Overnight Crockpot Breakfast Casserole is a classic breakfast casserole with eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, and cheese. It's easy to make, great for the holidays and feeding a crowd.
Overnight Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
With the holidays quickly (too quickly!) approaching and schedules getting busier by the minute, I'm sure you're looking to have one less thing to worry about (or at least I am!). This Crockpot Overnight Breakfast Casserole can be the perfect answer to that request! You just put it in the slow cooker, go to sleep while it's cooking, and serve it up in the morning!
Crockpot Overnight Breakfast Casserole is a classic breakfast casserole with eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, and cheese. It's a crowd-pleaser, for sure, and is large enough to feed a crowd!
After some questions and comments from readers, I worked to improve this recipe over the last couple months. I reduced the amount of hash browns in half and added sour cream for creamy moisture.
I also realized that this casserole has so many warm, comfort food flavors that what it really needs to take it to the next level is freshness. To make your casserole truly spectacular, top it with fresh veggies like cherry tomatoes or pico de gallo, cilantro, avocado, red onions, or any other topping you can think of.
The freshness just adds the perfect pop.
What to Serve with Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Crockpot Breakfast Casserole is a meal by itself! Serve it with lots of fresh toppings like avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onions, sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce.
If you're trying to stretch it a little bit for a crowd, you can also serve it with fresh fruit or a simple fruit salad, like this one. Toast, bagels, muffins, or English muffins would also make excellent sides and fill everyone up a little more.
What Size Crock Pot Should I Use?
I suggest using at least a 6 quart Crock Pot or larger. If you can get a programmable one, like this, that would be even better! That way there's no way you'll lose track of time or overcook it.
More Breakfast Recipes You'll Love
- Mexican Breakfast Casserole - a spicy breakfast casserole with jalapenos, chorizo, and plenty of cheese.
- Denver Omelet Casserole - just like a Denver omelet, but for a crowd!
- Easy Egg Breakfast Casserole - the recipe my grandma always made when I was a kid. Super yummy and easy to throw together.
- Eggnog French Toast Bake - festive for the holidays. Make it the night before and cook it in the morning.
- Blueberry Banana French Toast Bake - a sweet overnight breakfast casserole with lots of fresh fruit.
Crockpot Overnight Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
- ½ pound breakfast sausage
- ½ pound bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- ½ medium sweet onion diced
- ½ green pepper diced
- ½ red pepper diced
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown sausage with onion and peppers until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
- Grease a large 6 quart slow cooker (or bigger) with cooking spray or butter.
- Layer half the hash browns in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Top with half the sausage mixture, bacon, and then cheese. Repeat layers with the remaining ingredients, except cheese.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and sour cream.
- Pour over hashbrown and sausage layers.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
- Sprinkle on remaining cheese and cover until melted.
- Serve warm with lots of fresh toppings.
Notes
- This casserole is gluten free. Check the ingredients on your sausage and hash browns, to make sure.
- Don't thaw the hash browns. It's not necessary and could cause them to dry out.
- Add diced ham or other ingredients that you love in omelets, such as mushrooms or spinach.
- Mix in a can of diced green chiles with the sausage for a Southwest style casserole.
- To really make this breakfast shine, add lots of fresh toppings such as sour cream, tomatoes, salsa, avocado, green onion, or chives.
- Consider getting a programmable Crock Pot with a timer, like this one. That way you don't have to worry about getting distracted or over-sleeping and overcooking!
- How do you reheat leftovers? I just cut a slice and pop it in the microwave. If your microwave is big enough, you can transfer the remaining casserole to a baking dish and microwave the whole thing that way until heated through.
- Can you freeze it? I don't recommend it. Eggs don't typically freeze well and have a rubbery texture when thawed.
Nutrition
UPDATE INFO: This recipe was originally published in October 2015. It has been updated with new directions, pictures, and video and republished November 2019.
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cdloken says
Oh my goodness-your breakfast casserole looks so YUMMY! Pinning so I can try your recipe next weekend for a family gathering!
Margot C says
I'm not usually a breakfast casserole maker, but this looks so simple and lovely. I'm sort of also considering making it without the eggs (maybe add some cream instead or something for that layer) and then serving it with customized eggs the next morning.
Julie says
If I cut the recipe in half does it still need to cook the full 8 hours?
Michelle says
I've never tried it, but I would think you would want to cut cook time to 4-6 hours. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Elly says
This looks amazing! I may just do one meat instead of 2 but it looks great! Thank you for the recipe, I will be trying it for Christmas morning. One question, how long would this keep in the fridge or could I freeze any leftovers? Thanks again!
