This recipe ensures that breakfast is ready with all the right flavors to get everyone’s day started off right!
This crock pot breakfast casserole combines hash browns, sausage or ham, and lots of cheese with an egg mixture. It all “bakes” to perfection in the slow cooker. Making a CrockPot breakfast casserole recipe has never been easier!
CrockPot breakfast casserole goes from the slow cooker to the table in a matter of hours! Set the Crock Pot at night and get some rest, or whip it up in the morning!
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
- HASH BROWNS: Shredded or diced hash browns work in this recipe. If you prefer more ‘potato’ in your casserole, you can certainly use diced hash brown potatoes or homestyle potatoes.
- MEAT: I most often use sausage or ham. Bacon (or really any breakfast meat) will work perfectly in this recipe!
- CHEESE & EGGS: I love the flavor sharp cheddar adds but any cheese works. Use whole eggs or even low-fat egg substitutes.
- TOPPINGS: Feel free to add salsa or Tabasco, and once you’re ready to serve, a nice dollop of sour cream and some chopped green onions!
How To Make Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
- Cook sausage or bacon if using, or dice ham per the recipe below.
- If desired, soften the onion in bacon fat or a bit of oil.
- Layer hashbrowns, meat, peppers, onions, and cheese in a slow cooker.
- Whisk eggs, milk, and seasonings and pour over the hashbrown mixture.
- Cover and cook per the recipe below.
How Long to Cook a Breakfast Casserole
This slow cooker breakfast casserole recipe will take about 7-8 hours on LOW and 3-4 hours on HIGH in a 6QT slow cooker. If you’re working with a smaller slow cooker or doubling the recipe, the cooking time may need to be adjusted slightly to compensate.
Can You Freeze CrockPot Breakfast Casserole?
Like all casseroles, the best way to freeze them is to make sure they are fully cooled before they’re put in the freezer. Once it is fully baked, chill it overnight and then the next day, remove and either slice it into portions and freeze it individually or freeze it in sections in a plastic bag. Just reheat it in the microwave! Easy to make and easy to clean up!
More Breakfast Casseroles
CrockPot Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen hash brown potatoes 32 ounces
- 1 pound bacon, sausage, or ham cooked & cumbled or diced
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded, about 8 oz
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 small finely diced white onion about ½ cup
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- If using bacon or sausage, cook and crumble. Drain fat leaving 1 tablespoon in the pan.
- If desired, soften the onion in the fat. This is optional but will soften the flavor of the onion.
- Grease a 6qt slow cooker. Place half the hash browns, meat, onions, peppers, and cheese in the slow cooker. Repeat layers ending with cheese, do not stir.
- Whisk eggs, milk, and seasonings in a medium bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Once cooked, uncover and let the casserole rest for 15 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast
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Going to make this for a work potluck. Could I make it ahead of time and then reheat the whole thing in the crockpot? Or do I just need to get up early and cook it the morning of? :) What are your thoughts?
Hi Sarah, it should reheat in the crockpot fine. You could also have everything prepped and just pour the egg mixture overtop when you get up in the morning.
Do you use pre-cooked breakfast sausage or uncooked breakfast sausage in the casing? Thinking about doing this with sausage and ham for my son’s swim meet team breakfast. Also – I believe you said it won’t cook through if I double the recipe, right? Trying to make a lot with limited time for a 7 am breakfast.
Hi Joy, you want the breakfast sausage to be cooked before adding to the crockpot. So if using uncooked, be sure to cook and crumble before adding to the recipe. That is correct, we don’t recommend doubling it because it won’t cook through but if you are doubling the recipe be sure to adjust the cooking time slightly to compensate. Hope that helps!
I love this recipe, Holly! I’ve made it a few times and it’s delicious! I’m wondering if it would work just as well in a 13×9 slow cooker (3.5 qt)?
We use this very similar recipe in a 9×13. Enjoy Lauren!
Your recipe says not to use diced hash browns, but to use shredded. But then the video shows diced potatoes going into the crockpot? Do you think diced would be ok? That’s what I have on hand at the moment… Thanks!
The post says that if you prefer more ‘potato’ in your casserole, you can certainly use diced hash brown potatoes or homestyle potatoes. But the recipe works best for shredded. We’ve tried both, and they’re both delicious, but prefer the shredded. It certainly wouldn’t stop me from making the casserole if I only had diced! Enjoy Linnea!
