How Starbucks Helped Make Egg Bites A Popular Breakfast Food

Little hand-held omelets have made an appearance in coffee shops all over the world thanks to Starbucks' popular egg bites. Their compact size and convenient packaging make egg bites ideal for people on the go, providing a quick and nutritious breakfast option. Better yet, no utensils are needed for these portable portions of protein. Whether made by your favorite coffee shop or at home, chances are you've munched on one of these trending mouthfuls.

Starbucks' version is cooked with the low-temperature sous vide method, making for an especially smooth-textured egg bite that reheats perfectly. Other fast-service restaurants have added a multitude of choices to their menus to get a bite of this trend, too. Hungry coffee drinkers looking for a non-starchy or gluten-free morning choice now have amazing options to choose from including egg, cheese, and meat versions to vegetarian egg white options and even fully vegan plant-based egg bites.

We have to give thanks to Starbucks for launching the delicious egg bite trend. Back in 2017, as consumers were looking for breakfast options with more protein, baristas noticed lots of orders for breakfast sandwiches with no bread. 

Looking for ways to provide a new option with perfectly cooked eggs, the recipe development team landed on the idea of using sous vide, a French technique that uses the consistent heat from a warm water bath to gently cook foods. Eggs are a great choice for sous vide cooking because their delicate proteins can become rubbery and tough if overcooked.

Starbucks' first flavors were bacon and gruyère egg bites along with a vegetarian egg white version featuring roasted red peppers. Both types of bites are created with a base of blended cottage cheese and egg with additional cheese and seasonings to differentiate flavors. Depending on your location, you can now find Starbucks egg bites with kale and mushroom, cheddar and ham, and even a Denver omelet-inspired version.

The egg bite trend shows no signs of slowing down. Beyond Starbucks, other major quick-service restaurants like Dunkin' and Chick-fil-A have embraced the trend, offering an array of delectable flavors. 

Not to be outdone, grocery giants Whole Foods and Trader Joe's now provide convenient, pre-packaged egg bites, catering to the at-home culinary crowd. Even Costco, a haven for bulk-buying, made room for Starbucks' branded egg bites, underscoring their mass appeal. And let's not ignore the thousands of copy-cat recipes — even our Tasting Table team has whipped up a version of the sous vide egg bite.

But the egg bite evolution doesn't stop there. In an amusing full-circle moment, Starbucks baristas are reporting a new secret menu order trend – egg bites warmed and served on a croissant! The egg bite phenomenon, whether in restaurant form, pre-packaged at the grocery store, or reinvented on secret menus, continues to redefine breakfast and capture the hearts and taste buds of morning food enthusiasts.