Hash Brown Breakfast Cups are a delicious way to combine eggs, veggies, and potatoes into one scrumptious dish! These tasty delights are perfect for breakfast on the go or for a brunch spread when entertaining family and friends.
I’d like to receive more tips and recipes from Mary’s Nest.
Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.
Table of Contents
- About These Hash Brown Breakfast Cups
- Hash Brown Breakfast Cup Ingredients
- How to Make Hash Brown Breakfast Cups
- Variations
- Recipe Tips
- Ways to Serve Hash Brown Breakfast Cups
- Storing and Reheating
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- More Kitchen Pioneer Videos
- Hash Brown Breakfast Cups Recipe
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
About These Hash Brown Breakfast Cups
If you enjoyed making and eating my Breakfast Egg Muffins and Breakfast Strata, you will love these Hash Brown Breakfast Cups too! These breakfast cups are similar and as easy to make, but as the recipe name indicates, these breakfast treats include hash browns, which create a crunchy nest.
And when it comes to filling these nests, that’s where the fun begins! You can literally pick and choose any veggies, meats, and cheese you like to add. I often think of these hash brown breakfast cups as a clean-out-the-fridge meal. Once you fill your nests, you simply top everything with an egg, pop your muffin tin into the oven, and in about ten minutes or less, these filled nests will be ready to eat.
You can make these hash brown breakfast cups with freshly grated or frozen shredded potatoes. If you use freshly grated potatoes, be sure to choose thin-skinned potatoes to make the process quick and easy since you won’t have to peel the potatoes. The thin potato skins will crisp up beautifully.
These Hash Brown Breakfast Cups are even easier to make if you decide to use frozen shredded potatoes from your local market. All you’ll have to do is remember to defrost them.
Hash Brown Breakfast Cup Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with measurements below.
For this specific recipe, I recommend the following ingredients:
- Shredded Potatoes – fresh or frozen
- Red Onion and Sweet Red Bell Pepper – chopped into bite-sized pieces
- Baby Spinach – washed
- Bacon – cooked crisp and crumbled (For perfectly crisp bacon, watch my How to Cook Bacon in the Oven video.)
- Freshly Grated Cheese – Monterey jack and sharp cheddar make a tasty combination
- Eggs – 6 large whole eggs and 2 egg whites
How to Make Hash Brown Breakfast Cups
Find the full printable recipe with instructions below.
Step 1 – Mix the shredded potatoes with melted butter and egg whites.
Step 2 – Press the shredded potato mixture into the muffin cups.
Step 3 – Bake the unfilled hash brown cups until golden, then remove them from the oven.
Step 4 – Sauté the chopped onions and pepper and add the spinach and bacon.
Step 5 – Fill the hash brown cups with the vegetable and bacon mixture and top with cheese.
Step 6 – Crack an egg on top of the grated cheese.
Step 7 – Bake filled hash brown cups till eggs are cooked to your liking.
Step 8 – Enjoy a perfectly cooked Hash Brown Breakfast Cup.
Variations
You can use whatever ingredients you have on hand for this recipe. As I share in my Hash Brown Breakfast Cups recipe video, this can be a clean-out-the-fridge recipe!
- Veggies: Choose bell peppers; any variety of greens, including Romain lettuce; fresh or canned mushrooms; and any variety of onions. Other vegetables, like steamed broccoli and canned or frozen peas or corn, also work well in this recipe.
- Meat: Choose bacon, chopped deli ham or other deli meats, crumbled Italian sausage or any variety of breakfast sausage, cooked ground beef, leftover roast chicken, or turkey.
- Cheese: Any cheese will work in this recipe, from hard cheeses, like Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, to very soft cheeses, including ricotta and any variety of blue cheese, like gorgonzola or Maytag blue.
- Eggs: Depending on how long you leave your filled hash brown cups in the oven, you can create an egg that is the consistency from sunny side up to over hard.
Recipe Tips
- Buttered Muffin Cups: Be sure to butter your muffin cups very well, even if you are using a non-stick muffin tin.
