This Ham and Cheese Hashbrown Casserole is full of tender buttery potatoes, ham, melty cheesy eggs, and savory spices.
Cheesy hashbrowns casserole is one of our favorite weekend breakfasts, paired with Banana Cinnamon Rolls or pancakes. I wouldn't say no to Green Chile Gravy on top either!
This easy breakfast casserole is full of allll the good things. Eggs, ham, po-tay-toes, and CHEESE, my longtime love. Best of all, it only takes a few minutes to put together! This is one of my favorite brunchy foods, along with a sweet croissant french toast bake.
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⭐️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
- EASY - This is quick to put together because of the frozen hashbrowns and pre-cooked and diced ham. It takes less than 10 minutes to whip up!
- Versatile - you can use different kinds of cheese or meat to fit your tastes!
- Make ahead- Cheesy ham hashbrown casserole actually benefits from time spent in the fridge as it builds on the flavor profile. Put it together the night before, refrigerate, and bake the next day!
- Veggies - You can add in veggies! It's so easy to saute a few of your favorite breakfast vegetables and add them to the hashbrown casserole with ham and cheese.
- Feeds a lot - this recipe was made for a crowd! HOWEVER, it is super easy to half the recipe and make the casserole for two.
🛒 Key Ingredients
Here's the basics for the ham and cheese hash brown casserole. Measurements are always in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
- Hashbrowns - frozen, you can use fresh grated potatoes but the frozen hashbrowns make this SO EASY and quick to make!
- Eggs - used as the binder in the recipe and help everything stay together when baked.
- Cheese - cheddar or colby jack are good melting cheeses with mild flavors that everyone loves.
- Ham - pre-cooked and diced is really easy, but if you have leftover ham to use, go for it!
- Milk - whole milk or 2% preferred, it makes the casserole extra rich and creamy.
- Garlic & Onion Powder - just enough to flavor the casserole, the garlic is not overpowering and adds depth of flavor without adding too mich salt.
- Chives or Green onion - for garnish, but you can also just add them into the casserole and cook them for a milder and delicious flavor.
✏️ Substitutions
- Milk - can be replaced with an unsweetened nut or almond milk, or half and half.
- Butter - can be replaced with melted coconut oil or vegetable oil.
- Cheese - can use another mild flavored cheese with good melting power such as mozzarella, swiss, havarti, gouda, etc.
🆒 Variations
Ham - can be swapped out with cooked ground sausage, crumbled bacon, or ground beef.
Cheese - You can sprinkle parmesan or asiago on top of the casserole for a flavor boost! Some substitutions for cheddar and colby jack cheese are listed above.
Veggies - Add a couple handfuls of spinach, dice up a bell pepper, mushrooms, or shred zucchini (and squeeze out the juices) for some stealthy added vegetables. I also like to sprinkle some diced tomatoes on top of a slice for serving!
⏲ Baking Time
If using stone or ceramic bakeware, you'll need to accommodate for time needed to heat it up. This will add 5-10 minutes onto the baking time.
Stone and ceramic bakeware heat more evenly than metal and are wonderful to bake with! Please keep in mind that if you put COLD glass or ceramic bakeware in a HOT oven it may shatter, such as if you stored the dish in the refrigerator to bake the next morning.
🧑🍳 Instructions
Step 1. Start by spraying an 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour in hash browns (can be frozen or thawed). Sprinkle in the diced ham and half (1.5 cups) of the shredded cheese. Gently mix together.
Step 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until smooth, then add in melted butter slowly while whisking.
Step 3. Stir in all the spices: salt, ground pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Step 4. Pour egg mixture over hashbrowns, ham, and cheese and mix gently until everything is evenly coated. Sprinkle the remaining half of the cheese over the casserole.
Step 5. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes, until the middle is set and the edges are crispy. Cool for 10 minutes and serve warm.
❄️ Storage
Refrigerate: If you have leftovers, cool to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: Cool to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, you can thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat in a microwave or in the oven in an oven-safe baking dish.
🥣 How to Make Ahead
To make this recipe ahead or the night before, prepare the recipe as directed and do not bake. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before baking and serving. See recipe notes for baking time if refrigerated.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
No need to for this recipe. They can be frozen or thawed, the cook time is very forgiving and is made for cold hashbrowns. They partially thaw as the egg mixture is mixed into them.
This casserole is best served warm out of the oven, and is an excellent stand-alone breakfast! Here are a few more serving suggestions.
Serve with fruit - berries, melon, or bananas are all delicious.
Condiments - ketchup, fresh salsa, tapatio or sriracha sauce.
Usually because of 2 reasons. An overloaded dish, meaning there is too much or it's too thick to cook properly. Or too much liquid in the dish.
Yes! It's delicious reheated in the oven or individual servings in the microwave.
📝 Printable Recipe
Ham and Cheese Hash Brown Casserole
Equipment
- 1 9X13 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 26 oz frozen hashbrowns 28-30 oz bags work as well.
