The Best Breakfast Egg Bites Aren't Made By Starbucks Or Costco

Grabbing a couple of egg bites from Starbucks in the morning can stave off those hunger pangs when you're in too much of a rush to prepare a homemade breakfast. Similarly, stashing a box of Costco's sous vide egg bites in the fridge and giving them a quick zap in the microwave while you prepare your coffee can save the day in a pinch. However, after testing 9 breakfast egg bites and ranking them from worst to best, somewhat shockingly, neither of these beloved brands reigned supreme. Instead, Trader Joe's cheddar cheese and uncured bacon egg bites prevailed, preventing Kirkland's super popular offering from taking the top spot (Starbucks, meanwhile, came in third). 

Made with eggs, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon, these egg bites came in a pair and blew away the competition in two key ways. First, the texture was light and fluffy, unlike the other brands we tried that were too firm, rubbery, or had hard and chewy bottoms. Secondly, the taste was balanced and delicious — there was a hint of fatty flavor from the bacon and a note of saltiness from the aged cheddar. While the nutritional info didn't play a part in our ranking, the egg bites also contained 240 calories and 16g of protein per package, making them a quick and filling breakfast. In fact, Trader Joe's egg bites are the Starbucks dupe you should always have in stock.

While TJ's egg bites can be eaten as is, the store's website notably suggests stuffing them inside English muffins to make a sammie, or topping them with "a spoonful of your favorite hot sauce, salsa, or our very own Crunchy Chili Onion." Fans on Reddit have their own ideas. One recommended topping the egg bites with sriracha and air frying them while another Redditor shared, "I like the bacon one with some hot sauce and a side of sour cream for a little moisture/balance. Super convenient to bring to work and pop in the microwave." A third user noted that her husband prefers heating them up in the oven versus the microwave, which likely lends them a crispier texture.

Trader Joe's also has a cheese, spinach and kale variety of egg bites, which contain both cottage cheese and salty feta. However, if you're after a lighter munchie, you might prefer the egg white bites that nix the yolks altogether (there's a cheddar cheese and turkey sausage flavor alongside a vegetable hash option). While we didn't try these, we're pretty confident they taste better than the worst egg bites in our ranking, which came from Veggies Made Great. These spinach and egg white frittata-style bites had an overpowering broccoli flavor and an unsettling mouthfeel — avoid!