The Ultimate Overnight Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
The holidays are busy, but this overnight slow cooker breakfast casserole is the best way to make your holiday easy. From prep to clean up, this meal is the perfect way to allow a little breath and time to enjoy your family.
Overnight Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
I don't know about you, but when the holidays start, it is pretty much non-stop, so by the time Christmas hits, I am beat and the last thing I want to do is cook a huge breakfast and clean that up. So I present you with the absolutely best slow cooker breakfast casserole that will change your holiday mornings!
Recipe Walkthrough
Check the ingredients below and follow along as we get this slow cooker breakfast casserole made. I always prep this right before I go to bed on Christmas Eve. First you brown the breakfast sausage. You could just put it in the slow cooker raw if you want, but I prefer to brown it before layering it in.
Next you are going to take ½ the bag of frozen shredded potatoes and place them on the bottom. These will stick and you can see that I am using a slow cooker liner because again, I don't want to clean. I have found that if I use a butter cooking spray, the potatoes do not stick as much.
Next layer on a heaping amount of delicious shredded cheese. I just buy the already shredded cheese but if you want to go through the motion, you can shred your own potatoes and cheese.
Place about ½ the browned ground breakfast sausage atop the cheese. I do try to spread this pretty evenly. Again, you could put this in raw and just spread it by hand to get it pretty even, but that is just a preference.
Complete that series of layering one more time. Potatoes, sausage and then cheese. I do typically do the second layer of cheese on top, but you can easily put it under the sausage. From there, season your casserole with garlic salt.
Then beat together eggs and milk and poor that over the layers of potatoes, sausage and cheese. Once done, place the lid on, set it on low and cook for 8 hours. You will wake up to a wonderfully easy and delicious overnight slow cooker breakfast casserole with super easy clean up and a relaxing holiday morning!
Grab the Recipe
Overnight Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
This is the best slow cooker breakfast casserole that will make your life so easy, from prep to clean up, your family will thank you!
Ingredients
- 1 roll Breakfast Sausage
- 1 30 oz bag Frozen shredded potatoes
- 1 32 oz Shredded colby jack cheese
- 8-12 eggs beaten
- 2-4 Cups milk (I live at altitude so more works, but many are going less)
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
Instructions
-
Brown the ground breakfast sausage
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Layer ½ the bag of potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker (pro-tip, use a slow cooker liner for easy clean up)
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Cover the potatoes in shredded cheese
-
Layer ½ the ground sausage atop the cheese and potatoes
-
Do another layer of potatoes, sausage and cheese
-
Season with garlic salt
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Beat the eggs and milk together and pour over the mixture
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Cook on low for 8 hours and enjoy a wonderful morning meal!
Can you make this without cheese?
I think you absolutely could. My family loves cheese so I always put it on meals, but it would cook just fine with the meat, potatoes, milk and eggs.
Is there really 32 oz of cheese in it?! Surely that’s a typo. I used 16 and it’s yummy!
lol! You can decrease it for sure, we LOVE cheese here.
Does substituting the milk make a difference? I'm lactose intolerant and can't handle that much milk AND cheese. So I used almond milk.
I would assume it would make a small difference but that is just because we eat lactose rich foods, so if you are used to lactose free it would probably be fine. I have never tried it.
Do you stir within the 8 hours and can you cook for 10-12 hours and does it change the recipe?
I dont stir. I toss it all in, stir it once and then let it cook.
I cook it overnight and set the time for about 6 hours and then let it warm past that. I am not sure how 10-12 hour cook would go.
Really good! Literally made this overnight for Easter today! I’m wondering if using less milk next time would make it stick together more out of the pot?
I am so glad! The milk idea is worth a try for sure!
@NICOLE, how much milk did you use?
I made this last Sunday. It was good but my only complaint is it came out watery. What did I do wrong?
Maybe decrease the milk. I am at altitude in Colorado when cooking and forgot to account for that.
Is this covered the whole time?
I do keep mine covered.
Delicious & easy! I added NM hatch green chili , but this recipe is 5/5! Non less 🤗
Ohhhhh! I am going to do that now!! Sounds amazing
@Nati, I was just thinking about how good green chiles would be in this. I love green chiles but have to do a milder brand than Hatch. I'm glad to know it worked. I'm trying this for my church on Sunday.
Oh they are! We LOVE green chilis!
Can you prepare this ahead of time and set it in the fridge? I am needing it for about 9:00 in the morning and didn’t want to put it on to early and overcook it .
Yes, you absolutely could do that. I have also made it in my instant pot and it worked well too (clean up was just a bit more)
@Laura, how long did you cook it for in the insta?
about 5 minutes on high natural pressure release
Can I double the recipe?
I am sure you could. My slow cooker does not have the room to double the recipe.
@Laura,
What size is your crockpot? I’m seeing some recipes for 3.5qt or 6qt.
Thank you!
Hi Penny!
My crockpot is 6 qts
Could I make this and put it in a foil pan and freeze for later date? I bought all ingredients and already mixed my egg and milk but had to change plans☹️ I don’t want to waste it.
I am so sorry, this comment was trapped in my spam folder. I am certain that would be ok.
I made this for a family get together and just sprayed down the crock with cooking spray before putting in the ingredients and it was super easy cleanup. It slid right out. Nice recipe.
I love that! Thanks for the tip!
Would frozen diced potatoes work instead of hash browns?
