Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole is a filling, hearty and delicious way to start off your morning! Once you taste the combined flavors of this awesome morning bake, you will never want to skip breakfast again! This easy to make recipe can easily be prepared the night before and is perfect to enjoy on holiday mornings.
Plus, this sausage casserole recipe easily feeds 12 and I have a list of substitutions at the bottom in case you are missing an ingredient or want to change it up. Let’s bake!
Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
The other morning my good friend Mackenzie and I got together to make our Tuesday morning recipes. She was adamant about her “moms sausage hash brown breakfast casserole” so we decided to whip that and cinnamon roll french toast casserole together and have a delicious morning. I have to say – this breakfast casserole is AMAZING.
It was super simple to put together, with a layer of potatoes, melty cheese, hearty eggs, and the right amount of sausage for protein.
Savory, for those that don’t always love a sweet morning option, and incredibly filling.
Scroll to the bottom for a printable version of this post, including all measurements and instructions, so you can follow along in your kitchen without being on your phone.
Here is what ingredients you need to gather to get started:
- eggs
- pork sausage (jimmy dean) or turkey sausage
- heavy cream
- frozen shredded hash browns – that are thawed out
- cheddar cheese
- salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder
Casserole Substitutions
Now one of the amazing things about Mom’s Sausage Breakfast Casserole is that you can really alter the layers quite simply. You can change pork sausage to turkey sausage, change frozen hash browns to tater tots, and even alter the cheese (although Cheddar is my favorite personally).
This hash brown casserole is also great with ham, adding bits of bacon and even bears the weight of changing cream to milk if needed.
Hash browns >>>> Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Cheddar Cheese>>>> Any Cheese
Heavy Cream>>>> Milk
Pork Sausage>>>> Ham, Bacon, Turkey Sausage, Italian Sausage
What can you eat with Sausage Casserole?
This is such a savory dish, that having something sweet like Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole or warm Southern Fried Apples is a great choice.
How long can you keep Sausage Casserole in the Fridge?
If you are around here long, I say the same thing every time – I do not do leftovers. Its probably something from my child hood but not a huge fan. In any case, because this has a meat products, I wouldn’t keep for more than a day or two.
Can you prep Sausage Breakfast Casserole Overnight?
Yes!
If you need a great Christmas casserole or thanksgiving morning casserole, this a perfect one to prep the night before and be ready to just pop in the oven without the mess of all the dishes. You can prep this with layering the ingredients, topping with foil, and putting in fridge overnight.
Frozen Hashbrowns
I buy the frozen bag of hash browns from the store, but thaw them prior to assembly.
I simply leave them in the fridge after I get home from the store so they are thawed when I make the casserole.
In some stores, you can simply buy thawed hash browns *typically near the eggs* but there are very few brands that come already thawed out and can be hard to find.
Other good holiday morning breakfast recipes are : Fried Breakfast Potatoes, Orange Bread with glaze, Blueberry Donuts, or Blueberry Bread.
You can also find my recipes listed above for Skillet Cinnamon Apples and French Toast Casserole Bake.
Full detailed recipe on how to make breakfast sausage casserole in the recipe card (you can print too) plus video in this post if you look for it.
How to Make Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
Lightly butter or grease 9×13 baking dish. Preheat oven to 375.
Brown sausage in skillet, over medium heat, breaking into small pieces.
Drain grease.
Whisk eggs, cream and spices together.
Layer ingredients in a casserole dish.
Thawed hash browns first, cooked sausage, layer of cheese and egg mixture dumped on top.
Cover casserole with foil.
Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until center is set.
Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 1 pound pork sausage - jimmy dean
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 package 30 oz bag frozen shredded hash browns - thawed out
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and spray 9 x 13 pan with non stick cooking spray.
- Brown pork sausage (or cook your meat if you use a different kind) in skillet, over medium heat, breaking into small pieces. Drain grease and set aside.
- Whisk eggs, heavy cream and all spices together.
