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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!
- Blend the tofu, milk, chickpea flour, turmeric, salt, and pepper into a smooth and bubbly mixture.
- 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.
- Layer the bread cubes along a greased casserole dish, then add the sautéed veggies and sausage and mix. Add half of the vegan cheese.
- 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.
- Uncover and bake until the bread has puffed up and the egg has thickened.
- 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!
PrintOvernight Vegan Breakfast Strata
This Overnight Vegan Breakfast Strata is a savory breakfast casserole layered with sausage, kale, and creamy vegan cheese. The perfect weekend brunch!
- 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
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
- Prep: Bring out a 9×13” non-stick casserole dish. If your casserole is not nonstick, grease it with vegan butter or cooking spray.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
LOVED this recipe, so perfect for busy work week breakfasts!!!
Happy you loved it, Hayley!
This casserole has become our Christmas morning tradition! Third year making it – and it’s just as amazing as I remember.
★★★★★
Oh, wow! Thank you so much, Ava. Such an honor!
Quick question: It wasn’t obvious from the directions or your video. What type of silken tofu do you use? Is it the Nasoya type that is in the refrigerated section at the store or is it the aspetic packs that don’t need refrigeration? I’m asking because the textures and the amounts are different. Fridge packs are typically 16 oz while the shelf stable is typically 12 oz and much “firmer” than the fridge pack with a lower water content.
I used the refrigerated type of silken tofu!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’ve been looking for vegan breakfast recipes that I can make ahead of time and are more filling because I always get super hungry in the mornings between breakfast and lunch. This was easy to make and was super yummy!
You’re so welcome, Jess!
This recipe is sooo good! I didn’t have Chickpea flour so instead used almond flour as per what I googled for substitutes for Chickpea flour…of course I don’t know what it would have tasted like with the chickpea flour, but it tasted really good. So just wanted to thank you and pass along this info.
★★★★★
Happy it worked out well with the almond flour, Melanie! Thank you ♥
I made this last Thanksgiving, and came back for the recipe again this year! Cannot wait to have it again! Such a cozy and hearty breakfast…for a day of cooking and honestly, will probably sub these leftovers in for stuffing later in the day. This’ll also be a go-to brunch item for hosting.
★★★★★
Thank you for this, Meagan! Have a great Thanksgiving! ♥
I made this today and it turned out delicious! I tend to not follow instructions closely; had to leave out the silken tofu and the vegan cheese, used a different mix of veggies and added some rosemary and thyme, so was a bit nervous about how it would turn out, but it was still great. I bet it would be even better with the cheese, so I’ll give that go a next time 🙂
★★★★★
So happy you found it delicious, Sam! Thank you for leaving a rating! ♥
This is my favorite vegan egg dish I have ever made! I used to love quiche, so I’ve tried a lot of vegan substitutes, but this is the first one that hits the spot. I replaced half of the salt with black salt to make it more eggy, and I used shredded Violife mozzarella instead of cubed cheese.
★★★★★
Glad you enjoy it, Kerry!
Just made this as a I wanted more prep ahead savoury breakfasts and omg it’s so indulgent and amazing, I never write reviews but this was so so good. I couldn’t find any soft breakfast sausage (UK) so I just used cheaper regular sausages which mush easily, then added sage rosemary and thyme to the pan mixture and a decent spoonful of black salt in the egg mix.
★★★★★
Your review is much appreciated, Robyn! So glad you loved it!
My husband said this was one of the best things I’ve ever made! I cut the sausage amount in half to save on the calories and added some more mushrooms and it still worked out great!! Next time I would use black salt, but that’s just because we have it on hand, it was fine with the regular salt! Very good recipe
★★★★★
Glad it turned out great and you and your husband loved it, Abigail! Thank you for leaving a review!
I made this Christmas morning for my husband and I and OMG! It was so good. Reminded me of a (not vegan) casserole my mom use to make growing up. I told my husband we need to make it every weekend! THANK YOU for this recipe!
★★★★★
You are so welcome! Glad you loved it 🙂
Made on Christmas Eve to be cooked and eaten Christmas morning – loved it, and so did everyone who tried it! Leftovers tasted great microwaved as well.
★★★★★
Thanks, Danielle! So glad to hear you loved it.
I absolutely loved this! Fooled the meat lovers in the house! I had to substitute soy milk bc cashew was not available where I lived………top kinda cracked and didn’t look pretty but man oh man it was delicious! Also, I had to use vegan Gruyère cheese and I think it added a extra layer of richness. Next time will make exactly according to recipe tho bc Caitlin never steers me wrong!
★★★★★
Thank you, Carol!
This was SO good! Even better than the strata I’ve made with Just Egg. 10/10 will make again!
★★★★★
Thank you, Katie! 🙂
This was so good! I used two 12 oz. bottles of Just Egg instead of the tofu/chickpea flour/milk mixture. It turned out fantastic! Also, I made it all in the morning and cooked right away rather than letting it sit overnight (Just Egg separates in the bottle and I didn’t want it to do something weird). We loved it! It was good with salsa on it too! Thank you Caitlin for another delicious recipe!! Merry Christmas!
★★★★★
You are so welcome! Angela 🙂
Hi Angela! What temp and how long did you bake it with the Just Egg?
Thank you!
Such an amazing, delicious, and easy breakfast option! For some reason I had a hard time finding a block of vegan cheese so I went with vegan parm and it was so good! I thought maybe it would need more salt but I followed all of the listed measurements and it was perfectly seasoned. Will definitely be making again soon!!
★★★★★
Awesome, Thank you Allison! 🙂
Hi! I have this in the fridge ready to cook tomorrow morning!! I’m a little concerned I used too much bread and there isn’t enough eggy mixture. How wet should this be prior to cooking?
Hi Sophia! It should at least be soaked with the eggy mixture and wet enough that it doesn’t look like it’s about to dry before you bake it.
This recipe is amazing. I ate three servings! I used ripple pea milk and did not chill overnight and it was still delicious. I also used spinach instead of kale and gardein breakfast sausage bc I don’t love the other sausage brands. I crumbled and it worked great. Thank you for another great recipe!
★★★★★
You’re welcome, Sherry! Glad it turned out great with those tweaks you made! ☺️
I made this for my family’s annual gift exchange party. Everyone, even the nonvegans, ate and loved it! They couldn’t believe there was not meat in it. There was none left. I will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
You are so welcome! Shalleene! Glad everyone enjoyed it 🙂
How do you recommend storing this dish? I am the only vegan in the house and make dishes to eat on for several days. Should I freeze small pieces or will it keep in the fridge?
Hi Amy, You can use an airtight container for the leftovers and it can stay on the fridge for up to 5 days. 🙂