Air Fryer Egg Cups (aka Egg Muffins) make a tasty low-carb breakfast that can be easily jazzed up with Tex-Mex flavors, including taco-seasoned ground protein, pepper jack cheese, peppers, and onions.
Preparing eggs in an air fryer initially seemed counterintuitive to me. I've become so accustomed to babying eggs on the stovetop that a hands-off approach seemed too good to be true. Turns out, preparing eggs in the air fryer is a great - and hands-off - way to cook eggs.
It took a little experimentation to get these right, but these Air Fryer Egg Cups are perfect - light, "fluffy" and packed with flavor. This recipe makes six large Egg Muffins, so you can serve several people or have leftovers available to reheat for breakfast throughout the week. When I need a quick breakfast I like having these on hand to reheat and eat alongside an iced coffee. Learn how to cold-brew your own coffee so you can make iced coffees at home.
Because these Air Fryer Egg Muffins bring the Tex-Mex flavor, I like to serve them with complimentary condiments like Chipotle Blender Hollandaise, Roasted Salsa, or Guacamole. If you want to pair it with something sweet, give this Churro Dutch Baby Pancake a try!
I like to refer to the resulting dish as Egg Muffins because, well, just look at 'em! They cook up perfectly into a muffin shape when air-fried in ramekins. I've also seen these called Air Fryer Egg Cups or Air Fryer Egg Bites. Call 'em what you like, I hope you'll give them a whirl!
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How to Make Air Fryer Egg Muffins - Ingredients
- Large eggs - Ten eggs make 6 nice-sized egg cups that fit perfectly in these 6-ounce ramekins. Here's a conversion chart if you want to use a different-sized egg.
- 2% milk - totally fine to use whole milk or 1% or skim.
- turkey sausage (I used taco flavored) - or whatever protein sausage you'd like, just make sure to strain it after cooking.
- Yellow onion, finely diced - I don't recommend red as they stand out whereas yellow onions blend right into the resulting light yellowish egg bite.
- Poblano or green bell pepper, finely diced - or use a jalapeno or other hot pepper if you're feeling spicy.
- Pepper jack cheese, shredded - or really any good melting cheese you'd like.
- Cooking spray - to coat the inside of the ramekins the egg cups will be air fried in to ensure they don't stick and remove easily after they finish cooking.
- Salsa and/or hot sauce (optional, garnish) - I like a little salsa or sour cream with my egg muffins.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Use a half pound of ground turkey and 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning if you can't find pre-seasoned ground turkey meat.
- Use alternate proteins like ground chicken, ground beef, or ground pork. If you use ground beef or pork, make sure to strain off the excess grease very well. I recommend letting it strain on paper towels.
- Make it vegetarian by using a meat substitute or leaving the meat out and increasing the amount of vegetables included. Add a tablespoon or two of taco seasoning to the veggies as they cook.
- Pepper jack cheese melts nicely (and fits the Tex-Mex flavor profile!), but so do a number of cheddar cheeses, Monterey cheese, and Oaxaca cheese.
This Cranberry Cream Cheese spread on a bagel offers a nice counterpart when paired with this egg muffin recipe.
Variations
Make this Air Fryer Egg Muffin recipe your own! If you want to stay in the Tex-Mex lane, try adding these ingredients to the mix.
- Jalapeno, finely diced (fresh or canned)
- Garlic, very finely minced
- Mushrooms
- Black olives, sliced
- Ham or spam (if you like spam, hello spam tacos)
- Bacon
- Ground beef, taco-seasoned (great use for leftovers!)
- Mozzarella or white cheddar or any other good melting cheese
- Feta
How to Make Air Fryer Egg Cups - Instructions
Note: Might I suggest serving with homemade fried tortilla strips? You can prepare these ahead and snack on the crispy strips for days.
- Step 1: Cook turkey sausage for 4 minutes in a pan over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break the sausage into smaller pieces. Add diced onion and pepper and continue cooking for another 4 minutes, stirring frequently
- Step 2: Remove from heat and let cool. Add eggs and milk to a bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Step 3: Spray each ramekin with cooking spray, making sure to spray the sides and top lip. Divide egg and milk mixture evenly between 6 ramekins.
- Step 4: Divide turkey sausage mixture evenly between 6 ramekins (around 2 large spoonfuls per ramekin).
- Step 5: Add a generous pinch of shredded cheese to the top of each ramekin.
- Step 6: Air fry at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 19-20 minutes. (If your air fryer requires preheating, do this first). Remove the egg muffins from the air fryer and let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve in the ramekins or tip onto a plate.
- Step 7: Garnish with salsa or hot sauce, if desired.
Hint: You can customize what you'd like to include in these egg cups to suit your tastes; the key here is to include milk so that your Egg Cups puff up and get "fluffy" so they resemble egg muffins. If you don't include milk you'll wind up with sad, dense egg pucks.
Storage
Store leftover Air Fryer Egg Cups in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
To reheat, I prefer to use the reheat function on my Ninja Foodi Air Fry Oven. I cut the egg cups in half, place the cut sides down on a baking sheet, then use the Reheat setting at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for around 9 minutes. This is the best way I've found to reheat leftover Egg Cups without them getting too rubbery (which they inevitably will if you reheat in the microwave).
Frequently Asked Questions about Air Fryer Egg Cups
Air fry egg cups at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 19-20 minutes. If your air fryer requires preheating, do that first.
I rock this Ninja Foodi oven-style one that's so much more than an air fryer. Makes great toast, too.
If you want to nail egg cups in the air fryer, you have to be patient! I find that air frying at a lower temperature - 325 F - for 19-20 minutes works well because it cooks the eggs gently so they stay moist and fluffy.
You must include milk (or water) to your eggs before air frying - it's the secret to achieving fluffy egg muffins vs. dense eggy pucks.
Top Tips
Tip 1. Don't leave out the milk! Milk is key to fluffy Egg Muffins. If you don't include milk you'll wind up with sad, dense egg pucks.
Tip 2. Don't forget to grease your ramekins with cooking spray before adding the eggs. This will give you egg cups that release easily from the ramekins after cooking.
Tip 3. Be creative, but use restraint. Resist the urge to load up your egg muffins with too many ingredients. But absolutely feel free to experiment with the ingredients you include. Scroll up to read about some variations and substitutions you can make to this recipe.
Other Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Egg Cups
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 large eggs
- ¼ cup 2% milk
- ½ pound turkey sausage (I used taco flavored)
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- ½ poblano or green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- cooking spray
- salsa and/or hot sauce (optional, garnish)
Instructions
- Cook turkey sausage for 4 minutes in a pan over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break the sausage into smaller pieces.½ pound turkey sausage
- Add diced onion and pepper and continue cooking for another 4 minutes, stirring frequently.1 small yellow onion, finely diced, ½ poblano or green bell pepper, finely diced
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Add eggs and milk to a bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.10 large eggs, ¼ cup 2% milk
- Spray each ramekin with cooking spray, making sure to spray the sides and top lip.cooking spray
- Divide egg and milk mixture evenly between 6 ramekins.
- Divide turkey sausage mixture evenly between 6 ramekins (around 2 large spoonfuls per ramekin).
- Add a generous pinch of shredded cheese to the top of each ramekin.1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- Air fry at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 19-20 minutes. (If your air fryer requires preheating, do this first).
- Remove the egg muffins from the air fryer and let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve in the ramekins or tip onto a plate.
- Garnish with salsa or hot sauce, if desired.salsa and/or hot sauce
Dell says
Mine used 2 eggs and just red n green peppers with onion gouda cheese sprinkled on top. Temp as you suggested and time. Came out puffy, and sitting here counting cool time.