- Layer ingredients in a casserole dish. Start with adding your thawed hash browns, precooked sausage, layer of cheese, and then pour on whisked egg mixture.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake for 40 minutes, remove foil, and then bake for another 20.
- Serve your Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole with Franks Hot Sauce or Chunky Salsa
Video
Recipe Notes
- Hashbrowns >>>> Tater Tots
- Cheddar Cheese>>>> Any Cheese
- Heavy Cream>>>> Milk
- Pork Sausage>>>> Ham, Bacon, Turkey Sausage, Italian Sausage
Nutrition
Tammy says
What size Hashbrowns did you use?
Trisha says
Tammy, I have no idea how I didnt note that in the recipe. I think in my area we have literally like one size, so I didnt even think. Thank you for asking! We used the regular 30 oz bag. I was able to pull the video and pictures I did this day and I had a picture of the bag. I am going to update the recipe, thank you!!
Teresa Dekle says
I made this for dinner tonight. I used tatertots because it was what I had on hand. I added onion power, garlic salt, ground mustard and red pepper flakes. My son said it needs more egg. Will add a couple more eggs next time. It was wonderful!
Trisha says
Thanks Teresa! I recently did a tatertot version myself and if anyone is interested, it can be found here (just click on the link) https://www.saltysidedish.com/tater-tot-breakfast-casserole/
Rose says
I used a 24oz bag of hash browns and I would add 3 more eggs and diffintly add onions and peppers
Tammy says
Family size I can’t wait to try this out it looks great
Susan B. says
My recipe is almost identical, except that I add diced red and green pepper for a little Christmas color.
Trisha says
I love that idea! Thank you so much Susan. I hope that tips help a few and if I remake it soon, Ill add that on top and share a picture to inspire others.
Traci says
Has anyone tried this without milk/cream due to dietary restrictions?
Trisha says
Hi Traci, Unfortunately I do not have a diary free version, but it *might* be ok to use half a dairy free milk and melted down butter in place of full dairy. I havent done but I wouldnt be afraid to try!
Sally says
Could use almond milk
Trisha says
Thanks for the suggestion!
Ellen says
Butter is dairy so don’t do that! Use almond or soy milk and it should be good! Silk also now has substitute half & half you could also use.
Cheryl says
I think that lactose free milk Might be worth a try.
Cheryl says
I have replaced milk/cream with butter. Use approx 1stick of butter. I also add 2 – 4oz of cream cheese softened. It turns out just as delicious.
Sonja says
I have a child that is dairy free…..so I use almond milk and the imitation dairy free no cholesterol egg substitute with the Daiya dairy free cheese. I add a tad bit more spices and it comes out beautiful and tasty!!!!
Marcia says
Try it with almond milk.
Mary says
I use non-dairy coffeemate creamer due to my daughters milk allergy. Its creamy and cooks well
LB says
We tolerate grass fed butter since most of the lactose has been removed (but we don’t have a true dairy allergy so if you do that won’t work.) I would think cashew or almond milk would work. In general would love to see more gluten and dairy free clean eating recipes!!
Bebe says
How many ounces of Tater Totis?
Trisha says
I use hashbrowns and its a 30 oz bag on the bottom. If you want to do tater tots, just make sure they are thawed and they cover the bottom of your casserole dish, so about a 30oz bag if the have it.
Erin says
If making it the night before, would you recommend bringing it to room temp before putting it in the oven? Or could I just put it straight in the oven and maybe cook it a little longer?
Trisha says
Hi erin! You do not need to bring it to room temperature. The casserole should be done in 45-55 minutes, just pull when the center is set.
Jody says
Do the hash browns get crispy? Thanks!
Trisha says
Hi Jody,
no these are not fried hash browns, they act as a potato base, but to get hashbrowns (or any potatoes) crispy, they have to be fried. Its still very good!
