Preheat the air fryer. Set it to 375°F (190°C). If your model doesn’t preheat, add 2–3 minutes to the first cook time.

Par-cook the bacon. Place bacon slices in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 4–6 minutes until they start to render and become flexible but not fully crisp. This helps them hold their shape as “cups.” Work in batches if needed.

Prep the muffin cups. Lightly grease silicone muffin cups or your silicone tray. Coil or line one slice of par-cooked bacon around the inside of each cup to form a ring. If slices are short, overlap two pieces.

Decide on egg style. For a set yolk, crack a whole egg directly into each bacon-lined cup. For a soft scramble texture, whisk eggs with heavy cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl and pour to fill each cup about 3/4 full.

Add cheese. Sprinkle a generous pinch of shredded cheese over each cup. You can tuck some under the egg for pockets of melty goodness.

Air fry. Carefully place the cups in the air fryer basket. Cook at 350°F (175°C) for 8–12 minutes, depending on how runny or set you like your eggs and how hot your air fryer runs. Start checking at 8 minutes.

Check doneness. For runny yolks, the whites should be opaque with a slight jiggle. For set centers, cook until the tops no longer wobble. If using whisked eggs, they should be puffed and lightly golden at the edges.

Finish and season. Let the cups rest 1–2 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and top with chives or green onions for freshness.

Serve. Use tongs to lift the cups out. Enjoy hot, or let them cool for meal prep.