Hash Brown Vegan Breakfast Casserole
This hash brown vegan breakfast casserole made with homemade dairy-free cheese is so delicious because it’s creamy, cheesy, and packed with comforting flavors that make each bite irresistible. The homemade vegan cheese sauce adds a rich, savory taste without any dairy, making it a satisfying and indulgent dish for everyone.
Sometime back, we were having Sunday brunch at my sister’s house after church, and I needed to come up with a healthy version of a vegan breakfast casserole to take. This is the amazing Hash Brown Casserole that ended up happening in my kitchen! This delicious vegan breakfast casserole recipe will quickly become a new family favorite breakfast or brunch just like it did for us.
Made with shredded potatoes, onions, red bell peppers, and smoked paprika, there is no skimping on taste. The secret ingredient is my homemade vegan cheese sauce which is creamy and delicious in this recipe and used in other recipes like these vegan nachos and even my dairy-free broccoli cheddar soup.
Reasons I love this breakfast casserole
- Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce: The homemade vegan cheese sauce used in this casserole adds a special touch, offering a healthier and tastier dairy-free alternative to traditional breakfast casseroles, and it is delicious with other recipes too.
- Healthy and Nutritious: Packed with wholesome ingredients and free from artificial additives, this casserole provides a nutritious and satisfying meal that supports a plant-based lifestyle.
- Easy and Customizable: Simple to prepare and easily customizable with your favorite vegetables and seasonings, this vegan hash brown casserole suits any taste and occasion.
Ingredients you will need
- Frozen hash browns- I buy the brands without any oil or seasonings. Off-brands such as Aldi’s are perfect.
- Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce- It’s a simple recipe made with potatoes, carrots, onions, and spices blended in your blender or food processor.
- Veggies- I use onions, red bell peppers, and fresh spinach. Another great addition would be mushrooms.
Tips for hash browns
Frozen hash browns- When shopping for frozen hash browns, check the ingredient list well. You will want to buy the ones that are only shredded potatoes and have no added oil, salt, or other ingredients. I have found that off-brands such as Aldi, Walmart, and other grocery stores are perfectly compliant and quite inexpensive.
I like to use them to make hash brown waffles for breakfast sometimes as well because they cook both sides at one time, and no flipping is required.
Fresh hash browns- I’ve read some comments from people who have made this recipe with fresh shredded potatoes. My understanding is that the potatoes need to be shredded, and soaked. Then the water squeezed out well. Here is the process that includes soaking and squeezing towards the bottom of the page.
How to make vegan hash brown breakfast casserole
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
You will want to make the dairy-free cheese sauce first thing. It’s really easy to make and even freezes well. I usually already have some on hand in my freezer which shortens the steps to making any of my recipes that require cheese such as vegan nachos, dairy-free broccoli casserole, and vegan scalloped potatoes.
STEP #1: Making this terrific cheese sauce is as simple as boiling a pot of potatoes, onions, and carrots, adding them to a blender with cashews (or white beans), spices, and blending it until smooth.
STEP #1.5: I have a Vitamix blender and don’t take the time to soak my cashews. It is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn’t jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30 minutes before adding to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy.
This recipe makes a little more sauce than you actually need for the casserole, so you’ll have some leftovers to try with other recipes. Once the cheese sauce is complete, set it to the side.
STEP #2: To make the casserole, dice the onion and red bell pepper into small chunks, and go ahead and dice up the fresh spinach leaves as well.
STEP #3: In a large bowl, mix together onions, red bell peppers, frozen hash browns, cheese sauce, and spices. Make sure to use a nice big bowl so you’ll have plenty of room for stirring.
STEP #4: Toss in the shredded spinach leaves and lightly mix again.
STEP #5: Line a 9″x 13″ baking dish with parchment paper. This allows the casserole to be cooked without oil. You could use a silicone baking dish if desired.
STEP #6: Pour the hash brown mixture into a baking dish and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. If making in a crockpot, cook on low for approximately 2 hours.
STEP #7: Remove from oven and serve warm. Believe me, this is going to be the best breakfast casserole you’ve eaten!
Everyone at our family gathering loved this breakfast casserole, along with the Banana Oat Pancakes that I took as well. I came home with empty dishes which is always a good feeling, and there were many requests for a recipe.
*Original publish date November 2017.
Pro tips & suggestions
- Prep ahead- I always make the cheese sauce a day ahead. To make this vegan potato casserole even faster, I sometimes dice and freeze the onion and red pepper ahead of time to use in this casserole.
- Cheese sauce- I often freeze the cheese sauce to use in other recipes, so I always have some on hand.
- Frozen hash browns- When purchasing frozen hash browns, read the label to make sure the only ingredient is potatoes. Aldi’s brand is perfect for this recipe. Off-brands of hash browns often work well and have only potatoes as an ingredient.
- Baking dish- I use a 9″x 13″ baking dish.
When I need to take a vegan brunch dish to gatherings, this healthy plant-based casserole is my first pick followed by my vegan quiche recipe or healthy sweet potato muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Adding vegetables like bell peppers, spinach, or mushrooms can enhance the flavor and nutritional value of your vegan hash brown casserole.
A number of people have asked if they could shred their own fresh potatoes for this. The answer is yes, but you will need to remove as much of the water from them as possible first.
I always make the cheese sauce a day ahead. To make this vegan potato casserole even faster, I sometimes dice and freeze the onion and red pepper ahead of time to use in this casserole. My personal preference is to assemble it the day it is to be baked.