Erica says
Could an egg substitute be used in place of eggs!?!? I have a carton left over from another recipe and don’t want to see it go to waste!
Trisha says
Erica, truthfully I have never eaten egg substitute, so I do not know how it cooks. I dont imagine it would pose a problem considering the entire point of it is to substitute eggs, but without doing it, I cant tell you for sure.
May says
The directions say to whisk the cheese into the egg mixture. Then further down says to layer the cheese after the egg mixture. The video shows the cheese layered on top of the sausage, then the egg mixture poured over the top. Which is your preferred method?
Trisha says
May, I am so sorry, I made two casseroles this day and one I had mixed the cheese in prior to dumping in the dish and this one I layered, so my brain was not cooperating with my fingers.
In this sausage egg casserole, layer it with thawed hash browns, cooked sausage, cheese, and then egg mixture. You can really control where the cheese goes to layer it this way.
I have updated the article to prevent any confusion.
(That being said, if someone did make it and mixed the cheese in with the egg, it wouldn’t change the taste)
I emailed you as well.
Karen says
I have been making this casserole for many years. I use a breakfast sausage without MSG (Smithfield). I have also doubled the recipe using a pound of hot mixed with a pound of mild which is yummy.
Trisha says
Karen, that does sound amazing! Ill have to try it your way with some spicy sausage too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment here on my little blog.
Trisha
Ania says
Wow! So yummy. My mom found this recipe ad I just made it for my family for Christmas breakfast and everyone loved it! Flavorful and everyone went back for sendonds (and thirds).
Ania says
seconds* haha
Trisha says
Ania, thank you for taking the time to come back to review this recipe! I am so happy your family loved the sausage breakfast casserole! Its a favorite of ours too.
Trisha
Juls says
This sounds great but my family is small and this would make about a week’s worth of food. Can the recipe be halved?
Thanks, Juls
Trisha says
Hi Juls! Yes, you could very easily half this recipe! (of course, even with it halved, you may want to add a little extra meat and not cut that out as much). The cooking time would likely need to be adjusted since the center will set quicker, my guess is 30 minutes but you would need to make sure everything is cooked and set. I havent actually halved it before but there is no indication it would be an issue at all. Its a straight forward recipe.
Debbie says
Lam trying this to night . Going to add some bacon in it too . A 30 ounce bag of hash brown is a lot for 3 people .
Trisha says
Hi Debbie, yes that is a lot for 3. This recipe serves 12, but you could try a smaller version. 🙂
Judy. Henderson says
Freeze it .. I cut it into single servings freeze it.. get out of freeze the night before or get it out that morning Micro it. Still excellent
Lori Focht says
Is there any way to heat this up as leftovers? Lori
Trisha says
Hi Lori, If I am being honest we have never had leftovers. I would have to make it again and do a test on it before I recommend a specific route to go.
Kamgod says
Tried this recipe this morning and it was good! Have you ever tried seasoning and sautéing the hash browns first before adding them to the casserole?
Trisha says
I actually havent but I have been thinking the same thing myself. My only concern was that the egg would soften the hashbrowns and after all the time to cook them up would be annoying. I will try in the future!
KAMGOD says
I made this dish again this morning and I sautéed the hash browns in some butter and seasoned them with garlic, salt and pepper. After putting the hash browns in the casserole dish, I added an extra layer of cheese before adding the meat. OMG!! It came out soooo good.
Trisha says
That sounds SOOOOOOOOO good too!! Glad you tried it with more fried up hashbrowns. I will give it a shot myself!
Ellen Brown says
I had to use a deep 9 x12 casserole dish to hold all of it. I think next time I will use about one half of the .30 oz hash browns.
Trisha says
Ellen, thanks for your feedback. To be honest I have never thought about the depth of my casserole dishes, so great observation.
Kathy R. says
I-19-2020. I made this casserole tonight. I put onions and green peppers in my hash browns. It was delicious. My family loved it .We like to have breakfast at night a lot ..Thankx for a good easy recipe.
