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Crockpot breakfast casserole is perfect for holidays and busy mornings. Tender potatoes, fluffy eggs, and savory sausage cook up overnight in the slow cooker, so you can wake up to a delicious, healthy breakfast!
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients for Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Steps to Cooking Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Tips for the Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Variations for the Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Popular Combinations for Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What to Serve with Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Ways of Storing Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- More Breakfast Recipes You Will Love
- How to Make Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- CrockPot Breakfast Casserole Recipe
This crockpot breakfast casserole is the perfect breakfast to add to the slow cooker and let it cook on its own! Less preparation and more time with your family. It is a win-win breakfast recipe. The eggs cook up light and fluffy all around the ingredients, so it is a giant omelet once it is all baked. Saves time and all hands-off cooking! Your family will love this crockpot breakfast casserole!
Breakfast casserole is so easy to whip up the night before and then let the Crockpot do the work while we all sleep. Then guests are greeted with fragrant breakfast smells first thing in the morning and you get all the credit for serving a delicious breakfast. It is great for Christmas Eve, busy Sunday mornings, or any time you want a big family breakfast but don’t want all the fuss.
Ingredients for Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Take your breakfast to the next level with this crockpot breakfast casserole! Easy ingredients with simple ingredients that cook together perfectly. The best crockpot breakfast casserole is a crowd-pleaser!
- Sausage – Add protein to this chopped sausage. Cut the sausage into even bite-sized chunks.
- Eggs – This is the base of the breakfast casserole. Eggs are filled with nutrients and are a great source of protein.
- Milk – Adds creaminess and moisture to the egg mixture. Milk helps the eggs fluff up and become lighter.
- Potatoes – Frozen diced potatoes with red and green bell peppers.
- Tomato – Slice and chop the tomato into small pieces that are added to the crockpot.
- Cheddar cheese – Give this crockpot breakfast casserole that gooey cheesy texture with shredded cheddar cheese. Shred the cheddar cheese for it to slowly melt throughout the breakfast casserole.
Steps to Cooking Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
If your Crockpot cooks hot or if you have an oval one it may only take six hours on low. A smaller, round crockpot may take the full 8 hours to cook through the center. To make clean-up even easier try using a crockpot/slow cooker liner!
- Cook – Brown sausage links in a large skillet until cooked through and cut into pieces. Set aside.
- Whisk – In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Add salt and pepper.
- Combine – Spray the crockpot with cooking spray and layer the cut-up sausage, potatoes O’Brien, tomatoes, and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Stir everything together.
- Slow cook – Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. The oval crock pots like the one shown may cook faster than the typical round crock pots. Try to aim for the 6-hour mark if using one like this.
Tips for the Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Follow these helpful tips to make a delicious crockpot breakfast casserole! Making this breakfast will be a family favorite. Your morning will be better waking up to a full-filling breakfast!
- Grease the crockpot – Make clean up even easier! Grease with nonstick cooking spray, and butter, or use a crockpot liner to keep the breakfast casserole from sticking to the sides.
- Layer – Make sure to layer the ingredients individually. This will help the structure of the breakfast casserole hold together and be stable as well as cook properly.
- Evenly distribute – When pouring in or placing the ingredients, try to evenly distribute the ingredients in the slow cooker breakfast casserole. Each bite will have a little bit of all the ingredients. This will help the ingredients from being overcooked or undercooked.
- Cooking time – Cooking times can vary depending on the size of the crockpot.
- Don’t overcrowd – Try not to overfill the crockpot with ingredients. If it is overcrowded then the ingredients will not be able to cook properly.
- Toothpick trick – Check to make sure the crockpot breakfast casserole is done by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the slow cooker. If the toothpick comes out clean, the breakfast casserole is cooked properly.
- Let it rest – Before serving, let the breakfast casserole sit and let the flavors enhance for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Variations for the Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Our recipe for Crockpot breakfast casserole is very flavorful with the simple ingredients we use. We love it this way, but we have also tried variations depending on what we are in the mood for and what we have on hand.
- Potatoes – I love using the Potatoes O’Brien because they are already chopped and they come with red and green bell peppers. This just speeds up the process for me and makes this recipe even easier. However, you can use any frozen hash brown variation. You can even use fresh grated potatoes, but the casserole will cook up a lot quicker with fresh as opposed to frozen.
- Meat – I like using sausage links because it is what my family prefers, but you can use any breakfast meat you have on hand! It just needs to be cooked first. Feel free to use sausage, bacon, turkey bacon, or ham. If meat isn’t your thing, you can use meat substitutes, or no meat at all!
- Veggies – If you have got it in the fridge, it can go in this recipe (almost, haha). We’ve used peppers, onions, green onions, mushrooms, spinach, kale, green chiles, zucchini, tomatoes, and asparagus, just to name a few. If you can find it on an omelet bar, chances are it will taste delicious in this recipe!
- Cheese – Cheddar is an obvious breakfast choice, but you can change it up! Any cheese that melts well will work. We’ve used Swiss, mozzarella, pepper jack, Monterey jack, and Colby jack before. They’ve all been great!
- Toppings – Everyone in my family likes topping this casserole with something different. We’ve tried ketchup, sour cream and salsa, sriracha, avocado, chives, cheese, and Tobasco, just to name a few. Whatever you top this with, we know you will love it!
