Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole

This easy slow cooker breakfast casserole will make your mornings all the brighter. Packed with veggies and protein for a healthy start to your day.

 

This lightened up CrockPot Breakfast Casserole takes healthy breakfasting to a whole new level. It’s a cinch to assemble, full of flavor, and packed with protein. It’s a perfect keto breakfast for busy weekday mornings or a leisurely holiday brunch.

I made it recently and was once again wowed by both the texture and the flavor. My whole family happily gobbled it up as breakfast-for-dinner. And my husband and I fought over the leftovers for post-workout meals. We agreed that this easy slow cooker breakfast casserole needs to happen more often.

No complaints here! We’re already planning on serving it for Christmas morning, alongside some keto blueberry muffins. I can hardly wait.

Why you must try this recipe

This is actually a very old recipe that was very much in need of an update. I’ve been creating keto recipes for so long, I have some old gems hidden in the archives that are worth dusting off and polishing up. It’s a very slow process but worth it.

Turns out that slow cookers are a wonderful way to whip up an easy breakfast casserole. You simply need toss your favorite add-ins like sausage, ham, and cheese, and pour some beaten eggs overtop. Then set the crockpot on low and let it work its magic!

And this low carb breakfast casserole is so much healthier than the conventional kind. It swaps the over-processed frozen hash browns for cauliflower rice, making it a lighter, veggie packed meal.

If you have a programmable slow cooker, you can even set this to cook overnight and stay warm. That way, you have a delicious hot breakfast waiting for you in the morning!

Ingredients needed

• Cauliflower rice: This is the perfect low carb substitute for hash browns! Honestly, I was impressed with the overall texture and consistency. It made the casserole lighter and fluffier, but also more filling. You can use fresh or frozen cauliflower rice, it will cook about the same.
• Breakfast sausage: I recommend using pre-cooked breakfast sausage so the casserole is even easier to cook. Choose a good low carb brand like Applegate or Pederson’s.
• Chopped ham: Again, look for a good brand without added sugars. I have found Wellshire farms to be a good choice.
• Red pepper: A little chopped red pepper gives the casserole a nice pop of color.
• Cheese: Cheddar is classic in a breakfast casserole but you can branch out and try things like pepper jack or gruyere.
• Eggs: As with any breakfast casserole, this takes plenty of eggs!
• Heavy hipping cream: This makes the casserole fluffier. You could also use coconut cream.
• Green onion: I like to add a little sliced green onion for garnish. You could also do chopped parsley or cilantro.
• Kitchen staples: Garlic, salt, pepper.

Step-by-step directions

• Grease the ceramic interior of a 6 quart slow cooker well. 
• In the bottom of the slow cooker, mix together the cauliflower rice, sausage, 4 ounces of the cheese, the ham, and red pepper. 
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, whipping cream, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until well combined. Pour over the cauliflower rice mixture. Top with the remaining cheese. 
• Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until lightly browned around the edges and set in the middle. 
• Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.

Expert tips

I recommend cooking this crockpot breakfast casserole on low at all times. Higher heat tends to brown the edges too fast and makes the eggs a bit rubbery.

Pre-cooked sausage is great for simplifying this recipe. But I recommend still browning it in a pan for better flavor.

Feel free to customize with your favorite additions. Switch up the cauliflower rice for chopped broccoli, or use cooked bacon in place of the sausage and ham. You could even make it fully vegetarian with sautéed spinach and mushrooms (drain off the liquid!) or asparagus.

A few readers have asked if you can make this with eggs whites. You can certainly try but I think it will cook through much faster. Whole eggs also make it far more flavorful.

I do not recommend making this particular breakfast casserole in an instant pot. The pressurized cooking of an IP requires a much different approach, as well as a different pan. But I do have an Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole that you can check out!

Frequently Asked Questions