Vegan Breakfast Casserole
This vegan breakfast casserole is packed with veggies, tofu, vegan sausage, and vegan cheese then topped with tater tots and baked to perfection. Easily made gluten-free and it’s always a crowd-pleaser!
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❤️ Why make this recipe
This tofu breakfast casserole is great for holiday brunch or to feed a large group of people. It’s great because you can prep it the day before and then bake it before serving.
This vegan tater tot casserole is always a hit with the whole family and is especially loved by kids.
The tofu mixture is similar to my vegan quiche Lorraine recipe and tastes incredibly similar to eggs once baked.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Tofu – this is the base of this recipe that you need to use to replace the eggs. Use high protein or extra firm tofu. The more firm, the better.
- Nutritional Yeast – for a cheesy flavor and added nutrition. Read my post about nutritional yeast if you want to know more.
- Vegan Butter – to add richness to the casserole.
- Soy Milk – or any plain flavored plant-based milk to thin out the tofu and make it into a very thick batter. (The amount will vary depending on the firmness of your tofu).
- Salt and black pepper – to flavor the tofu. I like to add a dash of red pepper flakes to give the casserole a little spice too. You can use black salt to give the tofu a more eggy flavor if you wish.
- Vegan Cheese – you can use your favorite store-bought vegan cheese or use one of my homemade vegan cheeses like vegan mozzarella or vegan cheddar cheese.
- Oil – any neutral oil will work to saute the onions, mushrooms, and peppers.
- Onion – for flavor. You can leave them out if you don’t like them, but it adds a lot of flavor to the whole dish.
- Mushrooms – for flavor and texture. (optional but recommended).
- Spinach – optional to add nutrients.
- Green Bell Peppers – you can also use orange or red bell peppers too.
- Vegan Sausage – you can use any store-bought vegan breakfast sausage that you want or make your own with my seitan sausage recipe or my gluten-free TVP sausage crumbles.
- Bacon Bits – or diced smart bacon for flavor. (Most store-bought bacon bits are actually vegan or you can easily make your own vegan bacon bits with my recipe). (This is also optional, but they give the quiche a nice smokey flavor).
- Tater Tots – or hash brown potatoes for topping the casserole. (This is optional so feel free to omit them if you wish.) You can also use sweet potato tots if you wish.
🔪 Helpful tools
- A Food Processor – for blending the tofu mixture.
- A Large Frying Pan – for frying the sausage and veggies.
- A Casserole Dish – or a lasagna pan or any large baking dish to bake the casserole in.
🥄 How to make a vegan breakfast casserole
Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 350° F (176° C) (if baking immediately).
Step 2 – Dice 1 medium onion and saute it in 1 tbsp of oil over low heat until translucent.
Step 3 – Add 2 cups of diced mushrooms and 1 diced green pepper, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, and continue to saute until they begin to release their juices.
Make the tofu mixture
Step 4 – Break up 3 packages of tofu into smaller pieces so it fits in your food processor. (You may have to do this in 2 batches if you don’t have a large food processor).
Step 5 – Add 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup melted margarine and 2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper, to your food processor and blend. (It will turn into a crumbly grainy mixture).
Step 6 – Slowly add 1/3 cup soy milk, 1 tbsp at a time, blending between each tbsp until the tofu mixture turns from crumbly to a very thick paste.
Step 7 – Add the tofu mixture to the sauteed veggies and sausage along with 1 cup vegan cheese, and 1/2 cup vegan bacon bits. then mix well.
Bake the casserole
Step 8 – Pour the combined tofu-veggie mixture into a greased casserole dish.
Step 9 – Top with a layer of frozen tater tots.
Step 10 – Bake at 350° F (176° C) for 1 hour uncovered.
Step 11 – Top with 1 additional cup of vegan cheese and bake covered with foil for another 15 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
Step 12 – Let it cool for about 10 minutes before cutting to allow it to set a little and firm up.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- This makes a very large casserole meant to serve a large crowd. Feel free to cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.
❓ Frequently asked questions?