Jewel says
Did you cook yours on high or low? Making this for xmas brunch and I don't want to mess it up!
Michelle says
Definitely Low, if you're making it overnight.
Robin says
Do you cook the sausage first or let it cook in the crockpot? Looks so yummy! Going to try it!
Michelle says
Sausage should be browned ahead of time. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Mary says
I made mine using a crock pot liner bag. If you use a crock pot liner you can carefully lift the casserole out of the crock pot and put it in a dish--bag and all! I needed a disposal dish to take this dish to a pot luck and this was a good solution. It will be easier if you use a 2nd set of hands when lifting.
Michelle says
That's a great idea, Mary. Thanks so much for sharing!
Mary Kendall says
God Bless whoever invented crock pot liners. Thanks for that reminder/tip.
Patti says
When you made it for pot luck did you still cook it over night? Our pot luck starts at around noon.
Freya Petersen says
We live in Ontario Canada and I cannot find Crock-Pot liners. I can find liners for my turkey like turkey bags but I cannot find Crock-Pot liners did you get yours?
Michelle says
I get mine at Kroger. I know you can get them on Amazon too.
Jen says
Hi, I’m in Canada also ( Alberta ).I found my crockpot liners at Canadian tire but you can also get them on amazon.ca
Good luck, hope this helps 😀
Michelle says
Thanks for letting us know! ❤
Robin says
I live in Ontario also. I have purchased them, thinking it was either Zehrs or Sobeys.
Virginia Railey says
I've actually used one of the turkey bags before, it's not as easy, it still works! The reason it's NOT AS EASY,
is turkey bags are smaller, stiffer & shaped more narrow...It still covers the whole inside...
HAPPY COOKING & EATING! 😋🤤
Virginia
“IF IT'S NOT FUN, DON'T DO IT!”
😄VR
Elizabeth says
So does the bacon and sausage need to.be fully cooked beforehand?
Michelle says
Yes
John says
It doesn’t say anything about cooking the bacon beforehand in the directions. Came looking for this info!
Michelle says
In the ingredient list it says "1/2 pound bacon cooked and crumbled." So cook beforehand
Shannon says
Making this right now for breakfast tomorrow morning. Will report back about how it goes. Making recipe as is but may add some garlic powder to my eggs.
Taylor says
I plan on making this for a bridal shower brunch, how long do you think I could leave this on the warm setting? And do you think I could cook this longer, than the 8 hours, on a low setting without the eggs over cooking? Any other tips will be much appreciated! Thanks!
Michelle says
I think the eggs would probably over cook if you added any cook time to it. I haven't done it with this recipe, but in the past I've cooked a recipe *almost* all the way (so like 6ish hours). Then refrigerated until I needed it. Then cooked it for the remaining cook time, plus an hour (that would be 3 hours for this recipe) to account for it being cold from the refrigerator. That might work.
And for warming, I've had it set for warm for 3 hours, and it was okay then. I would just try to keep an eye on it.
Brooke Chavez says
Was very exited about finding this recipe! I'm all about convenience so I opted for the fully cooked sausage crumbles from Jimmy Dean. I made this for brunch Sunday afternoon but was worried about the cook time since my crock pot does cook hot at low. I wanted to serve at 11:30, so I got up at 4 am to start it. I put everything in the crock pot ahead of time except the egg mixture. I used 1 bag of Simply Potatoes (shredded), 2 bags of Jimmy Dean Meat Lovers Sausage/Bacon crumbles (fully cooked). 1 chopped onion, and 2 cans of mild chopped green chilies instead of the bell peppers and layered everything per the instructions.. It was ready to eat in 6 hours, so I turned it on warm and lifted the lid, the edges were getting dark. I heated flour tortillas and offered fresh salsa and sour cream to make breakfast tacos! OMG - this was a huge hit with my guests! I used a 6 qt oval Crock Pot and I will only plan to cook it 6 hours next time, and there will be a next time. Thank you!
Nick says
Do I need to stir it up while it's cooking
Michelle says
Nope! Just let it sit in layers
John B. says
Just an observation: My experience mirrors that of Ms. Chavez. I suspect that six hours is sufficient as I left mine for eight and it burned a fair amount of it.
