This Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is one of my favorite recipes to make for brunch with family or friends. All of your favorite breakfast ingredients in one dish, make-ahead and freezer friendly.
Hearty breakfast casserole recipes are something that I love but don’t get the opportunity to indulge in very often. Breakfast just isn’t a big deal in our house.
Mornings are hectic already so I tend to just stick to with the quick and easy basics. Eggs, smoothies, toast and fruit, those things.
But sometimes on the weekends or when we have friends and family visiting a breakfast casserole is just what I need. It’s hearty and filling, packed with two of my favorite breakfast foods – sausage and hash browns. And cheese, lots of cheese. ALL THE CHEESE!!!!!
Why you’ll love Sausage Hash Brown Casserole
To keep this casserole recipe quick and easy, I use cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage and refrigerated hash browns. I’m talking real hash browns here, not the hash brown patties like those served at McDonald’s or home fries. Shredded potatoes.
This hashbrown breakfast casserole makes a great brunch to share with friends and family. Perfect for Christmas morning or Christmas brunch, Easter brunch or any time you need to feed a large group.
It’s definitely kid-approved too! And we all know how hard it is for that to happen. And, like all breakfast foods, it tastes even better when served with a mimosa or an orange crush!
This is an easy breakfast casserole is great because even though it requires baking time, the hands-on time is minimal, which means I get to relax with a cup of coffee or finish getting ready for the day while breakfast is cooking.
What you’ll need for Breakfast Casserole with Hash Browns
- Breakfast sausage – You want your sausage to be already cooked. You can use either sausage links or bulk sausage as long as you cook sausages and use the right amount weight wise. You can use more, if you desire.
- Refrigerated hash browns – Using refrigerated (not frozen hash browns) cuts down on cooking time. If you want to use frozen, you will need to cook them according to package directions and then add them to the mix otherwise they have too much moisture.
- Cheddar cheese – I always prefer shredding my own cheese rather than buying the pre-shredded. The pre-shredded cheese has an additive in it that prevents a really good melt.
- Sour cream – To add to the creaminess factor, I like to put sour cream in my hash brown breakfast casserole.
- Seasonings – The seasonings for this casserole are really simple. We just use a blend of onion powder, fine sea salt and ground white pepper. You could also throw in some black pepper or garlic powder if you’d like to.
- Eggs – This is a breakfast casserole after all, so of course we need eggs. Always assume a recipe that calls for eggs needs large eggs.
- Milk or half & half – I highly recommend using full fat half & half and sour cream, the lower fats don’t gel as well.
- Toppings and add ins – Feel free to make this hashbrown breakfast casserole recipe your own. Top with green onions, hot sauce or any of your other favorite things. You could even throw in some veggies like red bell pepper, onion or tomato. You can also serve these items on the side after cooking so everyone can customize their own dish.
How to make Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Prepare oven and baking dish. Preheat oven and coat a 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Eggs and milk. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk (or half & half).
- Rest of ingredients. In a large bowl, combine crumbled sausage, hash browns, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, sour cream, onion powder, fine sea salt, ground white pepper and egg mixture. Spread evenly into casserole dish.
- Add cheese. Top with remaining cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake. Bake, uncovered until cheese melted and lightly browned.
- Let rest. Remove and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
For a tad more flavor, consider browning the potatoes before adding to the casserole. Brown potatoes have more flavor and texture than straight out of the bag, but if we are being honest, I usually don’t because I am being lazy.
Hashbrown and Sausage Casserole Variations and Substitutions
- Make into muffins or cups – I would estimate it would make about 24 hefty egg muffins. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the egg is set and cheese is melted. If you are using a giant muffin tin, it might take up to 30 minutes. These are also super freezer friendly.
- Cheese – Use whatever cheese your heart desires. You can even add more, use less or use a blend. Even add more cheese on top! Sharp cheddar cheese is my favorite, but you could use monterey jack or pepper jack for your cheesy goodness.
- Milk – I find that for these types of casseroles whole milk or half and half work best for texture and flavor. You can surely use skim or 1%, or even whole cream, if you’d prefer or that is all you have on hand. It is really a hard casserole to truly mess up.
- Potatoes – I prefer hash browns, but feel free to use tater tots. They do need to be cooked (baked or fried) before adding to the recipe. Just some sort of potato and use the same amount. Sometimes these are referred to as Potatoes O Brien and has diced bell peppers and onions in them. These are fine to use too.
- Meat – I like pork sausage, but you could use turkey sausage in its place. If you don’t like sausage then a sausage hashbrown breakfast casserole might not be for you, but you could substitute crispy bacon, Italian sausage, chicken breakfast sausage or flavored chicken sausage (like apple smoked), smoked sausages or even browned ground beef. too.
- Veggies– Red pepper, chopped onion, fresh garlic, scallions, really anything you’d like in an egg bake, can be added, but I highly recommend sauteing them first to sweat out extra moisture.
