Get a protein-packed start to the day with this scrumptious vegan breakfast casserole made in the slow cooker. You need just 20 minutes at night to put it together and the next morning, voila! A hot, nourishing breakfast that will bring everyone to the table.
I tweaked my cheesy vegan breakfast potato casserole for this easy slow cooker version, and surprised myself with the results. 🙂 I also loved that it took me just 20 minutes to put it all together the night before and I didn't have to lift a finger to get a hot breakfast on the table the next morning!
This slow cooker casserole is loaded with bits of potato and vegan sausage in a creamy, savory, herby tofu sauce that thickens up nicely during cooking, and sets just like eggs would.
Casseroles, like vegan tater tot casserole and vegan hash brown casserole, are a great option for breakfast and they are also kid-friendly. You can put this vegan slow cooker casserole in the same category: the potato and sausage make it so tasty and the sausage, along with the tofu, also adds a lot of protein so you - and the kids - are powered up for the rest of the day!
Table of Contents
Easy, delicious slow cooker vegan breakfast casserole
The recipe takes no more than 20 minutes to pull together - you just have to dump everything into the slow cooker. No doubt you will get even faster with the prep the more often you do it. You can also make things a bit easier on yourself by using store-bought hash browns instead of grating potatoes, which takes up the lion's share of those 20 minutes.
There is a lot of flavor in the breakfast casserole, from the potatoes to the vegan sausage and the creamy, cheesy sauce that's made with cashews and tofu. If you are nut-free you can skip the cashews and use just tofu. To make the casserole soy-free, you can skip the tofu and use only cashews. If gluten-free use tamari instead of soy sauce. More on tweaking for dietary preferences in the FAQs.
This is also a nourishing and satisfying dish, but it has only 355 calories and a whopping 23 grams of protein in each serving.
Ingredients
- Aromatics: Onions, garlic, dried or fresh rosemary or sage and fresh parsley. The herbs add a lot of flavor to the casserole. Use more if using fresh, and less herbs if using dried because the flavors are more concentrated in the dried herbs. You can always tweak the quantity of the herbs to your liking.
- Potatoes. Use red or yellow potatoes, which are creamy and not powdery when cooked, for this recipe.
- Vegan sausage. Use the original flavored sausage or Italian sausage for this recipe. I'd stay away from bolder flavors, like chipotle sausage. Cut the sausage in small chunks so you get some in every bite.
- Red pepper flakes. This is also an ingredient you can tweak to your preference. The red pepper adds a nice kick to the casserole. You can substitute with ground black pepper.
For the cheesy sauce
- Raw cashews. Cashews makes the sauce creamier.
- Extra firm tofu. Tofu adds more creaminess and lots of good protein.
- Onion powder and garlic powder. These add wonderful flavor to the cheesy sauce.
- Nutritional yeast. For the cheesy flavor. Nutritional yeast is also loaded with nutrients, including protein, fiber and vitamin B.
- Soy sauce. The soy sauce (tamari, if you're gluten-free) adds umami. You can skip if soy-free or use soy-free soy sauce.
- Rosemary (or sage). Either dried herbs or fresh herbs are fine.
How to make slow cooker vegan breakfast casserole
Make the cheesy sauce
Place all ingredients for the sauce in a blender: cashews, tofu, onion powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, rosemary and salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Add 1 ½ cups water and blend into a very smooth sauce.
Assemble the casserole and cook
If your crockpot has a saute setting, put it on that, otherwise set the crockpot to heat on high. Heat the oil then add the onions, garlic and rosemary. Add half a teaspoon of salt and saute until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the grated potatoes and parsley. Mix.
Add the sausage.
Mix well and add salt as needed. Smooth the top into an even layer using the ladle.
Pour the cheesy sauce evenly over the potatoes and sausage.
Slow-cook the casserole on high for five hours or on low for seven to eight hours.