- Initial Baking: When initially baking the hash brown cups, watch them closely and make sure they only turn golden and not brown. They are baked twice, so you do not want them to burn.
- Chopping: When chopping your onion and bell pepper, make sure they are bite-sized pieces. This will guarantee that everything will fit nicely into your hash brown cups.
- Egg Cooking Time: For sunny side up eggs, cook five to seven minutes. For over easy eggs, cook seven to nine minutes. For over hard eggs, cook over nine minutes.
Ways to Serve Hash Brown Breakfast Cups
- Breakfast: Hash brown breakfast cups are perfect served all on their own for breakfast or brunch as they are an all-in-one meal.
- Dinner: As a breakfast-for-dinner meal, a side salad makes a great accompaniment.
Storing and Reheating
- Storing: Hash Brown Breakfast cups are best eaten right out of the oven, but you can store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. However, avoid freezing them as they may become soggy when reheating.
- Reheating: Once removed from the refrigerator, rewarm hash brown breakfast cups by placing them in a 350°F (177°C) oven until warmed through.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
And if you’re looking for a printed book full of my traditional foods recipes to show you how to create a traditional foods kitchen, be sure to preorder your copy of my new book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook.
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Kitchen Academy Videos
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos, live streams, and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
More Kitchen Pioneer Videos
Discussing the Secrets to Perfect Green Herbal Oils
Let’s talk about the popularity of flavored herbal oils.
Are You Salt Sensitive or Salt Resistant? Get the Latest Salt Intake Research
Learn how your body may react to salt intake differently from others.
What Is the Best Time to Eat Dinner?
Find out if eating dinner early or late is best for you. You might be surprised!
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy (Optional Paid) - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook (Optional Paid) - Get a printed book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Hash Brown Breakfast Cups
Equipment
- 1 6-cup muffin tin Alternatively, you can use a 12-cup muffin tin.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shredded potatoes, approximately 3 1/2 cups I used thawed frozen shredded potatoes.
- 2 large egg whites You can add the extra yolks into two of the hash brown breakfast cups, if desired.
- 3 tbsp butter, melted You will need additional butter to grease muffin tin cups.
- 1 tsp sea salt, fine-ground, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, divided
- 1 tbsp butter Alternatively, you can use olive oil.
- 1 onion, any variety, peeled and chopped I used a red onion.
- 1 bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped I used a red bell pepper.
- 8 ounces bacon, cooked crisp and chopped, approximately. 1 cup Alternatively, you can use cooked crumbled sausage, ground beef, or chopped deli ham.
- 2 cups baby spinach, fresh
- 1 1/2 cups cheese, grated Any variety or combination
- 6 large eggs
- salt and pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C).
- Generously butter muffin tin cups.
- Place the shredded potatoes in a large bowl and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
- Pour the melted butter over the shredded potatoes and mix well.
- Whisk the egg whites until light and aerated, pour the egg whites on top of the shredded potatoes, and mix well.
- Evenly divide the shredded potatoes into each of the individual muffin cups. Firmly press the shredded potatoes into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin cups. These are the hash brown cups.
- Place the muffin tin on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes begin to brown and the sides and centers of the potatoes are golden. Remove from the oven and place the muffin tin on a heatproof surface.
- While the hash brown cups are baking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and bell pepper and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Sauté the onion and bell pepper on medium heat until soft. Approximately 3 minutes.
- Add the bacon and baby spinach to the skillet and sauté until the spinach wilts.
- Remove the skillet from the heat to a heatproof surface and evenly divide the sautéd mixture among the baked hash brown cups.
- Divide the grated cheese evenly among each baked hash brown cup on top of the sautéd mixture. Then crack one egg into each cup on top of the cheese. Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Return the muffin tin to the middle rack of the oven and bake until the whites are set and the yolk is still runny. (The yolk will jiggle when you move the muffin tin back and forth, and the whites will no longer be translucent.) This process will take anywhere from 5-7 minutes. If you prefer your yolks to be firmer, bake for 9 minutes or longer, checking on the consistency periodically until the yolks are to your liking.
