Easy Low Carb Keto Ham Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins
Just 8 simple ingredients for this easy breakfast for busy mornings! These high protein keto cottage cheese egg muffins have 12 grams of protein each and less than 1 g net carb!
Cottage Cheese Egg Bites
These cottage cheese egg bites are the most perfect breakfast for the family! Easily customizable to suit your personal taste buds!
Whether you call them cottage cheese muffins or egg bites, either way these are a quick breakfast and easy recipe using leftover ham the whole family will love. I made these in a muffin tin but this could also be baked in an 8 by 8 baking dish if you prefer.
Using cottage cheese makes these egg muffin cups have 12 grams of protein per one egg cups.
It’s the perfect way to start the day with a high-protein breakfast and easy meal prep for the family to grab-n-go. Make a double batch and freeze in an air-tight container for up to 3 months!
If you don’t have any leftover ham from the holidays, then you can also use deli ham sliced up for this easy low-carb breakfast.
These moist cottage cheese breakfast muffins are more like a copycat of Starbucks egg bites rather then a savory cottage cheese muffin made with white flour or all purpose flour.
Carbs in Traditional Egg Muffins
Most traditional egg muffins are usually keto friendly or have a small amount of flour in them and layered with cheese, sausage and an English Muffin.
I actually couldn’t find anything on the app Cronometer, for just egg muffins. So I went the nutrition information for Starbucks egg bites with three cheeses and bacon. Two egg bites have 13 grams of protein and 7.1 grams of carbs.
Our Ham Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins have 1 gram of total carbs and 12 grams of protein in one egg muffin. The rest of the nutritional info is located on the full recipe card below.
Ingredients in Starbucks Egg Bites
Starbucks Bacon & Gruyere egg bites according to their website have the following ingredients:
COTTAGE CHEESE [CULTURED NONFAT MILK, MILK, NONFAT MILK, CONTAINS 2 % OR LESS OF: WHEY, SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, CITRIC ACID, CARRAGEENAN, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, LOCUST BEAN GUM, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, CARBON DIOXIDE (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), ENZYMES],
EGGS [EGGS, CITRIC ACID, WATER], CHEESE BLEND [MONTEREY JACK CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), GRUYERE CHEESE
POTATO STARCH, POWDERED CELLULOSE, NATAMYCIN (A NATURAL MOLD INHIBITOR)], UNSALTED BUTTER [PASTEURIZED CREAM, NATURAL FLAVORS],
UNCURED BACON AND CELERY JUICE POWDER [PORK, WATER, SEA SALT, CANE SUGAR, CULTURED CELERY JUICE, CHERRY POWDER],
RICE STARCH, CORN STARCH, SALT, WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR , HOT SAUCE [DISTILLED VINEGAR, RED PEPPER, SALT]
The ingredients that shocked me are the maltodextrin, corn starch, rice starch, and cane sugar!!
Can I replace the whole eggs with egg whites?
Yes you can make these egg white bites instead by replacing the whole eggs used in this recipe with egg whites instead.
More Add-Ins for Extra Flavor
Fresh Spinach or red bell pepper would be great additions to the cottage cheese mixture.
Can I swap the ham?
Yes if you don’t like ham or don’t have any to use, pork sausage, ground chicken or even turkey sausage would be great options.
Just cook the meat before adding to the egg muffin recipe.
Can I Change the Cheese?
You can swap the mozzarella cheese I used in this savory breakfast with sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack or gruyere if you prefer.
For best results and cheesy flavor, pick a soft cheese that is gooey and melts easily.
More Cottage Cheese Recipes
Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Cranberry Cottage Cheese Bread
High Protein Chocolate Smoothie
Peanut Butter Cottage Cheese Fudge
Air Fryer Cheddar Cottage Cheese Biscuits
Cottage Cheese Sheet Pan Lasagna
Cottage Cheese Chicken Patties
Cottage Cheese Tiramisu Ninja Creami Ice Cream
Cottage Cheese Lemon Cream Pie
Cottage Cheese Protein Waffles
Cottage Cheese Strawberry Mousse
Easy Low Carb Keto Ham Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins
Easy Low Carb Keto Ham Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ham diced
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
- optional: garlic powder, onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12 capacity muffin pan with avocado oil or olive oil cooking spray or if you prefer use a silicone muffin pan or parchment paper liners for easier removal.
