Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Creamy, crunchy savory goodness topped with melty cheese.
Taste: Sausage + veggies + egg = full of flavor.
Ease: Easy and a great make-ahead breakfast option!
Top Tips: Prep it the night before, refrigerate, then just pop it in the oven the next day for an easy breakfast on busy mornings!
Would I make these again? Definitely! I love make-ahead breakfast options and this one is perfect for Christmas morning or when I have company in town. It’s naturally gluten-free and easy to make dairy-free!
xoxo erin
This post was originally published in December 2018. It was updated with new photos and instructions in November 2024.
This sausage hashbrown breakfast casserole is a total crowd-pleaser! It’s full of flavorful sausage and veggies making it one of my favorite recipes for a holiday breakfast.
It’s so convenient to assemble everything the night before, keep it in the fridge, then bake it the next morning. Nobody wants to be cooking up sausage or creating dirty dishes on Christmas morning!
Featured Comment
From Maryanne: “Amazing recipe! Make it for every family function and random weekends. Always a hit.”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Gluten-Free Breakfast Casserole
- Make it Dairy-Free
- Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
- Can this sausage hashbrown breakfast casserole be made dairy-free?
- Do the frozen hashbrowns need to be thawed before adding them to the mixture?
- Can I use other breakfast meats besides sausage?
- More Favorite Breakfast Recipes
- Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this sausage hashbrown breakfast casserole. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements
- Hashbrowns: I like to use frozen shredded hash browns. You could also make this with frozen tater tots.
- Bell Peppers: You can use any color you like, except green bell peppers. I like to use red bell pepper so it contrasts with the green spinach in this breakfast bake!
- Cheese: You can make this with cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack, or dairy-free cheese. I usually make this with VioLife dairy-free cheese.
- Breakfast sausage: Use raw, uncooked ground sausage. I usually use Jimmy Dean Natural pork sausage. You could also use turkey sausage or Italian sausage!
How to Make Gluten-Free Breakfast Casserole
Here’s an overview of how to make this casserole. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- In a large skillet: Cook the sausage and vegetables over medium heat. The onions and peppers in this casserole won’t cook anymore once they are mixed into the the casserole so I like to get them nice and soft while I brown the sausage mixture.
- Add the spinach: Let it wilt for just a few minutes. I also love the pretty colors in this casserole with the the red pepper and spinach!
- In a separate bowl: Combine the remaining ingredients. Many breakfast casseroles use soaked bread for texture, but I keep this breakfast casserole gluten-free by adding frozen hashbrowns. They make it hearty and give it a great consistency.
- Add in sausage mixture: Mix everything together well and be sure to add a good teaspoon of salt and pepper so that this casserole is flavorful once it’s cooked.
- In a greased 9×13 pan: Pour the mixture in the pan, then top with the remaining cheese. You can either bake it right away or pop it in the fridge to bake the next day. Both options work well!
- Bake: With the oven on 350°F, bake uncovered until eggs are set (about 25-30 minutes). Let it cool a little bit before serving, then enjoy!
Make it Dairy-Free
This breakfast casserole is also really easy to make dairy-free. I actually almost always make it dairy-free when I prepare this for my family.
I use coconut milk in place of regular milk and vegan cheese in place of sharp cheddar to make this dairy-free. It tastes just as delicious and you’d never know it’s dairy-free with all the sausage and onions/peppers!
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Make-Ahead: After pouring the mixture into the prepared pan, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate the casserole overnight. The next morning, simply remove the plastic wrap and bake as instructed! Serve it with gluten-free donuts, gluten-free cinnamon rolls or gluten-free cranberry bread for a special breakfast!
To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To Freeze: If you plan on freezing the baked casserole, I suggest baking it in a disposable aluminum pan! Let the casserole cool completely, wrap it in plastic wrap then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it for about 24 hours (covered) in the refrigerator, remove the covering, then reheat in a 350°F oven for 25–30 minutes.
Can this sausage hashbrown breakfast casserole be made dairy-free?
Definitely! And it’s delicious dairy-free too! You can use vegan cheese (I like Violife brand) in place of the cheddar. Use dairy-free milk (I use canned coconut milk) in place of the whole milk, just make sure it’s unsweetened!
Do the frozen hashbrowns need to be thawed before adding them to the mixture?
Nope! The hashbrowns can be added to the casserole mixture straight from the freezer, but thawed will work too.
Can I use other breakfast meats besides sausage?
Absolutely! Cooked and crumbled bacon or diced ham are great options too. For a non-pork option, turkey sausage works well!