Amanda says
I love breakfast casseroles and traditionally make them in the Oven. I just made this last night. My spouse has a lot of group breakfasts for work and leaves around 5:30 am. I figured this would spare me the time of getting up at 4am and cooking. I timed it to be exactly 8 hours on low. I woke up with 29 minutes left on the count down and it smelled a little burnt. I checked the sides which had separated from the cooker and they were burnt. I ended up making a 2nd casserole with the leftovers for her to take to work. I don't think I would try this again for a work function... maybe if it was just with family.
Amanda Parrish says
How many calories in a serving of this delicious casserole?
Michelle says
I don't provide nutritional information, but you can always plug it in to a calorie calculator to find out.
Sara says
Can this be easily transfererred to an aluminum pan in the morning for serving at a teacher breakfast?
Michelle says
I would honestly say no. You'll kind of lose the layers and since it cooks in the crock for so long the casserole is in the shape of the crock.
Adele Aiken says
Do you think this could be made using hash brown patties??
Michelle says
I think that would work. I would just sub out the shredded hash browns and make a double layer of the patties in the bottom. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Sarah H says
Good recipe. I definitely agree that average cook time is more like 4-6 hours on low. I tried to set it for "overnight," cooking it about 6.5 hours and the edges were overdone and recipe overall a little dry. I will try it again and tag team with my insomniac husband for a 5 hour cook time - turning it either on or off in the early morning hours.
Sarah H says
Forgot to rate it. I'll say "3 stars" until I get the cook time settled.
Laura says
I made a version of this yesterday (basically the same, but different type of potatoes) as a dry run before Christmas morning breakfast. It was very good, but it only took 3 hours to cook and that was on low. My Crockpot is not a hot cooker either so beware of the cooking time! I'm going to make it for our breakfast for sure, but plan on keeping a close eye on it. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Leslie Boe says
Do I need to defrost the hashbrowns first? Or put them in frozen? Can't wait to try this for Christmas Morning tomorrow it looks delicous. TIA!
Joy says
This has all of the breakfast ingredients we love and looks delicious. I LOVE that it is done in the crock pot! Yay!
Lorna London says
This is a great recipe! I have made this dish twice for a group of hungry high school swimmers. These boys devoured it each time! It's a big hit And, the house smells wonderful in the morning after cooking all night in the crock pot. We will definitely serve this again and again!
Robbin says
I made this Easter morning for Church sunrise breakfast. It was perfect with 1 slight change. I did put 2 tsp of dried mustard. I made it before Easter and it seemed like it was missing something. Other recipes called for dry mustard so I added. I have a Hamilton Beach slow cooker with a temp probe. I set it for 155 degrees on low. It was done in about 3 hours and held warm until I left for church. I have also added 1 cup of salsa and it was very good . Great recipe. Very versatile.
June says
How many would this serve?
Kim says
I made the overnight crockpot breakfast recipe for work. Everyone loved it. Thanks I plan to use again with my family for the holidays.
Kim says
This recipe served 10-12 people. Everyone at work loved this recipe.
Sheryl says
Planning on making this for brudal shower brunch. Can I double the recipe and how long should I cook it? Thanks
Michelle says
This recipe is already pretty large. If you doubled it, you'd likely just need 2 crockpots.
Alissa says
This looks so good!! I'm going to make this for those busy school day mornings!
Kristin says
Hi,
If I wanted to make it without meat, is the cooking time the same? I am planning to make 2; one with the meats and the other without.
Thanks in advance!
Michelle says
There's not much meat in it. The cooking time will be similar, maybe a little shorter.
Kathleen says
Sort of a newbie crockpot user here. If I leave out the hashbrowns and just use meat, peppers, eggs and cheese what do you think about cook time? Really just eggs cooking at that point.
Sharon Clark says
Would this work in a conventional oven. 350 for how long?
Michelle says
I'm not sure as I've never tried it. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Katie Sechrist says
Made this last night exactly as written and this morning it turned out delicious! I cooked it on low for 6 hours with no burning. Thank you!!
AnnaB says
Can you make this oven in baking pans? Has anyone tried that?
Louise W says
I have older oval crockpot or slow cooker so no timer or auto shutoff. Not an early morning riser either!
I'd like to serve around 9 a.m. I'm getting from above comments it will be overcooked if I start it at midnight or 1 a.m.
What's my solutuion besides not serving it?
