This tater tot breakfast casserole is made with bacon, eggs, veggies, potato tots and plenty of cheese, all baked together to create a hearty and delicious meal. The perfect casserole for any breakfast or brunch gathering, and it always gets rave reviews!
When I’m entertaining in the earlier part of the day, I offer plenty of sweet and savory options including sweet potato hash, french toast casserole, and this cheesy and delicious tater tot casserole.
I love to offer a loaded egg casserole for a great start to the day. This tater tot breakfast casserole is a family favorite with crispy potato tots, smoky bacon and of course, melted cheese.
How do you make tater tot breakfast casserole?
Start by cooking bacon in a pan until it is brown and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, then add onions and bell peppers to the pan. Cook until the veggies are tender. Place the tater tots in a large bowl along with the bacon, veggies and shredded cheese. Toss everything together, then pour the tater tot mixture into a baking dish. Whisk together eggs, milk and seasonings, then pour the eggs over the tater tot mixture. Bake until the eggs have set, then add more shredded cheese during the last 5 minutes. Garnish with bacon and green onions, then serve and enjoy.
Tips for the perfect casserole
- There is no need to thaw the tater tots before adding them to the casserole.
- I prefer to use a combination of both red and green bell peppers, but one color will also work just fine.
- It’s best to grate your own cheese for this recipe. The pre-shredded cheese that comes in bags at the store is often coated in anti caking agents and preservatives and does not melt smoothly.
- You can assemble this casserole the night before and store it covered in the fridge for up to 8 hours. In the morning, bake as directed. You may need to add a few more minutes to the bake time to compensate for starting with a cold dish.
How long is a breakfast casserole good for?
This tater tot casserole will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat individual portions in the microwave, or cover the whole baking dish and warm in a 350 degrees F oven. You can also freeze the baked casserole for up to 2 months.
Tater tot breakfast casserole flavor variations
This dish is great as-is, but you can change up the ingredients to customize the flavors to your family’s tastes.
- Protein: Instead of bacon, try using cooked crumbled breakfast sausage or diced ham. You can also use a combination of meats.
- Veggies: Swap out the peppers and onions for different types of veggies such as cooked zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms or spinach.
- Cheese: Cheddar cheese is a classic choice for an egg casserole, but you can use other types of cheese including mozzarella, pepper jack or Colby.
- Toppings: Finish your casserole with an assortment of toppings such as diced avocado, salsa, a dollop of sour cream or sliced jalapenos.
This casserole is perfect for a lazy weekend, and also makes a great offering for a holiday breakfast. You simply can’t go wrong with the combination of bacon, eggs and cheese!
More breakfast favorites
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Video
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
Casserole
- 1 pound bacon coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup onion finely diced
- 3/4 cup bell peppers chopped, can use red, green or both
- 32 ounces tater tots
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided use
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- cooking spray
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
- Place the bacon in a large pan over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and crispy, 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the bacon from the pan. Drain off excess grease, leaving about 2 teaspoons of grease in the pan.
- Place the onions and bell peppers in the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until tender.
- Place the tater tots in a large bowl. Add 3/4 of the bacon, the peppers and onions, and 1 1/4 cups of cheese. Toss gently to combine. Reserve the remaining bacon for later use.
- Spread the tater tot mixture into the baking pan.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the tater tot mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until center is set.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Top with reserved bacon and green onions, then serve.
The casserole came out great with the nuggets. I had a bag n 1/2 in a large glass baking ban i added 6 extra eggs to cover the difference. The nuggets did have enough sausage but I would also add bacon next time just because i like both together.
I didn’t have the bacon or the hash brown’s but i remember i had the Jimmy Dean breakfast nugget I used then in their place
Will let know how it went
Has anyone baked casserole in morning and microwaved it later for buffet table? Does the tater tots loose crispness? Don’t want oven on a hot summer day. Thank you
The texture would be different if you microwaved the casserole later, microwaves do not heat as evenly as an oven!
Sara, Thank you for advice and prompt reply. Just tried 1/2 recipe, it was great!!
For company at Easter (I like to plan ahead) will make whole recipe.
A lot of the other tater tot casseroles call for ground sausage, I did not want meat, but the bacon is perfect. What do you think if I baked in morning and oven-reheated 350° for 20 to 30 mins, til hot. Thanks so much for a good recipe. Pat
That sounds like it would work fine, I’m so glad you liked it!
Ty so much for this recipe! Was fantastic! Made it for brunch today and was a great hit! I did change bacon to ham because I had it and didn’t want to run to store. It was great! Ty so much for a great recipe! It’s a keeper!
It doesn’t specify; do we used frozen tarot tots or one’s already cooked? Thanks! X
Frozen!
I saw noted refrigerate up to 8 hours
Can it be a little longer like place in refrig at 10 AM and bake it the next day at 8 AM ? . That would be closer to 10 hours prior to baking.
Your input is welcome and appreciated.
Yes that should be fine!
Anyone know how long to reheat the whole casserole for at 350 in the oven?
Is it from refrigerated or frozen?
Can this casserole be assembled and refrigerated the night before. And baked in the morning?
That should be fine!
Really good-we had it for dinner. I did add about twice as much bell peppers, since it was dinner. That with a fruit salad, dinner was done! My 10 year old loved it however, for her no green onions on top, lol.
Breakfast? I made it for dinner and the family gobbled it down! Thanks for the family friendly recipe.
That slice of casserole just looks too perfect for words. We all love tater tots in my house so this is a must-make recipe!
oh my goodness! This tater tot casserole is so good! Easy to make and my kids just gobbled it up. YUM!
I love anything with tater tots and this was no exception. It may be the best tater tot dish i’ve tried!
Oh my word this looks beyond delicious! Can’t wait to make this for dinner 🙂
Just gimme a spoon and I’m a happy lady! I love this breakfast casserole almost as much as the rest of my family! We gobbled it all up in one meal and I’ve made it again, too!
Tator tots are such a tasty creation and you’ve made them even more delicious by creating this recipe! Going to make it this weekend or maybe for dinner!
What a delicious start to the day! Tater tots are a favorite comfort food for me and they look so good paired with all that melty cheese on top.
I love that this has peppers, onions and bacon in it. That is my favorite breakfast food combination. Can’t wait to make this for the family.
Thanks for the great idea to make this casserole for our Sunday morning. It seems easy enough to make and delicious to taste! I cannot wait to give it a try!
Such a fun and flavourful breakfast. It was a huge hit with my potato loving family. Thanks for sharing!