This is the breakfast I bake on a Sunday so the whole week is already handled. Eggs, cubed ham, sharp cheddar, and a handful of green onion go into a jumbo muffin tin, and that’s a keto breakfast that survives the fridge better than most.
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Good ham and cheese make the difference here. A smoked ham steak and a block of old or extra old cheddar taste like something. Thin deli ham and pre-shredded cheese still work, but the flavor comes through noticeably flatter. This is one I make often enough that I’ve landed on the details that actually matter.
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Chef Jenn’s Take on Keto Ham and Cheese Egg Muffins
The mistake people make with egg muffins is treating the fillings like an afterthought, tossed in without much thought to size or ratio. That’s backward here. The cheese in particular needs attention, because how you cut it changes the whole bite.
I cube the cheddar into roughly quarter-inch pieces instead of shredding it. Shredded cheese melts fully into the eggs, which isn’t bad, but it disappears the pockets of melted cheese that make these worth eating. Cubed cheese holds its shape enough that you get an actual bite of cheese instead of just a cheesy-tasting egg.
The green onion is the other detail I wouldn’t skip. A quarter cup doesn’t sound like much, but it adds a fresh, herbaceous note that plain ham and cheese doesn’t have on its own. Leave it out if you want, but it’s the ingredient that turns a fine egg muffin into one people ask about.
What You’ll Love About Keto Ham and Cheese Egg Muffins
- They travel well, so they’re the thing I hand someone on their way out the door when there isn’t time to sit down and eat.
- They hold up in the fridge for most of a week, which makes this one of the few keto breakfasts that actually functions as real meal prep.
- The cubed cheese keeps pockets of melted cheddar throughout, instead of disappearing into the eggs the way shredded cheese does.
Ingredients
- Eggs – Straight from the fridge is fine. No need to bring them to room temperature.
- Cheddar cheese – Cut into small cubes rather than shredded, so pockets of melted cheese stay intact. Old or extra old cheddar has more flavor than mild.
- Ham – Diced. A thick smoked ham steak has more flavor than thin deli slices, though deli ham works fine.
- Green onions – Chopped. Skip if you don’t have them, but they add a fresh note worth keeping in.
- Heavy cream – Full fat. This is what keeps the eggs custardy instead of rubbery.
- Salt and pepper – To taste.
- Cooking spray – Any neutral spray works for greasing the tin.
How To Make Keto Ham and Cheese Egg Muffins
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly spray a jumbo muffin tin with cooking spray. This recipe is built for a jumbo 6-cup tin, not a standard 12-cup one, so the fill amount and bake time both assume the larger cups.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper together until well combined. Add the diced ham, chopped green onion, and cubed cheddar, and stir just enough to distribute everything evenly.
Fill each muffin cup almost to the rim with the egg mixture. They puff up significantly in the oven, so don’t overfill past that point or they’ll spill over the top.
Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. These puff up dramatically right out of the oven and deflate fast, so don’t expect them to hold that tall shape once they cool.
Make It A Meal
For a different take on the same format, try Spinach, Feta, and Bell Pepper Egg Cups, or Baked Eggs Florentine with Ham if you want the same ham flavor in a different format. To round out the morning, a Dalgona Mocha Latte is a good pairing.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave in 20 to 30 second bursts, or in a 350°F oven for a few minutes. These freeze, though the texture softens somewhat on reheating, so fridge storage is the better option if you’ll eat them within the week.
Do Ham & Cheese Egg Muffins Freeze?
These tasty morning eats can be kept in the fridge for about a week (I generally don’t like keeping fresh food longer than a week anyhow), and they’ll freeze but you’ll lose some of the texture when reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bake time depends on your oven, the temperature of your ingredients going in, and the size of your muffin tin. A standard 12-cup tin holds less batter per cup than the jumbo tin this recipe is built for, so check for doneness a few minutes earlier if you’re using a standard pan, or a few minutes later if the muffins still look wet on top.
Yes, though the texture changes. Shredded cheese melts fully into the eggs, so you lose the distinct pockets of melted cheddar that cubing the cheese creates.
They freeze, but the texture softens somewhat compared to fresh. Fridge storage for up to a week holds the texture better if you plan to eat them within that window.
This recipe comes out to about 2 grams of net carbs per serving, based on the recipe as written. It’s built to be a low-carb breakfast, so a serving fits comfortably into a keto day.
Add Preferred SourceHam & Cheese Egg Muffins
Ingredients
- 10 each eggs
- 1 cup cheddar cheese diced or shredded
- 1 1/2 cups ham diced
- 1/4 cup green onions
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375-F. Lightly spray a jumbo 6-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the eggs, cream, and salt and pepper well. Add the ham, green onions, and cheddar, and mix to combine.
- Fill the sprayed muffin cups almost to the rim with the egg/ham mixture. Bake at 375-F for about 10 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Like This? Also Try:
Dig in! And if you want to try a variation of these egg muffin delights, check this recipe out: Spinach, Feta, Red Bell Pepper Egg Cups, or theses super tasty Baked Eggs Florentine with Ham! Wash it all down with this amazing keto Whipped Dalgona Coffee – perfect for mornings!
If you have tried other variations with fillings for these morning protein-packed muffins, drop me a line below and I’ll give them a try!
The addition of the chopped green onions really does add so much flavor to these. Loved them!
Glad you enjoyed them! They’re one of my faves, too!
I love these. And it’s great that they are baked in a jumbo muffin tin. One piece is more than enough for a filling breakfast. 🙂
They are pretty filling!
This is one of my favorite type of breakfasts! I need to try your version next time, looks delicious.
Egg muffins are my favorite to whip up for the week! And the ham and cheese flavor is great.
I could eat these any time of day – they are just delicious!
Perfect with my morning cup of coffee.
Mmmm….I love egg muffins, but haven’t made them in awhile. Thanks for the reminder to make a batch soon. These look delicious!
Are you sure these baked in ten minutes? I made mine in regular muffin tins, not jumbo, and after 17 minutes at 375 they were still slightly underdone. Mine could have used a little more salt and pepper but other than that they turned out nicely. Will try with Swiss one of these times!
Hi there! Cooking times can depend on a variety of factors, including individual ovens, the temperature of the eggs and ingredients when they went into the oven, and even the kind of muffin tin you used. My cooking times are always just suggestions. I’m glad you enjoyed them!