Trisha says
Kathy, I love the additions of adding onions and green peppers! I am also a big fan of breakfast for dinner, takes all the work out of the evening and is SO good. Thanks for coming back with a review!!
– Trisha
Donna says
I’ve made a similar one before and put in can 2 cans of Rotel diced tomatoes and No milk which dilutes the eggs taste, and plan to try it with Hash Browns, but I like my Hash Browns very crispy, so will try putting them in pan first, baking for a while to get crispy, then add all the other ingredients and bake again.
Trisha says
I love the idea of rotel tomatoes!
Fawn Munos says
Sounds great! How did it turn out?
Alisa says
Can this be made in an aluminum pan and would you adjust baking time? I usually use glass but need to prepare in a disposable container. Thanks!
Trisha says
Alisa, this is a great question and I have never cooked this recipe in a disposable container. That being said, typically aluminum pans do not change the timing on a recipe but you do have to watch for the weight of it crumbling when you take it out. I would feel OK doing this one in a disposable pan and just start checking for done-ness near the end of the time.
Nancy says
I Use Southwestern style hash browns. It gives it a little spicy flavor.
Trisha says
That sounds great!! Ill have to try it with the southwestern style next time!
Zedra says
Do you this this would be able to freeze well? Have company coming and I’m trying to get ahead of the game.
Thanks
Trisha says
To be honest, I have never premade it and then froze it, but you can seal it in the fridge. The only thing that would alarm me on freezing is the egg mixture – I dont know how that would unfreeze properly before you went to the oven.
Miss J says
I am the (1) of my household. I make this casserole and cut into serving sizes, wrap individual. Put a square in my air fryer and I have a delicious breakfast.
Trisha says
Awesome, thank you for piping in and letting everyone know!
Deborah Kloster says
I added a couple splashes of Tabasco! Great recipe!
Trisha says
Yum, Tabasco is so good too! I bet that was a fantastic addition.
Cathy says
Have you ever added spinach?
Trisha says
hi Cathy, I havent but that sounds divine! Maybe try some frozen spinach- defrost it and drain any excess water and mix in as a layer?
Rose says
Excellent!! I cut the recipe in half (used 8×8 inch pan) and baked for 55 minutes. I also added onions and peppers.
Trisha says
Thank you for your review, Rose! Great additions!!
Kristi says
Have you tried splitting this in half to make in a 9×9 pan? If yes, what temperature and how long do you recommend to bake?
Trisha says
Kristi, Normally when I make this dish, its for a crowd, so I have never split it. I dont think it would cause an issue but I would cut the timing back by 15 minutes and just check to see if its done. It shouldnt be that hard to halve it. Ill have to make note to do that in the future and update the post. Thank you for the suggestion.
Marcia says
Hard to believe there are only 4 carbs in this per serving. Makes it a win for me!
Trisha says
The carb levels are automatically counted by the recipe software based on serving size – but we all know about serving size, so make sure you calculate in your own apps too to be 100% sure.
Linda Broughman says
Great recipe! I made this for our family at the beach last week…it was a hit! Love recipes that feed a large group!
Miggie says
I have made this casserole 3 times , my boys love it. They are meat and potatoes men, it’s hearty delicious and very filling. I added mushrooms and onions to the meat and it was awesome.
Trisha says
Thank you! I am so happy that you love it! ~Trisha
Gary Dorn says
I’m going to make this but I’m also adding some chopped Hatch green chile to it, about 1 cup should do the trick.
Shelly says
Sounds delish….. Wondering if there is a substitute for the hash browns? Have you tried cauliflower rice? Just trying to reduce the carbs.
Trisha says
That would be super interesting to try and ill give it a shot soon. I havent done that but it might be a fun, lower carb idea. Ill put it on my recipe agenda to test for October!
