Tater tot breakfast casserole is a full-flavored combination of all your favorite breakfast foods layered into a delicious one-dish meal perfect for a weekend breakfast, family brunch, or church potluck.
How many recipes do you actually make that are kid-requested and mom-approved? I have to tell those recipes are like gold to me. I mean, anytime I can score a double win like that, you better believe I take it.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Recipe
This recipe is not only that, it’s easy to put together and produces a full-fledged over the top breakfast casserole. It’s also been a HUGE reader favorite recipe for years so don’t miss out on this one!
If you’re looking for a simple hashbrown casserole, this is your recipe! Pioneer Woman breakfast casserole, and Bisquick breakfast casserole are also both reader favorites you’re sure to love. My Crockpot breakfast casserole is a deliciously perfect way to fix it, forget about it, then feast!
Let’s make breakfast!
What I Love About Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- It’s quick and easy to make.
- Meaty, cheesy, and tater Tots….I mean!
- Can be made ahead of time.
- The crispy brown edges of the casserole!
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Ingredients
- Bacon: I prefer to use uncured bacon.
- Tater tots: You can add them straight from the freezer to the baking dish.
- Eggs: Large eggs.
- Milk: I like whole milk.
- Green Onions: I use both the white and green parts of the onion.
- Monterey Jack Cheese: If you prefer it spicy, switch the jack for pepper jack.
- Cheddar Cheese: I like sharp or extra sharp cheddar.
Tips
Eggs: These are best to at room temperature.
Cooking: Be sure to preheat your oven and keep an eye on the baking time. You don’t want to over-bake this one. Also, don’t skip the resting time before serving. It’s vital to the proper texture and flavor of this yummy dish.
Recipe Variations
Switch Up The Meat: Instead of bacon, try ham, chicken sausage, or turkey bacon.
Add veggies: Diced bell peppers, tomatoes, fresh spinach, and even broccoli are just a few examples of fresh veggies that complement the taters.
Just The Whites: Use egg whites instead of whole eggs.
Cook in a crockpot. Follow the recipe instructions as listed below, but combine them in your slow cooker instead of a casserole dish. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 4-5.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Once cooked, this casserole will stay fresh and yummy in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just let it cool completely and cover it tightly with a wrap before sliding it into the fridge.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! Casseroles make notoriously scrumptious freezer meals and this tater tot breakfast casserole is no exception. Once completely cooled, hotel wrap first then aluminum foil to protect against freezer burn. Just slow thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Here’s an article from Epicurious on how to hotel wrap.
- Sometimes I like to freeze individual pieces that we can grab one at a time as desired. The smaller pieces can be reheated in the oven or microwave. Leftover casserole with eggs can last up to 2 months in the freezer.
- Make Ahead Tips You can whip it up the day before you need it and slide it into the fridge, unbaked overnight, then bake it the next day. Just be sure to keep it covered and separate from other foods because of the raw egg content. It can be stored this way for up to 48 hours, but I find it best to bake it within 24 hours of assembly.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
***Check out the crispy golden brown edges in the photo above. My favorite part of the whole casserole!
Serving Recommendations
This is a one-dish complete meal and makes the perfect “Brinner” with a green salad liked our 1905 salad. If you’re serving it for breakfast for the family, just a glass of orange juice and you have a perfect Sunday morning family breakfast. For brunch with extended family of friends, it pairs really well with our incredibly moist blueberry coffee cake (seriously off the charts, delish!!), or sweet tangy lemon poppy seed muffins, strawberry scones, double-glazed pumpkin scones, maple pecan scones with molasses glaze, or my own personal favorites, Bo Berry biscuit.
If you’re serving this for the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday, try my Christmas Sangria or crockpot hot chocolate.
How To Make Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Arrange the tater tots in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
- Pour the egg mixture over the tater tots.
- Bake. Sprinkle with bacon and green onions.
- Serve.
