This vegan breakfast casserole features the most delicious tofu "egg," veggies, chunks of hearty sourdough, vegan sausage, and melted cheese. It's a great way to feed a crowd and perfect for weekend brunches or holiday mornings with family. Also, leftovers taste amazing!
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Why You'll Love It
Indian black salt adds the perfect amount of savory, egg-y flavor, and the tofu mixture is creamy while still holding together. The sourdough soaks up tons of flavor, and the veggies, sausage, and cheese take the whole thing over the top!
My husband raved about the results, which is always a good sign. He wasn't a fan of eggs before going vegan, and until now, he thought he didn't even like vegan dishes that resemble eggs.
So the fact that he loves this casserole hopefully tells you how amazing the savory tofu "egg" is. And combined with sausage and melty cheese? So good!
This recipe is versatile, too. I've included notes and ideas below on ways you can customize it to meet different dietary needs. You can also get creative and switch up the flavors and ingredients.
Vegan breakfast casserole is perfect for the holiday season when you have family over and need a satisfying dish to keep everyone full and happy until the main meal. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
The Inspiration
Back when I worked a regular office job, which was years before I went vegan or dreamed of becoming a food blogger, I enjoyed trying new recipes and taking the food to work to share with my co-workers.
One of the crowd favorites was a cheesy, sausage and egg breakfast casserole. I would assemble it the night before, then pop it into the oven in the morning before getting dressed for work.
While a lot of breakfast casseroles call for hash browns, I always used hearty bread instead. I loved the way it soaked up the egg mixture and added a different texture to the casserole.
And look at me now... only 16 years later I finally got around to veganizing that old recipe!
Ingredients
For the tofu egg:
- tofu - you'll need two (14 oz) blocks of extra-firm tofu. Regular firm is also fine - you might need slightly less water.
- creamer or unsweetened plant milk - I used Nut Pods unsweetened non-dairy creamer, but any thick and creamy plant milk also works, such as soy. Just make sure it's 100% plain and unflavored.
- black salt (kala namak) - adds saltiness as well as the signature sulfur smell we tend to associate with eggs. For the most authentic egg-y flavor don't skip it!
- seasonings - onion powder and garlic powder add flavor and turmeric adds subtle yellow color reminiscent of egg yolks.
- nutritional yeast - this is important for the overall umami and savoriness of the "egg" mixture.
Other ingredients:
- bread - choose a sturdy bread like sourdough. Bagels are also fun! Just be sure to check the ingredients to make sure it's vegan.
- vegan meat - from vegan breakfast sausage links or patties, to chorizo, tempeh bacon, or any other plant-based sausage you love... all work well here.
- veggies - I chose red bell pepper, green onion, and baby spinach. See the Variations section below for more ideas.
- cheese - any mild-flavored shredded vegan cheese works well. I used Chao original because I had some on hand. You can also grate cheese yourself from a block. I often do this with Violife's mature cheddar.
For an oil-free cheese option see the Variations below.
Instructions
There are a few steps involved in prepping this breakfast casserole, but none of them are difficult! Here's a look at the basic flow...
- Blend the ingredients for the tofu "egg." The mixture is very thick so you will likely need to stop several times to stir.
- Oil a 13 x 9 baking dish and arrange the bread across the bottom. Set aside.
- Saute the sausage over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and green onion and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Arrange fresh spinach over the layer of bread, followed by the sausage mixture. If desired, sprinkle with a handful of shredded cheese.
- Spoon the tofu mixture into the dish. Carefully stir to incorporate the ingredients. If there's messy tofu "egg" on the sides of the dish, wipe it off with a paper towel so it won't burn on during baking.
- Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, cover with foil, and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the center of the casserole is hot.
Top Tip
Fresh from the oven, let the covered dish rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This holds the moisture in, which helps melt the cheese. A brief rest also helps the casserole firm up a bit so it slices cleanly.
Variations
- gluten-free - choose a thick and sturdy gluten-free bread or replace the bread with 2 packages of frozen hash browns. Thaw briefly before adding to the dish.
- oil-free - replace the store-bought vegan sausage with a homemade seitan sausage, seasoned beans, or tempeh bacon. And instead of store-bought vegan shreds, add dollops of this easy cashew mozzarella on top!
- other veggies - we LOVE mushrooms in breakfast casserole; you can also include asparagus, broccoli florets, chopped kale (saute it briefly with the red pepper), onion, garlic, jalapeños, and par-cooked winter squash or sweet potatoes.
- meats - take things in a spicier direction with vegan chorizo or pepperoni. Or as mentioned above, go with tempeh bacon or a store-bought product like Sweet Earth's Benevolent Bacon.
If you like a touch of maple sweetness in your breakfast meats, you have to try my homemade vegan breakfast sausages. It's one of our all-time favorite seitan recipes!
What to Serve With Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Garnish with chopped parsley or extra green onion, and serve with fresh fruit and vegan yogurt.
Or if you're serving the casserole for lunch or dinner, a simple side salad plus potatoes in any form are perfect.
While the oven is in use, if you have an air fryer it's a great way to quickly prep a veggie to serve on the side. Try green beans, radishes, zucchini, or cauliflower.
If you want to pair it with something sweet, this popular oat flour banana bread is always welcome or these perfect vegan pancakes.
Equipment Needed
You'll need a full-size blender for the tofu "egg" mixture. Note: even with a high-speed blender like a Vitamix you'll need to exercise patience. It's a large volume of ingredients and very thick. Stop as needed to give it a stir.
You'll also need a medium-size saute pan and a glass or stoneware 13 x 9-inch casserole dish.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. Cover the dish and refrigerate it overnight. Then bake it in the morning. Since the entire dish will be cold add 5 minutes to the cook time.
