Hashbrown Egg Bake is a simple breakfast or brunch casserole recipe made by layering hash browns, ham cubes, eggs and cheese together to create one unified dish of deliciousness.
This ham and cheese hashbrown egg breakfast casserole is perfect for weekend brunch, holiday season, potlucks, whenever you need to serve a crowd, or when you want lots of leftovers! 🙂
Hashbrown Egg Breakfast Casserole
I love this potato egg casserole for holidays and special occasions. It’s basically a casserole/larger version of my Hash Brown Egg Cups, and a cousin to my Sausage Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole.
We make this hashbrown breakfast casserole for Christmas morning and Easter brunch, to feed friends and families, or whenever we have a lot of people in the house and need a quick and delicious breakfast fix.
It is fluffy, cheesy and loaded with so much flavor. Ham pieces are embedded in the layers of cheese and egg custard, and the hashbrown potato part is soft and just the right amount to balance out the richness.
Hashbrown egg bake is so much more than the sum of its parts – the combination of flavors and texture is comforting and oh-so-satisfying.
Here’s why we love this delicious and simple egg hashbrown casserole recipe:
- Only 8 simple ingredients – using only 8 pantry friendly ingredients, but loaded with incredible flavors! Every ingredient plays a crucial role in making this happen.
- Minimal prep time – takes ~10-15 minutes to put everything together, the rest of the time the oven does the work!
- Feeds a lot of people – this is such a great dish to make for potlucks or when you are feeding a large crowd. It makes around 10-12 servings.
- Reheats well in the microwave – makes for a quick and delicious breakfast, even for busy mornings. Simply pop into the microwave and enjoy!
- Easy to customize – other ingredients can be added to it if you want to clear out the fridge or switch things up!
Ingredients
This hashbrown egg bake recipe calls for only 8 simple pantry-friendly ingredients:
- Shredded hash browns: I buy ready shredded refrigerated hash browns for this. If you are using frozen hash browns, they will need to be thawed ahead of time. Alternatively, you can also shred raw potatoes – this will of course take a lot more work and effort.
- Ham: cubed ham or ham steak works great. This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover holiday ham! Simply cut ham into small cubes and use them!
- Shredded cheese: cheddar, Colby, Colby jack, pepper jack, mozzarella, Swiss, or any soft mild cheeses are great options.
- Milk: I used 2% milk but feel free to use 1% or fat free milk if you prefer.
- Eggs: gotta have eggs in your egg hashbrown casserole!
- Garlic powder: this helps to bring some fantastic flavors to your hash brown layer.
- Onion powder: this also brings great flavor to your hash browns.
- Salt: a little pinch of salt is needed to really open up the flavors in the egg bake.
How to make Hashbrown Egg Casserole
Make this simple, no fuss hashbrown egg casserole in under 15 minutes before transferring it to the oven!
Step 1: Make Egg Mixture
Bring together the ingredients for the egg mixture for your hashbrown egg bake.
In a large mixing bowl, stir or whisk together eggs, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
Step 2: Layer the Casserole
Generously grease a rectangular 9’x13′ casserole dish to prevent ham egg cheese and potato casserole from sticking to the sides. You can use olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.
Then we will layer it starting with the hashbrown layer at the base.
Layer 1: Hashbrown
Place shredded hashbrown in the bottom of the casserole dish, making sure to cover the entire pan. Hashbrown can overlap and pile on top of each other.
Layer 2: Ham
Sprinkle ham cubes on top of hashbrown, making sure to evenly distribute the meat.
Layer 3: Cheese
Cheese is next! Yum!
Layer 4: Egg Mixture
Lastly, pour the mixture from the large bowl over the top of your potato, ham, and cheese layers.
I find that it helps to pour the egg mixture all over everything in a zigzag motion to help with the spreading.
Smush the layers down slightly so that egg custard will come in contact with all three layers of our hashbrown egg casserole.
As the cheese melts, the cheesy goodness will not only be at the top, but it will be incorporated into the egg layer as well.
Step 3: Baking
Bring that hashbrown egg casserole into the oven to bake!
Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350℉. .
When it is done, the tops of the sliced ham and potato casserole will brown slightly, and the egg bake should be springy in texture.
You can insert a toothpick to test for doneness – no need to check the internal temperature. Toothpick should come out clean if it is fully cooked.
Step 4: Serve!
And that’s it! The fruit of our labor!
Give your hashbrown egg bake a few minutes to cool and solidify, then slice the egg casserole using a knife, and use a spatula to serve.
When served, hashbrowns should be soft, cheesy and slightly crispy on the top. It should have a lot of flavors from the garlic, onion, salt as well as the ham.
The egg should be fluffy and cheesy, soaking up the salty flavors from the ham.
Enjoy this simple and absolutely delightful hashbrown egg bake! I love how quickly and easily it comes together, and have been thoroughly enjoying the leftovers for breakfast the next few days.
Variations and Additions
Hashbrown egg bake is extremely versatile and can be customized in so many ways. Here are some of my favorite add-ons and variations:
- Sweet potato: use sweet potato instead of regular potato for a healthier twist.
- Veggies: spinach, kale, red or green bell pepper, mushroom, shredded zucchini, broccoli, green onions etc. are great vegetables to add.
- Cheeses: try mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, mozzarella, cottage cheese, Swiss, pepper jack, or whatever is your favorite! Generally the softer cheeses work better for melting.
- Proteins: bacon, sausage, cooked shredded chicken. Any protein used needs to be fully cooked before baking.
- Other additions: tater tots (instead of hashbrowns), fresh chopped herbs.
Reheating and Storage
Hashbrown ham and cheese casserole makes the best leftovers as well!
To store, simply store leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator. They should last for up to 5 days.
I recommend reheating in the microwave in room temperature for 1-2 minutes until it is completely warm.
Tips and Tricks
A few things to take note of when making this hashbrown egg bake recipe:
- Grease the dish: make sure to generously grease the casserole dish for easy removal.
- Use good quality ham: ham provides the flavor that will be soaked into the rest of the casserole, so using good-tasting ham will make a big difference
- Defrost frozen hashbrowns: if hash browns are frozen, let them sit in room temperature or defrost in the microwave to avoid bringing in too much moisture into the casserole. Remember to pat dry to remove excess moisture as well.
- Scrape the sides: To prevent casserole from sticking to the sides, as soon as you remove the casserole from the oven, lightly lift and round the sides with a spatula.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Cut potatoes into small pieces or you can even shred them.
There’s no need to cover hashbrown egg casserole while baking.
The casserole is done baking when the top turns golden brown and it is springy to touch. You can also insert a toothpick to check for doneness – toothpick should be clean when hashbrown egg bake is fully done.
Yes, this hashbrown egg bake can be made in advance and so is a great meal prep option. Follow recipe instructions to get the pan and main ingredients ready to bake. At this point, you can refrigerate or freeze the pan until ready to bake – make sure it is fully defrosted before baking. Or, you can go ahead and bake it and then pop the whole thing (once cooled) in the fridge or freezer.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
- Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
- Baked Apple Oatmeal
- Biscuit and Gravy Casserole
- Pancake Casserole
- Brown Butter Banana Bread
Hashbrown Egg Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 oz shredded hashbrowns thawed
- 2 cups ham cubed
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Generously grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking oil.
- Place hashbrowns in the bottom of the casserole dish making sure to cover the entire dish.
- Sprinkle ham over the the hashbrowns making sure to evenly distribute the meat
- Next, layer the cheese.
- Lastly, pour the egg mixture over the top. Pour in a zigzag fashion to help spread all of the egg mixture over the bottom layers.
- Bake 40-45 minutes or until cooked through.
- Once fully cooked, remove from oven and immediately scrape the sides to separate the casserole from the sides of the dish.
- Serve and enjoy!
I made this last night and it was so good. We do breakfast for any meal around our house and this really hit the spot.
That’s great, Michael! So glad to hear that! Thank you for sharing!
Made this casserole for my monthly family brunch and we devoured it! I will add in some diced peppers next time but this is going into our regular rotation.
