How To: 15 Ingenious Ways to Make Breakfast in a Slow Cooker

Your slow cooker isn't just for making lunch and dinner—it's also perfect for making a complete and super delicious breakfast with little work.

Slow cookers let you wake up to the smell of breakfast, or will let you spend your morning outside of the kitchen while they do the work for you. So go ahead and take that morning run, or sleep in to your heart's content: breakfast will be done when you're ready to eat.

1. Egg Casserole

The options for savory egg casseroles are endless. Use any meat, cheese, or vegetables you have on hand to prepare this dish. Just crack your eggs, chop vegetables, season, turn that dial, and forget about it... at least for the next few hours.

Use a slow cooker liner or aluminum foil for easy clean up.

2. Quiche

Something about this French dish just makes me feel fancy.

Quiche is an open-faced pastry filled with ingredients of your choice, thickened with eggs and cream. It works perfectly in a large oval crock pot.

3. French Toast

Mmm, French toast: the combination of vanilla and cinnamon is something I can never get enough of. Plus, you can't beat the delicious aroma that fills your house whenever you make it.

Gale from SkinnyMs. has an excellent version of a healthy and easy slow cooker french toast casserole that is sure to please your taste buds.

4. Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

If you are a fan of pull-apart bread, also known as monkey bread, you'll be thrilled to know it can be mastered in the slow cooker.

Get ready for a warm and gooey breakfast treat: you've got your choice of classic cinnamon roll, orange roll, or sticky buns that are both delicious and easy to share with the whole family.

5. Bread or Rolls

You haven't used your slow cooker enough until you try making bread. There are hundreds of bread recipes out there on the Internet, but Zoe from BreadIn5 in particular gives excellent, detailed instructions for crock pot bread baking.

6. Corn Bread

Enjoy fuss-free corn bread —no skillet or oven required. Cook for 3 hours, then slather generously with real butter and maple syrup—personally, my favorite way to eat it.

7. Pancakes

Being able to wake up to enough pancakes for you and whoever you're sharing breakfast with without fussing over a griddle is the best way to start a relaxing weekend. Plus, you get fluffy and thick pancakes with no flipping required... sounds like the perfect lazy breakfast to me.

Go for traditional buttermilk or make these blueberry vanilla pancakes from Jennifer of Slow Cooker Gourmet.

8. Apple Crisp

Apple crisp is a regular breakfast item in my house. Oats, apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar cook for 2-4 hours to create both an amazing smell in my kitchen and a sweet, wholesome way to start the day.

9. Breakfast Enchiladas

Get the whole enchilada with a breakfast twist: stuff flour tortillas with scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, or fillings or your choice the night before, then simply plug in the crock pot when you wake up for savory, Mexican-inspired breakfast fare.

10. Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

Jump on the gravy train for savory sausage coated in a creamy sauce, topped with flaky biscuits. A bowl of biscuits and sausage gravy is the ultimate bliss meal for me—and luckily, it's quite easy to make in the slow cooker.

11. Cheesy Potatoes

Fuel up for your day with cheesy potatoes. Bacon is optional... but I trust you'll make the right decision and add it to the mix.

Chungah from Damn Delicious shares her recipe for perfectly crispy loaded potatoes.

12. Hash Brown Casserole

If you want to line up another hit, go for the hash brown casserole. More cheese and more potatoes for the win!

Chelsea of Chelsea's Messy Apron has an awesome recipe that doesn't involve condensed soup (no preservatives for me, thank you).

13. Grits

Embrace southern roots with a nice bowl of cheesy grits. My personal experience with grits is basically non-existent, but my relatives from the south are very specific about how their grits need to be cooked.

This overnight recipe from Add A Pinch breaks down how to get amazing grits without getting up at the crack of dawn. Your slow cooker does the work while you sleep.

14. Oatmeal

There more than one way to make a delicious bowl of oatmeal, but your slow cooker has your back. Add your favorite fruit, milk, or nuts to quick oats and cook on high until the oats reach the consistency you prefer (or the amazing smell becomes irresistible—whichever comes first).

15. Yogurt

Raise your hand if you've never tried—or even realized it was possible!— yogurt in a slow cooker.

The good news is: it's possible, and it's delicious. The bad news is that you don't already have a batch of it at home... but thanks to this expert tutorial by Nick and Bay, you will soon.

The next time you want to host a beautiful breakfast or "set and forget" your meal for a lazy day, reach for the slow cooker. Hopefully this list has inspired you to try some new things.

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More Excellent Breakfast Hacks:

• 5 Shortcuts to Making Killer Breakfasts in a Hurry
• The Simple Trick to Making Egg McMuffin-Style Eggs at Home
• Make These Overnight Oats for a Healthy Grab-&-Go Breakfast