The Best and Worst Store-Bought Egg Bites, According to Two Food Editors

Eggs are expensive—don’t waste your money on sub-par egg bites. These are actually worth your precious coins.

Remember when Starbucks launched their sous vide egg bites? Well we do. If you are a constant Starbucks customer, you will know that it has become one of the biggest sellers on the chain’s food menu. In addition to an array of egg bite recipes that anyone can make at home with a simple muffin tin, grocery stores and food manufacturers across the nation are also taking notice and slinging their own egg bite creations. We tried every store-bought egg bite brand we could find to see which ones are actually worth spending money on, versus which ones you can leave on the shelf.

How We Tested

To keep things consistent, we followed the microwave instructions on the package of each egg bite. We then blind-tested them, meaning tasters didn’t know which brand they were trying, and judged them based on appearance, texture, and flavor. While compiling the results, we also took price into consideration for the final rating, because we can all stand to save a little money on eggs right now.

Store-Bought Egg Bites, Ranked

JUST Egg Inspired by America

Score: 1/10

Cost: $6.99/4 bites ($3.50/serving of 2 bites)

The first indication that this plant-based egg bite was not "the real thing" was the color. It had a dull beige hue and frankly resembled a Play-Doh creation. It also had a rubbery appearance, which was confirmed by the taste. It was very dense, and may come off as tofu-like to some consumers. We’re pretty sure this product would be great on a vegan breakfast sandwich. Just make sure you have enough toppings to hide it.

Nellie’s Free Range Eggs Sous Vide Egg Bites

Score: 3/10

Cost: $6.69/4 bites ($3.35/serving of 2 bites)

When we can’t get local eggs, we always reach for Nellie’s—they’re free range (for that extra-orange yolk!), sourced from local farms, and reasonably priced. So we really wanted to like these, but they missed the mark on all three of our judging criteria (appearance, texture, and flavor). The directions call for microwaving them right in their plastic packaging (which freaks us out a little—will it melt?!), which gives them a bit of a deformed shape. Plus they have a gray undertone that doesn’t sit well with us, as well as a bit of a tough film on the outside of the bite.

As far as taste and texture go, we didn’t see much improvement. These bites were the most watery of the ones we tried, and the flavor was overwhelmingly smoky in the Bacon + Pepperjack flavor and almost nonexistent in the Sausage + Cheddar version.

Hormel Black Label Oven-Baked Egg Bites

Score: 4/10 

Price: $3.79/serving of 2 bites

These had a promising start—they come in a paper tray for microwaving (we think this helps wick away some of the moisture for a less watery bite) and they have some attractive browning on the top. However, when it came time to taste we weren’t as thrilled. The bacon bits in the Eggs, Bacon & 3 Cheeses flavor were all at the bottom of the bite and were really large and too chewy for our tastes. This was a step up from Nellie’s, but we can do better.

Trader Joe’s Egg Bites

Score: 5/10

Price: $3/serving of 2 bites

Based on the packaging, heating directions, and appearance of the egg bites themselves, we wouldn’t be surprised if the maker of these bites also makes the Hormel version, above. That being said, we liked the Trader Joe’s version much better. The texture was good—dense and tender without being too watery. We noticed the second ingredient in these bites is cottage cheese, which may give it that nice custard-like texture. However, the Cheddar Cheese & Uncured Bacon flavor was a little underwhelming and tasted processed and almost chemical-like versus having that homemade taste.

Just Crack an Egg Omelet Rounds

Score: 6/10 

Price: $4.09/serving of 2 bites

These egg bites are geared towards people who prefer a baked bite to sous vide. Rather than the custardy texture you get from the sous vide variety, these are airy and almost too brown on the outside, though we imagine this would impart a nice, crisp exterior if toasted instead of microwaved. Although they’re available in multiple flavors, the Classic variety is a standout. It has a nice salty bite thanks to ham and is loaded up with fresh flavors from both red and green peppers and onion. This pick tasted the closest to homemade of all the bites we tried.

Organic Valley Egg Bites

Score: 9/10 

Price: $4.50/serving of 2 bites 

Marketed as the first completely organic egg bites, these come in three flavor varieties and honestly, we loved all of them. They have that perfect custardy bite (these have cottage cheese as well), a nice balance of flavors, and taste freshly made (especially the Feta & Chives flavor). The only thing preventing these bites from scoring a perfect 10 was the price. These two little bites cost almost as much, if not more than, a dozen eggs right now! Don’t get us wrong, it’s still a great option for a breakfast on the go (a breakfast sandwich from a cafe would still probably cost you more), but if you’re stocking up at the grocery store for a week of easy breakfasts, this one could break the bank.

Three Little Pigs Uncured Bacon & Swiss

Score: 9/10

Price: $7.99/4 bites ($1.99/serving of 1 bite)

This brand specializes in charcuterie products such as pate and sausages, and their egg bites come in a variety of flavors that highlight this expertise. We tasted the Bacon and Swiss variety. With just one cut from a fork, you can tell the egg bite is fluffy, not rubbery, and similar in texture to a quiche. It truly tasted like eggs. You can also instantly smell the smoked bacon. Again, the only thing preventing these from getting a perfect 10 was the price (almost $4 for two bites, which is the serving size of most other bites) and the lack of availability, though you can order them on Amazon.

Cuisine Solutions Sous Vide Egg Bites from Costco

Score: 10/10 

Price: $15/10 bites ($3/serving of 2 bites)

In all honesty, we liked the Organic Valley and Three Little Pigs egg bites a bit better than these, but you can’t beat that cost savings and the convenience of having a batch of 10 egg bites ready to heat and eat any time. The texture is spot on thanks to, once again, cottage cheese, and the Uncured Bacon & Three Cheese flavor is the perfect blend of smoky, salty, and sharp. You can really taste the bacon and cheese in these, unlike some of the other one-note bites we tried.

The Bottom Line

Look for an egg bite that has eggs as the first ingredient and cottage cheese as the second. This will ensure you get a nice, tender texture that’s not too airy or too watery. Plus, it helps pack in a bit more protein for a filling breakfast.