Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is hands down the BEST recipe for breakfast casserole ever! It is an easy, versatile recipe made with frozen hash browns, eggs, sausage and cheese. This will become your go-to casserole for entertaining at breakfast–perfect for a feeding a crowd, allergy-friendly, and can be made the night before or the morning of!
I recommend serving this Breakfast Casserole with Overnight Cinnamon Rolls for a holiday breakfast everyone will remember–and one that will be effortless for you to pull together in the morning!
Easy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
A few weeks ago I hosted middle school boys for two nights at my house.
Our church was having an event and they needed host families to house middle school students for the weekend. Our duties included giving them a place to sleep (which let me tell you these boys did NOT sleep!), snacks, and breakfast two mornings.
Other than my house smelling like teenage boys, I enjoyed the moments these boys were with us over the weekend.
I decided to treat them to the breakfast that my family enjoys every Christmas Morning. Cinnamon Rolls and Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole.
They raved over the breakfast–which I have to admit felt good to my ego, and because I could prepare everything the night before and enjoy the few minutes of sleep I could get!
Why this Breakfast Casserole is Perfect for Entertaining
- it can be made in advance
- it is adaptable to gluten allergies
- feeds a crowd
- incredibly easy to make
- very inexpensive
How to make Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
This hash brown breakfast casserole is almost TOO easy–which let’s be honest, that is EXACTLY what you need when entertaining or holiday breakfasts.
Step One: Layer defrosted hash browns in greased casserole dish.
Yes, you can brown your hash browns first, in the skillet–but there is NO need to take this step unless of course you are craving the texture of crispy hash browns mixed with creamy eggs.
Step Two: Layer the hash browns with browned sausage.
I use my homemade breakfast sausage, but you can use any type of breakfast sausage you like. In fact you can use leftover ham, leftover bacon, or veggie sausage if desired.
Step Three: Sprinkle cheese over top the sausage and hash browns.
Wondering why I put the cheese on now, before I add the egg custard?
This helps the cheese to be in every bite of the casserole, not just one gooey layer on top. But hey, if you are craving gooey, layers of slightly browned cheese like a classic lasagna, put the cheese on top of the egg mixture.
Step Four: Mix together the eggs with seasonings and milk and pour over the layers of hash browns, sausage and cheese.
The eggs will puff up as they bake, but feel free to use 2-3 more eggs if you like your breakfast casserole with a thick layer of eggs–just keep in mind that you will need to increase bake time.
Step Five: Bake and serve.
Can this Breakfast Casserole be made the the night before?
If you are looking for an overnight hash brown breakfast casserole, this recipe is perfect for you!
I have made this casserole many times the night before baking. Just assemble as you would up to pouring the eggs over the hash browns and then cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator when the oven is preheating and add an extra 10-15 minutes to the total baking time.
Easy-peasy and perfect for when you are entertaining.
Is this Gluten-Free?
This sausage hash brown casserole can easily be made gluten-free. There are just a few things you need to watch out for.
- Be sure to use gluten free sausage. I love using my homemade breakfast sausage, but organic chicken or turkey sausage are also great options because there are very few fillers used and easier to find a brand that is gluten-free and MSG free.
- Be sure your hash browns are gluten-free. When I posted this recipe Ore-Ida shredded hash browns were certified gluten-free but my local store brand contained gluten. Just be sure to check labels.
Bottom line: If you are serving this breakfast dish to gluten-free guests be sure to carefully read both your sausage and hash brown label.
Tips and FAQs on Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- If you would like to start by making your own homemade hash browns which I often do because it is so easy, here is a great step by step recipe for homemade hashbrowns from Country Cleaver.
- I use shredded hash browns and cubed hash browns for this recipe. Even O’Brian style with peppers and onions is a great choice. In fact, readers have shared they have used tater tots or frozen hash browns with great success.
- I love sharp cheddar for this sausage breakfast casserole, but Gruyere, Swiss, Gouda, or Mozzarella works.
- If you would like to FREEZE this breakfast casserole for later use, bake and cool before freezing in a freezer safe pan (like a foil disposable pan). Wrap well in foil and freeze. Defrost in fridge night before planning to eat and then cook for 30 minutes at 350 or until warmed through.
- This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd. Most bags of frozen hash browns come in 32 ounces and this recipe only calls for 16 ounces.
More Breakfast Casserole Recipes
- Easy Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Overnight Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole
- Green Chile Egg Casserole
- Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
Easy Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen hashbrowns defrosted (this is usually half a bag)
- 1 pound breakfast sausage browned
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and brown sausage.
- Layer defrosted hash browns in greased 7x11 or 9x9 casserole dish.
- Layer the browned sausage over the hashbrowns.
- Sprinkle cheese over top the sausage and hashbrowns
- Mix together the eggs with seasonings and milk and pour over the layers of hashbrowns, sausage and cheese
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until eggs are set.
Notes
- You can brown your hash browns first if you prefer the texture of crispy hash browns mixed with creamy eggs.