Store leftover breakfast casserole in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It reheats best in the microwave. The leftovers can also be frozen for up to one month.
I hope you enjoy this versatile vegan breakfast casserole as much as we do! If you try the recipe be sure to comment below and let us know.
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Recipe Video
Tap to play the video and see how easily the casserole comes together!
Recipe
Vegan Breakfast Casserole
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Ingredients
For the "egg" mixture:
- 2 (14 oz) packages extra firm tofu, drained
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup unsweetened/unflavored vegan creamer or milk - such as Nut Pods original or plain soy milk
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons kala namak Indian black salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour - such as all-purpose, a GF blend, rice, or whole wheat
Other ingredients:
- 9 to 10 ounces sourdough bread, cut or torn into large bite-size pieces - about half of a boule
- 4 servings vegan sausage, chopped and/or crumbled - choose any flavor you'd like in the casserole (Italian, spicy, breakfast sausage, etc)
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- 3 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 7 ounces mild, shredded vegan cheese such as mozzarella or cheddar - I used Chao Original; Tip: if the shreds are long roughly chop to help with melting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- In a blender combine all tofu "egg" ingredients EXCEPT flour. Slowly increase speed, and blend until smooth. The mixture will be very thick; stop to stir as often as needed. Taste for seasoning. Add the flour and blend again for a few seconds to incorporate. Set aside.
- Preheat a saute pan over medium heat, and cook the sausage for about 2 minutes or until starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper and green onion and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Refer to step-by-step photos above if needed. Arrange bread in a single layer in the casserole dish, followed by spinach and sausage mixture. If desired, sprinkle with a handful of cheese.
- Pour the tofu mixture on top, using a spoon or spatula to scoop as much as possible from the blender. Carefully stir to incorporate the ingredients and coat everything with tofu. If there's any messy tofu "egg" on the sides of the dish, wipe it off so it won't burn during baking.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, cover tightly with foil (careful - it's hot!), and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the center of the casserole is hot.
- Let the covered dish rest for 10 minutes. This gives the cheese more time to melt and helps the casserole set before slicing. Serve hot.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Beth Ann
This is a keeper! Everyone loved it!
Laura Monahan
Huge Lori Rasmussen fan! I used this recipe to make mini quiches. The "egg" mixture is perfectly seasoned (used 1 block extra firm and 1 box silken tofu). In the bottom of the lined muffin cup I placed a very thin slice of Yukon gold potato as a "crust", divided the veggies and very tiny bread cubes into the cups, then poured the egg mix over top. Skipped the cheese because I didn't have any, but a pinch in each cup would've been nice. Came out perfectly. Thank you Lori! Appreciate that this uses affordable pantry items instead of Just Eggs, and it's so tasty!
Amelia
The recipe said you could substitute frozen hash browns; could you just grate some white or gold potatoes (between 20 and 30 oz) and use those?
Lori
After grating the potatoes you would want to soak them in cold water, and rinse and drain, then pat dry. This removes some of the starch. Also, I'm pretty sure frozen hashbrowns are partially cooked, so to make sure the potatoes have good texture and don't get gummy or watery, I would saute them for a few minutes first. Hope that helps!
ACC
Thank you for the recipe! I looked at your recipe for cheese and saw there was a pourable version; would that work as well as the original for this or would the original work better? Also, would one recipe of the vegan mozzarella be enough for this recipe? If so, would there be any left over? Hoping to make it with sunflower seeds but couldn't find how many ounces the recipe makes so wasn't sure if I should double the recipe or not.
Lori
Hi, yes I would probably use the pourable one for this. One batch will make enough for the top of the casserole, but if you also wanted to add some dollops of cheese on the inside, as you're layering, it wouldn't hurt to double it. Hope you enjoy it!
Ctcolorado
Thank you for this recipe. It was very good! It was also easy to prepare!
Jen
To use frozen hash browns, what size frozen packages should I use? The only frozen hash browns I can find are the Ore Ida 30 oz packages. Do I need one or two of those?
Lori
Hi Jen, one package of hashbrowns will be enough, and you might not need to use all of it - between 20 to 30 ounces.
MaryLou
EXCELLENT! Made just like the recipe. Will be in my rotation.
Traci J.
This was delicious!! I did add in a little "real" cheese on top because I only had violife vegan cheese and it really doesn't melt well in the oven. So, I cheated a bit 😉 I absolutely LOVE the tofu egg mixture, I'll be using that in a variety of things from now on! I felt like the cooking time was spot on, but I used a covered le creuset casserole dish, which really holds in the heat. My husband (who usually does NOT eat real cheese) said last night "I can't wait for the casserole leftovers tomorrow morning!" Definite keeper!
Patrick
This one will be added to my regular rotation, 10/10. I'm dreaming about the leftovers in my fridge 😍.
Donna
Hi, I have a question. If you substitute hash browns for the bread, do you cook them first?
Thanks,
Donna
Lori
If the hash browns are frozen I would thaw first, but there’s no need to fully cook them. On another note, without bread to soak up moisture you may want to reduce it somewhere.
Jenn
Wow! That turned out fantastic! Thank you for the recipe.
Lindsie
Looove this recipe, except one thing: it never finishes in an hour. It probably takes 80-90 minutes , and I kick it up to 425 for the last 20-30. (And I’ve confirmed my oven temp with a separate thermometer)
Ginny B
I don't have two packages of tofu right now. Do you think I could use just one package and one bottle of Just Egg (which I do have)? I also have some boxes of shelf stable extra firm tofu. Thanks for your help!
Lori
Hi Ginny,
That’s a great Q. You know, I think both sound like good options, with the tofu being the closest match. If you use the Just Egg I would reduce the salt a bit since it’s already seasoned.