Baked egg boats are our brainchild from almost a decade ago and has been duplicated by many ever since! We originally posted this recipe for Baked Egg Boats way back in 2012 and it’s been by far our most popular and most made recipe! We love this recipe so much because it results in a truly delicious, eggy breakfast dish!
This breakfast recipe can be scaled up to feed a larger crowd and is also very portable with endless variations and possibilities! We think it’s the perfect, handheld breakfast!
What are Baked Egg Boats?
It’s basically a quiche that uses a hollowed out demi baguette as its base instead of a buttery pie crust. The egg filling is poured into the hollowed out baguette and baked until the eggs have set and the baguette is toasted. We like to think of this as a simplified quiche that is also very portable.
How to Make Baked Egg Boats
Ingredients
Process
- Preheat oven. Cut a deep “V” through the tops of each baguette until about a ½ inch to the bottom and remove cut top. Un-stuff demi baguettes as much as possible, while keeping the shell of the baguettes intact. It’s very important not to puncture through the crust while slicing the tops off and while un-stuffing. Set hollowed baguettes aside and discard the tops and removed stuffing.
- Sprinkle some shredded cheese into the bottom of each hollowed baguette.
- Add eggs, cream, cheese, pancetta and green onions to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk together until fully combined.
- Place baguettes onto a baking sheet and fill each with half the egg mixture. (the egg and cream will pour out faster than the filling “bits” so it’s best to switch off pouring into each baguette to ensure each one get equal parts of everything in the egg mixture)
- Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for 35 to 30 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and eggs have set. Remove baked egg boats from oven and cool for about 5 minutes.
Make Ahead and Freezing Baked Egg Boats
Make Ahead
Our baked egg boats can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Bake egg boats as per recipe instructions. Cool, then tightly wrap in foil and store in the refrigerator.
To reheat in oven, place foil wrapped egg boat into a 325ËšF preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until egg boat is heated through. Remove from oven, carefully unwrap from foil, slice and serve.
To reheat in microwave, unwrap egg boat from foil and wrap completely in a slightly damp paper towel. Heat for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes (depending on strength of microwave). Remove from microwave, carefully unwrap, slice, and serve.
Freezing
Our baked egg boats can be frozen up to 2 months (for maximum freshness). Bake egg boats as per recipe instructions. Cool, then tightly wrap in foil, place into a resealable freezer bag, and store in the freezer.
To reheat in oven, place foil wrapped egg boat into a 350ËšF preheated oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until egg boat is heated through. Remove from oven, carefully unwrap from foil, slice and serve.
To reheat in microwave, unwrap egg boat from foil and wrap completely in a slightly damp paper towel. Heat for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes (depending on strength of microwave). Remove from microwave, carefully unwrap, slice, and serve.
Tips and Tricks for Baked Egg Boat Success
- Our preference is to use a sourdough baguette because the crust is usually thicker and heartier, which helps to keep the filling from leaking. If using a French baguette, just make sure it has a nice even crust.
- It’s very important not to puncture through the crust while slicing the tops off and un-stuffing to prevent the filling from leaking out
- It’s also important to evenly and thoroughly unstuff the baguette to ensure all the filling fits (you really just want to use the baguette as a ‘crust’ for the egg filling)
- Don’t replace the cream with milk. Milk contains less fat and more water, and will effect the way the eggs set (sometimes it’ll even prevent the eggs from setting at all). If you really don’t want to add the small amount of cream or you don’t have any, you can omit it all together. The texture of the filling will be not quite as creamy, but it will still be delicious.
- Carefully wrap baguette in foil, if filling hasn’t set after 30 minutes (which really shouldn’t be the case!), leaving the top open. This will prevent the baguette from over toasting and becoming hard.
- Save the baguette discards for later use! They can be dried out, blitzed in a food processor and used as homemade breadcrumbs.
Variations
There are TONS of variations that can be made with this recipe! Some of our favorite variations are below!
- sliced and sautéed mushrooms, diced shallots, and spinach
- caramelized onions, diced ham, sliced green onions or chives, and shredded cheese
- spinach, crumbled turkey breakfast sausage, and crumbled goat cheese
- diced and sautéed bell peppers, crumbled feta, and spinach or kale
- sliced chives, minced thyme, minced parsley, and shredded or crumbled cheese
More Breakfast Recipes You Will Love!
Baked Egg Boats
INGREDIENTS
- 2 sourdough demi baguettes (each about 12"x 2.5" in size)
- 6 eggs
- â…“ cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces finely diced pancetta
- 4 ounces grated gruyere cheese divided
- 2 thinly sliced green onions
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut a deep “V” through the tops of each baguette until about a ½ inch to the bottom and remove top. Un-stuff demi baguettes as much as possible, while keeping the shell of the baguettes intact. It's very important not to puncture through the crust while slicing the tops off and while un-stuffing. Set hollowed baguettes aside and discard the tops and removed stuffing.
- Sprinkle about tablespoon of shredded cheese into the bottom of each hollowed baguette.
- Whisk together eggs and cream, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Place baguettes onto a baking sheet and fill each with half the egg mixture. (the egg and cream will pour out faster than the filling "bits" so it's best to switch off pouring into each baguette to ensure each one get equal parts of everything in the egg mixture)
- Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for 35 to 30 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and eggs have set.
- Remove baked egg boats from oven and cool for about 5 minutes. Cut each baguette into pieces and serve.
