Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is an easy make-ahead meal!
Tater tots are layered with bacon, onions, bell peppers, & whisked eggs, and then topped with melty cheese. Refrigerate overnight and simply bake & enjoy in the morning.
I love a breakfast casserole recipe where the prep is done ahead of time for holidays, weekends, or even for breakfast for dinner!
Tater Tots for Breakfast
- This delicious breakfast casserole recipe uses tater tots instead of traditional hashbrowns.
- It’s the perfect dish to cook for a crowd and can be prepared ahead of time for convenience.
- You can customize it with your favorite meat (bacon/ham/sausage) or veggies to add even more flavor.
- Just assemble the casserole, refrigerate it overnight, and bake it in the morning making it perfect for holidays or weekends. This recipe is best made ahead of time!
- This hearty and satisfying casserole is perfect for any meal of the day.
Ingredients for Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
This is an easy Tater tot breakfast casserole recipe and great for mixing up the ingredients. Use up leftover meat and veggies and make it a new recipe every time.
Tater Tots – Of course, tater tots are the key ingredient in this casserole. No tater tots? No problem! Layer some frozen or homemade hash browns or hashbrown patties. Sweet Potato Hashbrowns or some Homemade Shredded Hashbrowns would work too!
Bacon – We love crispy bacon in this recipe (make oven bacon to keep it easy). Feel free to swap it out for breakfast sausage, leftover ham, or even turkey sausage
Veggies – The combination of onions and green & red bell peppers not only adds flavor but also a burst of color. If you don’t have onions, you can use onion powder or garlic powder as a substitute.
Cheese – This recipe is adaptable when it comes to cheese. Choose a Mexican blend, sharp cheddar, or pepper jack cheese – they all go perfectly.
Variations
Anything goes! Try sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, or even broccoli pieces to give tater tot casserole a new flair! Add seasonings or spices to your liking.
How to Make a Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Tater tot casserole is a classic dish, and this recipe is so easy to make.
- Layer tots in a baking dish & sprinkle with cheese.
- Cook bacon in a large skillet. Soften onions & peppers in leftover bacon grease.
- Sprinkle veggies & 2/3 of the bacon over the tots.
- Whisk egg mixture, pour over casserole, cover, & refrigerate overnight.
In the morning…
- Sprinkle remaining bacon & on top and bake per the recipe below.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, or guacamole.
Time Saving Tips
- Use precooked bacon or ham.
- Frozen onions and peppers can be used in place of fresh which means no chopping.
- Pre-shredded cheeses work well in this recipe.
- Use frozen tater tots, no need to thaw first
- Remove the casserole from the fridge up to an hour before baking.
Broil the top of the casserole to brown. Let the casserole sit for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares or wedges and serving.
Leftovers & Freezing
Keep leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave (or better yet air fryer if you have one!).
This tater tot breakfast casserole can be frozen. Cool completely and cut into individual servings. Freeze in a sealed container (or freezer bag) for up to 3 months. Thaw individual portions in the fridge overnight and heat as directed above.
Prep Ahead Breakfast Favorites
Did you make this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 20 ounces tater tots
- 1 pound bacon or 1 pound sausage *see note
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 6 eggs
- ⅔ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 pan and place the tater tots in a single layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese evenly over the tots.
- Chop the bacon into 1" pieces. Cook bacon pieces over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet until crisp, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet.
- Sauté onions in the skillet until softened, then add bell peppers and combine. Layer the onion and bell pepper mixture over the tater tots, followed by ⅔ of the cooked bacon.
- Whisk eggs, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour over the tater tots. Cover the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the covered casserole for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil, top the casserole with the remaining cheese and bacon, and increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until set and cheese is browned. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cheese can be replaced with 2 cups pepper jack and 1 cup cheddar cheese.
- If using sausage, cook the onion and sausage together. Drain any fat.
- Use precooked bacon or ham
- Frozen onions and peppers can be used in place of fresh.
- Pre-shredded cheese works in this recipe
- Use frozen tater tots, no need to thaw first
- Remove the casserole from the fridge up to an hour before baking.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Casserole
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
More Tater Tot Favorites
- Classic Tater Tot Casserole
- Frozen Air Fryer Tater Tots
- Homemade Tater Tots
- Taco Tater Tot Casserole
- Loaded Tater Tot Nachos
We enjoyed this tasty casserole not for breakfast, but as an easy family dinner.
So glad you enjoyed it Marlene!
I was worried that the tater tots wouldn’t get crispy enough for my husband, but I followed the process. So glad I did. The tater tots were very crispy. I’m not sure if it made a difference that I baked it in a metal pan. Anyhow, the breakfast casserole turned out super well and I was informed that I can make it again lol. Great breakfast recipe, thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Kristen!
I tried this casserole for the first time this weekend when company came over. It was wonderful. The flavors of the casserole were awesome together. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Do I have to put it in the fridge over night or can I skip that part and go to the oven?
This recipe is best made ahead of time but should be fine to go straight in the oven. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Ann!
I love your recipes but I don’t eat cheese. Any way you could add notews for no cheese?
Hi Deborah, you can leave the cheese out of this recipe and while it will change the flavor, it will still be delicious!
I’m not really a big fan of eggs, but this even looks good to me. Did you put a few extra tater tots on top (per picture) or do a few just rise to the tot?
The photo in the post with tots and no cheese is with the egg mixture added before baking. You can see that the eggs don’t quite cover the ingredients. You could add a few extra tots to the top if you’d like!
delicious!
20 ounces of tater tot’s or 30? 30 is a full bag.
I use 20 oz in this recipe.
Recipe is easy to follow until the last step – raise oven temp to 425 and cook an additional 150-20 minutes. What is the correct cooking time?
Hi Gloria, we cook the casserole covered at 350°F for 40 minutes. Then we remove the cover, top with remaining cheese and bacon and cook at 425°F for an additional 15-20 minutes or until set and cheese is browned. So it would be cooked for about an hour or up to an hour and 15 minutes if needed.