Top tip
I have the Instant Dutch oven, which cooks at a temperature of 204 degrees Fahrenheit or 96 degrees Celsius. Most slow cookers reach a similar temperature - 205 degrees F - on the high setting, but you may need to experiment and tweak cooking times slightly depending on the brand you have.
Recipe FAQs
Double the quantity of cashews to 1 ½ cups and skip the tofu and soy sauce.
Skip the cashews and double the quantity of tofu to 16 ounces.
Yes, use my vegan low-carb breakfast casserole recipe, which has just 12 net carbs, and cook it in the crockpot for five hours on high setting or seven hours on low. You can also reduce the carbs in this breakfast casserole recipe by subbing the potatoes with lower carb veggies like green beans or zucchini.
Yes, veggies like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and green beans can be added to the casserole. Grate the veggies or chop them finely and reduce the quantity of potatoes proportionately. If you add vegetables that express a lot of juices, you might need to reduce the quantity of water in the cheesy sauce.
The slow cooker breakfast casserole can be stored in the fridge for up to five days and it can be frozen for up to three months.
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Recipe card
Slow Cooker Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary (or sage, If using fresh rosemary, use a teaspoon)
- 3 medium potatoes (grated)
- 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
- 14 oz vegan sausage (chopped)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (tweak according to your taste or substitute with ground black pepper)
- Salt to taste
For the cheesy sauce
- ½ cup raw cashews (soak for 30 minutes unless using a high-powered blender)
- 8 oz extra firm tofu
- 1½ cups water
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary (or sage. Use a teaspoon if using fresh herbs).
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1½ cups water
Instructions
Make the cheesy sauce
- Place all ingredients for the sauce in a blender: cashews, tofu, onion powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, rosemary and salt and ground pepper to taste. Add 1 ½ cups water and blend until very smooth.
Assemble and slow-cook the casserole
- If your crockpot has a saute setting, put it on that, otherwise set the crockpot to heat on high. Heat the oil then add the onions, garlic and rosemary. Add half a teaspoon of salt and saute until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the grated potatoes and parsley. Mix.
- Add the sausage. Mix well and add salt as needed. Smooth the top into an even layer using the ladle.
- Pour the cheesy sauce evenly over the potatoes and sausage. Slow-cook the casserole on high for five hours or on low for seven to eight hours.
Nutrition Information
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Mickie says
Quick questions: could I add more vegetables to this casserole? I wanted to throw in mushrooms and bell peppers (also zucchini but I know that has to be at the end of the cooking time) and can I use frozen potatoes? I have some organic frozen potatoes (no additives or oil) I’d love to use for this. Any suggestions?
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Mickie, absolutely, you can add more vegetables and frozen potatoes are fine. You might need more liquid because the potatoes will add starch that will thicken the casserole. I would probably add about a quarter cup.
Bloodthirsty Vegan says
Breakfast? I think not. Threw this together in the late morning and by dinnertime had a great meal ready. I used the easily available "Tofurkey" sausage. A really great recipe, haven't used my crockpot in years. Thank you.
Deb Kuptz says
I don't have a slow cooker. Can I make this in the oven or in a Tiger rice cooker?
Vaishali says
Hi Deb, you can saute on the stovetop and then transfer the casserole, after adding the cheesy sauce, to a preheated 350 F/180 C oven for 30 minutes. I can't advise about a rice cooker because I don't know how that would turn out.
Cate says
I don’t like using processed vegan ‘meats’. What can I sub for the sausage?
Thanks
Vaishali says
Use 14 oz of lentils, drained.
Erik B says
Came to comments to see if anyone wrote about using an Instant Pot, either for overnight slow cook or morning of fast cook (which I’d prefer). Guess I’ll have to try myself. Recipe looks great!
Vaishali says
Awesome! If you try doing the quick IP version let me know here so others might benefit too from your experience.
Phyllis says
Great! Because I was going to ask the same thing! 😊
I will be following 🙋🏼♀️