Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is a savory breakfast bake topped with a layer of crisp, golden tater tots.
Crispy tater tots over a hearty layer of bacon, breakfast sausage and eggs.
Holiday breakfast in our house comes out of one dish. Everyone stays in pajamas, the coffee brews, and this casserole does the cooking. By the time the table is set, breakfast is ready.
Recipe Highlights
- The whole diner breakfast in one dish.
- Frozen tots go in straight from the bag.
- Cook the bacon and sausage a day ahead.
- Dairy-free with one simple milk swap.
- Leftovers reheat crisp in the air fryer.
Ingredient Notes
Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.
TATER TOTS – One 32-ounce bag covers a 9×13 dish in a single layer, which is exactly what you want. Keep them frozen until they go on top.
BREAKFAST SAUSAGE – Hot or mild sausage both work here. The casserole in the photos used hot. For a milder version with heat on the side, use mild and pass the hot sauce at the table.
BACON – Fifteen minutes in the freezer makes raw bacon easy to cut. A 12-ounce package works fine if that’s what you have. Skip it if you like, the sausage carries the casserole on its own.
MILK – Whole milk is the pick. For dairy-free, unsweetened plain almond milk swaps in one-for-one, and that’s what the casserole in the photos used.
SEASONINGS – Half a teaspoon of salt is plenty with two salted meats in the mix. If you cook with kosher salt, go up to a full teaspoon.
How To Make Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Brown the sausage, then cook the bacon, and drain both well.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, and seasonings, then stir in the meat.
- Pour the mixture into the dish and top with frozen tater tots.
- Bake until the center is set and the tots are golden.
Leftovers and Storage
STORE – Cool the casserole, then cover the dish or move squares to an airtight container. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.
FREEZE – Bake and cool it first. Wrap single squares in plastic and foil, then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
REHEAT – Oven: cover with foil and warm at 350º Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes. Air fryer: 350º Fahrenheit for 5 to 6 minutes, which brings the tots back to crisp. Microwave: 60 to 90 seconds per square.
MAKE AHEAD – Cook and drain the sausage and bacon up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate them. Or mix the whole egg base the night before and keep it covered in the fridge. Add the frozen tots right before baking and give it 5 extra minutes, since it starts cold.
More Breakfast Recipes
Serving Suggestions
CHRISTMAS MORNING – Bake it during the presents and put a pan of Cinnamon Rolls next to it for the sweet side.
THANKSGIVING BREAKFAST – It bakes early and frees the oven by mid-morning. A loaf of Banana Nut Bread and a pot of coffee round it out.
BRUNCH BUFFET – Cut this Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole into 12 smaller squares and set out Blueberry Muffins and a bowl of fruit alongside.
BREAKFAST FOR DINNER – Put hot sauce and ketchup on the table, plus a few Pickled Red Onions for a little tang.
Recipe Success Tips
DRAIN WELL – A well-drained casserole slices clean and tastes rich instead of greasy. Lift the sausage out with a slotted spoon and let the bacon drain on paper towels.
SINGLE LAYER – One even layer of tots gives every piece a crisp top. Set the full dish on a rimmed baking sheet, since it fills right to the rim.
DONENESS – A set center means clean squares. Check at 45 minutes: a knife in the middle comes out clean, and a thermometer reads 160º Fahrenheit. Give it 5 more minutes if the center still jiggles.
BROIL– Two to three minutes under the broiler at the end gives the tots an extra-crisp top. Stay by the oven, they brown fast.
REST – Five minutes on the counter firms the custard, so squares lift out whole.
Commonly Asked Questions
Do You Thaw the Tater Tots First?
No, the tots go on frozen. In a breakfast casserole with tater tots, frozen tots stay whole and crisp up on top while the eggs set underneath. Spread them straight from the bag in one even layer over the egg mixture, and they’ll bake up golden.
Can I Make Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole the Night Before?
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is an easy make-ahead breakfast. Cook the meat and whisk the egg base the night before, then cover and refrigerate. In the morning, pour it into the dish, top with frozen tots and bake. Add about 5 minutes, since the base starts cold.
Can I Add Cheese on top of the Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole ?
Yes, cheese works well here. Stir 2 cups of shredded cheddar into the egg mixture before it goes in the dish. For a cheesy top, sprinkle another cup over the tots for the last 10 minutes of baking. Colby Jack and pepper Jack work too.
Is This Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Dairy-Free?
It takes one swap to make it dairy-free. Use unsweetened plain almond milk in place of the whole milk. That’s what the casserole in the photos used. Breakfast sausage and tater tots are usually dairy-free, so a quick look at the labels covers you.
Can I Use Hash Browns Instead of Tater Tots?
Tots are the whole point of this one. The egg base matches a 32-ounce bag of tots on top, and hash browns bake differently. If shredded potatoes are what you have, make my Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole instead. It uses a cheese sauce and an 8×8 dish.
More Holiday Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast Lasagna – Sausage, peppers and cheese layered between noodles, and it feeds a table.
Croissant French Toast – Day-old croissants turn into a soft, buttery French toast.
Dutch Baby – One big oven pancake in a cast iron skillet.
Sweet Potato Hash With Fried Eggs – A skillet breakfast on the table in about half an hour.
Air Fryer Biscuits – Flaky biscuits that leave the oven free for the casserole.
Cornmeal Waffles With Bacon – Sweet and savory waffles with bacon and maple syrup.
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage mild or hot
- 1 pound bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 large eggs
- 1½ cups whole milk or unsweetened plain almond milk for dairy-free
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 32-ounce bag frozen tater tots
Optional Garnish
- chives chopped
Instructions
Cook the Meat
- Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains, about 8 minutes. Lift it out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate.
- Cook the bacon in the same skillet until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Pour off the fat.
- Mix the Casserole
- Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl until smooth.
- Stir in the sausage and bacon.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Arrange the frozen tater tots on top in a single layer.
Bake
- Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the center is set and the tots are golden, about 50 minutes.
- Rest 5 minutes. Cut into 8 squares, top with chives and serve.
Equipment
Notes
FOOD SAFETY
Egg dishes and pork sausage are done at 160º Fahrenheit in the center.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Cheerful Cook team members are not trained nutritionists or medical professionals. Calorie information and nutritional values are estimates. If you have nutritional concerns, we recommend using a nutritional calculator.
Maike Corbett grew up in German kitchens learning to cook and bake alongside her Omas before spending over a decade running full-service restaurants in the US. She founded Cheerful Cook in 2017 to share practical, tested comfort food recipes that actually work on busy weeknights, drawing on both her American restaurant experience and her German home-cooking roots. Her work has been featured on MSN, Yahoo, the Associated Press, and other major media outlets.