This Farmer’s Casserole recipe is a very popular breakfast recipe.  It’s the perfect recipe to serve when you have a house full of guests or relatives.  Watch the short video showing you how to make Farmer’s Casserole, then scroll to the end of this post to print out the recipe so you can make it at home.

Overhead shot of Farmer's Casserole in a white casserole dish

What is a Farmer’s Casserole?

Farmer’s casserole is a delicious breakfast casserole that is made up of a few simple “farm-friendly” ingredients.  It calls for hash browns, eggs, cheese, ham, green onions and evaporated milk.  It’s all baked together to create a baked breakfast casserole.

I have made this recipe many times for Thanksgiving morning, Christmas morning, Easter brunch, kid sleepovers, family gatherings and more. It’s the kind of recipe that everyone enjoys so much, and it’s a very popular recipe here on the RecipeGirl site!

Change things up by adding in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, mixing in sauteed bell peppers and using a combination of cheeses.

Some of my readers have mentioned that they also enjoy making this for dinner.  Leftovers eaten the next day are delicious!

Farmer's Breakfast Casserole in a white casserole dish

Is Farmer’s Casserole Gluten Free?

Since my Mom has to eat gluten-free these days, I was super happy to find that I could make this breakfast casserole completely gluten free.

I use Ore-Ida shredded hash browns for this recipe if I need to make it gluten-free. If you don’t need to worry about that, just use whatever hash browns you can find!  Evaporated milk is naturally gluten-free, so you don’t have to worry about that.  Check the label on the ham you buy to make sure it’s gluten-free.

Overhead shot of Farmer's Casserole in a white casserole dish with a gray napkin and green onions

Can you use regular milk instead of evaporated milk in Farmer’s Casserole?

I don’t recommend using regular milk.  Evaporated milk is more concentrated and creamy.  It works best in this recipe.  You can locate evaporated milk in your market’s baking aisle.  Those who have used regular milk find that the casserole turns out too watery.

Can you use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hash browns in Farmer’s Casserole?

I don’t recommend using fresh potatoes for this recipe.  When you grate the fresh potatoes, they will immediately begin to oxidize and turn an unappetizing grey color.  Frozen hash browns work great for this recipe!

If you are looking for more recipes to serve with this recipe, you might enjoy adding Banana Coffee Cake and Fruit Salad with Lime Syrup to the menu.  Champagne Brunch Punch also looks very good!

Overhead shot of Farmer's Casserole in a white casserole dish
4.25 from 102 votes

Farmer's Casserole

Just a great breakfast casserole, and it's super easy to make!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
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Ingredients

  • 6 cups frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes
  • cups shredded Jalapeno Monterey Jack Cheese (can sub cheddar or Swiss)
  • 2 cups diced, cooked ham (or Canadian bacon)
  • ½ cup sliced green onions
  • 8 large eggs, beaten (or 2 cups egg substitute)
  • Two 12-ounce cans evaporated milk (can use whole, 2% or fat free)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions 

  • Grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onion. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture in dish.
  • At this point, you can cover and refrigerate until ready to bake (several hours or overnight). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the center appears set. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. If baking after casserole has been chilled, you will need to increase baking time to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Notes

  • Add Tabasco for a bit of a kick.
  • Serve with a good dollop of sour cream.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 268kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 155mg, Sodium: 288mg, Potassium: 547mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 465IU, Vitamin C: 11.1mg, Calcium: 286mg, Iron: 1.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.25 from 102 votes (68 ratings without comment)

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152 Comments

  1. Barbara Schieving says:

    5 stars
    A great way to feed a crowd.

  2. Joanne says:

    5 stars
    I love this farmer’s casserole! Easy to make, so comforting too.

  3. carrie says:

    5 stars
    This looks so good, YUMMY

  4. Melissa Sperka says:

    5 stars
    This casserole is so cheesy and family pleasing!

  5. Jennifer Farley says:

    5 stars
    My family will love this!

  6. Aysegul says:

    5 stars
    Wow. It looks absolutely perfect and delicious

  7. Irene says:

    Hi Just a question about the evaporated milk. When you wrote you can use whole or 2% or free, did you mean regular milk that comes in the containers or is there evaporated milk 2% etc. Thanks

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Good question. Evaporated milk is sold as either whole, 2% or fat free. You can use any of those. Don’t use regular milk 🙂

    2. Joani says:

      I’m making this for Christmas morning, tomorrow! I just saw the question in the comments about evaporated milk and your answer to NOT use regular milk!!! I wish that was clear up front because I bought regular milk thinking that’s what you meant as an option! Great. I hope breakfast isn’t ruined! 😩

  8. DeAnne Johnson says:

    This dish was great! Everyone loved it! For those concerned that it was too runny – you just may need to bake it longer. After taking it out of the refrigerator, I had to bake mine for 1 hr and 40 minutes – then it was perfect!! Cut it down the middle – if it is runny – leave it in longer until it is baked through.

  9. Denise Johnson says:

    Hi Lori,
    I have a question about the farmer’s casserole. I made it before and LOVED it. My brother and his family were coming in tonight late tonight so I made this today almost all the way done so that I can pop it in the over tomorrow quickly before we head to the beach early tomorrow morning. BUT now, he is not coming till tomorrow so we are not going to the beach until Sunday. Will this be ok in the Frig until Sunday morning, almost fully cooked?

    Thanks, Denise

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Hmmm, I’ve never partially cooked it… so I would be a little weary about advising that it will be ok. No idea. Sorry!

  10. Sharon says:

    Can you use dried hashbrowns in a box?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I have never done that, so I’m not sure!