Slow Cooker Breakfast Recipes for Easy and Delicious Mornings

Most people are excited to eat breakfast or brunch, but are less than enthusiastic about cooking either of these meals in the morning. That's where slow cookers come in handy. Just like you can make a beef stew simmer all day while you're at work, you can make an egg casserole or french toast overnight in your crockpot. When you want a filling family breakfast in a rushed morning, try one of these simple slow cooker recipes to start your day.

Related: 26 Breakfast Casseroles to Start Your Morning Right

There are only five ingredients in this sweet casserole, making it easy to throw together in the morning or even the night before cooking. Cream cheese and salted caramel sauce make a creamy coating for canned cinnamon rolls. Ripe bananas sliced on top for serving make it reminiscent of Bananas Foster.

Recipe: Pillsbury

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Did you know that you can turn biscuits and gravy into a casserole? It tends to thicken as it cooks in the slow cooker, so make your gravy looser than you normally do. Canned biscuits are a simple shortcut that still results in a delicious, hearty dish.

Recipe: Beyer Beware

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This is a fun recipe because it uses tater tots. It also fills a large crockpot, so it feeds a lot of people. Simply layer the tots, cubed ham, and cheese in the pot, then pour seasoned, beaten eggs over it all. Feel free to use other ingredients your family enjoys, like bacon, cooked sausage, peppers, or broccoli.

Recipe: Julie's Eats and Treats

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Cheesy potatoes are a decadent breakfast side dish, and they're a lot easier to put together if you can do it the night before in a slow cooker. All you have to do is chop the potatoes, peppers, and onions, then stir them into the other ingredients in the pot. Andouille sausage is a flavorful addition, but you can substitute other sausage or leave the meat out entirely. 

Recipe: Damn Delicious

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All kinds of porridge are great for breakfast, so why not rice? Though rice pudding is generally thought of as a dessert, it can easily become a breakfast dish by using less sugar. Brown rice, almond milk, and flaxseed make this version healthier as well. Add whatever dried fruit you have in addition to the golden raisins.

Recipe: Uproot Kitchen

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If you make this hash overnight in your crock pot, all you have to do in the morning is cook some eggs to top it. Red potatoes and carrots are an unusual and good-for-you combination, and dill adds a unique freshness. Crumble some feta over the top and it becomes a Greek-inspired hash. 

Recipe: Taste of Home

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If you make cinnamon rolls from scratch and cook them in a slow cooker, you don't need to let them rise because they do that in the crock pot. So while you're taking the time to make a yeast dough, you're simplifying the whole process. Make sure you put a layer of paper towels between the pot and the lid to keep the condensation that forms from dripping onto your rolls and making them soggy.

Recipe: Sally's Baking Recipes

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Let's face it: French toast casserole is really just bread pudding. But somehow calling it French toast casserole makes it more appropriate for breakfast. This is a standard, simple recipe flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. Build on it with any additions you like, including fruit, chocolate chips, or even a splash of bourbon.

Recipe: Recipes that Crock

Breakfast burritos are quick and easy in the morning if you cook them overnight in a slow cooker. Frozen hash browns, sausage, cheese, and eggs are combined in the pot, and then spooned into tortillas in the morning. Top them with your favorite salsa, hot sauce, and avocado. This is a great way to make a bunch of burritos for the freezer, too. 

Recipe: Pretty Providence

Related: The Best Breakfast Burrito in Every State

Baked apples are great for breakfast any time of the year. These are sweetened with maple syrup and packed with granola for crunch. They're great eaten just as they are, but you can also top them with yogurt, or serve in a bowl of oatmeal for a heartier meal.

Recipe: The Magical Slow Cooker

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Everyone loves monkey bread, the cinnamon-filled, pull-apart loaf. You can make it in a slow cooker and it comes out extra-gooey and soft. Using a heat-safe glass jar in the middle of the pot keeps the shape like a traditional bundt pan. Don't forget to use paper towels or a kitchen towel under the lid.

Recipe: McCormick

If you'd like to present a more traditional-looking casserole on a brunch table, try this frittata recipe. You cook it in a casserole dish that's nestled into your crockpot, so you'd never know that it was cooked in a slow cooker. Goat cheese, thyme and sun dried tomatoes gives this a French flair. 

Recipe: Taste of Home

Baked French toast is even better with juicy, sweet fruit in it. This recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but you can also use frozen, or even a mixture of frozen berries with raspberries and strawberries. You can top it with maple syrup just like regular French toast, or put a dollop of lemon curd from a jar for more fruitiness.

Recipe: Kenya Rae

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Who says pumpkin is only good in the fall? This slow cooker pumpkin oatmeal is a great way to start the day because pumpkin is rich in fiber and vitamin A. All you have to do is stir the ingredients together in your crock pot and then turn it on overnight. Top it with pecans or chocolate chips for an extra treat.

Recipe: Well Plated

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Banana bread has been one of the trendy baking projects of the pandemic, but most people don't know that you can bake it in a crockpot. This is a classic recipe that includes pecans, but you can use your favorite recipe, too. Just make sure you grease and flour your pot so it comes out easily when it's done.

Recipe: The Spruce Eats

Most recipes for eggs in crock pots don't have a crust, but you can cook a full quiche — crust and all — in a slow cooker. This recipe uses premade pie crust to save time, and lines the pot with it. The filling is made with eggs, cream, cheddar, ham, and green onions, but you can use any of your favorite quiche ingredients, like caramelized onions or bacon.

Recipe: Recipes that Crock

Anyone who is a fan of sweet and savory combinations will love this sausage and waffle recipe. Breakfast sausage with some extra sage mixed in is layered on top of frozen waffles in a slow cooker. An egg mixture including some maple syrup is poured on top along with cheese for an unusual and irresistible combination. 

Recipe: Taste of Home

This is a casserole for people who love kitchen sink omelets loaded with fillings. It's got sausage and bacon, onions, two kinds of peppers, and cheddar cheese. That's all layered in between shredded hash browns with a creamy egg mixture holding it all together. Top it with hot sauce, avocado, green onions, or any other fresh toppings you like.

Recipe: The Gracious Wife

Granola is traditionally baked in the oven, but you can make it in a slow cooker if you'd rather not heat up your home. The trick is to keep the lid on the pot ajar so that no liquid is trapped in it and it slowly dries the granola. This recipe includes coconut, nuts, and honey to sweeten, plus your favorite dried fruit mixed in at the end.

Recipe: Simply Recipes

This recipe couldn't get much easier. All you do is mix everything together and then pour it into your slow cooker. The end result is an interesting cross between a quiche and a biscuit thanks to the addition of Bisquick in the egg mixture. Ham, Swiss cheese, and onion flavor the dish.

Recipe: Taste of Home

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