Weekday mornings rarely leave time to cook, and weekend brunch with house guests can have you up at dawn when you'd rather be sleeping in. Make-ahead vegan breakfast casseroles solve both problems. You do the chopping, mixing and assembling when you have a spare half hour, then let the oven (or the fridge) do the rest.
Casseroles are made for this kind of planning. One dish feeds a crowd or covers breakfast for most of the week. Many of them actually improve overnight, as the bread, oats or potatoes soak up all that flavor. And once they're baked, they reheat in minutes, so a warm, filling breakfast is ready while the coffee brews.
From savory tater tot and potato bakes to cozy baked oatmeal, French toast casserole and a silky tofu quiche, these are our favorite vegan breakfast casseroles to make ahead of time. Hopefully they'll make your mornings (and your next brunch) a little bit easier!
Make Ahead Vegan Breakfast Casseroles
Here are all my favorite make ahead vegan breakfast casseroles. Yum!
Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
This healthy baked oatmeal is an easy make ahead breakfast! Orange-infused baked oatmeal is studded with crunchy walnuts and bursting with juicy cranberries.
Vegan Potato and Spinach Frittata
With a delicious potato and onion base paired with an herb-infused egg-like filling, this egg-less entrée is a true winner. It's perfect to serve for any meal of the day!
Vegan Breakfast Casserole
This casserole hits all of the breakfast comfort food criteria. Hearty potatoes, smokey BBQ tempeh, tofu eggs, and vegan cheese come together to create the perfect vegan breakfast storm. This can easily be made the night before and popped into the oven first thing in the morning. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
Think pumpkin pie meets banana bread, baked in one dish. Ripe banana sweetens the spiced, gluten-free oats and dark chocolate melts into pockets on top. Stir it together the night before, refrigerate, and bake it straight from the fridge in the morning.
Pumpkin, Mushroom and Spinach Tater Tot Casserole
Who doesn't love an old fashioned tater tot casserole? This vegan version takes a deliciously healthy spin with the addition of spinach and pumpkin. I can't think of a tastier way to get in those veggies!
Vegan French Toast Casserole
This delicious French toast casserole is among the best make-ahead vegan breakfast casseroles on the web. It takes on a more bread-pudding-like consistency when you refrigerate it overnight.
The recipe includes a helpful list of egg replacements, from mashed banana and applesauce to a store-bought egg replacer, so you can use whatever you have on hand. We hope this casserole conjures comforting memories and warms your morning.
Cheesy Vegan Breakfast Potato Casserole
What could be better than hash browns and vegan Italian sausage smothered in a "cheesy" sauce? That is what this Breakfast Potato Casserole recipe offers.
This is like a vegan hash brown casserole with sausage that would make a great main or side dish for a breakfast or brunch. This casserole will definitely break your fast with its hearty and comforting goodness, and you can make it the night before, too!
Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
All the cozy flavor of banana bread in a spoonable, gluten-free oat bake studded with dairy-free chocolate chips. It takes about 30 minutes and a handful of pantry staples, and individual portions keep in the fridge for up to 5 days for grab-and-go breakfasts.
Vegan Strata
A strata is traditionally an egg based casserole with bread in it. This Vegan Strata recipe uses tempeh bacon, mushrooms, and spinach tossed with bread and silken tofu "scrambled eggs."
Prep this strata ahead of time, then bake it first thing in the morning. This is a great brunch dish, and it can be baked during the week for a warm breakfast.
Vegan Bread Pudding
Bread pudding for breakfast? Yes, please. This vegan version is packed with sweet flavor and tastes even better when made in advance so the flavors can meld together. Yum.
Vegan Tofu Quiche
Extra-firm tofu, nutritional yeast and a pinch of kala namak make a silky, eggy-tasting filling with baby spinach in a flaky crust. It keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge and freezes for up to 2 months, so it's an easy one to bake ahead for brunch.
Southwestern Tofu Scramble (Migas)
This tasty vegan breakfast dish is brimming with lively southwestern flavors. It's a vegan version of a traditional southwestern egg dish known as migas. Prep it in advance, then reheat and warm the tortillas when you're ready to serve!
How to Prep a Breakfast Casserole the Night Before
Most of these casseroles can be fully assembled the evening before. A few tips make the morning go smoothly:
- Use a dish with a lid. A 9x13-inch baking dish that comes with its own lid, like this Pyrex Deep 9x13 glass baking dish with lid, lets you assemble, refrigerate and bake in the same pan with no plastic wrap. For baked oatmeal and other bakes that don't need a glass dish, a nonstick 9x13 pan with a lid works well too.
- Keep crunchy toppings separate. Assemble the base, but hold back nuts, crumbs or crispy tater tots until just before baking so they don't go soft.
- Let bread and oats soak. French toast casseroles, stratas and bread puddings benefit from an overnight rest, as the bread absorbs the custard evenly.
- Take the chill off. Set the dish on the counter while the oven preheats. A cold casserole usually needs 5 to 15 extra minutes of baking, so check the center before serving.
- Glass needs a gentle start. Don't move a glass baking dish straight from the fridge into a very hot oven; let it sit out briefly or put it in as the oven heats.
For more ways to get ahead on the week's cooking, see our meal prep tips for healthier eating every day.
Freezing Make-Ahead Breakfast Casseroles
Baked casseroles freeze beautifully, which means one weekend bake can cover breakfasts for weeks. Let the casserole cool completely, then cut it into portions and wrap each one tightly or pack them into airtight containers. Most will keep for 2 to 3 months in the freezer.
To serve, thaw portions overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, or microwave single servings for a minute or two. Baked oatmeal, potato and tofu-based casseroles, and quiche freeze especially well. Bread-based casseroles are best frozen after baking rather than before, so the bread doesn't turn mushy.
I hope these make-ahead vegan breakfast casseroles have inspired you. With a few of them in your arsenal, busy mornings and that next brunch party won't be nearly as stressful!
And if you loved these, be sure to check out these other tasty ideas:
Joan Matta says
I want the recipe for the picture at the top! What is that?
Clare says
Yes me too Joan!!!
Friendly Vegan says
Joan & Clare: I believe this is the recipe for the picture at the top. Not vegetarian/vegan, unfortunately.
http://thismama.co.uk/slimming-world-syn-free-cheesy-bacon-potato-bake/
Nava says
My sincere apologize that my colleagues at VegKitchen used a non-vegan photo. Bad idea! I'll ask them to replace it.
Carol says
To: James Pegler,
Hi.
The photo of the casserole at the very top of this post - the recipe is nowhere to be found and I'd really like it.
Please respond, ASAP, to my email address with this recipe, thanks so much!
~Carol
Carol says
Okay..., I want to know...
Why in the world would you post a photo of a meat casserole on a vegan web/blog site? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and I am completely disappointed in you. It's a slap in the face to animals and VegKitchen.
Nava would NEVER have let something like this transpire.
Nava says
Thanks for catching that, Carol. I'm only minimally involved with VK at this point and this isn't my post. I have gone ahead and replaced it with a great recipe from the site by Laura Theodore and it should show up within a few hours. Ugh, sorry!!