NOTES
- Our preference is to use a sourdough baguette because the crust is usually thicker and heartier, which helps to keep the filling from leaking. If using a French baguette, just make sure it has a nice even crust.
- It’s very important not to puncture through the crust while slicing the tops off and un-stuffing to prevent the filling from leaking out
- It’s also important to evenly and thoroughly unstuff the baguette to ensure all the filling fits (you really just want to use the baguette as a ‘crust’ for the egg filling)
- Don’t replace the cream with milk. Milk contains less fat and more water, and will effect the way the eggs set (sometimes it’ll even prevent the eggs from setting at all). If you really don’t want to add the small amount of cream or you don’t have any, you can omit it all together. The texture of the filling will be not quite as creamy, but it will still be delicious.
- Carefully wrap baguette in foil, if filling hasn’t set after 30 minutes (which really shouldn’t be the case!), leaving the top open. This will prevent the baguette from over toasting and becoming hard.
- Save the baguette discards for later use! They can be dried out, blitzed in a food processor and used as homemade breadcrumbs.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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Made this for breakfast and it was awesome. Followed the recipe except for using regular uncured bacon instead of pancetta. It was phenomenal! We had some seasoned olive oil on the side for dipping (especially when getting to the “breadier” ends) and, while it wasn’t necessary, it added a little extra depth and we really enjoyed it.
This is such a wonderful idea!
This is amazing. I gotta try this recipe when the weekend comes. And I’ll be adding more cheese to it.
This just made me wish it was dinner…and that this is what I was having. Need to make that thought a reality! Yumm!
What a fab idea! really looking forward to making these.
my daughter wafa tried it the other day.it was faboulous.
I just made it for mother’s day!!! Great recipe
Just tryed this tonight for dinner and made it according to the recipe. No Ice coffee here but accompanied it with a wonderful glass of Chardonnay and it was AMAZING!!! Love Love Love this recipe!!
This looks really good. I have been wanting to try something for breakfast like this. If you ever want another place to share your talent, we would love to have you at Bacon Time’s anything Goes linky on Friday.
Making these for the first time next for a bridal brunch. The only concern I have is..will the crust get too hard and crunchy while in the oven for 25 minutes. If so, should I somehow cover the crust before baking? Need to know before May 12th. Thanks so much!
What a cool idea!!! I’m definitely going to make these!!! Thanks for posting!!!
Are the baguettes fresh or frozen? Looks yummy!
Thanks for this great idea. These are perfect for a breakfast brunch. So easy to make a bunch and hold them warm in the oven. Make more than you think, people will gobble them down. Thanks for your great recipes I find great ideas for the Inn on Poplar Hill. Victoria The Happy Innkeeper
Made this today…my version-spinach, mushroom, dijon mustard, 1/2 n 1/2, morning star patties chopped (I don’t eat pork), guyrere cheese….great idea…so many things u could do…endless…the re-heat perfectly….and a great “to-go” breakfast!!!!! Brilliant thank you !!!!!
Oops! I cut the baguette all the way to the end (just like subway) so when I poured the egg mixture in it all ran out the ends! Doh!
looks really yummy !
Gotta try this recipe sometime this week, minus the bacon though !
I would never think to put eggs baked inside a piece of french baguette…genius! I have to try this recipe.
So good. Made these for my wife and she loved them. We’ve had them several times since then. I still have never been able to find ‘demi’ baguettes, only the full sized versions. Perhaps the stores where I live just aren’t ready to go down that road. Either way, I make the bigger ones work. Like another reviewer, I’ve also made a ‘breakfast bake’ by taking the scooped out bread, tossing into a buttered ramekin and covering with leftover filling, which I seem to usually have on hand. Bake that up and it’s a great treat too. Thanks for the recipe!
Erik you can find them at Costco
I’m making these for dinner tonight. That’s right, dinner. I’ll be serving them with strawberries & cream, grits casserole, and mint juleps. I’m practicing for our Derby Brunch. Thanks for the recipe! These little darlings are like quiche in a baguette. So excited about them!
I’m am so excited about this recipe , as is, it seems , the rest of the world, based on the number of responses, LoL – I am going to make this up over the weekend for my husband. I will add some sautĂ©ed mushrooms to the mix, as well as some bacon instead of the pancetta, because I have to use what’s in my fridge. I also liked the idea that someone else suggested, to use crab meat. Such a simple idea with endless variations. Thank you! Don’t know why we all hadn’t thought of this before, but you rock! :)
How many would this recipe serve?
Diane, I think that would depend on appetites, and/or how big the bread is. My instinct is to tell you to use your best judgement,but based on the 5 eggs used, I would say anywhere from 2 to 4 people, again, depending on appetites. ;)
I just made this and it taste great! But, it did not seem to be done even after 30 minutes and setting for 5 minutes. So I put each on in the microwave for 20 seconds. Has anyone else had this problem?
Do you know if you can subsitute egg whites and still have it work?
Made these this weekend and they were DELICIOUS! the eggs were so fluffy and wonderful! only problem was the eggs didn’t cook in the recommended amount of time so had to leave them in ten extra minutes, which made the bread WAY too crunchy and difficult to eat :( any suggestions on how to keep the bread soft? i’m thinking i may have even hollowed them out too much (although i thought i had left an ample amount of bread in them)
any suggestions would be appreciated! we made our with bacon, green onions, AND green peppers! yummmmm
made these this morning, but instead i used wheat baguettes, bacon, and cheddar. delich! new fav breakfast.