Chandra says
Hey there! Amazing recipe!! I used the dried hashbrowns by Hungry Jack that you add hot water and let sit! They come in a small cardboard carton. I added frozen peppers onions while they “undried” which flavored up well. It came out amazing! Thank you for sharing an amazing recipe!! Another easy breakfast/meal in our household!!!!
Lisa says
We first had the casserole in early March of 2020 just when the Covid quarantine was starting. We’ve had it several times since and loved it every time! It’s on my permanent rotation list. Thanks for sharing this tecipe!
Trisha says
Thats awesome! We just had some ourselves last week, but I used tater tots instead. 🙂
Terrie says
This was so good we made it for a football brunch! It was a huge hit!
Thank you
Trisha says
Great idea on football!!
Ellen Moats says
We all love this casserole so much! The last time I made it, I used cauliflower instead of hash browns for a veto version. It came out really good. I also have made it with waffle fries. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!!! You rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ellen Moats says
Kept, I hate autocorrect!!!
Laura says
My daughter is a culinary program for school and is in the meat program. She’s been bringing home sausage, bacon, and andouille sausage that she’s made and I had some in my fridge I needed to use up. So I put all 3 meats into the dish. I added 3 extra eggs and a bit more cream, and extra cheese because of this. It was beyond good! I ate it with salsa and sour cream and I was in heaven! It was spicy because of the andouille sausage and sooo full of flavor. This is a keeper for sure! I will be making this again!
Dottie says
I would like to try to make this in my 9×13 casserole crock poy. How long would you suggest cooking on high or low.
Trisha says
If you cook on low, you will need likely around 6 -7 hours and high about 3. The difference is to use FROZEN hashbrowns over defrosted hash browns to help prevent the hashbrowns from cooking too fast.
Let me add that so far I haven’t perfected this exact recipe a slow cooker hash brown breakfast casserole, which is why I dont have one on my site yet. I find that hashbrowns can burn around the edges in the time it takes to cook the full casserole. That wont bother some people but it will bother others, so I just wanted to make note. Also, one more thing, I would probably use the hash brown cubes over the shreds for a bit of texture if I put it in crock pot.
I still recommend this one oven based to know its going to be great. I will keep working on the varying versions for everyone!
Angie S. says
What happens if the hash browns aren’t thawed out first?
Trisha says
They will still cook but it might have some excess water in the bottom depending on how much is in the hash browns. Thawed hashrbows allow you to drain any water. I dont think its a HUGE deal, its more precautionary.
Brandi says
I was wanting to make this one morning and my husband cook it the next. Do you think that would work okay? Or would that be too long sitting in the fridge?
Trisha says
You shouldnt have any problem making ahead and then baking. I would just say if you have the opportunity to pull out of fridge about 30 min before baking, it will help with timing. Going from the super cold fridge to cooking can take longer since its no longer closer to room temp. But as far as the ingredients, you can easily make the night before and then continue on.
Lisa says
Sounds wonderful!! Can you make and cook then freeze?? Large group and don’t want to make while they are here so get it done a week or two ahead….. Thanks!!!
Trisha says
You can freeze breakfast casserole, but you will want to thaw in the fridge prior to cooking. Do not add it straight to oven frozen. Usually its best to thaw overnight, then proceed to next day baking. One thing I always try to let people know is that when you go from a SUPER COLD fridge to a really hot oven it can change the baking time, so allow for some extra time so your casserole can get up to temp before it starts properly baking.
Imelda says
Would you tell me if you could use egg whites for this recipe. Several people in my family have egg yolk intolerance.
Trisha says
This is the first time I have gotten this question. I am really intrigued byt he idea of egg whites over an egg but truthfully I do not know the answer! I would think if you substituted egg whites for full eggs, you would need more egg whites. Its about 1/4th cup egg whites to 1 egg. I havent done it so I cant say for SURE it would taste the same, but I dont see how it would be awful either…. Ill see if I can reroute this recipe in the future to an egg white version!