How to serve Sausage Hash Brown Casserole
This casserole should be served hot and can be topped with parsley, chives or scallions. Many like a dollop of sour cream. Serve alongside fresh fruit or as a stand-alone dish. I like mine with freshly baked bread.
Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole storage, make ahead, & freezing
Make- Ahead: You can assemble the whole casserole and put it in the fridge the night before so the next morning all you need to do is take it out and bake it OR bake it and reheat it when needed.
I prefer to bake it fresh in the morning. Fresh is always better. However, be mindful to take the casserole out and let it warm while the oven is heating. It might also need a few more minutes to bake since it is starting at a lower temperature.
You can also make the whole casserole and just pour egg mixture over the top when ready to cook. I find this the best option before then the cheese and sausage don’t have time to settle to the bottom, making it more uniform throughout.
Storage & Leftovers: If kept at the correct temperatures, in the fridge, an uncooked casserole will be good up to 24 hours before it needs to be baked. After baking, reheat to 160°F at the center. If refrigerated, it will stay good for 3-4 days. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven or the microwave.
Freezer Friendly: You can also freeze the cooked casserole. Bake it and then cut into squares. Package in an airtight container or plastic bag with as little air as possible. It will be good in a standard freezer for 3-4 months.
Or you can freeze it whole by covering tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or bake it from frozen. Check out my whole post about how to freeze a casserole!
- Thawed– 20 minutes @ 350°F
- Fully Frozen– 50 minutes @ 350°F
I do not recommend freezing this casserole with raw uncooked eggs.
Hash Brown Sausage Casserole FAQs
It could have not been cooked long enough for the eggs to set or there was too much moisture in the hash browns.
Yes, you will need to thaw or cook the hash browns before adding them to the casserole. Otherwise, the water they hold will lead to a soggy breakfast casserole.
More Easy Breakfast Ideas
- Hash Brown Casserole
- Stuffed Breakfast Potatoes
- Chile Relleno Casserole
- French Toast Casserole
- Sausage Hashbrown Casserole
- Creamy Hashbrown Casserole
- Vegetable Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Instant Pot Yogurt
- Fresh fruit with Fruit Salad Dressing
- Cinnamon Roll Casserole
Creamed Chipped Beef
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Hashbrown and Sausage Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces breakfast sausage , cooked and crumbled
- 20 ounces refrigerated hash browns*
- 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded, divided
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk or half & half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk (or half & half).
- In a mixing bowl, combine the sausage, hash browns, 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese, sour cream, onion powder, salt, white pepper and egg mixture.
- Spread evenly into the prepared casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cheese melted and lightly browned.
- Remove and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
We LOVE this recipe! This is my go to dish for breakfast when we head up to camp. I prepare everything at home and just transfer the dish so it just needs to be heated up the following morning. It’s a family fav!
Yay! Thank you for letting us know, Linsay! It means a lot that you took the time to come back and tell us.
I will be making this for sunday brunch an my question is should the hash browns be defrosted ?
Hi Linda, great question! I use the refrigerated hash browns, so they are thawed. You can use frozen, but yes, I’d defrost them (and probably drain them) first so the excess water doesn’t make your casserole watery and soggy.
Made this for breakfast and it’s amazing! Definitely we be making it again. I made 1/2 recipe for just my husband and I and had plenty. I even had 2nd and I don’t usually have breakfast.
Yummy! 😋 And so easy! I make this with vegetarian sausage and sometimes fry up the hashbrowns…but this isn’t needed. I also like to add a few extra spices, depending on the mood. I never make it the same way twice, but it’s always yummy! Thank you!!!!
Nice! Thanks for the feedback!
Merry Christmas preparing right now . Was wondering how many will
This casserole feed ? Ty
Hi maria! Sorry if this is getting to you too late, I was hosting my own holiday celebration. It will feed up to 8 safely.
Hi Jessica , I seen after you had that noted . ??♀️Thank you so much ! We tried it and my whole family loved it ! Ty so much sharing ! It’s delicious and it’s a recipe I will make for Christmas Breakfast/brunch for years to come . Huge hit ! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and that you have a wonderful New Year ! I used Jimmy Dean’s Mild Country Sausage . Btw this is a recipe that will go
In our family binder/cookbook . Ty for your quick response ?
Awesome, Maria! So glad you loved it and thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know how it went.
I really like this recipe. I added a few veggies and an extra egg and it was so good.
We use artichoke hearts and pimentos as well.
That sounds fabulous!
I’ve made this before and found it a little dry….so I added cheddar cheese soup to the mix.
Thanks for the feedback!
Making this to take to a work breakfast pitch in. Hope there is enough for everyone. I tripled the recipe!
I hope you love it!!!!
Such a perfect breakfast recipe! Delicious!
I LOVE how many hash browns are in this recipe. It’s perfect for a big cozy family brunch. I can’t wait to make it again!