To make this gluten-free be sure to use a brand of gluten-free sausage in the tofu mixture. Also, if you are using store-bought cheese, be sure to check the label, some brands contain gluten.
You can easily get the casserole prepped ahead of time and bake it the morning before serving. Simply follow steps 1-8 and then cover the casserole with foil and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. Before baking cover the top with frozen tater tots and then bake for an additional 10 minutes to account for it being cold.
🥡 How to store tofu breakfast casserole
Store leftover breakfast casserole in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container.
I don’t recommend freezing the casserole. The consistency of the tofu will change in the freezer.
🔥 How to reheat vegan breakfast casserole
Reheat an individual serving of the casserole in the microwave for about 3 minutes or cover the baking dish with foil and reheat at 350° F (176° C) for 15-20 minutes until warm.
🌟 More vegan breakfast recipes
- Vegan Crepes
- Tofu Scrambled Eggs
- Vegan French Toast
- Dairy-Free Cream Cheese and Bagels
- Vegan Breakfast Burritos
- Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches
- Just Egg French Toast
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan breakfast casserole recipe
Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil, or any neutral-flavored oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cups diced mushrooms, (a 16 oz. container)
- 1 medium green pepper
- 3 (14 oz.) packages firm tofu, or extra firm tofu
- 1/4 cup melted margarine
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cups plain soy milk, (or other plant-based milk)
- 2 cups vegan cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup bacon bits
- 1 cup vegan breakfast sausage
- 4 cups tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F (176° C) (if baking immediately).
Saute the sausage and veggies
- Dice 1 medium onion and saute it in 1 tbsp of oil over low heat until translucent.
- Add 2 cups diced mushrooms and 1 diced green pepper, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, and continue to saute until they begin to release their juices.
Make the tofu mixture
- Break up 3 packages of tofu into smaller pieces so it fits in your food processor. (You may have to do this in 2 batches if you don't have a large food processor).
- Add 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup melted margarine, and 2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper, to your food processor and blend. (It will turn into a crumbly grainy mixture).
- Slowly add 1/3 cup soy milk, 1 tbsp at a time, blending between each tbsp until the tofu mixture turns from crumbly to a very thick paste.
- Add the tofu mixture to the sauteed veggies and sausage along with 1 cup vegan cheese, and 1/2 cup vegan bacon bits. then mix well.
- Pour the combined tofu-veggie mixture into a greased casserole dish. (At this point you can store covered in the fridge until ready to bake,)
When ready to bake
- Top with a layer of frozen tater tots or hash browns.
- Bake at 350° F (176° C) for 1 hour uncovered.
- Top with 1 additional cup of vegan cheese and bake covered with foil for another 15 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes before cutting to allow it to set a little and firm up.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!
I cannot have tofu. Is there a sub that I can use?
If you can have cashews, then you can make a very thick cashew cream. Not sure how much you would need for this recipe, but the basic recipe for a pourable cashew cream is 1:1 raw cashews to water ratio. If you have a high powered blender then you can just blend the cashews with the water, but if your blender is not that string, then you can boil the cashews first for about 10 minutes to soften them, drain and then blend with fresh water. This makes a creamy but pourable cashew cream. For this recipe, it sounds like you would need a much thicker cashew mixture so I would start with maybe 1/3 of the water and add a little bit more at a time just to make the cashews blend? You may have to finish this in the food processor, I am not sure. Of course other raw nuts can also be used. Roasted nuts will probably have too strong of a flavor so raw nuts are preferred.
If you cannot have nuts, then I think the same can be done with raw sunflower seeds. You mixture will probably have a greenish color from the sunflower seeds and the taste will of course be a little different, but the final product should be about the same.
Did you know that they make a soy-free tofu replacement made from chickpeas?
The recipe says 4C tater tots but the instructions say hash browns. Can I use either and should the tater tots be frozen if I use them?
You can use either tater tots or hashbrowns. You need just enough to cover the top of the casserole. They should be frozen when you put them on top. Enjoy! 🙂