- Place half the diced ham into each muffin cup. Set aside the rest.
- In a large bowl, place the eggs, cottage cheese, heavy cream, mozzarella and salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Pour egg mixture into each muffin liners cup or silicone mold.
- Add the rest of the diced ham into each cup. Sprinkle in chopped scallions into each cup.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes until puffed up and golden brown around the edges. Cool slightly then enjoy.
- Storage: Place any leftover egg muffins into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or cover with plastic wrap.
Notes
.9 grams net carbs for one egg muffin
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
I just made this last night and it was delicious! I made the first time in muffin pan but the cleanup wasn’t fun so this time I decided to put in 9×9 pan and cut into 12 squares. Cleanup was so much easier & it tasted the same. This will be a regular in my rotation of meals. Great heated up as leftovers too. I just combined everything but the ham in a food processor. Sprinkled half the ham into the pan, poured the mixture over it, added the rest of the ham and sprinkled the top with some extra cheddar cheese. Baked at the recommended temp but had to cook about 10 min longer til toothpick came out clean. Delucioys!
I meant Delicious..lol
These were delicious! My husband was skeptical because of the cottage cheese but he loved them too. Question: should you cream the cottage cheese first or use as the small curds? I did not whip the curds first and when filling the muffin cups, some were chunky with cheese & curds and some were more liquid-y. Seems it would blend better to cream the cottage cheese. Thoughts?
You could use a food processor instead of just mixing in a bowl. For me I didn’t even see curds after it was baked so it wasn’t an issue.
I have made this several times. I did substitute egg powder for half of the eggs to improve consistency. Fabulous.
Excellent, thanks! Were they a bit drier in texture then?
I have made these several times now and they are very good! Easy to make and my husband has no idea that they contain cottage cheese! I make a batch on Sunday to use as a quick weekday breakfast.
Excellent, thank you!
Can these be frozen?
I think so but we ate them up quickly so I haven’t tried it.
So far every recipe I’ve tried has been sooooo good. For this recipe I used bacon instead of ham and baked in 9×9 pan. Worked great! Thank you for all you do to give us healthy recipes.
Thanks Amy!
I make these frequently (sometimes I change up to cooked sausage or cooked bacon if I don’t have ham on hand). I put all the ingredients into my food processor/blender until everything is mixed up (2 min or so) and then I pour into each sprayed/buttered muffin cups. It brings out the flavors so much more since everything is incorporated.
Made this egg muffins and they are great! I changed the egg amount to half eggs and the remaining half to egg substitutes from a carton. I added more veggies and used mozzarella cheese since that is what I had on hand. Added breakfast sausage instead of ham but it came out well! Loved the high protein egg muffins for breakfast.
Glad to hear it!
Can you use something lower calorie than heavy cream?
You can swap it with coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk but with a lower fat content, it will change the texture.
Highly recommend, easy to make. The flavours are great & light/fluffy in texture.
Thank you!
what brand of cottage cheese do you use? everything I’m seeing has at least 5 carbs per serving.
I use a lactose free brand, Green Valley or Lactaid. It has 5 grams of carbs per 1/2 cup.
I love egg bites but every time I make them, they turn out watery. What am I doing wrong?
It might have been the recipe, but this one is velvety and creamy so I hope you’ll try again. Also could be the size of your eggs you’re using. Maybe use small eggs.
LaWanda, are you draining off any liquid that is in your cottage cheese? Sometimes I buy different brands and some have extra liquid on top. It could also be your ham is very juicy, try frying it up in a pan before adding it to the recipe, that will also bring out some extra flavor and draw out any liquid. Try mixing it all up in a blender/food processor (see my comment on this) and then pour that into each egg cup.
I’ve just made it with my Christmas leftover. There are amazing! All my family loved it. Thanks Sugar free mom and have a wonderful 2025 years
Thank you so much Sylvie!