Slow Cooker Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is a delicious, hearty breakfast bake that comes together right in the slow cooker! Tater tots, sausage, eggs, and cheese make this savory casserole a favorite for kids and adults alike!
Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Similar to another family favorite around here, the crockpot eggs benedict casserole, this Slow Cooker Breakfast Tater tot Casserole has all your favorite savory breakfast items in one!
Meaty sausage, fluffy tater tots, flavorful eggs, and two kinds of cheese.
It’s the perfect comfort food and definitely worth getting out of bed for, even on the weekends!
Serve with a glass of homemade blackberry lemonade for the kids and a cranberry mimosa for the adults and I’d say this is a recipe for success on any occasion!
Once you’ve cooked the sausage, everything gets dumped in and is cooked right in the slow cooker for a few hours. It’s a hands-off way of getting a hearty, family-style breakfast on the table with minimal effort and easy cleanup!
If you’re looking for something just as easy, but don’t need to feed many people and aren’t looking for leftovers, you’ll love my ham and potato breakfast casserole for two.
Why you’ll love this Slow Cooker Breakfast Bake
Prep ahead – This is an easy recipe that can be made even easier by preparing the night before. Cook the sausage, shred the cheese, and crack the eggs! Do as much of it as you can so that way it’s a breeze the next morning.
Feeds a crowd – It’s a great recipe for large families, hungry teenagers, and your weekend brunch crowd.
An anytime breakfast – If you think this would be great for a weekend breakfast, Christmas morning brunch, or on busy weekday mornings, you’d be right!
Meaty, cheesy, and potato-y – What’s not to love?! Slow cooker tater tot breakfast casserole is on its way to becoming a traditional family favorite. Just wait!
Equipment you’ll need
- Slow Cooker – Believe it or not, crockpots are relatively inexpensive for the number of times you’ll use them!
- Skillet – This is the one I’ve been using.
- Meat Chopper – Makes it easy to crumble ground meat as it cooks.
- Cheese Grater – I highly recommend shredding your cheese off the block & this makes it a breeze!
Ingredients
You can customize it to your tastes and tweak things like ramping up the spice, swapping the sausage with bacon (or whatever protein is on sale), and using a different combination of cheese. Sneak some veggies in there too, if you’d like.
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- BREAKFAST SAUSAGE – Comes in links, patties, or without casing so it crumbles easily. I like to be able to break up the sausage into crumbles, but if links or patties are what you have, feel free to break them into pieces.
- FROZEN TATER TOTS – These can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. No need to thaw them first.
- MILK & HALF & HALF – Both are needed for the egg mixture. It helps distribute the eggs evenly throughout the casserole to help the entire thing set as it bakes. Using a mix of milk and half and half gives it rich moisture without being overly thick.
- CAJUN SEASONING – Gives this dish amazing flavor! The tasty spices help to cut through the heavy eggs, cheese, and milk. If you don’t have any, you can sub chili powder, thyme, and some cayenne to taste.
- LARGE EGGS – Needed for binding everything together so it doesn’t fall apart as you serve it!
- CHEDDAR & PEPPER JACK CHEESE – I recommend shredding your own, rather than buying it pre-shredded that comes with anti-clumping agents, in a package. It will melt better and taste better.
- PARSLEY – A pop of color at the end, and a vibrant way to garnish the dish! It’s totally optional!
How to make Slow Cooker Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- STEP ONE: In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown your sausage. Break it up into crumbles as it cooks. Once it is no longer pink, remove it from the heat and drain the excess grease.
- STEP TWO: Spray the slow cooker with nonstick spray and lay half the frozen tater tots down on the bottom of the crockpot. Take all of the sausages and sprinkle the crumbles on top of the taters in a single layer.
- STEP THREE: Grab a mixing bowl and whisk the eggs with the milk, half and half, Cajun seasoning, and half of both kinds of cheese. Pour the mixture overtop the tater tots and sausage.