Yay! So glad!
I did just what you suggested and added my own ingredients. I added diced red bell peppers. This was delicious and everyone at our cabin retreat said it was the best breakfast casserole they’ve ever had. Win!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much!!! Thanks Tara!
Just made this for my picky eater and he gives it two thumbs up. I like that it’s a solid base with room for us to customize with different add-ins. Thanks for a solid start to our day!
You bet!! Thrilled that he gave it a two thumbs up!! 🙂
I decided to make it without the ham. However,I did add a 4oz can of mild green chiies to the egg mixture. I had ham and bacon on the side for meat lovers!
Yum! Such a great idea!
Was helping a family friend and made this recipe for them and one for us too. BEST decision ever. We loved loved it and they messaged to say it was a perfect touch and wanted the recipe. Thanks so much for making this recipe so simple and so tasty too.
Ah thank you, Rebecca! So glad this was a big success!
LOVE this!!! I’m a savory breakfast person and always looking for new ideas!! I’m SO glad I tried this, and it’s going to my regular rotation now!
That’s great, Shinee! Thanks so much for sharing!
This was one of our favorite brunch recipes! The best part is that it was so easy to throw together. Will be making it again!
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!
My college kids were home for the weekend and I made this for Sunday morning. It was super easy! I had about 1/2 cup of bacon bits in the fridge so I threw those in too. So yummy! We ate the leftovers the next day. I love breakfast casseroles and this one didn’t disappoint!
Yum! Love the bacon bits add!
This was great. I had a house full of people all.with different dietary restrictions so this was the perfect breakfast casserole for the group. Next time I make it I will add all the things my husband and I like, such as mushrooms, peppers and onions.
Yum! I’m loving the add-on ideas! Thanks for sharing! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe.
If I left out the ham (granddaughter is a vegetarian), can I double the cheese?
Sure! That should work fine!
too cheesy? higher fat and cholesterol content
This was good and I would make it again, but I would only add 1 tsp of the garlic powder and onion powder. As is, the seasoning flavor over powered the casserole. I also added two more eggs because that’s what was left in the carton and I figured, why not. I would do that again.
Thanks for sharing, Paula! I’m glad you would be making it again!
I baked for 45min. Next time I would only do 40 min. Kind of dry.
Thanks for the feedback! Oven temperatures can vary so definitely adjust accordingly!
This is a really great casserole and so easy to make. My daughter and I have breakfast for dinner sometimes and this is what we had. Actually I didn’t have any ham on hand so I used crumbled crispy bacon and it was perfect. Absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much! Bacon sounds delicious with this! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
Can this be me mixed up a day in advance and then baked in the morning?
Absolutely! Just note that since it will be stored in the fridge prior to baking, it may need a few extra minutes of bake time for the eggs to fully set and cook. Otherwise, everything else should be the same. Let me know how it comes out and how you like it! 🙂
Why is the pictured casserole have green in it when there are no green ingredients?
It’s chopped parsley as garnish 🙂 Used to make the dish ‘pop’ but not a necessary ingredient.
I made this for Thanksgiving Day brunch, and it was a crowd-pleaser. This recipes has just the right amount of cheese. Delicious! I used cooked ground sausage this time and served it with salsa and green sauce options for those who wanted to add a little Mexican flavor. Will definitely make this again, especially for multi-generational crowds!
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing Cindy <3 That sounds so delicious!
if using bacon instead of the cubed ham in the egg hashbrown casserole. do you know how many stripes of bacon is needed?
I would cook 5-7 strips of bacon and chop them into smaller pieces, then add it to the casserole. Alternatively, you can use bacon bits, which will make the process a lot quicker!
Great recipe. Family loved!
So glad to hear that! <3
cooked frozen hash browns on stove top, added pork sausage to cook. Sprayed lasagna size pan, layered potato/sausage w seasonings, sprinkled w grated 8 oz block of Swiss cheese, poured egg/milk mixture over top to cover all. Covered pan w tin foil. Baked at 350. Removed from oven when eggs set.
Thanks for sharing, Michelle!