Lisa says
We love this casserole! Quick, easy and delicious! It’s good with diced green peppers in it too. I did cut the salt in half because it was a little too salty for us. But it’s so good, it’s on my permanent rotation list!
Trisha says
Really love your changes and the green peppers bring in some pretty color too!
Trisha
Ann Boyd says
This will be my third year making this for breakfast Christmas morning. My son requests it, so it’s definitely a keeper!
Trisha says
Ann, this is such a nice comment. Merry Christmas to you and your family this year!
Trisha
Aly says
When you make the night before you don’t cook anything, right? Just assemble? And if I made the night before and then took it to family’s house 45 mins away before cooking so you think that would be ok? Cant wait to make it!!
Trisha says
You need to cook the sausage before you add assemble. Do not add that raw.
Christina says
Wondering about using fresh potatoes Instead of the hash browns. Any thoughts?
Trisha says
My only concern is the water intake – but in theory, if shredded down, should be totally fine??
Mary says
This was so yummy. I used the sage flavored Jimmy Dean sausage. Yum!
Jackie says
I have made this for years and it’s always a huge hit! My original recipe, wherever it came from called for 16 oz of small curd cottage cheese instead of milk or cream so I have always used that. I hate cottage cheese normally so none of the texture is left after baking at all! I make these for neighbors for Christmas. I just cook a bunch of sausage ahead of time then throw these together Christmas Eve and deliver. They are always loved, especially those with little ones that get up in the wee hours. Just pop it in and it’s done in an hour!
Becky McGuire says
I have tried many casseroles for Christmas morning. I have mostly used crock pot recipes. I will never use them again. I used this recipe this year and even my picky husband loved it. Thanks I can stop searching.
Trisha says
Hi Becky! I am so happy that this was the perfect recipe for your husband! Mine isnt picky but my kids are, so I always celebrate the wins. Happy New Years!
Sheila G Flanagan says
OMG this was delicious! Prepped overnight, refrigerated, and only kept on counter while oven preheated. I made half the recipe, no extra eggs, just extra cheese and baked 30 min with foil and 5 without. Burnt my tongue cause I couldn’t wait it looked so good. Hashbrowns crisped up around the edges of glass baking dish. My new go to overnight breakfast!
Trisha says
Yay! Thank you!!! So happy you enjoyed this breakfast casserole!
Emma Rose Bankson says
I read some comments about crisping the hash browns. You can add some on top as well. Put some butter and seasonings on them. At the end broil and add some cheese on top 🙂
jeremy thompson says
the amount of liquid/egg is way off. it was a huge mess having to dump everything out of the casserole dish into a big bowl to get all the potatoes covered in the egg mixture then dump it back into the casserole dish!
Trisha says
The recipe is correct. My guess is your casserole dish was too small and it didn’t spread properly, but mixing the egg in the hashbrowns should never have happened. Unfortunately there is no way for me to know where the process went wrong for you because this honestly the first time I have ever had anyone leave this comment. I am not even sure where to begin to help you, but I bet it has to do with the size of your dish.
Trisha
Michele says
I’m guessing you used a dish that was smaller than a 9X13. I added two packages of sausage links to mine and still had plenty of room for everything.
Lisa Napier says
It was ok, but seemed like way too much hash browns.
Trisha says
That is why its called hash brown casserole 🙂
Trisha
Annie says
👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Lisa says
I’ve been making a recipe almost identical to this one for years for Christmas morning breakfast. The major difference is that my recipe has a crust made of crescent rolls.
Michele says
I made this for breakfast this morning. I had red potatoes so I cut up fresh ones. I also wasn’t thrilled with how my sausage cooked up so added in two packages of chopped sausage links (Vermont Maple Brown & Serve). Everything else I did per instructions. It turned out great and we all loved it. Not sure why the one person said he didn’t have enough room. Even with those two packages of links, I had more than enough room in a 9×13. Of course with only three of us in the house now, we have plenty of leftovers. Thanks for the recipe!