- 3 cups shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
- 8 oz diced ham (pre-cooked)
- 8 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup minced green onion or chives for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F if using metal baking pan. Grease 9x13 inch baking pan. If using glass/ceramic or making overnight, place pan the oven at the same time you turn on the oven so that it warms up slowly with the oven to prevent shattering glass. See recipe notes for overnight instructions.
- Place frozen hashbrowns into baking pan, then sprinkle half (1½ cups) cheese on top. Sprinkle diced ham over cheese and gently mix them together in the pan.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and melted butter and mix well, until smooth. Add in all spices and mix well. Pour over hashbrown, cheese, and ham mixture in pan. Gently mix together until combined.
- Sprinkle remaining 1½ cups of cheese over the top of the casserole and bake for 35-40 minutes, until set in the middle and no longer liquid. Sprinkle the top with green onions, slice and serve warm.
sunny says
we devoured this, its a great base recipe you can add to it whatevr you want spices wise but its awesome for breakfast for dinner too
Sara says
So glad you liked it! We love to add different things to it too.
Lara says
I used a 30 oz bag of shredded hash browns and all the other ingredients as listed and the liquid mixture hardly reached halfway up the side of the pan. I would recommend using less than a 30 oz bag.
Dori says
Super yummy!! Made night before and cooked it the next morning! So easy!!
Brian says
Great casserole!! Can I freeze the leftovers?
Sara says
Yes, they can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Kerry says
I made this for Christmas morning..my family loved it...I used the frozen hashbrowns with peppers and onions and it tasted delicious...
Sara says
So glad you enjoyed it! That sounds amazing.
Emily says
Made this on Christmas morning and it was a hit! Added some green bell peppers. Turned out great! We will definitely be adding this to our breakfast routine.
Sara says
I'm so glad! I love to add peppers sometimes too, it depends on what the kids want.
Cindy says
What do you suggest for someone needing a milk substitute?
Sara says
I have used unsweetened almond milk with similar results. I added an additional egg.
Kathy says
Made this for brunch today.. it was very runny due to using frozen hash browns. I baked it longer. Wondering if thawed or microwaved hash browns would work better. I grilled the ham steak before cubing it. The flavors were very good.
Eileen says
I made this for Christmas morning and we all really enjoyed it. I'll be making it again next year! I added red peppers, onions and had to use 30 oz hash browns. I made the overnight version in ceramic. The eggs were pure liquid when I cut into an otherwise done looking casserole. I may have misunderstood the cook time options. Next year, I'll put it in the oven to warm up with a 65 minute timer, while we open gifts, and let it set for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.
Sara says
Hi Eileen, adding that many extra ingredients, baking in ceramic, and baking it from a cold fridge would definitely add on baking time, I'd guess at least an extra 20 minutes from the recommended 40.
Rob says
Delicious! I made it the night before and it worked great! There are lots of ways you can vary this to your personal taste. I used cooked bacon instead of ham. I sautéed some diced onion and red pepper in the bacon grease and threw them in as well. It was fun and I'll look forward to making it again!
SEK grandma says
Made (2) pans of this and took them to a Hunters Safety Course , everyone raved about it and several people asked for the recipe. Needless to say, they disappeared quickly! Thanks so much!
Sara says
That’s fantastic! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing, it always makes my day!
Rebeccah says
Delicious! I made this last week and am making it again tonight to bake in the morning. I like having an egg dish in the fridge to heat up for breakfasts throughout the week, and this was a really nice alternative to frittata. Thank you for the recipe!
Tiffany says
Made a double batch for my family or 9. 8 of which are eating. They demolished 1.5 of the pans even my picky eaters. Thanks for giving me a easy recipe thst is filling, delicious, and easy.
Jen says
Made this recipe for Christmas morning brunch and it turned out fantastic! I got so many compliments so I definitely will be making it again! Thank you so very much! ♥️
Peg says
I thought this was fantastic! I have a different recipe that uses bread and soaks overnight, but the shredded potatoes are fantastic. I will definitely be making this version again!
Analynn Berry says
Top tier comfort casserole right here.
argylesox says
Yum! I halved the recipe bc 12 servings for two people is a lot, even keeping in the fridge for three days.. At first I was skeptical bc the frozen hash browns took up a lot of space in the dish (8x8) but once I mixed everything and baked it = perfection! I think next time I might try to dice some red pepper and/or shred some zucchini to add as "stealth" veggies, haha.
I did put it under the broiler for maybe 3 minutes to crisp up the edges and melt the cheese on top some more. Also, instead of pre-diced ham, I picked up some deli sliced black forest ham and diced it myself. Might not be a step others are interested in, but that way you can control the flavor of the ham (brown sugar, black forest, plain, honey, etc).
Rose says
I was reading the directions and basically wouldn’t it be easier to mix everything in a large bowl. Then add to the baking dish and top with cheese?
Sara says
You can do what’s easiest for you, I like to do it with less dishes.