Make Ahead Breakfast Muffins

These savory Make Ahead Breakfast Muffins can be made with the vegetables, cheese and meat you like best. Serve these little egg cups on a brunch buffet, or freeze to reheat for an easy weekday breakfast.

You can really never have too many easy options when it comes to weekday breakfast. I know I don’t want to be spending a ton of time making something elaborate, but I do wake up hungry and like to have an energizing breakfast. If I can work some fiber and protein into it, all the better.

I usually rotate between savory cottage cheese breakfast bowls, and some type of egg bake to use up odds and ends we have in fridge (leftover cornbread breakfast casserole being a frequent flier).

When I get tired of those, I turn to this simple Make Ahead Breakfast Muffins recipe that can be made in advance, frozen for about a month, and reheated in just a minute.

These muffins are an idea for busy weekday mornings for your family throughout the year, but are also right at home on a brunch buffet, perhaps for Mother’s Day.

These brunch muffins are adaptable for different dietary restrictions and preferences.

Below, I’ve listed the ingredients I like best for these make ahead breakfast muffins. But the best thing about this breakfast muffin recipe is how adaptable it is.

If turkey bacon is more your speed, check out my tutorials on how to cook turkey bacon in the oven and turkey bacon in an air fryer use that instead of regular bacon.

You could also use crumbled breakfast sausage or chopped up ham (I recommend my old fashioned ham and bean soup if you have LOTS of leftover ham to used up). Or, you can simply leave the meat out altogether.

Instead of mushroom, kale and sundried tomatoes, you could use spinach, bell peppers and onions (even a batch of fajita veggies). Or just about any other combination you can think of!

If you don’t have Parmesan cheese, just about any type of cheese will work here! I’ve tried this with everything from feta (if I have it around for feta dressing) to Monterey Jack to goat cheese left over from goat cheese pasta salad, and it turns out great every time.

If you’re watching cholesterol, you can even make this recipe with all egg whites instead of whole eggs. I’m guessing you will need about a dozen egg whites.

The ingredients I used for these make ahead breakfast muffins:

• eggs – you will need 7 large eggs to make 12 make ahead breakfast muffins.
• milk – this stretches the eggs further, and adds a touch of creaminess to this breakfast muffin recipe.
• Parmesan cheese – I love the sharp, salty flavor that Parmesan adds to this recipe.
• bacon – I started with my oven baked bacon recipe, and crumbled it, before starting my muffins. Bake a few extra slices for a smoked salmon BLT.
• mushrooms – I used thinly sliced cremini (baby bella) mushrooms here and in my chicken stroganoff, but white button mushrooms work, too. Any leftover mushrooms can be used to make lentil ragu!
• kale – about 1 cup, packed, of finely chopped fresh kale will be enough for these brunch muffins.
• sundried tomatoes – I love the unique flavor these add to breakfast muffins, as well as pesto pasta with veggies.
• basil – I included a pinch of dried basil in the egg mixture, but dried parsley, or fresh basil or parsley is great, too! Extra fresh herbs can be used for my summer beet salad recipe.
• salt and pepper – for seasoning the egg mixture for these savory breakfast muffins.
• nutmeg – I think that a pinch of nutmeg adds a certain something something to any baked egg dish.
• nonstick cooking spray – for coating the muffin pan so the egg cups slide right out.
• pumpkin seeds (optional) – kind of random, but I had some around, and I added them to the top of these brunch muffins to add a little crunch! You can skip these if you prefer.

How to store savory breakfast muffins:

These make ahead breakfast muffins can be made and served immediately, or, like my shortbread thumbprint cookies they can be in made in advance to eat later.

After baking, transfer the savory breakfast muffins to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. From there, they can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days, OR transferred to zip-top bags and frozen for later use. 

If you love freezer recipes, even fancy desserts like coconut creme brulee and pumpkin creme brulee are able to be frozen!

How to reheat this breakfast muffin recipe:

In less than a minute, these make-ahead breakfast muffins can be microwaved for a hot and tasty homemade breakfast!

Brunch muffins can be re-heated in a microwave straight from the refrigerator or freezer. Place as many as you want to eat on a microwave-safe plate and microwave 30 to 45 seconds or until heated through.