You might be shocked, but these vegan egg bites are unbelievably similar to real egg muffins! Loaded with healthy veggies and tender, fluffy and nicely seasoned, they make for an easy protein-rich breakfast, lunch or snack. 100% plant-based and gluten-free. They are so simple and no one will notice they are made without eggs!
I struggled quite a bit naming this recipe: Vegan egg muffins? Vegan mini frittata? Vegan egg cups? They all work well for these mini bites as they REALLY taste like real eggs, presented similar to an omelette or frittata, in a muffin shape. But no matter how you want to call them, these are seriously delicious.
You have to trust me: they feel, look like and even taste like eggs. My husband was shocked and said he could never tell it was made without eggs. Ok, that might be his plant-based brain that's starting to forget and mix up things, but I have to agree, these tofu egg bites will certainly remind you of real mini egg cups.
Plus, the recipe is SO simple and easy. There are no filling ingredients, such as flour, but instead made using only high-in-protein tofu with spices and vegetables. They are great for brunch or breakfast, but also can be fun to eat for lunch. And what a great tiny size finger food for kids!
We especially love how moist, tender and flavorful they are. Loading them with tons of veggies really adds a whole lot of flavor, plus fills these mini frittatas with some interesting texture. You can easily swap the recommended vegetables with what's in season, but I like to use frozen veggies for a quick and convenient recipe.
So next time you crave eggs, I hope you give these vegan egg bites a try! 💛
Why you'll love this recipe
- Makes for the BEST plant-based recipe to share with all the egg lovers!
- On top of being egg-free, this recipe also is dairy-free, gluten-free and made without vegan cheese.
- Vegan version of Starbuck's egg bites (but so much better 😉).
- Healthy and protein-packed breakfast or snack recipe.
- Amazing finger food for kids and toddlers.
- Great nourishing and filling recipe to meal-prep ahead.
Ingredient you'll need
- Extra-firm tofu: aim for a very firm tofu.
- Nutritional yeast: adds amazing flavor.
- Turmeric powder: mostly for added yellow color, but also brings more nutrients.
- Vegetables: I used broccoli, carrot, corn and chive. Can be swapped for other veggies, see below for more ideas.
- Black salt: adds a subtle egg-ish flavor to this egg-free recipe. If you don't have black salt, then simply use regular salt.
- Tomatoes + dried herbs: for topping. Optional, but adds a beautiful look and more flavor too.
What is black salt?
Black salt, or Kala Namak, is a type of salt that's naturally found in the Himalayans. Despite its name, it is not black at all, but more often pink-ish once crushed, and also often feels finer than other granulated kinds of salt.
Traditionally used in Indian cuisine, black salt carries a higher level of sulfurous compounds compared to regular salt, giving it a natural egg-ish smell and taste. It can have amazing uses in the kitchen, especially in vegan or egg-free cooking, to give food a deeper flavor that's similar to eggs.
I use black salt whenever I want to make plant-based recipes that mimics eggs, such as tofu scrambles. It is actually not expensive at all, with a 7oz bag costing less than 10$, which should last you for a very long time. I buy the black salt from the company Spicy World from Amazon online.
How to make vegan egg bites
Pre-heat the oven to 375º and line a muffin pan with muffin paper liners.
Process
Drain the block of tofu and wrap it in a clean towel or a few layers of paper towels. Then, press on the block to remove as much water as you can (this takes me about a minute to do). Then, roughly break apart the tofu into a food processor.
Add the nutritional yeast, turmeric powder and salt (regular +/- black salt).
Process until ultra smooth, taking a break or two to scrape the walls and bottom of the food processor to ensure there are no pieces of tofu left.
Combine with veggies
Thaw the broccoli and corn by soaking in warm water for a few minutes. Then, drain and PAT DRY very well using towels (you don't want to add extra water to the tofu!). Also, roughly chop the broccoli.
Transfer the creamy tofu to a bowl and add the broccoli, corn, carrot and chive (or green onions).
Stir using a spatula or spoon until uniform.
Bake
Divide the tofu mixture in between the 12 muffin tins and use the back of a spoon to smooth the top surface. Then, this is optional, but I find it adds amazing flavor and a beautiful final touch: top the muffins with a thin slice of tomato and sprinkle some dried oregano or basil over.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Watch how to make them
Helpful tips
- I recommend using frozen broccoli for this recipe. The reason is that once thawed, the vegetables soften considerably and is ready to mix in the tofu mixture. If using fresh broccoli, then you will have to steam it first.
