11 Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipes For Hassle-Free Mornings
When you picture a casserole, there's a good chance that you're envisioning something hearty, meaty, and dinnertime-oriented. Well, not all casseroles are limited to dinner, and some of them might even shine brighter first thing in the morning. Our best breakfast casserole recipes will not only change the way you envision a casserole, but they'll also ensure that your mornings are completely hassle-free — well, at least a little more hassle-free than they were before.
The beauty of making a casserole, no matter what time of day you serve it, is that you can pack a full, succinct meal right into one pan. Moreover, most casseroles are built to serve a crowd, making them particularly good no-fuss options when you've got an entire family to feed but don't want to take individual breakfast orders. Breakfast casseroles are also a great option when you have extended family visiting or when you're in charge of morning meals on vacation.
There's also quite a bit of room to get creative with breakfast casseroles; make them similar to dinner ones by loading up on meat and cheese or make them more breakfast-specific with a French toast flair. Load up on vegetables or even go full plant-based with your breakfast casserole — our recipes will give you all the inspiration you need to whip up a winning morning meal.
1. Eggnog French Toast Casserole
French toast is a quintessential breakfast item, somehow managing to transform plain old bread into a sweet, eggy delight that rivals close competitors like pancakes or waffles. Classic French toast isn't particularly hard to whip up, though it can be pretty time-consuming since you have to work in batches and haggle over a hot stove while you're at it. Enter the French toast casserole, which will give you all of the goodness of regular French toast, but in a baked form (which means the oven will do most of the work, not you).
This recipe is not just for plain old French toast casserole but instead includes eggnog for a decidedly festive flair. Perhaps you'll be so inclined to bookmark this recipe for Christmas morning, though eggnog lovers might be gearing up to make it the second eggnog hits the shelves for the season. No matter when you make this eggnog French toast casserole, you can do so with ease, as the most intensive part of this recipe involves slicing the Brioche loaf. Be warned that you should get this one going the night before as you'll have to allow the Brioche cubes to soak in the fridge overnight. Come morning, you'll whip up a crunchy pecan topping, pop the casserole into the oven, then the appliance will handle it from there.
Recipe: Eggnog French Toast Casserole
2. Ham and Cheese Strata
If the word casserole doesn't necessarily inspire breakfast creativity, then perhaps strata will. What is a strata, exactly? Well, it essentially is a type of casserole, but one that specifically contains eggs and some type of bread, often paired with other breakfast casserole favorites like potatoes, bacon, sausage, or cheese. This particular recipe goes the ham and cheese route, and true to classic strata, you'll also find plenty of bread and eggs — 20 slices of white bread and six eggs, to be exact.
In case you were worried about this strata leaning too far into a soft, mushy texture profile, fear not: Corn flakes are here to save the day. Mixed with butter and adorned atop a savory concoction of sliced bread, eggs, cubed ham, milk, cheddar, and Swiss cheese, cornflakes add the perfect element of crunchy goodness without turning this into an outright crunchy dish. You'll still have plenty of warm, soft, eggy casserole underneath the cereal layer, but the cornflakes help ensure that you get a little crispy goodness with every bite and really hone in on the fact that this is, indeed, a breakfast dish.
Recipe: Ham and Cheese Strata
3. Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
The slow cooker is good for a lot of things, and if "making a breakfast casserole" wasn't on your list, well, go ahead and tack it on there. Indeed, the kitchen appliance really can do it all, proving that you don't even need a seemingly essential oven if you want to make a breakfast casserole. You will need a significant amount of time, however, as most slow cooker recipes do require, though the timing is sort of reversed from your typical recipe; instead of getting this casserole going in the morning to serve for dinner, you can get it going in the evening and let it cook overnight so that breakfast is ready when you are.
Another huge perk to this recipe is that it really couldn't be easier to assemble the casserole — simply mix together the eggs, milk, and seasonings, load hash browns into the slow cooker, then begin layering in diced onion, sausage, cheese, and finally the egg mixture. If you plan to get a solid eight hours of sleep that night, go ahead and set your appliance on low and let the casserole cook as you get a good night's rest. If you need the casserole to be ready to go a tad bit sooner, you can also cook it on high for six hours.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
4. Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Savory, eggy, and absolutely loaded with sausage, this cheesy sausage breakfast casserole recipe is about as classic as it gets, making it perfect for those mornings when you don't want to get too creative in the kitchen — you just want something tried, true, and delicious. Well, this recipe definitely checks all of those boxes, incorporating savory breakfast sausage into a mixture of eggs, cheese, sour cream, green onions, and hash browns.