- To make this casserole the night before serving: assemble as you would up to step five and then cover and refrigerate overnight. Add an extra 10-15 minutes to the total baking time in the morning.
- I love sharp cheddar for this sausage breakfast casserole, but Gruyere, Swiss, Gouda, or Mozzarella works.
- This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd. Most bags of frozen hash browns come in 32 ounces and this recipe only calls for 16 ounces.
- Feel free to add an additional 2 eggs to the custard if you like a really thick layer of eggs--just increase the bake time by 10 minutes.
- Be sure your pan is an 9x9 or 11x7 or you may need to increase bake time by 10 minutes.
This post was originally published in February or 2018, but has been updated with new tips and pictures in November 2019—the recipe remains the same.
Kristen Chidsey
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Definitely not long enough cook time. I’ve made this recipe twice now. The first time I lost track of how long it cooked because I had to keep adding time. The second time, after researching similar recipes, I started with one hour and let it set for 10 minutes “to firm up” as a similar recipe suggested. The corner pieces were edible, but the middle piece was still totally runny! I cooked it at 350°, so I’m not sure what’s up with it.
Other than that issue the recipe is good. I add some onion powder and garlic powder to give a little more flavor.
Hi Hanna! I am glad you enjoyed the flavor, but sorry you struggled with the bake time. If you can, let me know the size pan you used and if you hash browns were fully thawed, that would help me troubleshoot your issue.
It was 8×8 pan and the hashbrowns were fully thawed. Maybe a bigger pan?
Thanks for letting me know Hanna–I do prefer an 11×7 pan 🙂
Can you freeZe this after cooking?
Hi Marta! You can freeze this casserole up to 30 days. Bake as instructed, let cool, and then wrap in plastic wrap and a layer of foil. When ready to eat, remove from freezer, remove foil, and plastic wrap and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes covered, and an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered or until warmed through. I like to wrap up leftover and freeze for individual breakfasts. I just do that by wrapping a serving in plastic wrap and then foil. I unwrap and warm in the microwave. Hope that helps!
Nothing more comforting to me than breakfast for dinner after a long day! I assembled it in the morning then added the eggs and baked while I changed into comfy clothes! Ended my day perfectly!! I also added chopped green onions! Family loved it! I will use this recipe on a very regular basis!!!
I am so happy you and your family enjoyed this breakfast casserole Lorrie! Honored that my recipe will be a regular at your house 🙂
Simple, easy, fast meal that was delicious. I replaced frozen sweet potato tots for the hash browns and added red bell pepper and spinach.
What a great idea to use frozen sweet potato tots! I am so glad you enjoyed Laura!
Big hit with our college kids group’s Sunday School class at church!
I absolutely LOVE hearing this Randa! Thank you for sharing!
I came across your recipe and made it for breakfast this morning. I tweaked it a little adding ham bites to the sausage. I also mixed the meat, eggs and some of the cheese together pouring over the hashbrowns and topping with the rest of the cheese. It was a hit with the family!
So glad you and your family enjoyed Roshelle! And that you were able to adapt this recipe for your family.
How long should this cook if i double the recipe in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Holly! You may need an extra 10-15 minutes.
Holly, did your casserole in the 9 x 13 pan come out well when adding the extra time suggested? I wondered if it might need to be covered for a bit to keep the cheese from burning.
If I baked this in a 9 by 13 pan, should I reduce the baking time?
Hi Amy! I would start checking after 30 minutes 😊
I made this for a brunch for my book club. I sauteed red and green peppers and an onion and combined it with the sausage. My biggest tweak to the recipe was using veggie “sausage” rather than meat sausage, since some of the ladies are vegetarians. This was a hit with both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
Oh I love that you accommodated vegetarians and that you all enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for sharing Elizabeth!
One of the best breakfast casserole recipes I’ve found. Delicious and easy! I made it and baked in the morning. I did bake for 40 minutes. I put in a glass 8×8. It’s was still liquid so it needed more time. So I added 15 minutes. So it probably takes 55 minutes from refrigerator to oven. I might lay a piece of aluminum foil on the top to prevent it getting too brown maybe that last 15 minutes next time. Trying bacon next time around! Thank you!
I am so glad you enjoyed Monica! And thanks for the notes on timing for you personally–that may help others 🙂
I’m planning to make this for a group of 10 adults and 5 kids all under 4. Would you recommen doubling or 4x recipe? Sounds yummy!
Hi Allison! I am so glad you found this recipe–I just know your guests will love it. If you are serving this alone, I would 4x it–Just make 2 9×13 pans. If you are serving other hearty recipes, just doubling should be fine.
This is an easy and yummy recipe! I added a few extra eggs, and used a combination of regular shredded hash browns and potatoes O’Brien (just to use up the partial bags that I had in the freezer). I liked the little extra flavor from the peppers and onions in the potatoes O’Brien.
So glad you enjoyed Kim! I love the addition of peppers and onions myself.
Could you reheat individual servings in the microwave?
Yes absolutely Judy! I would cover with a paper towel and heat for 1 minute.