Michelle says
My Crock Pot that I made this in is also an older model (8-10 years old) and also oval. No auto or timer or anything, and it was fine on the full 8 hours. I'm guessing for those that it's over-done, they have newer and/or hotter crock pots! So I personally would be fine turning it on at 12 or 1 and having it be done between 6-8am (you can turn it off or to warm at that point since it will still stay really hot as long as it's still in the crock). If you're really worried about it, I also have this super easy to throw together egg breakfast casserole. Our family has been making it for as long as I can remember, and it's really yummy. https://www.thegraciouswife.com/easy-egg-breakfast-casserole/
Lea says
Can the ingredients be put into the crock pot and then put in the refrigerator until it's time to start cooking? If it only takes 3-4 hours to cook, I would have to start cooking it around 2 a.m. in order for it to be ready in the morning and would like to have it all put together first.
Michelle says
Yes, you can do that!
KATY RUSH says
could you use croutons instead of hashbrowns?
Michelle says
No, I don't think that would work.
Cynthia Telford says
Do you need to thaw the hash browns?
Michelle says
Nope! You can dump them right in!
Jennifer says
How long will this keep in the fridge after it’s made?!?!?!
Michelle says
I've never kept it longer than 2-3 days because it's always gone by then. But I would say up to 5 days covered and refrigerated.
Debbie Miller says
Hi . . . In the body of the recipe, it states to mix the milk, salt, pepper, and sugar, however, the list of ingredients does not include sugar? It includes sour cream. Was the sugar in the body of the recipe a mistake? Thank you.
Michelle says
Hi Debbie, I'm currently in the process of re-vamping the recipe to make it even better, but I haven't totally updated the directions yet. I will when I'm done here. I got rid of the sugar entirely, and added sour cream to the egg mixture to make it more moist.
Suzy says
I love how this is made in the slow cooker! This will be perfect for a holiday brunch!
cf says
Such a delicious recipe, we made this minus the meat! YUMMO! Thinking of making this for our Christmas morning brunch!
Aimee Mars says
This breakfast casserole looks so unbelievably delicious! It's also perfect for a busy week because it can be set up the night before. No more skipping breakfast the next morning!
Anita says
What an amazingly delicious and easy way to feed breakfast for a crowd. Waking up to this just gives everyone a big smile. 🙂
Patty at Spoonabilities says
What could be better than waking up to a delicious breakfast like this! Love this!
kim says
I love this recipe idea! So flavorful and easy!
Kathryn | Sugar with Spice says
Such an easy idea for Sunday morning brunch! I love it!
Kelsey says
What a perfect way to start your day! This would be great to make the night before Thanksgiving to have ready to go! Love it!
Claudia says
Now I need to buy a crockpot just to make this recipe! It looks delicious!
Alison says
This is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning. Put all the ingredients together the night before, turn on the crockpot and wake up to a delicious breakfast!
Veronica says
Is it possible to use full fat coconut milk instead of the whole milk?
Michelle says
Yes! That would work great.
Becca says
This has been our go to for Christmas breakfast and other special occasions. I was wondering though if I could get the old recipe? My family personally liked it better that way and I hadn’t written it down.
Michelle says
Hi Becca, the old recipe used 32 ounces hash browns (instead of 16), and no sour cream. Then instead of cooking the veggies in with the sausage, they were put in raw with the cheese. Hope that helps!
Catherine says
Could you use hash brown potatoes instead of shredded? Would this affect the cook time?
Michelle says
Do you mean like diced potatoes? You could use a different type of potatoes instead, but it might affect the cook time.
CHERRY 🍒 HODGE says
OUTSTANDING!!!👌 THANK YOU 🙏
CHERRY 🍒 HODGE says
THIS IS AMAZING 😉 AND EASY TO MAKE OUTSTANDING TASTE THANKS 🙏
Tawnie says
Made this last weekend and it was a hit! So easy in the crockpot!
sarah johnson says
I agree having a programable crockpot is a good idea if you're looking to upgrade or invest in purchasing one. Great recipe Michelle!
Angela says
I'm not sure why I have never thought to put the breakfast casserole in the crockpot. Genius!
Nathan says
Breakfast is probably my favorite meal, and casseroles like this one are so perfect for around the holidays especially! Definitely going to be trying this out!
Beth says
This looks amazing and full of flavor! My husband is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait!
Lauren Vavala says
What a great idea for an easy breakfast in the morning! I've never made a casserole in a crockpot and am realizing that I am really missing out! Making this asap for a sunday morning breakfast with the family.
L says
I have this cooking for a work potluck right now - it's been two hours on high and the eggs are still liquid. Followed the recipe to a T.
