Overnight Vegan Breakfast Strata with Sausage and Kale

This Overnight Vegan Breakfast Strata is a savory breakfast casserole layered with sausage, kale, and creamy vegan cheese. The perfect weekend brunch!  

Have you ever had strata? It’s essentially a layered breakfast casserole made up of bread, cheese, vegetables, and meat, all in a fluffy egg mixture! Inspired by the cheesy, savory goodness of a breakfast casserole, I knew I had to make my own vegan version. This Overnight Vegan Breakfast Strata is layered with fluffy “eggs,” gooey vegan cheese, and spicy plant-based breakfast sausage for a mouthwatering start to any morning!

INGREDIENTS + INSPIRATION

From my research, it seems like strata has American origins—the earliest version dates back to 1902 and involved a mixture of bread, white sauce, and cheese, but the most modern variants are brunch dishes made with bread, eggs, and cheese. Our veganized version is made using a fluffy “egg” base of silken tofu and chickpea flour for the perfect eggy texture.

We’ll also be packing a boost of protein in this dish, thanks to the spicy vegan breakfast sausage. If you’d prefer to mix up the recipe with a different meat alternative, feel free to use any of your favorites 🙂 There are tons of vegan sausage varieties to choose from, or you could try it with tempeh bacon! The veggies we’ll use here are completely customizable as well, so feel free to swap or add in any of your favorite vegetables. 

HOW TO MAKE OVERNIGHT VEGAN BREAKFAST STRATA

This overnight vegan breakfast casserole is such a comfort food for me. All of those warm, savory flavors layered together in a dish that I can simply slice and enjoy…breakfast perfection! 

1. Blend the tofu, milk, chickpea flour, turmeric, salt, and pepper into a smooth and bubbly mixture.
2. Sauté the onion, then add the sausage and cook until it starts to brown, then add the bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper, and continue to sauté. Fold in the kale and cook until slightly wilted. 
3. Layer the bread cubes along a greased casserole dish, then add the sautéed veggies and sausage and mix. Add half of the vegan cheese. 
4. Pour the vegan egg mixture over top and press the bread into the mixture to soak. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover, and let soak in the fridge overnight. 
5. Uncover and bake until the bread has puffed up and the egg has thickened. 
6. Slice and enjoy!

This Overnight Vegan Breakfast Strata is the perfect make-ahead savory breakfast for the holidays…or any weekend brunch, really! I love doing the prep work the night before—it gets me so excited for breakfast the next day that I end up jumping out of bed in the morning! Plus, the leftovers will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days, so I have breakfast for the whole week 🙂 Serve it on its own, or alongside some crispy hash browns, breakfast potatoes, or oven-roasted sweet potatoes!

COOKING TIPS + FAQ:

• Can this be made gluten-free? Yes! You can use a gluten-free sandwich loaf instead, but keep in mind that gluten-free bread tends to be soft and tender compared to regular bread, so you may need to bake your casserole a little longer to ensure it isn’t soggy. You can also use a gluten-free meat alternative here! 
• What sausage is best for this recipe? I used Impossible breakfast sausage and I thought it gave this dish the best ‘meaty’ breakfast flavor, but Beyond Meat sausage would also be delicious here, or even soyrizo! 
• Other substitutions: Instead of oat milk, you can opt to use another creamy non-dairy milk like coconut or extra creamy cashew. For the cheese, I used Violife mature cheddar but you can use any other brand you prefer! Lastly, I have not tried this recipe with a different “egg” base, but if you would like to use a liquid egg product like Just Egg, let me know how it goes 🙂

If you’re looking for more holiday brunch recipes, you’ll also love these Vegan Spinach & Mushroom Crustless Quiches, these Fluffy Pumpkin Spice Waffles, and this super cozy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf!

Overnight Vegan Breakfast Strata

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 16 reviews

This Overnight Vegan Breakfast Strata is a savory breakfast casserole layered with sausage, kale, and creamy vegan cheese. The perfect weekend brunch! 

• Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
• Prep Time: 30 Minutes
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6 to 8 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Oven, Stovetop
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Filling:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
• 14 ounces (400 g) soft vegan sausage (see notes)
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 ounces (115 g) cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced 
• 3–5 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups (~115 g) curly kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped 
• 16 ounces (450 g) sourdough or french bread, cubed
• 1 block (200 g) vegan cheese, finely cubed (or sub shredded)

For the “Egg” Mixture: 

• 1 16-ounce (450 g) block silken tofu
• 1 1/2 cups (355 mL) oat milk* 
• 2/3 cup (80 g) chickpea flour 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional, for color)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Prep:  Bring out a 9×13” non-stick casserole dish. If your casserole is not nonstick, grease it with vegan butter or cooking spray. 
2. Vegan “Egg” Mixture: add the tofu, milk, chickpea flour, turmeric, salt, and black pepper to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 60 seconds, until a smooth and bubbly mixture forms. Set aside.
3. Sauté the Filling: warm the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the vegan sausage to the pan and break it up with a spatula; sauté for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until it starts to brown. Then, add in the bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté for 7 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have shrunken down and there is minimal liquid left in the pan. Fold in the kale and briefly cook until it has wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Layer: Layer the bread cubes along the base of the baking dish. Add the sautéed vegetables and vegan sausage to the pan and mix to combine. Add half of the vegan cheese mixture 
5. Soak: Pour the vegan egg mixture evenly over the bread and use your hands to press the bread into the mixture so it all becomes wet. Sprinkle the remaining cubed vegan cheese over the top of the casserole. Cover the casserole with foil and place in the fridge. Let soak overnight. 
6. Bake: Preheat the oven to 350F. Take the casserole out of the fridge, uncover, and let it come to room temperature while the oven is preheating, about 30 minutes. Bake in the middle rack for 30 minutes, then move the casserole to the upper oven rack and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread has puffed up and the vegan egg mixture has thickened.
7. Serve: Allow the casserole to set for 10 to 15  minutes before slicing and serving. Serve warm; leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

• Bread: I used a sliced sourdough loaf for this recipe, but french bread will work as well. Softer, fluffy breads like white sandwich bread will get too soggy and fall apart. I believe this recipe could work with Ezekiel or whole wheat bread, but haven’t tried it myself. Bread too soft? Cube your bread and place it on a baking sheet. Bake at 215F for 10 to 15 minutes, until dry.
• Milk: You can replace the oat milk in this recipe, but make sure your non-dairy milk is nice and creamy! Coconut milk would work well here, or a very creamy cashew milk.
• Sausage: I used Impossible’s breakfast sausage for this recipe, but beyond meat’s sausage or soyrizo would work as well. If you are using a firmer, wheat-based sausage, make sure to finely dice it before adding it to the pan. These types of sausage release less oil, so I would add an extra 2 tablespoons of oil to the onion at the beginning of the recipe. You can also use vegan beef crumbles instead of sausage, if you’d like.
• Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free sandwich loaf instead. Gluten-free bread tends to be a little more tender, so you may need to bake your casserole for an extra 5 to 10 minutes so it is not soggy.
• Other Substitutions: I used a violife mature cheddar block for this recipe, but another brand should work fine. Feel free to swap out veggies as you please, but I would keep the overall ratio the same. I have not tested this recipe with a substitute for the chickpea flour or tofu, but I imagine a liquid egg product like Just Egg would work as well – try at your own risk though 😉

Keywords: vegan strata, vegan breakfast casserole, overnight vegan breakfast recipes, savory vegan breakfast recipes, vegan holiday breakfast recipes