Crack Breakfast Casserole is a hearty, cheesy morning bake: shredded hash browns, pork sausage and crispy bacon in a creamy egg mix seasoned with dry ranch, under a bubbly, browned cheddar crust. It is made for brunch, a holiday morning or any day you’re feeding a crowd, and you can put it together the night before. It serves 12.
How to make it: Cook the sausage and bacon, beat the cream cheese and sour cream smooth, mix in the milk, eggs and ranch, then stir in the meat, hash browns and half the cheddar. Bake at 350°F under foil for 50 to 60 minutes, then uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes more.
Why You’ll Love It
- Feeds a crowd: one 9×13 dish makes 12 servings.
- Mostly hands-off: about 20 minutes to cook the meat and mix everything, then the oven does the work.
- Creamy inside, crusty on top: a smooth, tangy egg base under a browned layer of cheddar.
- Not just for breakfast: it works for brunch, lunch or dinner too.
Ingredient Notes
Hash browns: A 30-ounce bag of frozen shredded hash browns is the sturdy base that holds everything up.
Sausage and bacon: A pound of each. Chop the bacon first, then cook it in the same skillet as the sausage. Bacon adds crisp bits and a smoky, meaty flavor; the sausage makes it hearty.
Cream cheese and sour cream: Four ounces of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sour cream give the egg base its smooth, tangy richness against the salty meats.
Eggs and whole milk: Eight large eggs bind everything together, and 1 cup of whole milk keeps the casserole moist and creamy.
Ranch seasoning: One 1-ounce package of the dry, powdered ranch seasoning mix. It seasons the whole egg base, with a little onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper backing it up.
Cheddar: Two cups, shredded and divided. One cup goes into the filling for a melty, cheesy inside, and the other cup goes on top for a browned cheese crust.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 1 pound bacon, chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 8 large eggs
- 1 package dry ranch seasoning mix (1 ounce)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns (1 bag), thawed and drained of excess water
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
How to Make Crack Breakfast Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the sausage and bacon together until fully cooked, no longer pink and the sausage reaches 160°F. Drain the excess fat and set the meat aside.
3. Make the creamy base. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sour cream with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the milk, eggs, ranch seasoning mix, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
4. Stir it together. Add the cooked meat, the thawed and drained hash browns and 1 cup of the cheddar to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
5. Bake covered. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar over the top, cover with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
6. Brown the cheese. Uncover and bake for 8 to 10 minutes more, until the cheese on top is bubbly and beginning to brown, the center is set and the middle reaches 165°F.
7. Rest and serve. Take the dish out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve warm.
How to Make It the Night Before
All the work for this casserole can happen the evening before. Cook the meat and mix everything as in steps 2 to 4. Pour it into the greased dish and scatter the remaining cheddar over the top.
Cover the dish tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and put it straight into the refrigerator. You can assemble it up to 24 hours ahead, so it works for a holiday morning or a brunch you’re hosting.
Keep it cold the whole time. USDA FSIS says perishable food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when it’s above 90°F, should be thrown away. An assembled egg casserole never spends the night on the counter; it waits in the fridge until the oven is hot.
In the morning, heat the oven to 350°F. Take off the lid or plastic wrap, cover the dish with foil and bake it, then uncover it and finish it as in step 6.
Before it comes out, check every sign from step 6: the cheddar bubbly and starting to brown, the center set rather than loose, and the right reading on a thermometer pushed into the middle.
One more thing to plan: the hash browns have to be thawed before you assemble. The tips below cover the safe ways to do it.
Tips for Success
Do the hash browns really need to be thawed?
Yes. They go in thawed and drained of excess water. Thaw the bag in the refrigerator; USDA FSIS says small items may defrost there overnight, while most foods take a day or two. Cold water and the microwave are safe too, but food thawed either of those ways should be cooked right away. Never thaw them on the counter.
How do I keep the cream cheese base smooth?
Set the cream cheese out ahead so it is at room temperature when you start. Beat it with the sour cream on its own with a hand mixer, and only add the milk, eggs and seasonings once that mixture is smooth.
Variations
- Crescent roll crust: Press an 8-ounce can of refrigerated crescent rolls into a sprayed 9×13 pan and seal the seams. Top with 1 1/2 pounds of cooked, chopped bacon and 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar. Whisk 6 large eggs with 1/2 cup of milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons of dry ranch mix and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, pour it over, and bake at 350°F for 25 to 35 minutes, until the center is set.
- Bread cubes instead of potatoes: Layer 6 slices of keto bread, cut into cubes, with 1 1/2 cups of cheddar and 1 pound of cooked, crumbled bacon in a well-greased 9×13. Whisk 7 large eggs with 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning, pour it over, and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until the eggs are cooked through.
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 squares covered, in the oven or the microwave, until they reach 165°F. In the microwave, cover the dish, rotate it and check the temperature in several places. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
A bowl of fruit salad is all this casserole needs on the side. For a bigger brunch spread, add something sweet such as cinnamon rolls or yogurt parfaits, or bake an easy cinnamon roll coffee cake or an overnight crème brûlée French toast. Feeding a big group with two casseroles? Pair it with a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit casserole or a breakfast casserole with tater tots and sausage. For an all-sausage bake without the ranch, try the sausage, egg and cream cheese hash brown breakfast casserole, and for bacon under a crunchy topping, the bacon, egg and hash brown casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called crack breakfast casserole?
“Crack” is the nickname for the trio of cheddar, bacon and ranch, and the dry ranch seasoning mix is what makes this a crack recipe. The name is about the flavor: once you start eating it, it’s hard to stop.
Can I make crack breakfast casserole in a slow cooker?
Yes. Follow steps 2 to 4, pour the filling into a large slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. In the last 10 minutes, scatter the remaining 1 cup of cheddar over the top, cover again and cook until it melts. Check the center with a thermometer, as in step 6, before serving.
Can I use all sausage, all bacon or turkey bacon?
Yes. Either meat on its own works in place of the mix of the two. Turkey bacon can also stand in for pork bacon.
Can I add vegetables to crack breakfast casserole?
Yes. Diced bell peppers, broccoli or spinach all work, or any vegetables you like. Stir them in with the hash browns in step 4.
Final Notes
Leftover squares heat up into a quick hot breakfast later in the week, so one dish covers more than one morning. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Crack Breakfast Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 1 pound bacon chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 8 eggs large
- 1 package dry ranch seasoning mix 1 ounce
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns 1 bag, thawed and drained of excess water
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the sausage and bacon together until fully cooked, no longer pink and the sausage reaches 160°F. Drain the excess fat and set the meat aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sour cream with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the milk, eggs, ranch seasoning mix, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
- Add the cooked meat, the thawed and drained hash browns and 1 cup of the cheddar to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared dish, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar over the top, cover with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 8 to 10 minutes more, until the cheese on top is bubbly and beginning to brown, the center is set and the middle reaches 165°F.
- Take the dish out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve warm.
