Sausage & Egg Breakfast Cups: 30-Minute Muffin Tin Recipe

A pound of ground sausage makes 12 breakfast cups in a standard muffin tin, and the whole thing takes about 45 minutes from cold fridge to cooling rack. You press the meat into shells, whisk eggs, pour, and bake. That's it.

The sausage does double duty here. It's the seasoning and the container, so you don't need a crust, a liner, or any par-baking. The cups come out with a firm meat edge and a soft set egg in the middle, which is exactly what you want for something you'll eat standing up on a Tuesday.

One thing to know before you start: the sausage has to be squeezed thin enough to hold its shape. Thick walls slump and leave a puddle of grease. I'll show you the thickness that works.

Tips & Tricks

• Press the sausage about 1/4 inch thick up the sides of each cup. Thicker walls take longer to cook through and shrink away from the tin.
• Grease the muffin tin even if it's nonstick. Sausage releases a lot of fat and the egg will stick where the meat doesn't cover.
• Whisk the eggs until no streaks of white remain. Unmixed white sets into rubbery patches.
• Fill each cup only two-thirds full. The egg puffs as it bakes and will spill over the rim if you go higher.
• Add wet toppings like tomato and salsa after the egg goes in, not before, so they sit on top instead of sinking.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat the oven and grease the tin

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F (180°C). Grease all 12 cups of a standard muffin tin with oil or butter, getting the corners.

2. Season the sausage

Put the ground sausage in a bowl with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and dried parsley. Mix with your hands until the spices are evenly spread, about 30 seconds. Don't overwork it or the meat gets dense.

3. Form the shells

Press about 2 tablespoons of sausage into each cup and push it up the sides, leaving a hollow in the middle for the egg. Aim for walls around 1/4 inch thick and a rim level with the top of the cup.

4. Whisk the eggs

Crack the eggs into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk hard for about 30 seconds, until the yolks and whites are one color.

5. Fill and top

Pour the egg into each sausage shell, stopping about two-thirds of the way up. Scatter cheese, chopped spinach and diced tomato over the tops. Leave a few plain if you're feeding picky eaters.

6. Bake for 30 minutes

Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. The cups are done when the egg is set and doesn't wobble when you nudge the tin, and the sausage reads 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Poultry sausage especially needs that number, not a color check.

7. Cool before lifting

Set the tin on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife around any cup that looks stuck, then lift each one out with a spoon.

How to Store Sausage & Egg Breakfast Cups

Frequently Asked Questions

Sausage & Egg Breakfast Cups: 30-Minute Muffin Tin Recipe

Savory sausage shells baked in a muffin tin, filled with seasoned eggs and topped with cheese, spinach and tomato. Make 12 cups in about 45 minutes.

15 minPrep time30 minCook time50 minTotal4Servings

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Ingredients

• 1 lb ground sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
• 6 eggs
• shredded cheddar cheese (to taste)
• spinach (chopped)
• tomato (diced)

Instructions

1. 1Heat the oven and grease the tin — Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F (180°C). Grease all 12 cups of a standard muffin tin with oil or butter, getting the corners.
2. 2Season the sausage — Put the ground sausage in a bowl with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and dried parsley. Mix with your hands until the spices are evenly spread, about 30 seconds. Don't overwork it or the meat gets dense.
3. 3Form the shells — Press about 2 tablespoons of sausage into each cup and push it up the sides, leaving a hollow in the middle for the egg. Aim for walls around 1/4 inch thick and a rim level with the top of the cup.
4. 4Whisk the eggs — Crack the eggs into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk hard for about 30 seconds, until the yolks and whites are one color.
5. 5Fill and top — Pour the egg into each sausage shell, stopping about two-thirds of the way up. Scatter cheese, chopped spinach and diced tomato over the tops. Leave a few plain if you're feeding picky eaters.
6. 6Bake for 30 minutes — Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. The cups are done when the egg is set and doesn't wobble when you nudge the tin, and the sausage reads 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Poultry sausage especially needs that number, not a color check.
7. 7Cool before lifting — Set the tin on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife around any cup that looks stuck, then lift each one out with a spoon.

Cook's note: The sausage mix can be seasoned and pressed into the shells the night before. Cover the tin and refrigerate, then whisk and pour the eggs in the morning. One substitution to keep in mind: if you swap pork sausage for turkey or chicken, add an extra teaspoon of oil to the tin, since lean meat releases far less fat.

Servings: 4

Cuisine: American

Course: Breakfast

RecipesCooker15 minutes30 minutes50 minutes

Written by Maya Whitfield
Maya writes about easy American cookies and bars, plus eggs and breakfast casseroles for busy mornings. She focuses on pantry-friendly ingredients, reliable bake times, and make-ahead steps that fit real weekday schedules. Her recipes keep instructions short and checkpoints clear so nothing gets overbaked or underdone.