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This is truly the BEST Breakfast Casserole! It has a thick and creamy egg base loaded with shredded potatoes, chunks of ham, and flavorful cheese blends that bake up in no time. Make this to enjoy Christmas morning or brunch any time of year.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: This is so easy to throw together. It only takes about 5 minutes to get everything together. The hard part is waiting for it to be done cooking!
- Make Ahead: Make this ahead of time, and when ready to bake, simply take it out of the refrigerator and bake.
- Family Favorite: Your family will love this easy breakfast casserole this holiday season. I have our traditional Sticky buns on the menu for Christmas, along with this amazing casserole.
Family Tradition
Breakfast casserole reminds me of Christmas morning. The smells, the ooey gooey cheese, and the smokey chunks of ham are just so good! I always loved waking up to it on Christmas morning! It is perfect the way it is, but if you want to switch up the cheese, meat, or potatoes, you totally can! You can also add some veggies! Get creative and make this part of your family traditions!
Ingredients Needed
How to Make a Breakfast Casserole
This breakfast casserole recipe is the BEST because of how simple it comes together and is in the oven in just minutes. This tried and true breakfast casserole tastes amazing, and I know your whole family will love it!
- Prepare Frozen Hash Browns: Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add the frozen shredded hash browns to the bottom of the prepared pan. Season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk Eggs/ Add Remaining Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half and half and seasoned salt, then whisk to combine. Stir in the shredded cheese and chopped ham.
- Pour Into Pan and Refrigerate: Pour over the top of the frozen hash browns, then cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Bake: Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60-75 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Mix It Up!
Try some of these fun variations in this breakfast casserole and find what you enjoy best!
- Can I add vegetables? Add in some veggies like bell peppers, spinach or kale, tomato (fresh or canned), broccoli, mushrooms, or onions are great.
- Do I have to use ham? You can use bacon, variations of sausage, shredded chicken, ground beef, or leftover turkey.
- Do I have to use Half & Half? If you’re not a fan of half and half, you can use whipping cream for a thicker, richer breakfast, or you can simply use milk.
- Can I use any kind of cheese? Switch up which cheese you use. Try Swiss cheese, Colby jack, or mozzarella, which all work well and melt perfectly when baked.
- How can I make this spicy? Adding red pepper flakes, green chilies, or green onions is a fun way to add a little heat.
- Can I use different potatoes? Diced or flavorful frozen potatoes will work great in place of shredded potatoes.
Tips for Making Breakfast Casserole
Here are some tips for making this breakfast casserole even better and easier on you. These tips will help you better understand how to bake this breakfast for you to enjoy with your family.
- Do I Need to Thaw the Frozen Hash Browns? There is no need to thaw the potatoes because they will thaw as they sit in the refrigerator. However, they would cook up perfectly if they were to cook from frozen!
- How Do I Know When the Casserole is Done? Once the outside edges become golden brown and the egg mixture in the middle is firm. You can check by slightly shaking the pan to see if it jiggles. Use a toothpick or knife to check if it is completely cooked through the middle. You can also use a thermometer to see if the breakfast casserole has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Short on Time? Allowing your casserole to refrigerate ahead of time creates the best results, and I highly recommend it! But if you’re short on time, you can assemble the casserole and bake it right away without refrigerating.
- Drain Grease: If you use any other meat in the breakfast casserole, drain the meat before adding it to the dish.
Storing Breakfast Casserole
There are so many options and plans for this breakfast casserole to make your holiday mornings even easier and better.
- In the Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- To Reheat: To reheat the breakfast casserole, microwave individual servings until warmed through.
- In the Freezer: Yes, this is perfect for freezing. Make and bake your breakfast casserole. Once it has completely cooled down, place it in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Lay flat in your freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw from frozen in the refrigerator over night. Warm individual servings in the microwave until warmed through.
- Make Ahead Instructions: Simply follow the instructions until you are ready to bake. Cover it with aluminum foil or a lid and place it in your fridge. When you are ready to bake, simply take it out and bake it according to the instructions. This can sit in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
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The Best Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 24 ounces frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 cups chopped ham sausage, bacon, or preferred meat
Instructions
- Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add 24 ounces frozen shredded hash brown potatoes to the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 12 large eggs. Add 2 cups half and half and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt then whisk to combine. Stir in 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese, and 2 cups chopped ham.
- Pour the egg mixture over the frozen hash browns. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60-75 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions, if desired!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The original recipe said to bake covered, this updated version says to cook uncovered. The covered version works so much better.
Thank you for mentioning this. I made this once uncovered and it was clearly in need of being covered. This tine I searched the reviews to see what went wrong and I’m seeing people comment that they cooked covered per the recipe… very confusing. They must have changed the recipe, which I’m trying to understand why. Covering is the way to go.
Thanks for the clarification!!!! There are soooo many different & crazy replies for this recipe.
This was pretty good! I used cooked bacon instead of ham and added some sauteed onion and red pepper to it. Didn’t put it in the fridge before cooking and it cooked fully in about 1hr15. Would have liked it to be a bit more flavorful, but overall a solid breakfast casserole!
If i double the recipe. do i double the time ?
Yes, you will double the time. Be sure that it can all fit in one pan when doubling it. Usually you will need to bake in two pans. If that is the case, simply add about 5 more minutes to the cook time rather than doubling the time.
For the people who halted the recipe, how long did you back it for?
Hi. So easy to put together and 90 minutes worked perfect. I felt the layer of hash browns was to thick. I would use less and add peppers, onions to give them more flavor. Will try again for sure. Thank you for sharing the recipe ?
This was so easy and so good!!!❤️? I added green onions, sliced black olives and green chili’s which just bumped it up a bit. Took it to work and was well liked. Would highly recommend this dish to anyone!
This turned out good,I halved the recipe, I added olives,garlic and onion added a extra egg,and used a little less half and half,cooked about an hour
You might want to up those carbs per serving by a lot. You need to look up the carbs in shredded potatoes.
My thought too (unfortunately). This looks delicious, but probably closer to 15 carbs per serving.
I’ve had other egg bake type casseroles that I have used over the years, but none as soft and tender as this one. It was DELISH! Maybe it was the addition of the potatoes or the fact that this one baked covered, but this recipe will definitely replace my old ones! Ty for sharing!
Made this recipe for breakfast on Sunday (actually made it Sat. nite), it is truly delicious.
Since there are only two of us, I cut the recipe in half. We had it for breakfast, I gave a piece to a neighbor,, had some with dinner, and have two pieces left for today.
Have made at least 10 of your recipes, all good! Thanks
Coming back for this recipe for Father’s Day brunch tomorrow. Wanted to pop in to say that I made this last summer for a family brunch after my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary party & everyone in the family raved about it! So good! Definitely keeping this on permanent rotation for big breakfast events!! P.S. I subbed sausage for the ham & it’s SO tasty!
Ok to put in the fridge overnight?
Yes! That will be great!
I make a version of this in a slow cooker. Great recipe.
Any idea what the nutrition facts are for this recipe?
I like to use skinnytaste.com or myfitnesspal.com for any nutritional information. Hope that helps!
Big hit with work breakfast club – used sausage, bacon, asparagus and sun dried tomatoes. Used cheddar and swiss cheeses. Recommend removing foil for last 10 mins to let the cheese crisp up.
Jennifer!
Thanks for the feedback. I love this casserole as well. I am so happy that everyone liked it. xoxo
Delicious and perfect brunch recipe. One recipe fed my adult crowd of 7 with extra large portions perfectly! Thank you!