Vegan Hash Brown Casserole

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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