Like my family, Ben’s extended family usually makes a big, delicious to-do of holiday meals, but the past few weeks have been so frantic (surgeries, illnesses) that the fact that Easter is this very Sunday has just now registered. We may end up getting the larger family together last minute, or Ben and I may just go out to brunch with his parents. In either case, I’ll be with people I love, eating good food. Holiday essentials: ✔️ If we do get together last minute, I know exactly what I am bringing: these easy crockpot breakfast potatoes. They take less than 15 minutes to prep and are designed to feed (and to please) a crowd, and the slow cooker makes them ideal for serving and for easy transport too.
What Makes Crockpot Breakfast Potatoes So Special?
I’ve been a fan of making potatoes in the slow cooker since I first made these Crock Pot Baked Potatoes, and these overnight crockpot breakfast potatoes might be even better. Essentially a slow cooker version of home fries, these crockpot breakfast potatoes have all the necessary components of classic breakfast potatoes:
crispy outside and creamy inside peppers and onions the all-American salty somethin’ somethin’ that makes breakfast potatoes addictive
But the thing I love the most about the overnight breakfast potatoes is what they lack: the need to stand at the stove and babysit. Rather than hover over a hot, oily skillet and stress over whether or not the breakfast potatoes are going to burn on the outside before they cook on the inside, this crockpot breakfast potato method allows you the freedom to put the whole shebang into your slow cooker and walk away. After a few hours, these crockpot breakfast potatoes will be perfectly tender and creamy, no stirring required. You can enjoy them hot right out of the slow cooker as a side or top them with a fried egg to turn them into a hash, which is how I ate them for lunch.
These crockpot breakfast potatoes are especially effective if you are hosting a party, because the slow cooker completely frees up your stove and oven, and guests can help themselves throughout the day. If you are a guest, it’s also a considerate recipe, because your host won’t need to do anything but clear a little counter space. Aside of the nearly obligatory baked ham, breakfast potatoes are perfection served with quiche or a frittata.
How to Customize the Crockpot Breakfast Potatoes Recipe
Decadent Crockpot Breakfast Potatoes. For those looking to stick to a diet, this recipe reasonably qualifies as healthy breakfast potatoes, but if you want to make them ultra decadent, you can slip in an extra tablespoon or two of butter. To Make Vegan + Dairy Free. If you’d prefer the recipe be vegan or dairy free, you can replace the butter with the same amount of olive oil. Cheesy Crockpot Breakfast Potatoes. I haven’t yet tried transforming the recipe into cheesy breakfast potatoes via a shower of shredded cheese sprinkled over the top at end of the cooking time, but I can’t imagine that little twist being anything short of delicious.
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
Slow cooker Non-slip cutting board
What’s on your Easter menu? Has everything been set for weeks? Or are you still looking for new ideas? I’d love to hear about your celebrations, including celebrations involving staying home all day in your PJs!
