Breakfast should always be as delightful as this vegan hash brown casserole! Bubbly, golden vegan cheese, crispy at the edges, tops a creamy and gooey potato filling. It's wonderful for breakfast, but who's to stop you from eating it for lunch or dinner! 😉
Casseroles are wonderful and we can't cook enough of them in our home! Our favorites are vegan tater tot casserole and this divine vegan breakfast potato casserole, among so many casserole recipes. They are not only easy on the cook, you can also serve them for lunch and dinner.
If you're looking for yet another kid-friendly and healthy meal idea for a weeknight dinner or a weekend breakfast, look no further than my Vegan Hash Brown Casserole.
It's crispy and creamy and cheesy enough to make the young 'uns happy and it's healthy enough to warm the cockles of your heart. And if you already have some of my leftover Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup sitting in the refrigerator, it's an absolute breeze to make. You could even just make the mushroom soup from scratch and this would still be an easy recipe.
If you have a kid or an adult at home who won't eat mushrooms (you know how great those cute little guys are for you and for the planet, don't you?), this is the perfect recipe to sneak them in. I have one of those at home, my son Jay, and although he's usually really great at sniffing out any tricks, he had absolutely no clue he was eating mushrooms as he wolfed down four servings of this casserole -- yeah, four -- and declared, "This is fantastic, mom!"
What we love about this vegan hash brown casserole
- Cheesy
- Savory
- Family friendly. Everyone will love it, guaranteed.
- Great for any meal. It's perfect for breakfast or brunch but you can eat it anytime.
- Protein-packed
- Has veggies baked in!
How to make the best vegan hash brown casserole
- You need just a handful of ingredients for this casserole. One of them is a vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup that you can make ahead.
- If you have picky eaters around, the best way to make your mushrooms disappear is to chop them fine when you make the soup, instead of slicing them as you otherwise might. They'll bake up all crispy at the top and all creamy inside and no one will be the wiser.
- This is a one-pot recipe if you make it in a cast iron skillet, like I did. A 16-inch skillet works best, although you might be able to fit it into a 12-inch if that's what you have. You will have less crispy stuff at the top, but still lots of creaminess and a whole lot of deliciousness.
- I add vegan sausage to this recipe for protein, but you can leave it out and still have a great recipe. You could also add meatless crumbles.
- Vegan mozzarella adds great flavor to this casserole. And all that bubbly, golden, gooey cheese looks so darn good.
- The hash browns can be made at home (I usually use store-bought frozen hash browns to speed up the recipe). If you make them at home, be sure to grate them using the large holes of your grater or food processor. You don't want the shreds to be too fine.
- Finally, if you have picky eaters at home, be sure to check out more vegan recipes for kids here!
Make ahead tips
- You can make this recipe, or at least a portion of it, ahead.
- The vegan cream of mushroom soup can be made up to 2-3 days ahead and refrigerated. It is extremely delicious on its own, and totally worth making.
- You can put together the entire casserole ahead. Don't bake it, of course. Instead cover tightly with cling wrap and freeze. When you plan to eat it, remove from the freezer, thaw, and bake.
Substitution tips
- This is not really a substitution but you can stir in two cups of chopped spinach into the recipe for even more healthfulness and nutrition. Add it with the vegan sausage, if using, in step 3.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use a gf sausage, like Beyond, or leave it out altogether.
- Thyme is a fantastic flavor in this recipe, but rosemary or sage work just as well, so if that's all you have on hand, use it.
More savory vegan breakfast recipes
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Recipe card
Vegan Hash Brown Casserole
Ingredients
- 20 oz shredded hash browns (thaw before use and squeeze out any excess water. Or use grated potatoes, grated using the large holes on the grater)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp dry thyme
- 2 (about 7 oz) vegan chipotle sausage (or vegan Italian sausage, chopped into small bits)
- 2 cups vegan cream of mushroom soup
- 8 oz vegan mozzarella shreds
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
- Heat the oil and add the onions and garlic along with some salt and ground black pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes until the onion start to brown.
- Add the thyme and vegan sausage and continue to saute a couple more minutes. Add the hash browns and stir to mix.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cream of mushroom soup and the mozzarella shreds. Reserve some of the mozzarella shreds to sprinkle over the top, if you wish. Before you sprinkle the mozzarella over the top, make sure you check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to your taste. (If you aren't using a cast-iron skillet, coat a 9 X 12 baking dish with cooking spray and turn the mixture into the dish, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top.)
- Place the skillet or the baking dish into the oven and bake 45 minutes until the cheese is all bubbly and golden.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Linda says
Can I make this in a crockpot?
Dylan says
This was amazing! Great first dish in my cast iron skillet. Huge hit!
Vaishali says
So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Kristi1218 says
What brand of sausage and cheese do you use?
Vaishali says
Usually Beyond and Daiya.
Bobbi says
Read this post this morning. Made it tonight & It Is OMG good!! Makes a lot but I'm sure none of it will go to waste.
We had it with steamed broccoli. So good! Thanks Vaishali
Vaishali says
Awesome, so happy to hear!
M Krishnan says
Hi, we are not fans of mushrooms in our family. Any suggestions for alternatives? Thank you so much
Davis says
I despise mushrooms too and dislike that you’re deceiving the mushroom-haters in this recipe. Otherwise it looks like a good recipe!
Vaishali says
😀 You'd prob stop hating them if you made this recipe.
Vaishali says
Hi, you could use celery or carrots or even bell peppers. I think they'll all go nicely in the creamy soup and with the hash brown casserole.
SHAUNA JENSEN says
hi there
we don't have frozen hash browns (except ones already shaped and ready to bake or fry) here in Australia.
is this the same thing or are the frozen hash browns just frozen grated potato?
many thanks
Shauna
Vaishali says
You can use frozen grated potato. Use the large holes on the grater because you don't want very fine shreds. Cheers.
Indhu says
Hi Vaishali. The mushroom soup was a hit with my son who is Jay's age. He doesn't like mushrooms either however when chopped fine and browned a bit and disguised he will eat. It was delicious. So I am making this next. Thanks for the recipe.
Vaishali says
So happy you and your son liked the soup, Indhu! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Puro Food says
That looks delicious! Comfort food recipes will always find a way to me eventually, I love trying new things.
Robyn says
Are you suggesting first making the cream of mushroom soup to go into the hash? Any vegan boxed brands that you are aware of? Thanks
Vaishali says
Hi Robyn, you do have to make the soup. I am not aware of any vegan brands you can buy at a store, but if you try my soup recipe you'll find it doesn't take very long at all! 🙂
Susan says
Hi.
There are brands of vegan mushrooms soup available, I've bought it at Whole Foods Market and Kroger, Pacific Foods I think was the brand at Kroger. It really all depends on where you live...Best chance might be to Google it.
Krissy says
This sounds delicious but when do you add the hash browns?
Vaishali says
Step 3! Thanks for the heads up. 🙂
Anonymous says
Step 3.