This delicious keto breakfast casserole features sausage, egg, and cheese, and an extra boost of nutrition with shredded zucchini. Make it ahead for brunch or an easy grab-and-go breakfast. It’s even wonderful for dinner!
Everyone loves a good breakfast casserole. I mean, what’s not to love? Sausage, eggs, and cheese all mixed together and baked into an easy one-pan meal. It’s perfect for brunches, holidays, and family get-togethers.
But many of these concoctions aren’t exactly keto-friendly. They often contain hashbrowns, bread, or canned biscuits to give them more structure. While they might be easy, they aren’t always the healthiest option.
I created this Keto Breakfast Casserole many years ago as an easy make-ahead brunch. It became an instant hit for my family, and has graced our table countless times. It’s a delicious, savory dish that really satisfies.
If you need more savory breakfast ideas, try my Keto Breakfast Pizza or the Denver Omelet Muffins too.
Why you will love this recipe
Instead of the starchy bread or potatoes, this keto breakfast casserole takes shredded zucchini and coconut flour. The zucchini adds moisture and nutrition, and the flour adds structure and fiber.
And it’s ridiculously easy to make! Unlike many keto zucchini recipes, you don’t need to salt and drain the squash. Just grate it and add it right into the batter.
The flavors come together so beautifully. I like to use sausage that has a little heat, like hot Italian. But milder breakfast sausage works nicely as well, and you can add a little red pepper flakes if you’re feeling zesty!
And this casserole is an ideal make-ahead breakfast. It heats up beautifully, so you can make it one day and feast on it all week. Or you can freeze the whole lot and re-warm it when you need it.
Ingredients you need
- Bulk sausage: Although breakfast sausage might seem more appropriate for a keto breakfast casserole, I prefer hot Italian sausage. I think the flavor comes through a little better. You can also use chicken sausage if you prefer. If you can only find link sausage, simply remove the casings before cooking.
- Eggs: It wouldn’t be a breakfast casserole without plenty of eggs!
- Heavy cream: The cream adds richness and flavor, and it makes the casserole puff up a little more.
- Garlic: Some fresh minced garlic adds great flavor.
- Zucchini: Unlike many recipes, you don’t need to salt or drain the zucchini. Just stir it right into the mix!
- Coconut flour: This gives the keto breakfast casserole structure and makes it more filling.
- Cheddar cheese: I love to use sharp cheddar here, for extra flavor. But you can use any cheese you like, including mozzarella or pepper jack.
- Pantry staples: Baking powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes.
Step by Step Instructions
1. Brown the sausage: Add the sausage to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until no longer pink.
2. Prepare the batter: In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, garlic, and shredded zucchini. Stir in the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until well combined, then stir in the sausage.
3. Sprinkle with cheese: Spread the batter in a 9×13 inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese.
4. Bake until golden: Bake the keto breakfast casserole until the cheese is melted, the top is golden brown, and the center is cooked through. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips and FAQ
Bakeware: Use a glass or ceramic casserole dish for this recipe and make sure to grease it well so that you can get the slices out nicely.
Flour options: If you prefer to use almond flour, you will need 1 ½ cups to replace the coconut flour.
Dairy-Free option: Use coconut milk in place of the cream and either skip the cheesy topping or use some dairy-free cheese shreds.
Freezing and re-heating: Keep the keto breakfast casserole in the baking dish and wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn. Then let it thaw completely before warming in a 300ºF oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
This keto breakfast casserole has 6.8g of carbs and 2.8g of dietary fiber per serving. Which means it has a net carb count of 4g for each hearty serving.
Keto Breakfast Casserole can be frozen for up to 3 months, as long as it’s tightly wrapped up.
Look for the top to be golden brown and firm to the touch. If you insert a toothpick or skewer in the center of the casserole, it should come out clean or with small crumbs attached.
More popular keto zucchini recipes
- We make batches of Zucchini Lasagna in the summer and freeze them for the colder months.
