Fill it, Cook it, Eat it! This is a one jar meal that'll have you huggin' your pressure cookers like the normal people we all are. Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole is here to rock your world!
If you're obsessed with the concept of “one pot, one pan, one bowl” type recipes, you are in for such a treat today!
Not only is this a “One Jar” kind of meal, but it's also easy, nutritious, make ahead-able, and completely customizable for everyone at the table.
I recently tried to teach my daughter the art of making an omelet . . . not good.
In my best angry French Chef accent, I exclaimed to her, “What is this atrocious thing? Throw it out! I will not eat this ugly food!” Which was met with a blank stare and then uncontrollable giggles. If only she could think I'm this cool forever.
So what did we do? We threw the ingredients into a mason jar and cooked it in the Instant Pot for the most fluffy, soft egg dish there ever was. Traditional omelet, step aside!
This Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole in a Jar starts out with a layer of hashbrowns in the bottom, topped with your favorite omelet filings, add your eggs and a sprinkle of cheese, and you are minutes from the best darn meal ever.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE HEALTHY INSTANT POT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
- Customizable! Everyone can add the meat, veggies, and/or cheese they want, everyone's happy. Yay!
- It can be eaten straight out of the jar which makes it perfect for on the go. Put a Mason Jar Jacket on it and it'll stay warm for a long time
- Leftover Instant Pot Baked Potatoes? Grate them up and make these! Perfect leftover use!
- Make ahead breakfast anyone? Make a few of these jars and keep them in the fridge for a fast, healthy meal all week
HOW TO MAKE THIS HEALTHY BREAKFAST ON THE GO
- Press your shredded potatoes into the jar
- Add the meat and/or veggies of choice
- Pour in the egg mixture
- Top with cheese
- Cook for 13 minutes
- Voila! Top them with salsa and you've got a serious Breakfast of Champions on your hands
TIPS FOR HEALTHY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE SUCCESS
- To prevent the casserole from sticking to the jar, spray or butter the inside of the jar well.
- Only use cooked meat. Raw meat will not likely cook through
- For the potato layer, shred a cooked baked potato or use bagged hashbrowns from the refrigerator aisle of the grocery store
- Cook three jars at a time, the surrounding heat is what makes them cook evenly. If you only need 1 or 2 jars of food, fill some empty jars with warm water and put those in the empty spaces
- To get the eggs out of the jar, simply scrape a butter knife around the edge of the casserole and let it fall onto your plate. I like to fill the jar with water and let it soak while we eat so it’s easier to clean up.
- Don't put tomatoes in the egg mixture, they have too much moisture. Save those for topping afterwards
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE A BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Store: Leftover casserole can be stored in the refrigerator right in the jar! Screw a lid on top and store for up to 5 days.
Reheat: The casserole will reheat more evenly if removed from the jar, placed on a plate, and cut in half. Reheat for 30 second increments in a microwave until warm.
Freeze: Casseroles can be frozen in the jar as well! Screw on a lid and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as instructed above.
MAKE AHEAD BREAKFAST CASSEROLE OPTION
To make ahead, simply prepare the casserole minus the egg, put a lid on it, then place it in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you're ready to cook it, remove the lid, add your eggs, and cook as directed on the recipe card. I prefer to add the eggs right before cooking so they don't soak down into the hashbrown layer.
VARIATIONS FOR THIS MASON JAR BREAKFAST
- Omit the potato layer and add an extra egg and toppings for a lower carb version
- Use shredded sweet potato instead of a white potato
- Use half-pint jars to make 6 minis in a 6-quart pot at the same time. Decrease the veggies/meat extras to 1/4 cup
No matter what you decide to put in your Pressure Cooker Mason Jar Breakfast Casserole, I can assure you, you will LOVE THIS! Every time I make these for my family, it's a chorus of “yums” “mmms” and “we should have these every night”. A peaceful table is one of my most favorite moments of the day.
I usually serve this with a slightly altered version of this Blueberry Crisp (I double the oats, use coconut oil and maple syrup and top it with yogurt instead of the coconut cream). It's a healthy version and the combo of the two make one of my all-time favorite dinners.
If you make these cute mini Breakfast Casseroles, share a picture with me on Instagram by tagging @marcitidbits. I would love to see them!
Enjoy!
MORE HEALTHY EGG BREAKFASTS FOR THE INSTANT POT
- Instant Pot Denver Style Egg Bites
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Spinach Casserole
- Instant Pot Reuben Frittata
- Instant Pot Poached Egg and Hash Brown Stacker
EXTRA TIDBITS
WHY IS BREAKFAST SO IMPORTANT
According to this article, eating breakfast is essential to kickstarting your metabolism which will result in better utilization of calories throughout the day. A wholesome, wholegrain breakfast will give you energy and focus to tackle work, school, and especially motherhood (don’t mess with me until I’ve had breakfast – word to the wise).
Making good food choices at the beginning of your day will also help motivate better choices throughout the day. See the article for even more benefits of breakfast!