***See full instructions below.
More Breakfast Favorites
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Bisquick Quiche
- Bisquick Sausage Balls
- Bisquick Banana Bread
- Eggnog Crumb Coffee Cake
- Country Potatoes
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Bisquick Sausage Muffins
- Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 (9-ounce) packages breakfast sausage links
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 (32-ounce) package tater tots
- 12 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup green onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded~divided
- 2 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Cook the sausage (2 packages) in a skillet until cooked through. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and drain the skillet of all fat. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Cook bacon (1 pound) in the same, defatted skillet until brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble.
- Arrange tater tots (32-ounce) in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
- Whisk together eggs (12), milk (1/2 cup), 1/4 cup green onions, salt (1/2 teaspoon), and pepper (1/4 teaspoon). Stir in cooked sausage and half the cooked bacon.
- Fold in 1 cup of Monterey jack cheese and 1 cup of cheddar cheese into the egg mixture and pour the egg mixture over tater tots
- Bake in the preheated oven until the egg mixture is set. Approximately 40-45 minutes.
- Sprinkle top evenly with the remaining 1 cheddar cup cheese, then pop back in the oven, for about 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with remaining half-crumbled bacon and green onions and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Tater tots: You can add them straight from the freezer to the baking dish.
- Cooking: Be sure to preheat your oven and keep an eye on the baking time. You don’t want to over-bake this one. Also, don’t skip the resting time before serving. It’s vital to the proper texture and flavor of this yummy dish.
Nutrition
Kelly says
Does this reheat well if I were to make it today and have for bfast a few days in a row?
Kathleen says
Hi kelly, Yes but the tater tots will likely be a little soggier.
Stephanie says
This was so amazingly good! The only change I made was to use half the amount of sausage links. The family said I could make this everyday. I could probably have eaten the entire pan on my own. So good!
Kathleen says
Oh, yeah Stephanie! I’m stoked it was such a hit with the family <3
Lisa says
Added this to our Easter Brunch menu this year and it was a big hit. Easy and delicious!!!
Kathleen says
Hi, Lisa! So happy you add this to your menu! Glad you liked it 🙂
Stephanie says
Love the recipe and how super easy it was. Ours was just made for a smaller casserole dish, we still had leftovers LOL Thanks for the recipe.
Kathleen says
You’re so welcome Stephanie! I’m so happy you enjoyed <3
Mimi says
Great recipe! I baked my tatertot layer first for extra crispy potatoes, omitted the meat for veggies (kids not such meat fans) and served bacon country gravy over the top. So delicious!
Kathleen says
Oh Mimi! Bacon country gravy makes everything better! 🙂
Mike says
My family really enjoyed this dish. The second time I made this I put a Mediterranean tilt by using chopped spinach, feta cheese and Turkey sausage. It was even better. This one is going into my breakfast rotation.
Kathleen says
Hi Mike! That sounds like a delicious version. So happy you and your family enjoyed 🙂
Carol Weber says
I took you at your word that substitutions would work. It turned out my cheddar was too far gone, so I had to use a bag of cheddar/jack and then move to a bag of Mexican Blend. Because I love veggies, I added some broccoli, but because my son loves bacon and sausage, we kept both. Even with all those changes, it was stellar. Both adult sons, my husband and I agree it’s our new favorite breakfast casserole. We did all the work at once, but I know that in the future, it’d be a piece of cake to mix up the egg mixture so that when I wanted to cook it, I’d only need to arrange the tater tots and pour in the egg mixture.
Wonderful recipe; thanks so much!
Kathleen says
Carol, you are so welcome. I love to hear it was a hit with your whole family!! <3
Diane L Eldridge says
I am very interested in making this for approx. 80 people!!! Can I just use the large foil pans, double the amounts and increase the bake time? Do you think that would work? Sure looks wonderful!!!!
Kathleen says
Hi Diane! I must say, I haven’t made such a large quantity! Your plan sounds like exactly how I would do it. I’m not sure of the exact size of your foil pan. You may need to do a little math to make sure doubling is the best way to go.
DIANE says
Kathleen,
next time I will read through the whole article cuz I just did and yes you have instructions for making this in a crock pot. OOPS my bad. Am sending this off to my daughter cuz I know they will like this.