- Cheesy Zucchini Casserole is a wonderful and easy summer side dish.
- Want a sweet zucchini dessert? Look no further than Keto Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies!
- You simply can’t beat the smell of Keto Zucchini Bread baking in the oven. The flavor is out of this world, too.
Want more EASY KETO BREAKFASTS? Check out my cookbook! Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers
Keto Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb bulk Italian sausage or breakfast sausage
- 10 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb zucchini coarsely grated
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the sausage until browned and cooked through, breaking up any clumps with the back of a wooden spoon.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and garlic. Stir in the shredded zucchini (no need to drain it!).
- Add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and stir until well combined and there are no lumps from the flour. Stir in the sausage.
- Spread the mixture in the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the top with the cheese. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown. A tester inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Remove and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
AnnB says
Does it have a coconut flavor due to the flour?
Carolyn says
Not even a little.
Marilyn Gilberts says
What a yummy recipe! My adult son and I enjoyed it Christmas morning. He even asked about the recipe so he can make it in the future.
Angela Kramer says
Would you think this could be cooked up in the slow cooker? Maybe 3-4 hours on low? Can’t wait to make this for Christmas brunch!!
Carolyn says
I really haven’t tried but I am sure you could experiment.
ChrissyB. says
Easy and delicious ????
Becky says
Sometimes I feel like the only way I can get my kids to eat zucchini is to put it in bread or cake. This casserole was a delicious way to use a lot of zucchini all at once! And guess what–the kids all liked it, despite having eyed it with suspicion as I was dumping in zucchini and declaring they were not hungry. They dubbed it “zucc-quiche,” and their plates were empty at the end of the meal. Thanks, Carolyn!
Sharyn says
I made this today for breakfast and….OH MY GOODNESS!!! It was so delicious! I used turkey breakfast sausage and added just a tiny bit of cayenne pepper to make it “hot sausage”. I also used tromboncino squash (Italian zucchini) because we have a ton of it growing in our first-year garden! It was so delicious and it’s great to have a wonderful recipe to make to use of some more of this very prolific vegetable!! Thank you for sharing this! I’m making your new tomato soup recipe next because we also have an overabundance of tomatoes that are going to go bad if I don’t use them soon! Have a great day and thanks again!!! =)
Carolyn says
So happy to hear it!
Carol Renteria says
I know you said a glass 9×13 casserole dish, but don’t you think you could make these in silicone cupcake containers? Probably would bake as long, I assume. PS I just love all of your recipes…keep up the good work! 🙂
Carolyn says
Sure, I can’t see why not? But it would make a LOT of them that way. You might want to cut the recipe in half and see how many you get the first time.
Dmarie says
I am so happy to have a breakfast casserole recipe that doesn’t take traditional bread, or even homemade low carb bread! Will be perfect for brunch! Thanks, as always ????
Wanda says
Can i use pork mince in place of Italian sausage?
Carolyn says
Yes, that’s fine.
Wanda says
I subbed the Italian Sausage (because of added sugar in all the Italian sausages I checked) for pork mince added Italian herbs, so tasty & so delicious. Thank you.
Carolyn says
That works too! Too bad the hot Italian varieties you can find have sugar. So frustrating!
Joani says
Thank you for the zucchini casserole. I added bacon and carrot and it turned out amazing!! Soo good not to have to squeeze the water out of the zucchini. It set really well and I made two as my son is a type 1 diabetic and my daughter has gestational diabetes and she loves it too. It’s my easy go to zucchini recipe from now on. I really appreciate all the effort you go to to shate your recipes. God bless you for all your hard work. JOANI ????
Carolyn says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Cheryl says
You left out adding the sausage to the mix. I will give a rating after it comes out of the oven. I used hot dried Italian sausage since this was all I had.
Carolyn says
Thanks, I corrected it now!
Sandy says
Could you give an approximate on zucchini ounces used? Your 2 small and mine I’m sure are different. Thank you so much! Love your recipes!
Carolyn says
12 ounces total.