Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole is so easy and can be made ahead with your favorite meats! Crispy tots are baked to perfection with ham, cheese, and the best creamy egg mixture. This casserole is fluffy, cheesy, easy to customize and always satisfies!
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
I’m a sucker for a good breakfast casserole on the weekend – especially recipes like this one that are so incredibly easy. Whether I’m just hanging out at home with my family or hosting a brunch with friends, a good tater tot casserole goes a long way! Fluffy, creamy, seasoned eggs bake to perfection with cheese, tater tots, and whatever meat you like best. I tend to use ham, but sausage or bacon also work well. You can alter this easy casserole in so many ways to best fit your needs!
Speaking of tater tot casseroles, you’ve got to try more of my favorite recipes like the Best Ever Tater Tot Casserole, this fun Tater Tot Chili Dog Casserole and Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole.
Can I Make This Breakfast Casserole Ahead?
Yes! Nothing quite like having breakfast ready to go on an early morning, right? You can make this breakfast casserole ahead and refrigerate it overnight or for up to 12 hours unbaked. If you want to freeze this casserole, you will want to bake it first. Then let it slowly thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed in the recipe card.
How to Make this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Prepare. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Add the first few ingredients. Place the tater tots, diced ham, (or cooked bacon or sausage) 1 cup of cheddar, and 1 cup of mozzarella into the dish. Toss with your hands to combine.
Make the egg mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, seasonings, and hot sauce if using.
Pour the eggs into the dish. Pour the egg mixture all over the tater tot mixture. Try to make sure everything is evenly spread out.
Bake. Bake the casserole for 45 minutes. Then, top it off with the remaining half cup of cheese, return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes until melted.
Enjoy! Let the casserole cool for just a few minutes, then slice and serve!
Storing Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Once the casserole has cooled to room temperature, you can store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend reheating leftovers in the oven until warmed through, not the microwave.
You can also freeze this baked casserole to keep it good for even longer! Bake as directed, allow to cool completely, then cover tightly in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Ingredient and Recipe Notes:
Diced Ham – This is a great recipe if you have any leftover holiday ham you need to use before it goes bad! You can also swap it for bacon or breakfast sausage if preferred.
Cheese – I like to use a combination of cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Feel free to use any other cheese you prefer, like monterrey jack, gouda, or parmesan.
Seasonings – A simple blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder give the creamy egg mixture the very best flavor. You can add other spices for even more flavor if you’d like! Something like smoked paprika would add a delicious unique flavor.
Sour Cream – I recommend using sour cream that has its full fat content. Low fat sour cream won’t create the same thick, creamy consistency we’re aiming for with our eggs.
Eggs – If possible, try to use some eggs that have deep golden yolks. They usually yield the best results. But, any eggs will work totally fine, you can even use a liquid egg substitute if that’s what you have!
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 30-32 Ounce Bag Frozen Tater Tots
- 16 Ounces Diced Ham*** SEE NOTE ON MEAT
- 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella or Monterrey Jack Cheese
- 8 Large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1-2 Teaspoons Hot Sauce, Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the tater tots, diced ham, 1 Cup of cheddar, and 1 Cup of mozzarella into the baking dish. Toss with your hands to combine.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, seasonings, and hot sauce if using.
- Pour the egg mixture over the tater tot mixture in prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Top with remaining 1/2 Cup of cheese and return to oven for 5 more minutes until melted.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for New Year’s breakfast with leftover Christmas ham. Had Tater Tots and Cheddar Cheese on hand, so it was a perfect match. Added grated onion, too. Can add sliced green onions, too. This recipe turned out amazing! This will be my go to recipe for any leftover ham. My husband loves this!
I made this for dinner with my housemates. oddly they had never before had it. I did sub out pork sausage for the ham, as that’s my favorite, and made a half recipe as there are only 3 of us. it was a hit! I do agree that the sour cream makes a subtle but huge difference. thanks!
Can I prepare this entirely with egg and refrigerate the night before ?? I will put it in oven in the am ! ?
Yes, you can! 🙂
I’m plannng on freezing this … any issues you see with that? I would put in refrigerator to thaw completely before baking.
Thank you
Do u cover it with tin foil when u bake it? Thanks so much
Hi! No need to cover with foil 🙂
Hi
PLEASE HELP! LOL! I am making this for my daughter’s gender reveal TOMORROW and I just realized that I ran into a snag! ??? Am I supposed to use frozen tater tots or cook the tots first according to the directions on the bag?
ANY HELP WOULD BE SOOOO GREATLY APPRECIATED! ???
THANKS IN ADVANCE
Pam in St Augustine Florida
Hi Pam! Sorry for the delayed response. You just use the tater tots from frozen, no need to cook them first! Congratulations to your daughter! 🙂
Can I use left over tater tots? Or do they have to be frozen?
Hi! I haven’t tried making this with tater tots that have already been cooked so without further recipe testing it’s difficult for me to give an accurate answer. I’d say you could try it out, but, I would watch the cooking time closely.
If you are refrigerating it overnight, do you put the liquid on it the night before or when you are ready to bake it?
You can put it on the night before 🙂
Do you pour the egg mixture over the tater tots after mixing it? It doesn’t specify. Thank you in advance
Yes! Sorry about that missing step, it’s been added to the recipe card for you 🙂
First time making this. I’m making it for Christmas morning. Thank you for an easy make-ahead of time dish. I know it’s going to be so delicious.
Yummmm! I will try to make this recipe for breakfast. I know this casserole would be a hit at our house! Pinned!