Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole is a quick and easy recipe made with layers of hash browns, sausage, cheese, and eggs.
Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole is a spin on a family and fan-favorite recipe-Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole. With layers of sausage, cheese, and potatoes, it is easy to see why everyone loves this recipe!
I took the classic recipe and made it Instant Pot-friendly and the results are spectacular!
Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole is hearty, filling, cheesy, and super easy to make! It is a great option when you don't want to use your oven, don't have access to an oven, or just want to enjoy a simple, yet flavorful, brunch!
Notes on Ingredients & Equipment
- Hash browns: You can use defrosted shredded or cubed hash browns. Plain or O'Brien-style hash browns both work well in this recipe.
- Cheese: Use any sharp, melting cheese, like cheddar, Colby, or Swiss.
- Cream: Use milk, cream, or half and half--whatever you have on hand.
- Sausage: I love using homemade breakfast sausage to add flavor and bulk, but you can opt to omit the sausage and add cubed ham or sauteed vegetables in place of sausage.
- Cake Pan: In order to cook the breakfast casserole in the Instant Pot, you need to have a cake pan that will fit! This recipe uses a 7x3 or 7x4 inch cake pan. You will also need to use the trivet that came with your pressure cooker to raise the pan above the water as it cooks.
How to Make Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
Step One: Saute Sausage
- Turn the pressure cooker to saute and let heat.
- Add in the sausage and cook until browned, breaking it into bite-sized pieces as it cooks.
- Once the sausage is browned, remove the cooked breakfast sausage from the instant pot and set it aside to use for the casserole.
Step Two: Deglaze the Pan
- To the inner pot, add water and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot. This is crucial to preventing a burn notice.
- Add the trivet into the inner pot. You want to keep the baking dish/cake pan lifted above the water while pressure cooking.
Step Three: Prepare Breakfast Casserole
- Lightly grease an oven-safe 7 inch by 4 inch baking dish. To make the casserole easier to remove from the pan, I like to line the bottom of the dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit.
- Spread the hash browns out in an even layer in the prepared pan and top with the cooked, reserved sausage.
- In a medium mixing bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and hash browns.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the casserole.
Step Four: Pressure Cook
- Tightly cover the baking dish with foil.
- Place the prepared casserole onto the trivet in the inner pot.
- Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at LEAST 5 minutes, 10 minutes is best, and then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove the pan from the inner pot and remove the foil.
Step Five: Serve
I find it is easiest to serve this casserole dish if I invert the casserole onto a serving platter. This makes for beautiful slices and protects my pans from being scraped up by knives. I will say if planning to do this, it is best to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper AND grease the sides with nonstick spray or butter.
- Gently loosen the casserole from the sides of the pan using a rubber spatula or knife.
- Place a plate or platter on top of the casserole and flip it over, remove the parchment paper and then invert the casserole again, so it is cheese side up.
- Slice in wedges or squares as pictured earlier. Serve as desired.
More Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
- Instant Pot Oatmeal
- Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
- Instant Pot French Toast Casserole
- Instant Pot Egg Bites
I would love for you to give this fast breakfast casserole a try and be sure to leave a review below. I love to hear from you!
Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups cubed or shredded hash browns defrosted
- ½ pound ground breakfast sausage
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup cream or milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup cheddar or Colby cheese shredded
Instructions
- Turn the pressure cooker to saute and let heat. Once heated, add in the sausage and cook until browned and cooked through. Remove the cooked breakfast sausage from the instant pot. Turn the Instant Pot OFF.
- Add 1.5 cups cold water to the Instant Pot and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot to prevent burn notice. Place the trivet inside the inner pot.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs with cream, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Spray an oven-safe 7x3-inch or 7x4-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and if desired, line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit.
- Spread the hash browns over the bottom of the pan and then top with the cooked sausage. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and hash browns. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with foil.
- Place the prepared casserole on the trivet in the pressure cooker. Using the manual or pressure cook button, set it to cook on high Pressure for 20 minutes, using the manual button. If you use heavy-duty foil to cover this casserole, you will want to increase the cooking time by 5 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release manually for 5 to 10 minutes and then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.
- Remove the foil, gently loosen the sides of the casserole dish with a silicone spatula or knife and then invert the casserole dish out onto a dish. Remove parchment paper if needed and invert the casserole dish out onto a serving platter, so that the casserole is cheese side up. Slice and serve.
Cd
Follows the recipe exactly and with the correct pan. After 20 min pressure cook and 10 minute natural release, it was still raw. Pressure cooked for another 8 minutes with a 10 min natural release. Still not cooked. Now it’s been in the oven for 30 minutes and I’m still waiting for it to be done. I even let all ingredients come to room temperature.
Kristen Chidsey
Hey there! That is really odd. I assume your hashbrowns were thawed? My best guess is that you were actually cooking on LOW heat instead of HIGH. If you need to adjust pressure, hit the pressure button until high or low pressure is lit up.
Denise
Would I need to make any adjustments if I use a glass dish?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Denise! Most glass dishes , like Pyrex, have been deemed as unsafe to pressure cook with, as they have been known to crack. I would advise to against using one.
Paul Reynolds
My wife and our grand kids just love this Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
Kristen Chidsey
Wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to share that, Paul! I appreciate it!
Mark
I have only every used a pressure cooker once or thrice, is there any reason I couldn't add vegetables to this dish? I was thinking green peppers and sliced shrooms.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Mark! Yes, you can add mushrooms, peppers, and onions to the casserole if desired. I would recommend sauteeing them with the sausage, just to release their excess moisture and develop their flavor a bit more.
Laurie
If I wanted to double this recipe in quantity (make 12 servings at once instead of 12) how would that affect the cooking time?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Laurie! To double this, you would need to prepare it in 2 pans, as it would not fit into one pan, and then stack them on top of each other in the inner pot. This is probably not feasible in a 6 quart instant pot, as it would be too small. Sorry.
Amanda
Any idea why mine came out a watery mess? Cooked for 25 mins to be safe.
Kristen Chidsey
Did you defrost your hashbrowns before preparing this? Also, what size pan did you use? That will help me troubleshoot for you.
Cheryl Kraft
Turned out really tasty! I made it in my camper with limited supplies so with not having milk on hand I mixed Burtolli premade Alfredo Sauce in with the eggs and it turned out really tasty. I don’t know how it was supposed to taste but this was great!
GKaren
What is the GREEN ingredient in your photos? Can you use any veggie, as broccoli?
Kristen Chidsey
That is just chopped parsley added after cooking for presentation. You can add in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sauteed or steamed veggies if desired. I love to add spinach myself.
Brinda Compton
Turned out great, with request to do another! I cooked it for 25 minutes and did a natural release. It came out of the pan nicely. Thanks for the recipe! I took pictures, but am unable to download.
Kristen Chidsey
So happy you enjoyed Brinda! I wish my site would allow for downloads of pictures, but too risky! I love seeing them on social media if you have accounts. Just be sure to tag @amindfullmom.