This easy Instant Pot breakfast casserole combines sausage, eggs, cheese, and potatoes. It comes together quickly, perfect for weekend brunch and holidays with the whole family!
I absolutely LOVE breakfast casseroles.
You get all of the yummy flavors and textures of breakfast, but you only have to make one thing!
Sweet Potato Apple Bake and Overnight Pumpkin French Toast Casserole are two of my family’s favorites, and I love that they can be prepped ahead of time and baked quickly in the morning. Breakfast has never been so easy, so fast, and so delicious!
The only thing that can make breakfast casserole better is not having to turn on the oven! Can we make breakfast casserole in the Instant Pot? Yes, we can!
INSTANT POT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Aside from being able to make this easy breakfast casserole without turning on the oven, I also love it because:
- It’s quick to prep. Just a few minutes of cooking the sausage and assembling the dish and you can go get ready while breakfast cooks.
- It’s quick overall. You can have that same delicious breakfast on the table in under 30 minutes!
- Easy to customize. Use whatever meat you normally have on hand, choose your favorite cheese, add veggies or don’t.
- It’s so good! I love the taste of sausage, eggs, potatoes, and cheese for breakfast, but I don’t always want to haul out multiple skillets to cook everything. This breakfast egg casserole means I get all that goodness without all the dishes!
EASY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
We’re using FIVE main ingredients for this Instant Pot breakfast casserole recipe:
- Shredded potatoes. I used frozen shredded hash browns to save time, but also because there was only one ingredient listed: potatoes! They’re not the cheapest option, so if you’re really pinching pennies, just use a box grater or food processor to shred a couple of whole potatoes yourself.
- Sausage (or ground beef or ground pork). I’m including sausage seasoning in the easy breakfast casserole recipe, in case you don’t have actual “sausage” in your freezer. I know that I never do! I always buy plain ground beef or plain ground pork and then season it myself!
- Eggs. Breakfast casserole is sometimes called “egg bake” or “egg casserole” and that’s because the eggs hold everything else together.
- Milk. I used almond milk, but you can use dairy milk or even coconut milk.
- Shredded cheddar cheese. I tested this with both sharp cheddar cheese and Colby jack. Both were delicious!
- Salt and pepper. Simple seasonings are all you need here since the sausage provides plenty of savory flavor to this dish.
Psst! Not all salts are made the same! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!).
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT HASH BROWN CASSEROLE
Baking breakfast casserole in the Instant Pot has a few steps, but it goes quickly!
Step One: Sauté the Sausage
- Turn on the pressure cooker to “sauté” and let it heat up.
- Add the ground meat (and seasonings, if used) and break it up using a wooden spoon. Brown the meat until it’s cooked through.
- Remove the sausage from the Instant Pot, add 1 cup of water (add 1 ½ cups of water if you’re using an 8-quart Instant Pot), and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot so you don’t get a burn notice.
- Add the trivet to the pressure cooker.
Step Two: Make the Egg Mixture
- Measure milk into a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, salt, and pepper and mix well.
Step Three: Layer the Breakfast Casserole
- Lightly spray an oven-safe round 7” x 4” baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cover the bottom of the pan with thawed hash browns. Press down firmly to create a solid “crust” layer.
- Sprinkle the cooked and crumbled sausage over the hash browns.
- Pour the eggs over the sausage and hash browns.
- Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese.
Step Four: Cook the Breakfast Casserole
- Tightly cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
- Place the casserole on the trivet, inside the pressure cooker, and close the lid.
- Press the “manual” button and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 5 minutes.
Uncover the baking dish and enjoy your hot breakfast casserole!
TIPS FOR BAKING PERFECT BREAKFAST CASSEROLES
This breakfast casserole recipe works for both a 6-quart Instant Pot and an 8-quart Instant Pot.
You WILL need a 7” x 4” metal baking dish, preferably a round one like this one.
Breakfast casserole is a great all-in-one meal that doesn’t need anything else with it, but if you’re trying to stretch it to feed a crowd, add some fresh fruit or some Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits alongside for a fresh and sweet complement to the salty, savory casserole.
Store leftover Instant Pot hashbrown casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the breakfast casserole for up to 3 months. If you go that route, I recommend wrapping individual slices in plastic wrap and storing them all in a resealable bag, so it’s easy to pull out just what you want to reheat for breakfast.
