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This hashbrown breakfast casserole is one of my family’s favorite breakfast recipes, so good that we often eat it for dinner! Made with shredded hashbrowns, a creamy sauce, perfectly seasoned breakfast sausage, and fluffy eggs, it’s great for meal preps and holiday breakfasts, especially if you’ll be feeding a crowd. Naturally Whole30, paleo, low carb, dairy free, and gluten free.
🍳 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This hashbrown breakfast casserole is actually inspired by a basic hashbrown and sausage casserole I’ve been making for something like 15 years now. It uses a lot of the same ingredients, but here I really focused on the extra-creamy eggs and the dairy-free sauce. The result? A more nutritious, more filling casserole that’s pure Whole30 breakfast perfection.
- Thanks to the aforementioned eggs and sauce, this baby is dreamily rich and creamy. Seriously, there’s nothing dry or rubbery or dense about this casserole. And it doesn’t include any dairy (not even cheese!) to do it!
- The flavors are SO GOOD. When I made this hashbrown breakfast casserole the first time, we ate it for dinner, and my husband finished… wait for it… An entire half of the dish. Whoa. While not a serving size I’d necessarily recommend, it just goes to show how delish this breakfast is!
- Using pre-shredded frozen hashbrowns make this a super easy breakfast to meal prep on a Sunday so you can eat it throughout the week. I’m always up for anything that makes weekday mornings a little easier! It’s also great for those holiday mornings. Prep it the night before, wake up and pop it in the oven, and by the time the gifts are unwrapped, breakfast is ready!
- As it’s written, this hashbrown casserole recipe is naturally Whole30-compatible, paleo-friendly, dairy free, gluten free, and even low carb. If you need it to be nut-free, you can easily replace the cashew cream with unsweetened full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- Frozen hashbrowns are the easiest to use here, and you can typically find Whole30-compatible frozen hashbrowns pretty easily. If you’d rather make your own hashbrowns, you’ll need a couple of large Russet potatoes and a box grater or food processor. Peel the potatoes completely, then shred them on the grater or in the food processor (you may need to chop them into large chunks first). Soak the shredded potatoes in a bowl of cold water for at least 5 minutes to remove excess starch. After that, rinse them well, then wrap the shredded potatoes in paper towels. Squeeze out as much of the excess moisture as you possibly can, then proceed with the recipe as written.
- Because of the sauce we use in this hashbrown breakfast casserole, the tried-and-true knife trick won’t really work. You’re welcome to try it if you want, but a knife inserted into the center of the casserole won’t come out clean, so it’s not a good indicator of doneness. Instead, you’ll want to pay attention to the surface of the dish. The casserole will be noticeably firm on top when it’s fully cooked.
- There’s a decent bit of moisture in the dish, and the hashbrowns are going in the pan uncooked. That means they won’t turn out crispy like they would if you cooked them by themselves on the stove or in the air fryer. To combat that, make sure to drain your hashbrowns really well. Defrost frozen hashbrowns in the fridge, then squeeze out as much moisture as you can with paper towels before you put them in the baking dish. Same with freshly shredded potatoes. Soak them, rinse them, and dry them before you cook them. That’ll help prevent a soggy, mushy hashbrown casserole.
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Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole with Eggs and Sausage (Whole30, Dairy Free, Gluten Free)
Filling and flavorful, this hashbrown breakfast casserole is great for breakfast, dinner, meal prep, and holidays. Naturally Whole30, paleo, low carb, dairy free, and gluten free.
servings
Equipment
- 2-cup measuring cup optional, only if making cashew cream
- high-speed blender optional, only if making cashew cream
- 9×13 baking dish or other 3-quart baking dish
- neutral cooking spray or refined coconut oil
- Paper towels
- Large cast-iron skillet or similar large heavy skillet
- Large wooden spoon or spatula
- medium mixing bowl
- whisk
- Knife
Ingredients
For the Cashew Cream (Optional, See Notes)
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 1 ¼ cups hot water more or less as needed to fill cup
For the Breakfast Casserole
- 1 16-ounce bag shredded hashbrowns see Notes
- 1 pound Whole30-compliant ground breakfast sausage store-bought or make your own
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cassava flour, or tapioca flour
- prepared cashew cream made from above recipe, divided; see Notes
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 6-8 green onions finely chopped, divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
Instructions
For the Cashew Cream (Optional, See Notes)
- Add ¾ cup raw cashews to 2-cup measuring cup. Pour 1 ¼ cups hot water into measuring cup, filling remainder of cup and covering cashews completely.
- Set cup aside and let cashews soak in hot water at least 15 minutes. Prepare for casserole and cook sausage while cashews soak.
- When cashews have softened, transfer cashews and water to high-speed blender. Blend until mixture is completely smooth.
For the Breakfast Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spray baking dish with neutral cooking spray, or grease baking dish with refined coconut oil. Set baking dish aside.