Michelle says
Keep the lid closed. Every time you open the pot, it takes 20 minutes to reheat to the correct temperature.
Debbie says
Really confused by cooking time comments that vary greatly for this recipe
I want to serve this on Christmas Day at noon
What’s the best way to proceed ?
Michelle says
I redid this recipe a couple years ago. There were a lot of people who thought the cook time was too long. So I tested and tested and tested and rewrote it with the optimal time and ingredient ratios. So you should be able to start it in the slow cooker on high at 9am (or 8am if you had it prepped and the crock was in the fridge!) on Christmas
Debbie says
Thanks !
Will make on Christmas
Susan says
Can you prepare the afternoon before and keep in the fridge until you want to set it in the slow cooker? I don't want to be putting it together at 1 am when my guest leave.
Michelle says
Yes, you can. However a cold crock pot will affect the cook time. It will probably need a little longer to cook all the way through because it will take extra time for the cold pot to warm up.
Jessica says
I made this for a brunch-themed evening Christmas party and everyone loved it. My modifications: I doubled the potatoes, veggies, and cheese-- next time, I will double the meat as well. I only used sausage (no bacon); next time I will use two pounds of sausage. I used tater tots instead of hashbrowns. I added two teaspoons of dried mustard to the milk/sour cream mixture, and pulsed it in a blender to get a smooth consistency that I couldn't achieve through whisking. I cooked mine on high for about 3 hours in the crockpot, and then switched it to warm when the party started.
Melissa says
Cooked it on low for 6 hours, then it was on warm until we woke up - maybe 2 more hours and it wasn’t dry or browned at all - it was PERFECT! My family loved and it was so so easy to combine the night before before. We had it for Christmas breakfast and it was so nice not to have to do anything - breakfast was ready!! My kids are picky so I just used bacon and cheese. They don’t like the texture of breakfast casseroles - but they loved this!!
Michelle says
Excellent! So glad it was a hit for everyone!
Shanika Graham-White says
This was SO easy to make and it's definitely husband-approved!
Alisa Infanti says
This is perfect for Easter brunch!
Jess says
This is such a filling meal. Great way to start the day.
Suja md says
I love how versatile this recipe is! It's a perfect fit for my family! So delicious!
Sara Welch says
So glad I found this post; this will be perfect to serve for Easter brunch! Looking forward to giving this a try, indeed!
Patricia Ricks says
Awesome! This recipe is amazing. I added frozen broccoli as a layer. My crockpot cooks fast, so I cooked for 5 hours, added the cheese and unplugged it at 2:45 AM. Opened the lid at 8:00 and heated a piece in the microwave.
Michelle says
Broccoli sounds like a delicious addition! So glad you enjoyed it!
Loren says
How would using frozen diced hash browns affect the cook time? I was not able to find shredded hash browns this year.
Michelle says
You might have to cook just a little longer since the potatoes are thicker, but as long as the eggs cook through, it'll be fine!
Nancy S. Irish says
Could you make 1.5 times the recipe in a 6 quart crockpot? Would the time be about 8 hours, since the consensus seems to be 8 hours is a little too long for a single batch?
Nancy says
I did a test run before Christmas morning and I would say err on the 6 hr side and not the 8 - to see how your crock pot cooks! 6 hrs was great and I used a bag of hash browns with peppers and onions steady mixed in. The hash browns were 28 oz so I just upped the ingredients a tad here & there to go farther. This recipe was great and allowed for that with ease. I used 18 eggs with 1 cup milk & 1/2 cup Greek yogurt for the sour cream. I also used 1 pound sausage. So I doubled some things but not others. I tend to like more eggs anyways. Now my crock pot - well high settings are 4 or 6 hours and low ones are 8 or 10 so I set it for the 8 hrs but it was done in 6 so I moved it to warm and put the cheese on top.
Thank you for such a versatile recipe!
Barbara says
Made this for Easter brunch using the high setting. Done perfectly after three hours and everyone loved it.
Sharon W says
Can you cut the recipe in half and use a 3 qt. round crockpot? How would that effect the cooking time?
Michelle says
Yes. I think since you're cutting everything in half including the size of the slow cooker, the cooking time will remain the same. Let us know how it goes!
Ak says
Can you leave the sausage out and double the bacon?
Michelle says
Sure!
Heather says
I’m not sure what went wrong but mine turned out really watery and was a turnoff for my husband. Please advise