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. Miss J says:

    Going to try this today if I can use half and half? Lots so easy and amazing.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Did you try it with half and half? I’ve only ever used evaporated milk.

  2. Angel Thomason says:

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I used 1 pound of browned, drained sausage. Also added diced red and yellow bell peppers. (In case you didn’t know bell pepper freezes well and can be used in this type of dish. I just seed and de-rib leftover bells, cut them in long slices and keep in freezer bags. Just pull out the amount you need, dice and sprinkle on top before adding the egg mixture.) I also couldn’t find the Jalapeño Monterrey Jack, so I just added a 4 ounce can of chopped green chilies to the egg/milk mixture. Of course I use 2 cups of the Monterrey Jack and 1-2 cups of sharp cheddar. If you cook it ahead of time, you can just cut and nuke individual servings. Cover to nuke so that it doesn’t dry out. I’ve made this several times and always get rave reviews, so I suspect some people have REALLY slow ovens or are not using the full fat EVAPORATED milk in the can. Everyone loves it!

  3. Ashley says:

    Do you think I could cook this the night before and reheat in oven the next morning? If so what temp and time setting would be good?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Hi There,
      I have not tried this as an overnight recipe, so I’m not sure…

  4. Shaz says:

    This is a great recipe. Made it using reconstituted hash browns. Once wonderful thing is that you can make a wide variety of variations with this recipe. Do you know what the nutritional info would be if you used cream instead of evaporated milk?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Not sure– but figure out the calorie difference and just add it in!

    2. Sharon says:

      Could you bake this in a air fryer and if so how long. Thank you

    3. Lori Lange says:

      I have never tried that, sorry!

  5. Cindy says:

    5 stars
    I highly recommend this recipe. I don’t use the frozen has browns, but instead use the Simply Potatoes brand of shredded potatoes as they are not wet. Works out great and the left overs are wonderful.

  6. Collette Cowger says:

    What was I missing, I thought this recipe was super bland and not repeatable…

    1. Lillie says:

      2 stars
      I agree. It was bland and all one note. It needed crunch or spice. I wouldn’t make it avain.

  7. Penny says:

    I made this for dinner. Added diced jalapeños, green, and red peppers. Very tasty!!! Will make it some time for breakfast.

  8. Karla Ziegler says:

    Can you freeze this recipe ahead of time

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I haven’t tried freezing this one.

  9. R Mayhew says:

    Definitely a KEEPER! Try with the sour cream for sure! My husband isn’t huge on eggs so this was a chance and I made it as is, turned out to be a hit for him and the kids!! Adding this to the regular rotation, thanks!

  10. Glenda R. says:

    Just 2 of us now so I halved the recipe. It turned out perfect. Maybe those that felt it was soupy live in a different altitude?? I am in Arizona and it came out perfectly done. Will totally make again.