More Vegan Breakfast Recipes
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Vegan Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
Hash Brown Casserole
- 1 30 oz package frozen shredded hash browns oil-free version (or 4 cups freshly shredded)
- 3/4 cup onions diced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
- 3/4 cup fresh spinach leaves shredded
- 1 cup No Cheese Sauce recipe below
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon dry steak seasoning
- 1 tablespoon ground smoked paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup potatoes peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup carrots diced
- 1/4 cup onions diced
- 1 cup broth from veggies
- 1/2 cup raw cashews or 1/2 cup white beans
- 4 tablepoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch paprika
- 1/2 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
Hash Brown Casserole
- Begin by making the cheese sauce using the recipe below. This recipe makes a little more sauce than you actually need for the casserole, so you'll have a little leftover to try with other recipes. Once the cheese sauce is complete, set it to the side.
- To make the casserole, dice the onion and red bell pepper into small chunks, and go ahead and dice up the fresh spinach leaves as well.
- In a large bowl, mix together onions, red bell peppers, frozen hash browns, cheese sauce, and spices. Make sure to use a nice big bowl so you'll have plenty of room for stirring.
- Toss in shredded spinach leaves and lightly mix again.
- Line a 9"x13" baking dish with parchment paper. This allows the casserole to be cooked without oil. You could use a silicone baking dish if desired.
- Pour hash brown mixture into the baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve warm.
Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in the pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender-- approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
- When veggies are tender, drain and place them in the blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
- Now, it's ready to use in this Hash Brown recipe. Cheese Sauce is also fabulous in nacho cheese dip, veggie pizza, mac-n-cheese, topping for steamed broccoli, or anything else you need a creamy, cheesy sauce in. It makes approximately 1 quart and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
- Prep ahead- To make this vegan potato casserole even faster, I sometimes dice and freeze the onion and red pepper ahead to time to use in this casserole.
- Cheese sauce- I often freeze the cheese sauce to use in other recipes, so I always have some on hand.
- Frozen hash browns- When purchasing frozen hash browns, read the label to make sure the only ingredient is potatoes. Aldi's brand is perfect for this recipe. Off-brands of hash browns often work well and have only potatoes as an ingredient.
- Using fresh hash browns- I've read some comments from people who have made this recipe with fresh shredded potatoes. My understanding is that the potatoes need to be shredded, and soaked. Then the water squeezed out well. Here is the process that includes soaking and squeezing towards the bottom of the page.
- Baking dish- I use a 9"x 13" baking dish.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
I am making this for post partum meal prep. How can I freeze it after I make it…or do I freeze it before? thanks~!
I haven’t frozen this casserole before, but would recommend freezing it before baking. Normally, I make the cheese sauce ahead and even keep some frozen to make easy meal prep to use it with nachos, tacos, etc. To make this casserole even faster, I sometimes dice and freeze the onion and red pepper ahead of time to use in this casserole. My personal preference is to assemble it the day it is to be baked.
Thanks for this recipe. We really liked it! The changes I made: used 3 jalapenos instead of bell pepper because my husband refuses to eat bell pepper, added sliced mushrooms, pre-cooked the veggies as another commenter mentioned, made my own steak seasoning blend because I couldn’t find any. After baking 30 minutes at 350, it was just barely warm, so I increased the oven to 375 and added another 10 minutes.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the casserole and love the tweaks of jalapenos, mushrooms, and veggies!
This is one of the first WFPB recipes I ever made … and it fast became a favorite. It is easy to prepare, makes a huge casserole dish, and is delicious. It also works well as leftovers. My husband is a meat eater … and even he loves it. Thank you!
That’s awesome! Thank you so much for the great feedback!
Step # 6 photo looks like there is additional cheese sauce poured over the top, but I did not see this mentioned. Maybe I just missed it?
Have not made the recipe yet but am looking forward to it!
I sometimes pour more cheese over the top, but it isn’t necessary. If you need to reheat it, the color can become darker, so adding a little extra cheese sauce brightens it back up.
I’m confused – the cheese sauce has raw cashews but nowhere can I find if they need to be soaked, cooked with the veges or prepped in any way. Are the cashews just thrown into the blender and mixed with the veges, and if they are raw and not soaked does the sauce have a grainy texture?
Hi Marsha- I don’t soak the cashews because I have a high-powered Vitamix blender, and it is able to get the cheese sauce nice and creamy without soaking. If your blender is lower-powered, soaking for at least 30 minutes before adding the cashews to you blender is a good practice. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
My granddaughter is lactose intolerant and my daughter doesn’t like eggs. I wish to make this recipe, but I don’t have yeast flakes. What can I use instead. Doesn’t need to be vegan. A google search says I could substitute soya sauce? What quantity would I then use?
I haven’t used soya sauce before, so I’m not sure about that. The nutritional yeast flakes create the cheesy nutty flavor. I think waiting to make this recipe until you can get some would give you the best outcome.
Can I use diced hash browns ??
I haven’t tried it with diced hash browns before, but I’m sure it could work. It would need to cook a little longer. Please let me know if you give it a try.
Love this recipe and so does everyone who tries it! I keep coming back to it for both the actual casserole recipe and the cheese sauce which I use all the time. The only modifications I make is pre-cooking the veggies (except for the spinach) so they are a little softer and I use the full batch of the cheese sauce so it is extra cheesy.
That’s awesome! I love that you make it regularly. Warms my heart. Thanks for the great feedback!
This was delicious. I wasn’t sure about the cheese sauce but it worked well Enjoyed by carnivores. I added black beans to boost protein and some vegan shredded cheese. My 9 yo grandson had 3 helpings and leftovers the next day. I served it with salsa and avocado.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Your grandson eating 3 servings made my day!