EASY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE RECIPE VARIATIONS
- You can substitute tater tots for the shredded potatoes! Create one layer of FROZEN tater tots before adding the sausage layer. Pay attention to the ingredients of tater tots though – many packages have unnecessary ingredients.
- Breakfast casseroles are good with different types of meat.
- You can use either sausage (ground and pre-seasoned), OR ground beef or ground pork with the optional sausage seasoning in the recipe below. If you’re using sausage, you won’t need the sausage seasoning.
- Turkey sausage or chicken breakfast sausage are also good options! If you start with plain ground turkey or ground chicken, use the sausage seasoning in the recipe below.
- You can make this recipe even faster by batch-cooking the sausage ahead of time. Simply cook a full pound (or more) of ground meat and measure out 2 cups when you want to make this recipe!
- You can even use cooked crumbled bacon or ham instead!
- I’ve tested this egg casserole recipe with cheddar cheese and Colby jack cheese. Both were really good! Similarly, Monterey jack and pepper jack would also work well. Mozzarella might be a little too melty for this recipe.
- You can add veggies too! Dice up an onion or a red bell pepper, slice up some mushrooms, or mince up a clove or two of garlic. Tomatoes, green onions, spinach, or broccoli work too! Add them to the meat as it’s browning if you prefer softer veggies or sprinkle them on top of the potatoes just before baking for more al dente veggies in the finished breakfast casserole.
- Add toppings to kick it up a notch! Hot sauce, salsa, cilantro, or avocado are excellent on top of breakfast casserole recipes.
INSTANT POT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE FAQS
What type of potatoes works best for pressure cooker egg casserole?
You can use shredded hash brown potatoes, grate up a few whole potatoes yourself, or even use a layer of tater tots for the bottom layer of your breakfast egg casserole!
How long does baking breakfast casserole take?
The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, 25 minutes to cook, and about 5 minutes for the pressure to release. Lucky for you, that’s all hands-off time you can use for something else!
MORE YUMMY BREAKFAST RECIPES
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Breakfast Casserole
This easy Instant Pot breakfast casserole combines sausage, eggs, cheese, and potatoes. It comes together quickly, perfect for weekend brunch and holidays with the whole family!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Total Time: 45-50 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 Servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: French
SAUSAGE SEASONING (OPTIONAL, IF USING PLAIN GROUND MEAT)
Instructions
- Turn on the pressure cooker to “sauté” and add the ground sausage (or the ground meat + sausage seasonings). Break the meat up with a wooden spoon and cook until the meat is brown and no longer raw.
- Remove the sausage from the Instant Pot, add 1 cup of water (1 ½ cups for an 8 quart Instant Pot) and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the trivet to the pressure cooker.
- Measure the milk and eggs into a large Pyrex measuring bowl and whisk together well. Add the salt and pepper and whisk again to combine.
- Lightly spray an oven-safe round 7” x 4” baking dish with cooking spray and spread the hash browns evenly over the bottom of the pan. Press down to create a solid “crust” layer.
- Sprinkle the cooked sausage over the hash browns, and pour the egg mixture over the sausage. Sprinkle the top with cheese.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and carefully place it inside the Instant Pot, on top of the trivet. Set the pressure to HIGH and cook for 25 minutes. When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally.
- Note: The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, 25 minutes to cook, and about 5 minutes for the pressure to release.
- Uncover the baking dish and enjoy your hot breakfast casserole!
Notes
** You can substitute ground sausage for any other ground meat. Beef, pork, turkey, chicken, bison and venison would all work great! Be sure to add the “sausage seasoning” to the Instant Pot when you cook the ground meet, otherwise your breakfast casserole will be bland.
- This breakfast casserole recipe works for both a 6-quart Instant Pot and an 8-quart Instant Pot.
- You WILL need a 7” x 4” metal baking dish, preferably a round one like this one.
- Breakfast casserole is a great all-in-one meal that doesn’t need anything else with it, but if you’re trying to stretch it to feed a crowd, add some fresh fruit or some Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits alongside for a fresh and sweet complement to the salty, savory casserole.
- Store leftover Instant Pot hashbrown casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the breakfast casserole for up to 3 months. If you go that route, I recommend wrapping individual slices in plastic wrap and storing them all in a resealable bag, so it’s easy to pull out just what you want to reheat for breakfast.