- It is important to drain well all veggies, but also, take a minute or two to also PAT THEM DRY. You don't want the tofu egg bites to turn soggy! What I do is I soak the frozen broccoli and corn in hot water for a few minutes, then use a fine mesh colander to drain, but then also, I use a clean towel to pat dry the veggies straight in the colander before adding to the tofu.
- Try not to add too many extra veggies as it could prevent the cups from holding well.
Variation to the recipe
Once you made the creamy tofu base, you could swap the veggie filling ingredients depending on your taste or what you already have.
I think broccoli and corn work amazingly in this recipe and I would have a hard time recommending to swap them. Corn adds a subtle sweetness and a nice pop while the broccoli gets tender while baking and add such great flavor. But you do you :).
Here are a few other veggie ideas that would work well:
- Frozen green peas: similar to frozen corn, thaw them in water and pat dry very well.
- Bacon bits: they add a nice smoky flavor with a fun chewy texture that can imitate real bacon flavor.
- Red pepper.
- Diced tomatoes: remove the extra water and seeds first and chop small.
- Mushrooms: I recommend to first sauté them in a pan.
- Asparagus: steam them for a few minutes before adding to the tofu.
- Kale or spinach: steam or wilt in a pan first and chop the leaves.
Vegan egg muffin storage tips
These store pretty well for a few days in an air-tight container in the fridge. You can make them ahead and eat a few in the morning during a busy week. You sure won't be hungry for a while!
You can also eat them cold or warmed up. To heat them up, use a toaster oven or warm up in the microwave for a few seconds (not for too long or they will harden).
You can also freeze them, although I find the texture to be more chewy after thawed.
Also, a great way to eat leftovers would be to include them in a breakfast sandwich with vegan mayo, crunchy lettuce and english muffins.
More vegan "egg-ish" recipes to try!
- Vegan spinach quiche
- Vegan eggless salad
- Tofu scramble breakfast sandwich
- Silken tofu scramble
- Vegan tofu egg rolls
- Vegan turmeric egg-free fried rice
- Vegan zucchini fritters
I hope you like these vegan egg bites as much as we do! If you try them, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how they were. Your feedback is so helpful!
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Vegan Egg Bites
Ingredients
- 16 oz extra firm tofu
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt - I used half black salt + half regular salt, see notes
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder - for color
- 3-4 green onions or a large handful of chives
- 1 ½ cup frozen broccoli - thawed, patted dry and chopped, see notes
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup frozen corn - thaw and patted dry
- 2-3 small tomatoes - finely sliced, for topping, optional
- dried oregano or basil - for topping, optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375º and line a muffin pan with 12 muffin paper liners (or use a silicone muffin pan).
- Drain well and pat dry the tofu using a clean towel or paper towels. Once wrapped into the towels, gently press on tofu to remove as much water as you can.
- Roughly break the block of tofu into a food processor and add the nutritional yeast, salt and turmeric. Process until creamy, the mixture should become very smooth. Take a break or 2 to scrape the walls/bottom of the food processor to make sure there are no pieces left.
- Transfer the creamed tofu to a bowl and add the green onion or chives, broccoli, carrot and corn. Stir to combine using a spoon or spatula.
- Divide the mixture in between the 12 muffin tins and use the back of a spoon to smooth the top off. Add a slice of tomato over and sprinkle with some dried herbs (optional).
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days. Can also be frozen.
- Be sure to thaw and pat dry very well all veggies before including into the tofu mixture or the cups might turn soggy.
- You can swap for other veggies depending on your taste, such as mushrooms, green peas, asparagus, kale or spinach, tomatoes (remove interior seeds and water first), etc. You might have to pre-cook them first such as pan fried, steam or wilt before mixing in the tofu so they cook thoroughly. Using FROZEN VEGGIES allows you to skip on pre-cooking them first as they soften while thawing!
- Black salt adds a nice egg-ish flavor to plant-based recipes (amazing in tofu scrambles!). I buy the black salt from the company Spicy World online (under 10$ for a large bag!). If using only regular salt, then you might want to use a total of ¾ tsp.
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