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This breakfast casserole croissant recipe is fantastic for a holiday brunch or feeding a hungry family on Sunday morning! Buttery croissants soak in a rich, custardy egg mixture and are layered with savory hot sausage and sharp cheddar cheese, all baked until golden and crispy on top. The tasty flavors will produce empty plates and happy bellies!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- This is pure cozy comfort food luxury that feels like you’re at a fancy brunch spot, but you made it in your own kitchen with minimal effort (like 15 minutes!!). The croissants get all custardy and soft in the middle while the tops stay buttery and golden-crisp, and that combination is just chef’s kiss perfection.
- The flavor combination here is to-die-for; spicy sausage, rich cheese, buttery croissants, and a hint of maple syrup and cinnamon in the custard create this incredible flavor depth that keeps people coming back for seconds!
- This sausage croissant breakfast casserole can be prepped the night before, making it absolutely perfect for holiday mornings, weekend guests, or any time you want a special breakie without the morning chaos. Just assemble, cover, refrigerate it, and bake it fresh in the morning.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- Try to use slightly stale croissants because they actually absorb the custard better than super-fresh ones, which means you get that perfect custardy texture throughout without any soggy spots. If you only have fresh croissants, tear them up and let them sit out uncovered for a few hours before assembling the casserole.
- You want that sausage fully cooked and nicely browned before it goes into the casserole — any fat or grease left in the pan should be drained off. Undercooked sausage will release moisture and grease into your custard as it bakes, making everything greasy and potentially leaving you with food safety issues.
- Check your casserole at the 30-minute mark. Every oven runs a little different, and if your croissant tops or cheese are browning too fast, just tent some aluminum foil loosely over the pan for the remaining bake time. You want everything golden and gorgeous, not burned, and this simple step prevents any major disasters.
Recipe Variations
Make it Vegetarian: Skip the sausage and add sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions instead. You’ll want about 2 cups of cooked veggies total to replace the pound of sausage. Omit the maple syrup and cinnamon.
Add Extra Vegetables: Layer in some fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, or sun-dried tomatoes along with the sausage for extra nutrition and flavor. Skip the maple syrup and cinnamon for this variation.
Go Italian Style: Use Italian sausage instead of breakfast sausage, swap the cheddar for mozzarella and parmesan, and add some Italian seasoning to the custard. Omit the maple syrup and cinnamon for this variation.
Make it Sweeter: Skip the sausage entirely and use chocolate croissants or almond croissants instead of plain. Increase the maple syrup to ½ cup and add ½ cup fresh or frozen berries (blueberries or raspberries work great). This creates a sweet breakfast casserole that’s more like a decadent French toast bake.
Ham and Swiss Version: Replace the sausage with diced ham and use Swiss or Gruyère cheese instead of cheddar. Swap out the maple syrup and cinnamon, and add a tablespoon of fresh thyme to the custard for an elegant twist.
Frequently Asked Questions
For sure, just assemble the entire casserole the night before, cover it tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, remove it from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes while your oven preheats, then bake as directed, adding 10-15 minutes to the bake time since it’s starting cold.
You can use other buttery breads like brioche, challah, or even Hawaiian rolls in a pinch. The texture will be different, while less flaky and buttery, it’s still tasty. You’ll need about 8 to 10 cups of torn bread pieces to replace the croissants.
The top should be golden brown and slightly crispy, the cheese should be melted and starting to brown, and when you insert a knife into the center, it should come out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs. The internal temperature should reach 160℉.
Definitely, and doing that would be delicious! Try Gruyère, Swiss, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a Mexican cheese blend all work beautifully. Just avoid pre-shredded cheese with anti-caking agents if you can — freshly shredded cheese melts better and tastes creamier.
More Holiday Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Charcuterie Board
- Monte Cristo French Toast Casserole
- Sausage and Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- High Protein Pumpkin Pancakes (with Cinnamon Butter)
- Whole30 Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Eggs (Keto)
- Tonga Toast French Toast Casserole
- Paleo Breakfast Bake with Sweet Potatoes and Apples
- Paleo Pumpkin Breakfast Bake
- Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole with Eggs and Sausage (Whole30, Dairy Free, Gluten Free)
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Easy Breakfast Croissant Casserole
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- Large skillet
- large mixing bowl
- whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- chef's knife
Ingredients
For the Casserole
- 8 to 10 full-size croissants
- 1 pound hot ground pork sausage such as Jimmy Dean
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
For the Custard
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups half and half milk of choice, or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 green onions sliced; divided
- pinch cinnamon
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add 1 pound hot ground pork sausage to large skillet over medium heat. Brown and crumble sausage completely, about 7-8 minutes. Drain excess grease and set aside.
- Slice 8 to 10 full-size croissants in half horizontally, then tear into large pieces, about 2 to 3 inches each. Add torn croissants to prepared baking dish.
- In large mixing bowl, whisk together 6 large eggs, 1½ cups half and half, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, pinch of cinnamon, and half of sliced green onions until smooth and well combined. Reserve remaining green onions for garnish.
- Scatter cooked sausage evenly over croissants in baking dish. Pour custard mixture over everything, gently pressing croissants down to help them absorb custard.
- Sprinkle 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese evenly over top of casserole.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until croissants are golden brown and cheese has crisped up. Check at 30-minute mark — if croissants or cheese are browning too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil for remaining bake time.
- Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 minutes. Garnish with reserved green onions before serving.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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