BENEFITS OF EGGS
I feel like eggs have had an unfair roller coaster of opinions over the years: healthy, not healthy, eat only the white, no more than one a day, bad for heart health, best source of protein, etc etc.
Well according to this article by HealthLine, Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods in the world.
In one egg there are 77 calories, 6 grams of protein, and a diverse group of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.
Eggs can increase HDL (the good cholesterol), reduce heart disease risk, and contain antioxidants that are especially beneficial for eye health.
Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol and for this reason got quite a bad reputation for many years. Studies have failed to show a correlation between egg intake and heart disease which is why we don't hear many warnings about egg consumption anymore.
Eggs are now considered a low carb, filling, and protein-rich way to fuel your day, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This is music to my ears because not only do I love them, my kids could eat a dozen for breakfast all by themselves.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE IN A JAR
- Instant Pot
- Mason Jars
- Vegalene – my favorite nonstick spray, it doesn't leave that horrible residue
ALL OUR INSTANT POT BREAKFASTS RECIPES
- Instant Pot Blueberry Breakfast Cake
- Pressure Cooker Sweet Potato Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Instant Pot French Toast
- Pressure Cooker Blackberry Almond Breakfast Cake
- Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal
- All our Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole in a Jar
The ultimate Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Breakfast Casserole for an easy dinner or breakfast on the go.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
The ingredient amounts listed are for one jar
- ½ cup cooked, grated potato (could use thawed store-bought shredded potatoes/hash browns)
- ½ – ¾ cup extras such as diced raw or cooked veggies (bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, jalapeno, etc), cooked crumbled sausage or bacon, diced ham, etc
- 2 eggs, beaten with fork
- 1–2 tablespoons cheese (pepper jack, cheddar, mozzarella, etc)
- salt and pepper
- Optional toppings: salsa, fresh tomato, ketchup, hot sauce, maple syrup, herbs, etc
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a pint Mason jar with nonstick cooking spray.
- Season grated potato with salt and pepper. Add grated potato to the jar and press flat. The tighter you pack the potatoes, the better the egg mixture will stay above it.
- Add desired veggies and meat and pour beaten egg over top. Season with salt and pepper. Top with a sprinkle of cheese.
- Repeat for 2 more jars.
- Note: 3 mason jars are needed inside the pot for proper cooking. If only making 1 or 2 breakfast casserole jars, fill empty mason jars with warm water and place inside the pot to make a total of 3 jars
- Add 1 cup of water to the pressure cooker pot and place a trivet inside. Place uncovered jar on the trivet. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 13 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 5 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- To serve, add desired toppings and eat straight from the jar. Can also run a knife around the casserole and pop the whole thing out onto a plate.
- Caution: jar will be hot!
Notes
- A 6-quart pressure cooker will fit 3 pint jars at a time. For best results, cook 3 jars at a time. The surrounding heat is needed for even cooking. If only one or two jars of food are needed, fill extra mason jars with water and place them in to cook alongside the full jars
- To make smaller half pint jars, decrease add-ins to ¼ cup and decrease cook time to 10 minutes. Again, you will need surrounding heat for the eggs to cook properly so make at least 4 or up to 6 half pint casseroles or use water filled mason jars instead
Keywords: instant pot, breakfast casserole, on the go breakfast
I only have wide-mouth Mason jars. 3 fit in my Instapot but the sides touch. Is this okay?
Deborah, yep! That’s what I do!
Do the hash browns need to be cooked first? These are frozen?
Glenda, I either use thawed or refrigerate hashbrowns or I grated leftover baked potatoes. I worry uncooked shredded potatoes would result in excess liquid.
These are wonderful! These are so easy I have shared the recipe with my daughter and she makes them at college. My husband is a big eater and he happily ate these multiple days in a row for breakfast and a dinner. The make ahead option is a great idea. I’ve added these to our camping menu plan. I take the IP along and we will make them as described for ahead of time put the lids on and put into the cooler. When we get off our mountain bikes or out of our kayaks , I’ll dump in the eggs and in a short time we will have a very filling meal with very little mess ! Thanks a bunch!
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Gerrie, what a great idea! I will have to pass that along. I’m not much of a camping lover, but for when I get my giant camper one day (dreaming), this will be a go-to!
Can these be reheated after fully cooked?
Cindy, yep, it works great!
I love the mason jar steel cut oats, in fact I had cherry almond for breakfast today. I am going shopping to get everything I need to make this in the morning.
Lola, Make oats in one and a breakfast casserole in the other, ultimate breakfast right there!
Thank you for this breakfast recipe, Marci…using mason jars. I use my instant pot several times a week, but I didn’t know you could make a meal with mason jars…so I learned something new today. Thank your for suggestions for low carb as we have been eating KETO style for a year & I am always looking for KETO friendly meals, which you do have!
We live in our RV fulltime & travel so I am always looking for the simplest ways to cook with the least amount of dirty pans/dirty preparation dishes…heck, doesn’t everybody even in a traditional home?
Thank you again..you have a nice site!
Susan
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Susan, We make the mason jar steel cut oats from my blog as well, they are so so yummy! This is perfect for Keto.
My sister may need to contact you with RV living advice 🙂