Crockpot Breakfast Casserole layers frozen hash browns, crumbled sausage, onions, bell peppers and sharp cheddar in the slow cooker, then pours a seasoned egg and milk mixture over the top. It cooks on LOW overnight or on HIGH in a few hours and serves 8, so a hot breakfast for a crowd is ready when everyone gets up.
How to make it: Brown and drain a pound of sausage. Layer half the hash browns, sausage, onions, peppers and cheese in a greased 6-quart slow cooker, repeat, and pour 12 eggs whisked with milk and seasonings over the top. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the center is set, then let it rest 15 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Cooks while you sleep: set it on LOW at night and breakfast is ready in the morning.
- About 20 minutes of work: brown the sausage, chop the vegetables, layer and pour.
- Feeds a crowd: 8 servings from one slow cooker, good for holidays and brunch.
- Easy meal prep: scoop the leftovers into containers and reheat a portion each morning.
Ingredient Notes
Frozen hash browns: One 32-ounce bag. They go in frozen.
Breakfast sausage: One pound, browned, crumbled and drained before it goes in the crock.
Onions and peppers: A small white onion, one red and one green bell pepper, and 2 green onions.
Sharp cheddar: Two cups, about 8 ounces, split between the two layers.
Eggs and milk: Twelve eggs and 1 cup of milk, whisked with dry mustard, garlic powder, salt and black pepper, are poured over the layers.
Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen hash brown potatoes (1 bag)
- 1 pound breakfast sausage (or bacon or ham)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 small white onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
How to Make a Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
1. Cook the sausage. Cook and crumble the sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink (160°F). Drain the fat, leaving 1 tablespoon in the pan.
2. Soften the onion. If you like, soften the white onion in the fat for a milder onion flavor. This step is optional.
3. Layer. Grease a 6-quart slow cooker. Place half of the hash browns, sausage, onions, peppers and cheese in the slow cooker. Repeat the layers, ending with cheese. Do not stir.
4. Add the eggs. Whisk the eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, garlic powder and black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the layers.
5. Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the center is set and reaches 160°F.
6. Rest. Uncover and let the casserole rest for 15 minutes before serving.
How to Tell When It’s Done
A slow cooker gives you few visual clues, and the one it does give can mislead you.
Don’t trust the top. The top browns long before the middle is cooked. On HIGH it can look finished after about 2 hours while the center is not cooked through, so keep it going for the full time.
Check the middle. It is done when the center is set, with no liquid egg, and reaches the temperature in step 5. Check the very middle, not near the edge.
Grease the sides well. Spray the sides of the crock generously with nonstick spray, or use a slow cooker liner, so each scoop comes out cleanly.
Tips for Success
- Brown the sausage ahead: cook, drain and refrigerate it several days ahead; USDA FSIS says to use cooked meat within 3 to 4 days.
- Keep everything cold until you layer: FSIS advises keeping perishable ingredients refrigerated until you assemble, and storing any meat and vegetables you cut ahead separately in the refrigerator.
- Start on HIGH if you can: FSIS suggests the highest setting for the first hour, then LOW, though cooking on LOW the whole time is also safe.
Variations
- Simplest version: hash browns, sausage, eggs, milk, cheddar, salt and pepper; skip the onions, peppers and mustard.
- Sausage and bacon: use both meats and whisk 1/2 cup of sour cream into the eggs.
- More vegetables: add sautéed mushrooms or green chiles with the peppers.
- Different cheese: pepper jack, Monterey Jack, colby jack, smoked gouda or fontina, or half cheddar and half mozzarella.
- Meatless: use veggie crumbles in place of the sausage.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat portions in the microwave, on the stove or in the oven to 165°F. FSIS does not recommend reheating leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
For a holiday brunch, serve it with a pan of cinnamon rolls, and slice a few extra green onions for the top of each serving. For oven-baked breakfast casseroles, try breakfast casserole with tater tots and sausage, bacon, egg and hash brown casserole or sausage, egg and cream cheese hash brown breakfast casserole. For something sweet, there is overnight crème brûlée French toast; for grab-and-go mornings, easy sausage breakfast muffins; and for another slow cooker potato dish, slow cooker loaded potato bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a breakfast casserole take to cook in a crockpot?
In a 6-quart slow cooker, 7 to 8 hours on LOW or 3 to 4 hours on HIGH, until the center is set.
Can you put raw eggs in a slow cooker?
Yes. The eggs go in raw, poured over the layers, and cook with the casserole. It is done when the center is set and reaches the temperature in step 5.
What size slow cooker do I need?
This recipe fills a 6-quart slow cooker. To halve it, use a smaller slow cooker and cut the cooking time a little, checking the center as it gets close.
Can I use bacon or ham instead of sausage?
Yes. Use 1 pound of cooked, crumbled bacon or diced ham in place of the sausage.
Final Notes
Grease the crock well, leave the layers unstirred, and judge doneness by the center, not the top. If you make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
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Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen hash brown potatoes 1 bag
- 1 pound breakfast sausage or bacon or ham
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded, about 8 ounces
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 small white onion finely diced, about 1/2 cup
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook and crumble the sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink (160°F). Drain the fat, leaving 1 tablespoon in the pan.
- If you like, soften the white onion in the fat for a milder onion flavor. This step is optional.
- Grease a 6-quart slow cooker. Place half of the hash browns, sausage, onions, peppers and cheese in the slow cooker. Repeat the layers, ending with cheese. Do not stir.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, garlic powder and black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the layers.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the center is set and reaches 160°F.
- Uncover and let the casserole rest for 15 minutes before serving.