Unlike some breakfast casserole recipes, which pull out all the stops and require an intimidatingly long ingredient list, this one keeps things nice and simple, calling for a mere nine ingredients — two of those being salt and pepper. You do have to cook the sausage before you load it into the casserole mixture, which is arguably the most labor-intensive step on this list, but otherwise, it's just a matter of mixing and assembling the casserole in the baking dish. Like most casserole recipes, this one will need at least 45 minutes to bake, but it's a small price to pay for eggy, meaty goodness.
5. Savory Breakfast Bagel Casserole
There's really no stopping what type of bread you could incorporate into a breakfast casserole, and in the case of this recipe, bagels get their time to shine. Indeed, this savory breakfast bagel casserole essentially incorporates a smorgasbord of breakfast-time favorites — eggs, bacon, and bagels — into one cohesive skillet dish that sort of resembles a deconstructed breakfast sandwich when it comes time to serve. To really hone in on the bagel aspect of this dish, you'll also sprinkle some Everything but the Bagel seasoning on top of the casserole for good measure — you can, of course, skip this step, though the seasoning does help round out the dish and even gives it a little crunch on top, too.
If you're the type of person who likes to plan ahead then this is also the recipe for you as you can prep the entire casserole the night before and refrigerate overnight. No time to get it going the night before? No worries, just give yourself a little extra time to prep in the morning as you'll need to refrigerate the casserole for at least 30 minutes before baking. Once baked, you might be so inclined to serve your portion with an interesting condiment choice — ketchup — or you can drizzle on anything you want, like hot sauce.
Recipe: Savory Breakfast Bagel Casserole
6. Brunch-Perfect Sausage Strata
Hosting an at-home brunch can be a stressful endeavor, leaving you fretting over cooking up separate portions of eggs, sausage, and toast for all of your guests. If you can't be bothered with fussing over brunch anymore, then this sausage strata recipe is just the solution, effortlessly combining sausage, eggs, and bread into one hassle-free dish that yields a convenient 12 servings. Aside from the typical ingredient suspects like eggs and meat, you'll also find shallots, cheddar cheese, and Gruyère cheese in this simple yet elevated breakfast casserole. And, since this is a strata, you'll need either Italian or French bread to cube up and layer into the dish.
Similar to many breakfast casserole recipes out there, this one calls for refrigerating the assembled casserole overnight — great for planners but perhaps a slight nuisance for those who are more prone to winging it. You can actually refrigerate this casserole for up to 24 hours before baking, so as long as you get it prepped the day before your brunch party, then you'll be good to go. The casserole will take about an hour to bake up, but you can spend that time sipping on mimosas with your friends instead of worrying about prepping food.
Recipe: Brunch-Perfect Sausage Strata
7. Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts Breakfast Casserole
It's not surprising to find hash browns or potatoes on the ingredient list for a breakfast casserole — in fact, it's more surprising when potatoes don't make an appearance at all. Typically, those potatoes in question are Russets, so it is refreshing to see sweet potatoes in the lineup, especially when they're paired alongside another type of vegetable. Well, this breakfast casserole recipe checks both of those boxes, pairing sweet potatoes with Brussels sprouts; not the likeliest of duos, especially not in the context of breakfast, but a duo that nonetheless makes for a delicious (not to mention nutritious) casserole.
This casserole recipe will require some extra cooking time since you'll have to roast the veggies beforehand. Luckily, you can roast both the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts at the same time, on the same sheet, but the sprouts will need to come out of the oven a little sooner than the potatoes. Fortunately, once the casserole itself is assembled, it won't take the typical hour to bake that so many recipes seem to require — just a 25- to 30-minute trip to the oven should get the job done. Since this is a vegetarian casserole, you might be so inclined to serve your slice with some sausage or bacon, though it's perfectly enjoyable and fulfilling all on its own.
