These mini Spinach Egg Muffins mix up in minutes and are one of our go-to easy meals. They’re packed with iron and protein, and you can make them ahead and stash them in the fridge until you need them for the kids.
I love making one breakfast recipe for kids on the weekend to serve throughout the week and these egg muffins are one of our all-time favorites. They are super quick to stir together and are a nice vegetarian option to serve at any time of the day—including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
These muffins for kids have a moist texture, making them easy for little kids to chew, and they have a nice mix of ingredients so they can function as the main course in a meal.
We like them as an easy breakfast for toddlers. Or as a nutritious lunch for kids, as a baby snack or toddler snack, packed in a lunchbox as an easy hot lunch idea, and I enjoy them diced over salads. You can even serve them with a dip of pizza sauce or salsa for additional flavor.
(You may also like my Spinach Eggs, Sheet Pan Eggs, Spinach Muffins, and my Mini Egg Muffins.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this egg muffin recipe so you know what to have on hand and ready to go.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in my recipes, so plan to use them here.
- Spinach: You can use fresh spinach of any kind or frozen spinach. Leafy greens are often a tough sell with toddlers since they can be hard to chew and not very flavorful, but adding spinach to these egg muffins adds iron and fiber without compromising on texture.
- Shredded cheese: You can use cheddar cheese, mozzarella, feta cheese, or another type of shredded cheese you like.
- Cornmeal or flour: This helps the muffins have a nice texture that’s easy to pick up and eat.
- Mild smooth salsa: This adds a lot of flavor to the muffins.
- Cumin: Adding dried ground cumin ensures that the muffins are savory and flavorful.
TIP: You can serve these Spinach Egg Cups on their own or with additional salsa or even guacamole for dipping.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process for making these egg cups. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information, including the amounts and timing.
- Add the eggs to a medium bowl.
- If using fresh spinach, roughly cut it up with kitchen scissors. Add with the rest of the ingredients, including the egg mixture, to the bowl with the eggs and stir.
- Divide among a greased mini muffin tin and bake.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
TIP: Be sure to grease your muffin tin really well to avoid sticking. I find that nonstick cooking spray and a nonstick muffin tin work better than paper liners with this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
We like them with a simple side of fruit and crackers. You could also pair them with toast, a muffin, or add them to your own salad. I’ve also been known to add them to a grain bowl.
You can also warm the egg cups through and pack them in a thermos as an easy hot lunch for kids.
Iron-Rich Spinach Egg Cups
The spinach in these muffins is full of iron and it’s more readily absorbed by the body by the inclusion of the Vitamin C-rich salsa. Which is just to say that these are a great vegetarian source of iron for kids.
Best Mini Muffin Tin for Baking
This mini muffin tin from Wilton is the one I recommend. It works best when greased with nonstick spray.
How to Store
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm for 15 seconds in the microwave if desired to serve warm. You can also freeze in a zip-top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 6 months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge or in 15 second increments in the microwave.
Best Tips for Success
- Be sure to grease your muffin tin really well to avoid sticking. I use classic nonstick cooking spray.
- To use frozen spinach, let it thaw and squeeze out any moisture. Use ¼ cup and break it up.
- To make gluten-free, use the cornmeal or a cup for cup gluten-free flour.
- To make dairy-free, omit the cheese. You could add another cup of spinach or another veggie like corn or cooked roasted butternut squash.
- You can omit the added salt if desired. Feel free to add pepper, minced onion, cooked and crumbled bacon, minced ham, cooked and crumbled sausage, or other ingredients you like in omelettes or frittatas, too.
- Run a paring knife around the edges of the muffins to help loosen if needed.
- Cut into smaller pieces for older babies or one year olds as needed.
- Use Italian seasoning or garlic powder in place of the cumin to vary the flavor.
Related Recipes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what your family thought of it, so please comment and rate the recipe below.
So Good Spinach Egg Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 6 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup cornmeal (or all-purpose flour)
- ¼ cup mild smooth salsa
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a mini muffin tin very well with nonstick spray. (Be sure to grease it well to ensure the egg cups don't stick to the pan.)
- Roughly cut up the spinach with kitchen scissors or a knife.
- Add spinach to a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Divide among the prepared mini muffin tin, using about 1 tablespoon batter in each cup.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the tops are firm.
- Place the muffin tin on a wire rack and let muffins cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes. As they cool, they will start to pull away from the sides of the pan slightly. Use a paring knife around the edges to gently loosen and remove the muffins from the pan.
Equipment
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm for 15 seconds in the microwave if desired.
- Be sure to grease your muffin tin really well to avoid sticking.
- To use frozen spinach, let it thaw and squeeze out any moisture. Use ¼ cup and break it up.
- Gluten-free: Use the cornmeal or a cup for cup gluten-free flour.
- Dairy-free: Omit the cheese. You could add another cup of spinach or another veggie like corn or cooked roasted butternut squash.
- You can omit the added salt if desired.
- Run a paring knife around the edges of the muffins to help loosen if needed.
- Cut into smaller pieces for older babies or one year olds as needed.
Nutrition
This post was first published July 2020.
If I don’t have enough spinach, could I do one cup spinach and one cup grated carrot or grated sweet potato? Also, could paprika work instead of cumin?
My 21 month old loves these! Can I freeze them?
Sure!
Would the baking time change if using a regular muffin tin?
Yes, 2-4 minutes longer
Should I reduce baking time if baking with mini muffin tins?
The info in the recipe is for a mini muffin pan so nope. Enjoy!
These are fantastic and really quick to make. We have dairy and egg allergies and I substituted Just Egg and dairy free cheese shreds and they came out perfect. Thank you for the great recipe!