Hi!
I’m curious…
Is there a reason this is layered and not mixed up?
Would it cook like a strata if it were?
I will try it either way but I’m thinking I would prefer it all mixed together.
Thanks for the recipe!
You can certainly mix it all up. Let us know how it goes!
Just assembled in crockpot. Had to use more than 12 eggs though used 18 and egg mixture still did not come up so all ingredients were in egg mixture hope this turns out. Not sure how 12 eggs is supposed to be enough. This alot of food.
Hi Mark, I hope it turned out delicious for you. If you take a look at the video (just above the recipe) our egg mixture doesn’t quite cover all the ingredients in the crock pot either. Hope that helps.
Looking forward to making this slow cooker breakfast for our camping group
Very good! I assembled this on Christmas Eve at midnight. Cooked over night and had it for breakfast, my family loved it.
Tasty! I have a finicky 86yo mom that dearly loves potatoes. In her old age she’s gotten a bit picky and I need to find things she will eat to keep some weight on her. I threw this together last night at 10:30 and set the slow cooker for 7 hours followed by warm. Came out perfect this morning at 9am for breakfast. Needed a little more S&P but to us that’s not a deal breaker. I tend to go light on the S&P and let folks shake their own. Mom is happy this morning and enjoying this casserole with a glass of orange juice. I had no issues with excess moisture. I used frozen shredded potatoes from ALDI, along with diced spiral ham frozen from Thanksgiving.
Looks delish!
I made this and it did not turn out well. It’s very mushy and you can’t even tell there’s hashbrowns in it. Not sure if it’s user error or what. However, it has a great flavor! It was also very easy to make. If someone can give me additional tips on making this come out better, I’d definitely make it again.
I’m sorry to hear that, Jeana! Were your shredded hashbrowns frozen to start? This will help them not cook as fast in the slow cooker!
Another thing you could try is cubed hashbrowns instead of shredded.
Could evaporated milk be substituted for the milk?
Hi Doris, you can substitute evaporated milk for regular milk 1:1, meaning you would put the same amount. Let us know how this breakfast casserole works out for you!
Thank you!
This was literally the worst thing I have ever eaten.
Sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this casserole Joseph.
Looking forward to good recipes, eating great food.
Just made this for the first time today and loved it. Even the hard to please people in the house gave it 2 thumbs up.
I have made this before. I cooked bacon the day before, And crumbled it, I also diced some ham. diced onions, bell peppers, and little jalapeño. I sautéed the onions and green peppers prior to putting in the crockpot. Brown the hash browns a bit in butter with salt and pepper. Then layer these items in the crockpot with whisked eggs, milk and salt and pepper in the whisked eggs. It makes a huge difference.
I am hoping to try this during 4th of July weekend. I’m tasked with making breakfast for the crowd. I’ve never made a breakfast casserole in a crockpot before so I had a few questions.
It says to cook for six hours. Could I set it on low for 6 then it automatically goes to warm for maybe 2 hours, waiting for everyone to wake up, does that sound like that would be ok or do you think it would burn?
We have not tried leaving it on warm but that should be fine Loretta.
Breakfast is my favorite meal!!
I want to make this but I don’t have frozen hash browns, could I make fresh hash browns since I have potatoes? If so what would be the best way to prep the hash browns before forming the casserole?
I haven’t tried this with fresh potatoes but my thought is that they would be more starchy. I would suggest shredding them and then soaking them in cold water for a few minutes to remove some of the starch. Lift them out of the water and drain. I have never tried it so I can’t say for sure. I think they would cook ok in the slow cooker but you might want to cook them part way in a non-stick pan and cool frist.
Let us know how it goes for you!
I had made this recipe last fall twice with refrigerated Simply potatoes shredded hash browns and it was great. I just made it today with frozen shredded hash browns and there is all this excess water. I realized it was the frozen hash browns that us the problem. Lesson learned.
Also, I added dill which adds nice flavor as well. My family also enjoys the dish with green chiles in it.
In theory this is a good recipe but it is very bland and lacks taste. I gave it two stars because if you season the potato’s with salt and pepper (at least) then this dish will be so much better.