Recipe: Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts Breakfast Casserole
8. Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole
Eggs Benedict is about as quintessential to brunch as a dish can get, but it's always refreshing to find ways to switch up the classics. This overnight eggs Benedict casserole recipe does just that, taking all of the essential ingredients from the traditional dish — eggs, Canadian bacon, English muffins, and hollandaise sauce — and transforming them into one big old casserole. As the name of the recipe suggests, overnight chilling of the assembled casserole is essential, though you can prep it and keep it in the fridge for up to a full day if that suits your schedule.
Once the casserole has chilled overnight and is in the oven, you can turn your attention to the hollandaise sauce, which can be a tricky condiment to get right. To mitigate any possible sauce-breaking qualms, this recipe calls for making the hollandaise in a blender — you'll slowly drizzle melted butter into a mixture of egg yolks and lemon juice until you've got a perfectly thick and emulsified sauce. If you don't have a stand blender, you can use an immersion blender, and if you don't happen to have either appliance, you can always make the sauce the classic way on the stovetop. Whichever way you whip up the hollandaise, it's definitely a step you don't want to skip, as that final drizzle of sauce atop the warm casserole really brings the whole dish together.
9. Croissant Breakfast Casserole
Nobody likes stale bread, and worse yet if the stale bread in question is a croissant... unless, of course, you're gearing up to make a croissant casserole. Of all the ways to use up stale bread, a breakfast casserole is a pretty innovative one, and this croissant breakfast casserole recipe will help you use up those buttery French pastries, be they store-bought ones or homemade ones. And, no, the croissants don't have to be strictly stale for them to be useable, just make sure you aren't using ones fresh from the oven — day-old croissants will work just fine.
Croissants aside, you'll also find plenty of eggy goodness in this casserole, along with the salty addition of pancetta for something a little different than bacon. Assembly of the casserole is fairly straightforward; you'll start by tearing up the croissants and pressing them into the bottom of your baking dish, as they serve as a sort of crust for the casserole. Then you'll whip up the egg/pancetta filling — which also includes Dijon mustard, thyme, and cheese for extra flavor — and pour that right on top of the croissants. A final sprinkle of cheese completes the casserole, then into the oven it goes for nearly an hour, so do plan ahead and make sure you have plenty of time in the morning to whip up this croissant-based casserole.
Recipe: Croissant Breakfast Casserole
10. Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
If plain hash browns just won't suffice as your breakfast or brunch side dish, then perhaps this cheesy hash brown casserole will be decked out enough to get the job done. Frozen hash browns are the star of the show here, but they don't stand alone; sour cream, shredded cheese, butter, and even a can of cream of chicken soup all contribute to the savory goodness of this dish. So, no, this potato casserole does not check the vegetarian box, but it is a great option for those who plan on enjoying a big stack of bacon or sausage on the side anyway.
A big perk to this recipe is that it requires very few ingredients — eight total if you're counting the optional chive garnish — so you really can whip it together in a jiffy. Also, unlike so many recipes out there that call for prepping the elements of the casserole separately, this one calls for mixing everything together in one big bowl (save for some butter that you'll use to grease the baking dish and cheese for garnish). Once you pour the casserole mixture into your baking vessel and sprinkle on some cheese, it's just a matter of letting the oven work its magic for about an hour while you prep other dishes or simply kick back and relax.
Recipe: Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
11. Plant-Based Eggy Breakfast Casserole
To all the vegans and vegetarians out there, we haven't forgotten about you — this plant-based "egg"y breakfast casserole recipe is just what your Saturday mornings have been missing. Indeed, this recipe not only mimics eggy goodness but also mimics bacony goodness thanks to the clever use of marinated tempeh strips. A mixture of soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup, and other savory elements helps give the tempeh a subtly smoky, sweet, bacon-like flavor profile, and once marinated, the tempeh bakes up in the oven in a similar way that one might cook real bacon.
Meanwhile, tofu serves as the egg-like aspect of the casserole, with nutritional yeast helping to add a cheesy flair without actually adding any dairy to the mix. This recipe does have quite a few moving parts, as you'll work on the tempeh bacon, tofu eggs, and potato base for the casserole separately. Once everything comes together in the baking dish, however, you'll only need to bake the plant-based casserole for an additional 20 minutes before it's time to feast.