Hash Brown Vegan Breakfast Casserole
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!
Everyone–and I do mean EVERYONE–absolutely loved this vegan potato casserole. I was actually shocked at the accolades that were coming my way over this new whole food plant-based (WFPB) breakfast recipe.
This oil and dairy-free version of the traditional American hash brown casserole is delicious and heart-healthy. With potatoes, onions, red bell peppers, creamy vegan cheese sauce, and smoked paprika, there is no skimping on taste. No artery-clogging butter and eggs either.
Hash browns for breakfast
We love hash browns and normally just make them quickly in the waffle iron or panini maker, but this dish needed to be something in the breakfast casserole category--think colorful, warm, and cheesy.
A perfect make-ahead vegan breakfast casserole, this recipe will quickly become a new family favorite just like it did for us.
How to make vegan hash brown casserole
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
In my opinion, other than the hash browns themselves, the star ingredient for this casserole is the homemade vegan cheese sauce.
You will want to make this 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 nachos, broccoli casserole, and scalloped potatoes.
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.
I have a Vitamix blender and so don’t take the time to soak my cashews. That thing 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.
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.
Then, toss in the 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 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.
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.
Choosing 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.
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.
Plant-based vegan sausage makes a great addition when serving this for breakfast. It is one of the many products that I like to order from MamaSezz meal delivery service. It comes ready to heat and eat, and it can also be frozen.
Pro tips & suggestions
- 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 brown, 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″x13″ baking dish.
We love breakfast casseroles because they’re…
- Easy to make ahead
- Great for family brunches
- Perfect for holidays
- Filling
- Comforting
- Delicious!
More vegan breakfast recipes:
- Vegan Quiche Casserole
- Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Breakfast English Muffins
- Healthy Breakfast Scramble
- Fruited Quinoa
- Smoked Tempeh Bacon
- Healthy Vegan Casseroles
- 15 Vegan Brunches
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
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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 brown, 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"x13" 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…
This is fantastic! I made it in a crock pot and there wasn’t a bite left over. I didn’t have steak seasoning so I used poultry seasoning. I also added homemade plant-based sausage like you mentioned and oh my! So good.
Hi Deb- Wonderful! We love this hash brown casserole too. So glad to hear that there wasn’t any left at your house. For the WIN!
This was amazing!! I added sun dried tomatoes to the casserole and it made it magical!! Thanks so much!!
Great breakfast recipe! Thoroughly enjoyec the casserole and vegan cheese sauce. It’s a keeper!
Hi Vickie- I’m glad to hear it was a hit! Hopefully, you’ll find lots of new uses for the cheese sauce as well. We love it on just about everything–baked potatoes, steamed veggies, pizza, etc.
I don’t have that vegan yeast. What can I substitute for it, please? If I omit it will the casserole still work?
Lori- The nutritional yeast is the cheese flavor, and it’s used in both the cheese sauce and the casserole itself. It really is an intrigral part of the recipe. It’s available in many grocery stores and online.
I made this for a friends birthday brunch and instead of hashbrowns I had some left over baked potatoes that I diced and used. absolutely delicious. great recipe!
This is delicious. I have used a couple of different vegan cheese sauce. All good. I just add more veggies. Chopt broccoli, asparagus, zucchini. So good!!!!
Would chickpeas work as well as white beans for the sauce?
Hi Amelia- Chickpeas wouldn’t be a good option for the cheese sauce because they just don’t get as creamy as other white beans like northern and navy beans.
is this gluten free?
Hi Alexis- Yes, this recipe is gluten-free. Just make sure when purchasing the frozen hash browns that they are only potatoes without seasonings added.
Has anyone made this in advance and then put it in the freezer until ready to bake?
Hi! Could you use avocado for the cheese sauce instead of the nuts and beans? Both kind so allergies in the family mix.
Hi Claudia- The green color avocadoes would make in this cheese sauce would make for a really ugly hash brown casserole. I don’t think it would be very appetizing at all. Sorry, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Just made this for Christmas morning! So very delicious!! I made the cheese sauce the week before and just warmed it up a bit to think it out before stirring it in. The whole pan went! Even my picky non-vegan family members loved it! Thanks for the great recipe! Will make this again! Only thing we did differently was just we used a little less paprika.
Hi Maria- How fabulous to hear that the hash brown casserole went over so well for Christmas! I love that! Thanks so much.
Made this tonight, so there would be quick and easy heat and eat breakfast before work. Had to taste it, when done,because it smelled so good while it was baking. I added some chopped, sautéed baby bellas to your recipe. It is delicious, and best of all, EASY! Thanks!
I accidentally made A LOT of extra cheese sauce and i portioned it out to use for other recipes. When i thawed the portion for this recipe, it was a tad bit more brown than when i made it – is that normal?
Hi Amanda- If it’s sealed in a freezer-safe container, the color shouldn’t change much at all. Once you defrost it and spin it in your blender to get it nice and smooth again, the color should be about the same.
It does not list anywhere in the recipe when you are supposed to add the cheese sauce to the casserole. I’m assuming it goes on to before baking it? This lack of info is really confusing.
Hi Sarah, Step #3 is where the cheese sauce needs to be added. Enjoy!
I made this recipe for breakfast this morning. It is delicious! The only thing is I would do differently next time around is to sauté the onions before adding them. The peppers and onions were al dente. I liked that the peppers were a little undercooked because it gave more texture to the dish. I also used fresh hashbrowns that I made by grating peeled potatoes. We try to keep our food as unprocessed as possible, but understand the convenience of just grabbing a pack of frozen hash browns as well.
Overall, great recipe! Will definitely make again!