Popular Combinations for Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Try some of these ideas to make this casserole your own! Follow these most popular combinations. The options are endless!
- Denver Style – Cubed ham, green peppers, onion, and cheddar cheese are a classic and traditional omelet choice!
- California Style – Bacon, tomatoes, peppers, onion, topped with lots and lots of avocado. This is always a favorite!
- Meat Lovers – Bacon, sausage, and ham are every meat lover’s dream.
- Mushroom and Swiss – Spinach, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese are simple and tasty.
- Garden Delight – Peppers, onions, tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, and spinach give this veggie breakfast a healthy twist.
- Italian – Pancetta, red bell peppers, and mozzarella are all classic Italian ingredients.
- Southwest – Green chiles, jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, top with avocado, salsa, and sour cream for a complete southern taste!
“This Crockpot Breakfast Casserole is a perfect make-ahead breakfast recipe! We had this for breakfast/brunch today and it was such a hit! I’m so glad I found your site when I was looking for a good recipe, I’m looking forward to more new great recipes.”
-Natasha
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This is a great option if you are short on time. It is best to cook on low for 8 hours, but you can instead cook on high for 2 to 3 hours. Just make sure the sausage and eggs are cooked through before serving.
We used a medium-sized slow cooker. If you have a larger Crockpot, you can double the recipe and it will fit.
What to Serve with Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
This casserole is a terrific all-in-one dish, so you could serve it alone with some toppings and a side of fruit. For a big breakfast or brunch, you can also pair it with our Make Ahead Breakfast Parfaits, our rich Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, or a batch of the BEST Blueberry Muffins.
Ways of Storing Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Learn how to properly make ahead or store the crockpot breakfast casserole! It is so easy to plan for and feed a crowd. Use your leftovers throughout the week or freeze them for a later time. All great options for having this breakfast casserole recipe more than once!
- Making ahead – Place all the ingredients into the crockpot and cover to store in the refrigerator for 24 hours. When ready to cook, let the crockpot warm to room temperature, place in the crockpot warmer, and start the time on low for eight hours.
- Refrigerator – Place the leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge.
- Freezer – Cut and portion the crockpot breakfast casserole into individual portions to freeze.
- Warming up – Reheat the breakfast casserole leftovers in the microwave or in the oven until it is warmed through.
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How to Make Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
CrockPot Breakfast Casserole
Video
Equipment
- Crockpot Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 12-15 breakfast sausage links
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 pounds potatoes o’brien (hash browns with diced onions and peppers)
- 1 tomato diced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Brown sausage links in a large skillet until cooked through and cut into pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Add salt and pepper.
- Spray the crockpot with cooking spray and layer the cut-up sausage, potatoes O'Brien, tomatoes, and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Stir everything together.
- Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. The oval crock pots like the one shown may cook faster than the typical round crock pots. Try to aim for the 6-hour mark if using one like this.
Can this be cooked on high for three hours, or will that change the finished product? Looks tasty, but I don’t love the cook time unless I make breakfast for dinner…
We haven’t tried cooking it on high but I am sure it will turn out fine. I would actually check it after 2 hours if cooking on high and then extend the time as needed. Hope this helps!
How many does this recipe serve? Planning to make it soon and I’m just curious.
This recipe serves up to 12 people. If I’m serving 12, I serve it with a side of fruit or muffins. It will provide a large serving, or give options for seconds, to 6 to 8 people. I hope this is helpful!
Do I have to add potatoes?
This recipe is based around having potatoes in it. I haven’t tested it without, so I can’t say for sure.
If making for just 2 people, could I halve the recipe, and if so, how long would you cook?
If you halve this recipe, it will take much less time to cook since there won’t be as much of it in the crock pot. My guess is that this would only need to cook between 3 1/2 to 4 hours, but you will want to keep a close eye on it. Cooking times can vary depending on the size, style, and brand of your crock pot. Since this kind of defeats the purpose of cooking something overnight for breakfast the next morning, you may want to try it for dinner one night before making it for breakfast. 🙂
I would like to know thoughts about making MORE than this recipe. I have the oval cooker – and lots of eaters 🙂 Do you think you could double this (or 1.5) and cook a little longer ? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Yes! I have a large slow cooker and I have doubled this recipe before. Just plan on a longer cook time.
If I was to make this and leave on overnight for 6 hours on low for Christmas morning. We usually don’t eat til 9:30 , I would have to turn it on around 3am for it to be done around 9 then it would kick to warm? How long can you leave on warm before It would dry out? Any suggestions on how to cook this? Thanks
It can stay on warm for a couple of hours. If you aren’t eating until 9:30, you could also make our oven-baked breakfast casserole. You can make up the casserole the night before, store it in the fridge, and then it cooks for about an hour in the morning. See the recipe here: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/elises-breakfast-casserole_21/ hope this helps!
Do you need to thaw the potatoes or just add them frozen?
Add them frozen. Thanks for asking!
Will this work in an instapot slow cooker?
It should, as long as the bowl is big enough!
Can I use cooked ground breakfast sausage instead ?
Sure!
This Crockpot Breakfast Casserole is a perfect make-ahead breakfast recipe! We had this for breakfast/brunch today and it was such a hit! I’m so glad I found your site when I was looking for a good recipe, I’m looking forward to more new great recipes.
Two of my favorite concepts my slow cooker and a breakfast casserole! I am so excited to give this a try!!!