set. If meal prepping, I recommend undercooking the eggs by 1-2 minutes to avoid overcooking when reheated. The exact cook time of this step depends on how well cooked you want your eggs:
- For softer cooked eggs (pictured), cook for 10-13 minutes.
- For harder cooked eggs, cook for 13-16 minutes.
- Serve & store: Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Enjoy immediately, or store in an airtight container with lid in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Eggs: Try to pick out the smaller eggs in your carton for this recipe, instead of the larger ones. The goal is to keep the egg contained inside the muffin liner. A bigger egg might spill over the sides.
Bacon: You can use store-bought or homemade bacon bits for this recipe. Check out my full post on How to Make Homemade Bacon Bits for stovetop and oven instructions.
Additional toppings: Feel free to add a sprinkle of cheese to the top of each muffin if you want. Be careful adding too many other toppings or ingredients – you don’t want the egg to spill over the edge. If you want to add veggies, I would recommend substituting for the bacon so there’s enough room in the muffin tin.
Equipment: I highly recommend using silicone for this recipe, either a whole silicone muffin pan or individual silicone muffin liners.
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Breakfasts
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 egg cups
- Calories: 353
- Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Protein: 18g
Did You Make This?
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If I use silicone muffin pans, do I still need to spray them with cooking spray?
Hi Nancy – Good question, if you use silicone muffin pans, I don’t think you need to spray them. It should be non-stick. 🙂 Let me know how they turn out! -Danielle