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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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I just started Whole30 and this is the FIRST recipe I decided to try and I am so glad that I did. If all of the recipes I try are this amazing, i will be on Whole30 for life…THANK YOU
Wishing you the best on your Whole30 journey- so glad you loved this recipe! Be sure to check out our other Whole30 recipes- they’re all delicious! 😊
This is the first 40 Aprons recipe I made several years ago and I continually go back to it for my breakfasts. I made a couple pans of it at a time and freeze individual portions of it. It freezes and reheats well!
So glad you keep coming back to it! It’s definitely a great recipe to keep in rotation! 🙂
I just started my first Whole30, found this recipe, and want to try it. But I don’t have arrowroot or cassava or tapioca flour. Can I make it with almond flour and will it still be 2Tbsp?
We didn’t test this with almond flour instead, so we can’t really say how it would turn out or how much you’d need to use, unfortunately. Ordinarily almond flour subs for those ingredients at a 1:1 ratio, but it may change the taste or texture of the casserole slightly.
I made this during my September whole 30 and I now make it EVERY SINGLE WEEK. And I’m always sad how little time it lasts because everyone in the family GOBBLES it up. This recipe (and all the 40aprons whole 30 recipes) transformed my life we eat paleo happily now and I fit in my pre baby pants! Woo! Please make a cookbook so I can live off of it!! 😍🤩
Oh that’s SO good to hear, Renee! I’m so glad you found a home with our Whole30 recipes! You’re doing amazing! Thanks so much for the review!
Made this last week for the week’s bfasts. (Well, that was the plan), I invited my Mom and brother over to try some, then planned for them to take a serving or 2 home with them. Long story, short – they are every bite I had prepped for them to take home. That’s a SUCCESS in my books! I love that they loved it so much they are it in one setting. (BTW, That’s highly unusual for my little 80yo mother)
*Ate it** not are it. Sp chk messed it up. Will try to fix it once it’s approved
Wow, what a compliment! Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Denise. I’m so happy your family enjoyed this casserole so much! 🙂
Absolutely blown away with how delicious this recipe is! I’ve never made cashew cream before but it was super easy and now I’ll be searching for more recipes to use it in! By far the best Whole 30 breakfast recipe I’ve ever made!
What a review! Thank you so much, Rachel, I’m so happy you enjoyed this casserole so much!
This recipe was delicious and so easy to make!! My husband loved it as well. This was a great start to trying the Whole30 meal plan for the month.
So happy to hear that, Kali! Thanks so much for sharing! ♥
Being Southern, saying I would serve this to company is a big deal! Even my Brit husband who is not a Sausage Gravy fan loves this. I sometimes add frozen chopped spinach or shredded zucchini for extra veggies. This is my favorite Whole30 breakfast.
That really is a big deal! Thank you so much for such a great review, Lisa. I’m so happy you and your husband love this recipe so much!
This was just soo good! My only issue was that I ate too much! I kept it simple and used frozen hash browns and coconut milk. My non-Paleo husband gobbled it up too! Thanks!
That’s a good problem to have! So glad y’all enjoyed it. 🙂
Can you pre-make the night before? If so, do you recommend baking and re-heating or can it refrigerate unbaked overnight?
Either way will work! This recipe reheats well, so you can absolutely bake it first, but it should be fine refrigerated unbaked for 8 or so hours. You may need to add a few more minutes to the cook time since everything will be cold. Let us know which option you go with and how it turns out! Happy holidays!
I always make it the night before. I think it tastes better the second and third days….