Pretty, tasty egg white muffins make a gorgeous brunch dish or a quick weekday breakfast. You can make them in advance and refrigerate them.
I really enjoy having eggs for breakfast. I find that an egg-based breakfast (such as this hearty chorizo omelet) is more satiating than a breakfast based on baked goods, even low-carb baked goods.
These egg white muffins are delicious and super filling! They're one of my favorite breakfasts, they're very easy to make and they are the perfect solution when I make a recipe that leaves me with unused egg whites.
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty breakfast. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Egg whites: I use four large egg whites in this recipe. You can use egg whites from whole eggs or egg whites from a carton.
Seasonings: I like to use kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. The garlic powder is important - egg whites are fairly bland, and the garlic adds great flavor. As for the salt, I add just a little, since the parmesan is quite salty.
Grated Parmesan: It's best to use finely grated cheese and not coarsely shredded.
Chopped green onions: I use the green part only. Sometimes I add a few chopped tomatoes as well, as shown in the video.
Variations on these ingredients
You can definitely vary your cheese. Parmesan is just so flavorful, so I like to use it, but I'm sure sharp cheddar would be great too.
As for what to add to these muffins, I usually opt for scallions. But you can add mushrooms, cubed ham, sun-dried tomatoes... anything, really.
Whatever you add to the muffins, try to limit the mix-ins to about ¼ cup and certainly no more than ⅓ cup.
How to make egg white muffins
Easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. You simply whisk egg whites with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Parmesan. I use a hand whisk and whisk them until light and foamy.
2. Fold in some chopped scallions, or whatever else you would like to use.
3. Then bake the muffins until golden and puffed. This should take about 25 minutes in a 400°F oven.
The muffins really puff up in the oven, like a soufflé. Then they slightly deflate as they cool.
Will they stick to cupcake liners?
They might. I prefer to bake these egg white muffins in well-greased 6-ounce ceramic ramekins, to minimize the risk of sticking.
You can also use well-greased silicone muffin cups, or use paper liners in a regular muffin pan and spray them generously with oil. If you use muffin cups, you'll probably get four muffins out of this recipe instead of just two.
Whatever ramekin or pan you use, don't fill them more than ¾ full or you'll risk the mixture spilling over as they bake in your oven.
Great use for egg whites
I normally make egg muffins that use the entire egg. But these are perfect when I make a recipe that requires yolks and leaves me with leftover egg whites, such as chocolate custard.
This recipe scales beautifully
I don't normally have many extra egg whites around, so I wrote this recipe for two servings and I use four egg whites. But you can easily double or triple this recipe if you wish.
How to serve egg white muffins?
They make a gorgeous brunch dish or a quick weekday breakfast. I also like them as a high-protein, filling snack that I make ahead and keep in the fridge. I simply reheat them in the microwave - or just eat them cold.
I've also been known to serve them for a meatless (and lazy) dinner on occasion, with an arugula salad or microwave broccoli as a side dish.
How long do they keep?
You can keep these muffins in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to four days. Reheat them gently, in the microwave on 50% power. They are also good cold.
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Egg White Muffins with Parmesan and Green Onions
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon butter for the ramekins
- 4 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup green onions chopped, green part only
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two 6-ounce ramekins with butter and place them on a rimmed foil-lined baking dish (to catch any spills).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until light and frothy. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan, and whisk to incorporate.
- Mix in the green onions with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a spouted measuring cup and from the measuring cup into the greased ramekins. The ramekins should be ¾ full - if the mixture comes higher than that, use one extra ramekin to prevent spilling.
- Place the ramekins on the foil-lined baking dish. Bake them until puffed, browned, and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living.