More Favorite Breakfast Recipes
Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork breakfast sausage
- 3/4 cup red pepper diced
- 3/4 cup onion diced
- 10 oz (2 cups) frozen hashbrowns
- 1-2 cups spinach finely chopped
- 10 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup whole milk or unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar or dairy-free cheese, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion and red pepper. Break up sausage into small pieces and cook until the vegetables have softened and the sausage is no longer pink. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Add the sausage mixture and mix until totally combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese. At this point you can either bake the casserole or refrigerate the casserole and bake the next day.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, uncovered until the eggs are set. Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
My granddaughter is gluten free so this will be perfect for our day after Christmas..Christmas get together. Could not find hash browns anywhere so going to use tater tots. Merry Christmas.
Can this recipe be frozen a few days before? We want to use it for Christmas morning!
Yes! To freeze it, cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. When ready to eat, thaw it for about 24 hours (covered) in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap layer, then bake in a 350°F oven for 25–30 minutes. I hope you enjoy it!
Do you use boxed or canned coconut milk? Can you taste the coconut flavor?
You can use either one but I usually use canned! Be sure it’s unsweetened coconut milk of you use boxed. It doesn’t taste like coconut to me. Just adds moisture and creaminess!
Hi! My sister in law is gluten-free, so I think this would be a great brunch casserole on Christmas Eve! If I leave out the green pepper and spinach, should I add more hash browns? Thanks so much!!
You can leave out the pepper/spinach and keep the amount of hashbrowns the same. That will work great! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
We had this morning for Christmas breakfast and it was delicious! Definitely will be a new Christmas tradition at our house!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Probably a dumb question… do you use shredded hash browns or the cubed frozen hash browns?
Not a dumb question! That’s good for me to clarify – I use frozen shredded hash browns 🙂
Could I use grated potato in stead of hashbrown.
Laura, I just made two different versions of this both using cubed from the simply potatoes section of the grocery store. The way they are cubed is probably a little bit too big…so, next time I would still use the cubed but will cut some of them a little bit smaller and then fry them a bit. Today I fried them in avocado oil. I added a little salt and pepper and they were actually so flavorful and just right. I have used raw hashbrowns too, but I wanted to try and see what happened sautéing today. Today—rave reviews for the gently fried, lightly salt-and -peppered, cubed potatoes. This recipe is awesome!!! Two different families asked for the recipe to be sent to them today…and lots of very foodie people raved. Thanks to Erin for a great recipe!!!
I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving breakfast but would like to substitute broccoli for the spinach. Do you think that will make it dry?
I think that should work! I would saute or blanch the broccoli before adding it to the casserole to soften it slightly. If you add the same amount as the spinach it won’t dry out!
Sounds super. I hope to make it when my son comes home for Thanksgiving. Can I used frozen chopped spinach if it’s frozen and drained?
Yes that will work great! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Do you think Almond milk would be an okay substitute?
Yes! Just be sure to use unsweetened almond milk 🙂
I made it with bacon that I baked in the oven the day before! Assembled – refrigerated- and baked the next morning! Very good!!
I’m so glad it turned out for you! 🙂
I needed to come up with an hot egg dish for a church breakfast function for 20 people. This was perfect!! I assembled it the night before and baked it the next morning. Because it slices easily, we could manage the portions by cutting into squares. It made it easy to determine how many casseroles to make for the number of people. If I make a vegetarian version I’ll swap out the sausage and replace with mushrooms and spinach or broccoli. It’s a very versatile recipe and will please the gluten-free, vegetarian, and meat-eaters alike! I got so many compliments at the breakfast meeting.
Do you think this would freeze well?
Yes! You can freeze the baked casserole for up to 3 months. I suggest baking it in a disposable aluminum pan. Then cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw it for about 24 hours (covered) in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap layer, then bake in a 350°F oven for 25–30 minutes.
Do you thaw the hash browns or bake them in the casserole frozen?
Either one will work! I usually add them in frozen.
I am thinking about making this with plant based cheese this weekend. I have ground sausage from a bulk pig purchase. What can I add to make the flavor more like breakfast sausage?
With sausage and plant-based cheese with will taste delicious! Just be sure it’s a sausage you really like 🙂
Has anyone tried this dairy free? I need to make one that’s gluten free and dairy free.
I make this dairy-free all the time! I use violife cheese to make it dairy-free.
Wonder if anybody has tried it with cubed ham?? We have some left over and thought maybe adding a wee bit of it wouldn’t affect it as much 🙂
You can totally substitute the sausage for ham. I think that would work great!
I’ve made it B4 with 1/2 turkey hot sausage and half cubed ham. Delicious.
What brand sausage do you use?
Any breakfast sausage brand will work! I really like the breakfast sausage from Butcher Box or the brand Smithfield.