These curry baked eggs are packed with beef, tofu and spices for an easy high-protein meal. Air fry or bake for a delicious no-oil meal!
The way I’ve been making this ON REPEAT!!!
I got the inspo from my steamed egg tofu recipe. I thought, maybe I can make a baked version of it, because sometimes you just want a little crisp. I’ve made breakfast frittatas before without using any oil, so I figured I can probably make a high-protein version.
I dumped in tofu, which gave it a creamy, LUCSIOUS texture, and ground beef, which added so much savoury flavour. Add curry powder, turmeric, chillies and all the usual aromatics, and somehow this very random experiment turned into something I now make constantly.
I can eat it by itself, or have it as a no-oil, protein-packed side with rice. It’s just SO GOOD.
And it’s ridiculously easy to make too. I don’t even bother using a separate mixing bowl. I whisk everything together right in the baking dish and pop it straight into the air fryer or oven. Less washing up = even better.
Jump to Recipe
What are Curry Baked Eggs?
Think of this as somewhere between a baked omelette and a frittata, but with a little more going on.
To bump up the protein I whisked in tofu and ground beef, seasoned it all with curry powder and turmeric, because we know how much I love the extra antioxidants.
I wanted something that was high in protein but still actually tasted like something I wanted to eat, rather than a sad egg-white situation.
You can air fry it for a slightly more golden top, or bake it in the oven if you’re making a bigger batch.
Why You’ll Love This
Key ingredients
Protein
- Eggs: The base of the dish! If you want to keep this lower calorie, use egg whites. I’ll stick to my healthy fatty yolks combination.
- Tofu: This is my little secret ingredient here. Soft tofu gives the baked eggs that creamy, luscious texture without needing cream. Make sure you drain it well first so you’re not adding too much excess water to the mixture. Sometimes I like to use firm tofu as well, it has higher protein and gives good texture too. I would crumble it in my hands first, before adding to the eggs.
- Lean minced beef: The beef makes this much more substantial and adds loads of savoury flavour. You don’t need to cook it beforehand. Just break it up really well when mixing it into the eggs so it cooks evenly.
Seasonings
- Curry powder: This is where the curry flavour comes from. The curry powder brings the main spice blend – use your favourite curry powder.
- Turmeric: Aka my fave spice! A pinch of turmeric gives warmth, colour, and we love the extra antioxidants.
- Salt and Pepper: All you need to season. Add enough salt to bring out all the flavours in the spices.
- Coriander + Cumin (optional): If I’m up for it, I would add a dash of these two ground spices as well.
NOTE: You can MOST DEFINITELY season this however you like. The base protein can carry so many different flavour profiles.
Aromatics:
- Onion, garlic and chillies: Don’t skip these! The onion adds sweetness, garlic brings savouriness and the chillies give the baked eggs some heat. I use both a regular red chilli and bird’s eye chillies. You can absolutely adjust the amount depending on how much heat you like.
Add vegetables to make it a complete meal
You can absolutely throw some vegetables into the egg mixture too. It’s an easy way to turn this into more of a complete one-dish meal.
Try finely chopped spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots or zucchini. Just keep in mind that vegetables release different amounts of water as they cook.
Very watery vegetables, especially things like mushrooms, zucchini and spinach, can release enough moisture to make the baked eggs softer or watery. If using these, squeeze or cook off excess water first, or use a smaller amount.
For vegetables with less moisture, you can generally add them straight into the mixture.
How is this high protein?
There’s no protein powder hiding in here, I promise.
The protein comes from three very normal ingredients: eggs, lean minced beef and tofu.
The combination makes these baked eggs surprisingly filling, with roughly 45g of protein per serving when divided into two portions. If split into 3 portions, you can get an easy 30g of protein per serve.
The tofu also helps bulk everything out while giving the eggs that lovely creamy texture. So you get a proper, satisfying protein-packed meal without needing to rely on huge portions of just one source of protein.
And if you’re trying to get more protein into your meals without eating the same boring chicken breast every day, this is a pretty delicious way to do it.
