Breakfast casserole recipes are practical—they are generally super easy to make, designed to feed a crowd, endlessly versatile, and offer a complete meal all in one porcelain baking dish. But they haven’t risen to the top of the classic breakfast podium out of mere pragmatism. They’re also delicious. Who wouldn’t want to dig into an egg casserole filled with bell peppers, green onions, bacon and sausage, and cheddar cheese, which is then topped with tater tots? If you have a sweet tooth at the breakfast table, there’s French toast casserole, which some skeptics might call bread pudding aka dessert for breakfast. But those skeptics have been permanently disinvited from any and all group brunches that I may host in the future. I’m not here to judge what you eat for breakfast. I’m here to give you options. And if that turns out to be a scoop of both the savory and sweet breakfast bakes, then hand me your plate.
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1. Breakfast Casserole
The breakfast casserole of all breakfast casseroles, the hangover cure you’ve been dreaming of: an eggy, herby, sausage-packed casserole topped with hash browns. And for those mornings when you know you’ll be too busy to cook (like Christmas morning, or just a Saturday) there’s a solution: make it in advance! Yes, really! Prepare the casserole fully (but don’t bake it!), then wrap it and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature before baking in the oven.
2. Baked Challah French Toast
Baked French toast is the sweet breakfast casserole I didn’t know I needed, but now is the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. Use a really flavorful, rich bread like challah or brioche, which also works wonders at absorbing the rich custard.
3. Challah Bread Pudding with Raspberries
We’re back and bread-ier than ever. We added fresh raspberries to the challah bread pudding that you already know and love, lightened up the custard (less milk and fewer eggs), and made it a little bit sweeter all-around. Think the only thing left to do is bake them both and see which one you prefer.
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A croque monsieur turned breakfast casserole? Enchanté. This one doesn’t call it quits after the ham and two kinds of cheese are added. It goes so far as to call in reinforcements in the form of broccoli, tomatoes, fresh herbs (including an entire cup of parsley), and a trio of spices.
5. Mushroom, Kale, and Sausage Strata
Not quite a frittata and not quite a traditional breakfast casserole, this strata swoops in to save the day…err, at least your morning. Like all of our favorite casseroles, this one can (and should!) be made the night before, stored overnight, and then baked the following morning.
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Now your guests don’t have to choose whether to be on team sweet or team savory: this super chic casserole offers a little bit of each. Halved croissants are tucked into the bottom of a casserole dish and then layered generously with slices of Cambozola cheese, fennel, and pears. The whole thing is topped with a traditional egg custard and baked until firm.
7. Caramelized Pear French Toast Bake
Come fall, this is all I want to eat. If we’re being honest, I would like to take a bath in the spiced maple custard, which is accented with orange zest and vanilla bean. Milk has moisturizing benefits, right? Thought so.
8. Glorious Croissant Bread Pudding
Buy a package of croissants (but only the good kind) and eat them as you please. After a few days, you might start to get discouraged by how stale they’ve become, but don’t toss them. They’re the perfect base for this croissant bread pudding and in fact, the staler, the better. The dry surface is exactly right for absorbing the rich custard without the pudding getting soggy.
9. Chrissy Teigen’s French Toast Casserole With Salted Frosted Flakes
Two sweet breakfast staples join hands for one family-friendly breakfast casserole that's sweet as can be.
10. Skillet Strata with Bacon, Cheddar, and Greens
Recipe developer Alexander Stafford offers up some brilliant tips for efficiently making this casserole, which I know you want to do so that you don’t have to needlessly stand at the stove while you’re still half-asleep.
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Inspired by a classic diner lunch—grilled cheese and tomato soup—comes this bread pudding, which is accessorized with a trio of fresh herbs: thyme, chives, and basil.
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I’m here to confirm that you don’t need to bake a casserole in a casserole dish in order for it to count. Traditionally that might not make sense, but the idea of a casserole is to make a big batch breakfast that will feed a crowd; this sheet pan preparation of eggs, kale, potatoes, and chorizo does the job just as well.
13. Toast Frittata
If you’re hosting breakfast or brunch for a crowd, you might not only be anxious about cleaning the house and preparing enough food for everyone, but also doing it on a budget. Enter: Assigning Editor Rebecca Firkser’s under $10 frittata that’s jam-packed with cheese, vegetables, and herbs.
14. Bacon, Parmesan, and Cherry Tomato Strata
Yes, there’s meat, cheese, and veggies here. But there’s also tanginess from sourdough bread and balsamic vinegar, plus a subtle kick from red pepper flakes that makes this breakfast casserole big, bold, and beautiful.
15. Capirotada de Leche
Food52 Resident Rick Martinez upgraded his family’s version of Capirotada, a traditional Mexican bread pudding, by adding an assortment of dried fruits and nuts, queso fresco, three kinds of milk (condensed, evaporated, and whole milk), and dried chiles.