- STEP FOUR: Top with the remaining tater tots (not the cheese) and cover and cook on low for 4 hours. With 30 minutes remaining of cook time, that’s when you open the lid, sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, and cook for the last half hour.
- STEP FIVE: Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!
What to serve with Slow Cooker Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
As you can imagine, this breakfast bake is a complete meal all on its own! If you’re serving a larger crowd for a special occasion, I highly suggest you make these semi-homemade chocolate chip cinnamon rolls or french breakfast puffs, too!
Then, all you need is a refreshing drink to wash everything down with. Homemade lemonade, slow cooker hot chocolate, or this copycat Starbucks passion tea lemonade would be a great way to finish off this scrumptious breakfast!
Tips & Substitutions 🥚
- Sometimes adding pepper to the eggs can give them a funky color so I like to add the salt and pepper to taste at the end, just before serving.
- You can cook this on high for 2-3 hours but either way, check to make sure there is no more liquid.
- Switch up the cheese if you like, you can do all pepper jack, all cheddar, toss in some swiss, Parmesan, mozzarella, or whatever you prefer.
- Some diced jalapenos or green chiles would be a great way to add a kick.
- You can use a pound of bacon or ham if you want to switch it up. Chorizo, shredded chicken, or leftover holiday turkey would be great too. If the meat you use is uncooked, you’ll need to cook it first before adding it.
How to reheat and store Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
How to store leftovers
The great thing about a slow cooker is you can keep everything on warm function for a while. As soon as you’re done with it, allow it to cool and store it right away. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze it?
You can! For up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when you’re ready for another slice.
How to reheat it
If you’re reheating just a single serving a quick zap in the microwave should do the trick. If you are reheating a lot at once, use the oven to reheat everything.
Freezing eggs and potatoes (especially with milk) can be a little finicky once everything thaws. If you find there’s liquid pooling, just drain it and continue reheating.
FAQs
How can I make this slow cooker tater tot breakfast casserole ahead of time?
Definitely! Cook the sausage and grate the cheese beforehand. Keep them stored in a separate container in the fridge, and use them when ready. You can also prepare the egg and milk mixture and keep that in the fridge overnight.
If you time it properly, you can even set your crockpot to start cooking late at night and have it ready early in the morning. It’ll stay warm until everyone is ready to eat before heading out the door.
Can I make this tater tot breakfast casserole vegetarian?
Absolutely! Just omit the meat.
What size crockpot should I use?
I would say nothing smaller than a 4 quart. A 6-quart slow cooker is generally what I use for most things, and works great for this recipe. It also leaves me with a bit of room to add some extra ingredients! You can read the full review of my favorite here.
Need more savory breakfast recipes? Try these:
Bacon & Spinach Breakfast Pizza
Click here for my entire collection of breakfast recipes.
Slow Cooker Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 32 ounces frozen tater tots divided
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup half-and-half
- ½ teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 6 large large eggs
- 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese divided
- 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese divided
- parsley for topping optional
Instructions
- In a medium skillet brown and drain the sausage.1 pound breakfast sausage
- Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray and pour in half of the tater tots.32 ounces frozen tater tots
- Pour all the browned sausage on top of the tatertots.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, cajun seasoning and half of each of the cheeses.½ cup milk, ½ cup half-and-half, 6 large large eggs, ½ teaspoon cajun seasoning
- Pour the egg mixture over the tatertots/sausage.
- Top with the remaining tatertots.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
- 30 minutes before serving top with the rest of the cheese and cover.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve!
Notes
- Salt and pepper to taste at the end.
- You can cook this on HIGH for 2-3 hours but either way check to make sure there is no more liquid.
- Switch up the cheese if you like, you can do all pepperjack, all cheddar, toss in some swiss or whatever you prefer.
- Some diced jalapenos or green chiles would be a great way to add a kick.
- You can use a pound of bacon or ham if you want to switch it up.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Takes waaayy longer to cook than stated time. I had my crockpot on high and there was still a lot of liquid after 4 hours.
Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.