Mobile breakfasts are a challenge at my house. It simply isn’t easy to get out the door and power everyone up with a nutritious high protein start to the day. Trust me. I’ve struggled with this one for two decades.
As the proud owner of two Instant Pots (3 quart mini and 6 quart duo), I recently joined the Instant Pot Facebook community online and have noticed countless folks going gaga over their versions of the Starbucks Sous Vide Egg Bites. Prior to reading these glowing posts, I had never had one of these bitty bites but on Saturday I decided to see for myself.
While at Starbucks, I ordered a round of the Bacon Gruyere bites. Priced at $5 plus 10% tax, they rang up a $5.50 and I was handed two very small egg disks that arrived warm and savory. The texture was intriguing. It was light and fluffy, kind of like a cross between a soufflé and a quiche. The nutrition facts per serving indicated 19 grams of protein.
Overall, I found the egg bites to be very good but personally, I wouldn’t rely on them myself. Without a doubt, they would get pricey ($30 bucks per work week) and frankly, I hate going to Starbucks and standing in line because that’s a huge time suck. So later that day, I did some googling and found numerous variations on how to make them.
This version from Foodie and Wine was the one I printed off and used as a basic guideline in terms of ingredient proportions and cooking times. Her recipe called for heavy cream, cottage cheese, hot sauce, and a significantly higher quantity of shredded cheese, so I tweaked the basic ingredients and improvised on a tool. For cooking the egg bites in the Instant Pot, I used my vintage Wedgwood ramekins instead of the silicone molds or small canning jars that everyone seems to use. I reasoned that my four-ounce ramekins would work just fine and they did.
Basically, I took four large eggs, about 1 loosely packed cup of shredded cheese, ¼ cup of milk, about two tablespoons of sour cream and a pinch of salt and whizzed that in my Vitamix. I then put one cup of water in my 6-quart Instant Pot, added the cooking rack and set the ramekins, which had been sprayed with oil and sprinkled with bacon bits, on the rack. I divided the egg mixture evenly between each ramekin. I sprinkled the tops with a little dehydrated onion and chive and covered with foil.
I set the Instant Pot to STEAM for 8 minutes. At the end of eight minutes, I let the pressure release naturally and after about seven minutes the button popped down and my egg bites were ready. When I removed the lid, the foil had crept up and when I removed the foil I found big puffy egg bites that within a minute or two deflated but remained very hot and steamy. I removed them with tongs and turned out the egg bites which were gorgeous and velvety…just like the ones I tried at Starbucks. They were great on toast, out of hand on the go, or set on a bed of arugula.
Aside from being high in protein and easy to make, the best part is that the eggs bites can be kept refrigerated for five days and reheated each morning. The reheated eggs still taste fresh and they don’t have any of that nasty overcooked egg taste either. They’d be great bagged up and tucked into a purse to be reheated at the office or they’d make a great breakfast for a teenager dashing out the door hoping to beat the clock.
So, all in all, my sous vide egg adventure was a success and it’s something I will make again and again. Here’s my version:
Missy’s Easy Instant Pot Egg Bites
Ingredients:
Cooking spray for preparing the ramekins
4 teaspoons Costco bacon bits, or to taste
4 large eggs
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup 2% milk
2 to 3 tablespoons sour cream
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried red onion or chives if desired
1 cup water
Tools
four ¼ cup heatproof ramekins
6 Quart Instant Pot Duo
Instant Pot Rack
Aluminum foil for covering ramekins
Tongs
Technique:
Prepare the ramekins: Spray the ramekins thoroughly with the cooking spray. Divide the bacon bits evenly between the ramekins.
In a blender blend the eggs, Cheddar cheese, milk, sour cream, and salt for about thirty seconds.
Divide the egg mixture evenly amongst the four ramekins.
Divide the onion or chives evenly over the tops of each ramekin
Set the cooking rack into the instant pot and pour the one cup of water into the pot.
Set the ramekins carefully on the racks and cover lightly with a piece of foil.
Put the lid on the Instant pot and set the valve to SEAL
Set the Instant Pot to STEAM and adjust the cooking time to 8 minutes.
At the end of eight minutes, the Instant Pot will beep. Allow an NPR, Natural Pressure Release, which means you are just letting the pot pressure come down slowly on its own. This should take about seven minutes. Once the valve has gone down, remove the lid and the foil.
Using tongs, transfer each ramekin to a cutting board and let rest for a minute or so. The egg bites will be puffy at first and then deflate a bit. Unmold and serve or let cool and store in fridge, reheating for about 30 seconds when desired.
Makes 4 Egg Bites.