Yes they will work and it tastes yummy too!
Can you use frozen cubed potatoes? Would that make any difference?
Yes! I use them and they work great!
@Laura, could I use hash brown Patty's instead of shredded hash browns?
I think those would break up within the casserole, but probably.
How long would you cook on high for?
If you are doing this overnight I would definitely not cook on high. If you are just getting it going quickly and you precook the meat then you could easily cook on high for 2.5 to 3 hours
@Kendall, did you end up doing this on high? I made this before overnight to serve around 9 am and it was starting to overcook. I want to serve it around 10 am this time so I want to start it in the morning but I don’t want to be stuck with it not being cooked through.
I love this idea but we are a small family. 2 adults 2 younger kids. What is your suggestion on making this smaller and still having it cook overnight?
I was thinking smaller crockpot and half?? But scared it will burn up
You could probably cut everything in 1/2 including the cook time. I love the leftovers so for us making an entire batch makes sense.
@Maggie, we used left overs for wraps or burritos.
Have you tried bacon in this recipe?
I have not but I bet it would taste great.
What size slow cooker is used for the ingredient measurements listed? I have a round one that looks smaller than the one pictured. Thanks!
Hi Tracy, I believe this is a 7 qt but it might be an 8qt.
Thanks
Laura
Definitely way too much milk- It was so runny. I ended up putting this into a casserole dish and baking but it was just too runny and couldn’t eat it.
I do apologize. I live at altitude and have always so I assume that is probably why. I updated the directions based on this feedback and appreciate your feedback.
@Laura, how much would you suggest in a normal altitude location?
I would start with 2 and then check it midway and see if it needs more?
Made this last night for brunch today. I used bacon instead of sausage (I didn’t have sausage) I also added sautéed red peppers and onions. I only used half the cheese and it was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe
Yay! I love those additions too!
@Bethany,
Did you cook the bacon before putting it in the crockpot?
yes
Thinking of adding peppers to it thoughts ??? Also thinking of a little bit of paprika amc minced garlic ?!
I am sure it will taste great
How far ahead do you think this could be made? Have a busy 4th of July weekend wondering about making Friday and having in fridge to put in crockpot early Sunday,
I usually make this and we have leftovers for a couple days! As far as leaving it sit together until Sunday without cooking, I am not entirely sure
How long can you store this in the fridge or freezer after cooking?
Hey! I am so sorry about the delay, I had a medical issue. Freezer I would do no longer than 6 months but fridge is probably like 4-5 days
Put the meat on the bottom, then it won’t stick
Thanks!
What size slow cooker should I use for this overnight breakfast casserole?
I believe mine is an 8qt.
Can you use the diced hash browns. I get a gag reflex with the shredded
I am sure it would work
I made this recently but added 1 roll of Chorizo sausage (mixed with the sausage) & topped with chopped bacon. It was a HIT!
Hi! Can’t wait to try this recipe! Curious though, you layer the ingredients, then pour the egg mixture over. Cover and cook, right? In one of the comments, it said something about stirring it. To stir or not to stir? Many thanks!
Sorry for the delay. I stir!
I have some leftover buttermilk from making biscuits. I was wondering if I could use buttermilk instead of regular milk to use it up. Do you think buttermilk would make it taste nasty?
I am not sure on that. I am sorry.
Can you use refrigerated shredded hash browns instead? Couldn’t find frozen anywhere!
I am sure that would be fine. I used to use raw chopped potatoes before purchasing frozen.
Can you just leave out the milk entirely? Or is the milk an absolute must?
I am sure you could probably use some sort of broth and it would be fine. It does need a liquid in it
I made this with a little apprehension about cooking eggs overnight for 8 hours. It was fantastic! Used the potatoes with green peppers and onions- next level goodness. Thank you for this recipe.
I am so happy to hear this! Definitely want to try some veggies in my next batch!
Can I make this without the hash browns? Looking to make it for a work breakfast and have diabetic co-workers.
Hi!
I am not sure how well that would go, but there are low carb options for hash browns like cauliflower. I have never tried it without hashbrowns and I would assume you would need to decrease both the eggs and the milk contents as the potatoes do soak up a lot of that.
Have you ever used bacon instead of sausage? I don’t care for sausage . Thank you !
I have not, but I am sure it would still be tasty!
It's good, but I thought it was too much potato, not enough egg and sausage.
Do you stir it once all ingredients have been added or leave it in layers?
I stir
I want to make over night breakfasts in the crock pot but do you have to put this in real late like 11pm or midnight so its ready for the morning? Maybe there is a secret to doing this?
I usually put it in around 9 and let it cook for a few hours and then my crock pot instantly turns to warm so we eat it when we wake.
So I followed the recipe and it was good. With that being said. Next time I make this I will be adding 2 rolls of sausage 2-3 bags of cheese and some bacon.
NICE!
Can I cook it on warm all night and then wake up a little early and turn it to low setting
Not entirely sure! I am so behind on comment replies, did you try it? Please let me know how it went and I can update the post.
This was a big hit at my husband’s Veteran’s Day ceremony and brunch today! I used an 8 quart crockpot, 12 eggs, 3 cups of milk with the garlic powder mixed in, and I diced up a red bell pepper added as a layer on top of the sausage. I also decreased the cheese to 24 ounces. Very yummy!
YAY! Thank you and your husband for your service.