Key Steps to Make Air Fryer Eggs
1. Mix everything together
- Add the eggs and drained tofu directly into your baking dish and whisk them together, breaking up the tofu as you go.
- Then add everything else! The minced beef, onion, spring onions, garlic, chillies and spices.
- Break the beef into small pieces and mix everything really well so the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Make sure the beef is well broken up so that it can cook through well and evenly in the baking dish. Clumps of beef may result in uncooked centres.
NOTE: Do you need to grease your baking dish? I DON’T. I’m using a ceramic baking dish with no special non-stick coating, and I found that the baked eggs lift easily once its cooked through. If you really want super easy cleanup, sure, but in my opinion, there is no need to.
2. Cook until set
- Pop the dish into the air fryer or oven until the centre is completely set and the beef is cooked through.
- The air fryer gives the top a little more colour and crispiness, which is honestly one of the reasons I prefer this version to steamed eggs.
- If the top is browning too quickly before the centre is cooked, loosely cover the dish with foil and continue cooking.
Tip
To see if it’s set through, stick a small knife or fork in the middle of the baked eggs. If it comes out clean, the eggs has set proper.
3. Rest before slicing
- Let it rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into it.
- This gives the eggs a chance to finish setting and makes it much easier to slice neatly.
How to serve
To be completely honest, I can eat this straight from the dish!
It’s filling enough to have on its own, especially if you’re looking for an easy high-protein meal. If I want a bit more fresh hit of spice, I eat it with fresh green chillies!
But my favourite way to eat it is with steamed rice. The curry-spiced beef and egg mixture works really well with plain rice, and because the baked eggs don’t use any oil, it makes a really easy protein-packed side for a simple rice meal.
You could also serve it as part of a bigger spread with:
- Steamed rice
- Stir-fried vegetables
- Cucumber or a simple fresh salad
- Soups
It’s also great sliced into smaller pieces and served as part of a breakfast or brunch spread.
Tips and tricks
Storing
- Let the baked eggs cool completely before storing.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
- You can store the whole baked egg in one piece or slice it into portions first. I prefer slicing it into portions because it’s much easier to grab one and reheat when you need a quick meal.
Reheating
- For the best texture, reheat in the air fryer at 160°C (320°F) for 4–6 minutes, or until heated through.
- You can also microwave individual portions for about 1–2 minutes, depending on your microwave. The texture will be a little softer, but it’ll still be delicious.
- If reheating from the fridge, I wouldn’t blast it at a very high temperature. Eggs can turn rubbery when overheated, so gentle reheating works best.
Curry Baked Eggs with Beef & Tofu (High Protein!)
2
servings5
minutes20
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
6 large eggs
150 g (5.3 oz) lean minced beef
150 g (5.3 oz) soft tofu, well drained
1 large onion, about 120 g (4.2 oz), sliced
2 spring onions, about 30 g (1 oz), finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped, adjust to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp curry powder
0.5 tsp ground pepper
1.5 tsp salt, or to taste
- Equipment:
Baking Dish: 20 cm (8-inch) square baking dish, or the equivalent
Directions
- Make the egg mixture
- Add the eggs and well-drained tofu to the baking dish. Whisk until the tofu is mostly broken down, leaving a few small pieces for texture.
- Add the minced beef, onion, spring onions, garlic, red chilli, bird’s eye chillies, turmeric, curry powder, black pepper and salt. Mix thoroughly, breaking the beef into small pieces so it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- Cook the Eggs
- Air Fry: Air fry at 180°C (350°F) for 20–25 minutes, or until the centre is completely set and the beef is cooked through. To check, insert a knife into the centre. It should come out clean, with no wet egg mixture. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover the dish with foil for the remaining cooking time.
or - Oven: Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25–30 minutes, or until the centre is completely set and the beef is cooked through. Insert a knife into the centre to check. It should come out clean, with no wet egg mixture. If the top starts browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the remaining cooking time.
- Rest and serve
- Let the baked eggs rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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