- Hash Brown Breakfast cups are best eaten right out of the oven. But leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To rewarm, place in a 350°F (177°C) oven until warmed through.
Video
Notes
- Buttered Muffin Cups: Be sure to butter your muffin cups very well, even if you are using a non-stick muffin tin.
- Initial Baking: When initially baking the hash brown cups, watch them closely and make sure they only turn golden and not brown. They are baked twice, so you do not want them to burn.
- Chopping: When chopping your onion and bell pepper, make sure they are bite-sized pieces. This will guarantee that everything will fit nicely into your hash brown cups.
- Egg Cooking Time: For sunny side up eggs, cook five to seven minutes. For over easy eggs, cook seven to nine minutes. For over hard eggs, cook over nine minutes.
Nutrition
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
Learn more about Mockmill electric grain mills for making fresh flour and their Flake Lover's Flaker that flakes whole grain in minutes.
Use promo code MARYSNST for a one-time 15% off Masontops and Breadsmart products on Amazon.com.
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Lehman's, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, Plan to Eat, and More!
Recommended Reading
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Disclaimer:I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.
I like the new format. It’s very organized. Your u-tube video s are great too. I love the stories and information provided while you are actually showing how to make something. I have learned so much in a short few months. Since I am old, use an old Chromebook, old TV and a somewhat old phone, I can’t always click on links you provide or find things as quickly as tech savvy people can. No problem, I get what I need. Thanks 🙏 again for all that you do . 😋❤️
Hi Angela,
Thanks so much for your kind comments, and I’m so glad you enjoy my YouTube videos.
Love and God bless,
Mary
Mary,
I think this looks great.
Hi Pam,
Thanks for your kind comment!
Love and God bless,
Mary
Love this! I make something similar and put grated zucchini on the bottom. With the moisture in the zucchini, it keeps the muffin from sticking! The hash browns are a great idea! I need to rotate some of my dried hash browns so I think that I will rehydrate them and give this a whirl.
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for your comment. I love your idea of adding zucchini to stuff the bottom of the hash brown breakfast cups!
Love and God bless,
Mary
The website looks so good! Very nice layout, helpful information. Love the format. Keep up the great work!
Hi F Garcia,
Thanks so much for your kind comments. I appreciate it!
Love and God bless,
Mary
Looks great. Looking forward to using it.
Hi Eugenia,
Thanks for your comment. I hope they make a wonderful dish for you!
Love and God bless,
Mary
Wow! This is straightforward and ready to follow. I haven’t made it but am confident I can with these easy to follow steps. I may give it a try this week for my grandkids.
This format looks like it might be a lot of work for you ( I know nothing about blogging or vlogging). I do really like this but I don’t want you to burn out. I really enjoy your YouTube channel and I’ve learned a lot from you.
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for your kind comments! You are so sweet to be concerned about me!
I’m so glad that you enjoy my YouTube channel. I like to have my website complement my YouTube videos by providing a printable recipe and additional value add, like downloadable files you can print out and add to your Kitchen Journal.
I hope that your grandkids enjoy these tasty treats!
Love and God bless,
Mary
These look so tasty!
Hi Cathleen,
Thanks for your comment. I hope that they are fun and enjoyable for you!
Love and God bless,
Mary
Looks amazing! I’m getting ready to make these but only have the smaller, standard-sized muffin tins. Which means 12 cups, but 6 eggs. Hmm… I might have to whisk all the 6 eggs together. Do you have another suggestion? I think 12 eggs is too much, and I don’t have 12 anyway.
Thanks for your help.
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your comment. That’ll work too! You can whisk your eggs together and pour them over each of the 12 filled cups. They won’t have the warm yolk when you start to enjoy them, but the cooked egg with your filling will be very tasty!
Love and God bless,
Mary