Kathleen says
Hi Diane. No worries! Just was about to respond when I saw this. I hope you guys enjoy this yummy casserole!! <3
Tim says
Quick question…do the tots need to be thawed?
Kathleen says
Hi Tim. No, they don’t! 🙂
Diane says
Kathleen,
could this be made in a crock pot? was thinking of my daughter and family and was going to pass this recipe on to her.
Allison says
I made this for Christmas morning breakfast and it was a big hit! I simplified the recipe a bit and just used two bags of the Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles instead of cooking my own sausage, and added no bacon. The green onions really add a nice flavor, and leftovers the next day were a big hit as well!
Kathleen says
Hi, Allison! Yay, thank you! Your tweak is perfect! Glad it was a hit 🙂 Dare we say it’s your new favorite breakfast? 🙂
Pamela Taylor says
I made it for NewYears morning…it is the BEST, EASIEST and QUICKEST egg casserole I’ve found and EVERYBODY loved it!!!!!!!
Kathleen says
Hi, Pamela! Thank you so much! Yay, So happy you like it! It’s the best! I hope you’ll make it often 🙂 <3
Maggie says
Thank you for the suggestion of using the sausage crumbles! My husband is going to try to make this for a men’s breakfast at church and he wants it to be the easiest possible!
Kathleen says
Hi Maggie! I’m so happy he’s going to try this <3
Pete says
I’m not all that fast in the kitchen so I am concerned about prep time. Not sure how you could cook sausage, then bacon, and throw it all together in 15 minutes…
What’s a realistic prep time?
Kathleen says
Hi Pete! Well, to be honest, if you’re not fast in the kitchen then no, that would not be a realistic prep time for you. I do try to be realistic when I add those times, but we all do work at different speeds. I hope you make the casserole and enjoy the process and results! Best wishes 🙂
Sharleen Hendrickson says
cook your bacon in the oven on parchment paper, doesn’t splatter, stays flat, crispy and done at the same time as the sausage. middle rack 375.
Kathleen says
Great idea, Sharleen! 🙂
Marla says
You can cook the bacon in the oven while you prep everything else and cook the sausage on the stove. That saved me some time.
Kenzie painter says
This was a huge hit Christmas morning!! My new fav❤️
Kathleen says
Hi, Kenzie! So happy you found your new favorite! Thank you for letting us know that it was a hit, yay! 🙂
bracewell says
Can you put this together the night before and then bake it the next morning
Kathleen says
Yes, you can! 🙂
Sue says
I’ m on Keto diet , rest of the family is not! Made casserole one side lined with tater tots other side with cooked sausage. Used ham rather than bacon and used onion, broccoli and red pepper. Turned out awesome. Had to cook a little longer
Kathleen says
Hi, Sue! Your tweaks are perfect! That’s a genius idea!
Mike says
I’m planning to make this for my crew as a Christmas breakfast meal. One question, can you use frozen tots or do they need to be thawed when you line them in the baking dish?
Kathleen says
Hi Mike. Yes, you can use the tater tots frozen. 🙂
ben says
Hello. Do I put the tater tots in the pan frozen or thawed? Does it matter?
Kathleen says
Hi Ben. The recipe works either way 🙂
amanda says
Hi! Do you think this would work in a crockpot??
Kathleen says
Hey Amanda. Yes, you can!! I have instructions in my article <3
Helen says
I would like to assemble the casserole, not bake it, freeze it for travel thaw and bake it the next day. Have your tried this? Any suggestions?
Kathleen says
Hi Helen. No, I haven’t. I’m not exactly sure how the raw eggs would do through the process.
Kiah says
Omg this recipe is amazing! I loaded mine with cheese it was perfect for a birthday brunch meal at the park! Thank you!
Kathleen says
Hey Kiah! So happy to hear it worked for your brunch! Did you see our new video for this recipe?
Jessica says
Is this something you can prep the night before and throw it in the oven the next morning?
Kathleen says
Yes, Jessica 🙂