- Place 2 to 3 layers of paper towels on counter. Drain all liquid from 1 16-ounce bag shredded hashbrowns then transfer hashbrowns to paper towels. Cover hashbrowns with additional paper towels and squeeze as much liquid out of hashbrowns as possible. Repeat with fresh paper towels as needed until excess moisture has been removed. Set hashbrowns aside.
- Add 1 pound Whole30-compliant ground breakfast sausage to large skillet and heat pan over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, stirring frequently to break into small pieces, until sausage is browned and crumbled, approximately 5 minutes.
- If soaked cashews have not yet been blended into cashew cream, blend cashews now, then set aside.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder evenly over browned sausage. Stir well until sausage crumbles are fully coated in arrowroot powder.
- Pour 1 ½ cups of prepared cashew cream into skillet and stir to incorporate. Reserve remaining cashew cream for later.
- Cook sausage and cashew cream, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and begins to boil, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle plenty of freshly cracked black pepper over mixture and stir to incorporate, then reduce heat under skillet to low and let mixture simmer.
- While mixture simmers, add 6 large eggs, remaining cashew cream, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and one third of chopped green onions to medium mixing bowl. Whisk well until ingredients are fully incorporate, then set bowl aside.
- Spread hashbrowns evenly across bottom of baking dish, covering bottom completely. Sprinkle salt over hashbrowns to taste, then evenly sprinkle one third of chopped green onions over top of hashbrown layer.
- Spread entire sausage mixture evenly over top of hashbrowns and green onions, making sure to cover hashbrowns completely.
- Top sausage mixture with entire egg mixture, making sure to distribute egg mixture evenly across casserole dish.
- Place baking dish in preheated oven. Bake casserole 40 to 50 minutes or until surface of casserole is firm and eggs are cooked.
- When casserole is ready, carefully remove baking dish from oven and sprinkle remaining third of chopped green onions evenly over top of casserole. Set baking dish aside and let casserole rest 3 to 5 minutes, then cut casserole into equally-sized squares and serve warm.
Video
- Cashew Cream: You can use one 13.5-ounce can of unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened coconut cream instead of making cashew cream. Use 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) coconut milk/cream in the sausage cream sauce and the remainder (1 ½ ounces) in the eggs. Whisk coconut milk/cream before using.
- Hashbrowns: Be sure your hashbrowns are Whole30-compatible and don’t have dextrose or other incompatible ingredients added. You’re welcome to shred your own hashbrowns from whole potatoes if you’d rather – read more about making your own hashbrowns in the Chef’s Tips section above. If you’re using frozen hashbrowns, defrost them in the fridge overnight before assembling the casserole.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 384calProtein: 15gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 180mgSodium: 579mgPotassium: 589mgTotal Carbs: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 12gVitamin A: 335IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 2mg
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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Is there any way to make this egg free?
You could try a flax egg swap, but we haven’t tested this. So, we can’t speak to it. But would love to know how it turns out if you try it!
Can I put this together the day before and just cook it in the morning? (Thinking of this for Christmas morning breakfast.)
Sure!
I’ve done 2 Whole30s myself, and am meal-planning my 3rd and immediately came back to this recipe! I would eat this even when not on a round it’s that delicious. It also keeps pretty well so I could reheat it throughout the week!
So glad you enjoy this recipe on and off Whole30!
This was so good. I used Chicken sausage meatballs which I cut each into 4. I used coconut cream, which I wondered if it would taste like coconut, but it doesn’t most likely as it was unsweetened. I added spinach, mushrooms and red onions. It came out delicious. I did end up baking for an hour.
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
The whole fam loved it! We all thought of different variations we would like to try. We will be making this again and again. I was so surprised NO ONE mentioned cheese or the lack thereof = success!
That’s great! Glad it was a hit. 🙂
Are the hash browns supposed to be thawed? Cooked?
Oh my goodness, this is delicious!! Today is day 1 of Whole30 and this was the first meal I had – YUMMY! The flavor of the dish is awesome but I think I’ll sauté spinach and toss on top for tomorrow’s breakfast. I’m following your meal plan this month but this is so good, I may not make the different casseroles each week!
So glad you loved this recipe! It’s definitely one we don’t mind eating several days in a row. 🙂
I have been making this for a couple years and love it! I started making it when I do whole 30 and now I make it regularly. Its an easy go to breakfast I make on Sundays for the week.
So glad you love this breakfast casserole recipe, Mandy! 🙂
This is SO GOOD we make it all the time. We add spinach and mushrooms. After it’s cooled from the oven, we cut it into squares and freeze as individual portions, then microwave when needed. It makes a really quick healthy breakfast anytime!
Great idea, Julie! Thanks so much for the review!
Just pulled this out of the oven and I’m devouring it. The flavors are incredible and it is so filling and satisfying.
So glad you loved it!
Just wonder if this could be made w something other then coconut milk or nut milk? Such as oat milk? My kids can’t have coconut or nut milk.
Thank you
Yes!
Hi there! Have you tried freezing this, either before or after baking?
Hi! I usually have no issues freezing after.
I didn’t see how many servings in one recipe?
I can’t wait to try this!
6-8 servings!