I tried your recipe this morning. We use turkey sausage, but it doesn’t have a spicy taste I like. Recently we have been enjoying turkey pepperoni. I pinched the pepperoni into chopped onion sized pieces using about 12 pepperoni. The taste was great. It was all eaten. Even my husband had 3 helpings. He doesn’t like egg things. I wanted to let you know I used my Air Fryer to cook the casserole. 25 minutes on bake a cake worked great. Thanks for a successful brunch today!
Hi Patricia! I am so happy you enjoyed the casserole. I love the idea of using pepperoni to add flavor and thank you for the timing for how to cook this breakfast casserole in the air fryer–I am sure that will help others!
This was so great for dinner after a long work day with no food in the house. My 15 year old made it and she said it was so easy. She will be making this for Christmas morning!
I LOVE that your 15 year old made this AND that you want this for Christmas morning! So happy your family enjoyed Tori!
I made this for a group of my teenage son’s friends, and they polished off the whole pan of this! Super easy, inexpensive, and flexible to use your choice of sausage and cheese. This will be a regular recipe in my arsenal!!
WAHOO!!! When the teens are happy, that truly is a win! So glad you all enjoyed Sherry!
So tasty!! Made this for new years and was a hit! My family still talks about it 🙂 Doubled the recipe but used only one dish since we had other meals to go into the oven as well…so it needed a little longer baking but turned out great! Only thing I added was onion and green pepper, more so for color actually 😉
Question though, I need to bring something to a brunch where I don’t have an oven available and will be there a few hours early. Could this be made in a slow cooker and if so how long do you think?
Hi Sarah! I am so glad you enjoyed this so much! It can be made in the slow cooker. You will want to grease it well and it may be best doubled if you have a large slow cooker. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or high for 2 1/2 – 3 hours. I hope you all enjoy again!
Made this last night. It was so good!
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed Anthony!
Oh, and I used chorizo for the meat… chorizo, potatoes and cheese and egg. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’m guessing it’ll be a hit.
I hope that you and your family enjoyed! I am sure the chorizo will add just the right amount of kick 🙂
I’m making this today for my family and doubled the recipe in a 9×13 pan. Got it in the oven now and will check it at tree 35 min mark. I can’t wait for them (and me) to try it!
Just made this for Easter morning breakfast. Did it in a 9 x 13 pan with bacon and sausage and it turned out fantastic. Made it the night before and was very easy. Did take a ton of eggs to fill up that size pan though, I believe I put 15 eggs in there. After -2 eggs it seemed very sparse. Great recipe thigh and will be making agin. Thanks for sharing!
I love hearing that you enjoyed Matt!
Please help! It’s been in the oven for an hour and the eggs are still not cooked. What should I do?
Hi Stephanie, that seems extremely long for your eggs not to be set. It may have to do with your oven or size pan you have. At this point, I would try to increase the temperature to 375 and bake for 15 minutes and see if that helps. Also, if your hashbrowns were still frozen, that could be why the cook time was off, as this recipe calls for thawed hashbrowns. Hope that helps.
Help: what size eggs should I use? I did the first five steps with regular size eggs, but the egg mixture is very sparse and I can’t even see any of it…. it all sunk below the other ingredients after pouring it in. Does the egg mixture need to rise to the top of the other ingredients before baking?
Hi Emily! Regular eggs will work–and they will rise above the ingredients to a point. However, if you feel your egg mixture is not sufficient, whisk up 2-3 more eggs and pour on top!
Isn’t this too much to put in a 9×9 pan.? Or should be put in a 9×13?
Hi Nancy! I make this all the time in a 7×11 or 2 quart pan. However, it is thicker. Feel free to bake in a 9×13–just keep an eye on bake time as that will change. And you may want to add in an extra 2 eggs to your egg mixture.
I love this recipe! I change it up a little every time I make it. Today, I used left-over spicy pulled pork & spinach.
Oh that combination sounds delicious. I am so glad you love this recipe 😊
Very tasty and easy to make, thanks for sharing! I tried to search the comments to make sure this wasn’t already mentioned, but just wanted to add that I like crispy hashbrowns, but not the extra step of cooking them first, ha ha 🙂 I used defrosted/thawed hash brown patties in a smaller pan, and it turned out great! They also happened to be the only form of hash browns in our house, so it was either use them or make something else. Just wanted to share that idea! I have a mini Le Creuset casserole dish, and 4 patties fit perfectly across the bottom. I used 2/3 of the other ingredients, and that seemed to work well.
OH that’s a great tip! Thanks for sharing Amanda! And so glad you enjoyed!
Yummy, easily prepared, no hassle!
YAY!! So glad you enjoyed and this recipe was easy to follow–those are the best!
I altered this a little. Added green bell peppers, used turkey sausage, and baked in a 9×13. Thanks for the recipe. Breakfast casseroles have always been my favorite since I was a kid 😉
I am so glad you enjoyed Jay! I also love that you modified based on your tastes–that is the BEST way to use a recipe 🙂