40 Christmas Breakfast Ideas To Feed Your Whole Holiday Crowd
Because you're not a short-order cook, especially on Christmas!
Imagine this: It’s Christmas morning, everyone’s opening stockings, checking out the presents under the tree, sipping brunch cocktails and coffee, while you… make everyone individual breakfasts? No way! If you're hosting guests over the holidays, you need this list of 40 holiday breakfast recipes that can feed a crowd. They’re sure to guarantee a Merry Christmas morning to all (and especially to you).
Don’t think that just because these breakfasts are easier to throw together that they aren’t also extra special—it’s the holidays after all. They’re spectacular for a few reasons—flavor, of course, but also the creative methods we’ve employed to make them. Casseroles are classic, and many of these can be made the night before, like our overnight French toast casserole, our cheesy croissant casserole, our egg & hashbrown casserole, or our cheesy ham & potato casserole. Take a break between all your last-minute present wrapping to toss a few ingredients into a casserole dish, then either bake it right then or tuck it in the fridge. Pull it out when you wake up to reheat or bake, and you’ll have breakfast ready for your whole crowd before the stockings are even empty.
Another way we’re taking some stress off you is to utilize some of your favorite kitchen appliances, like in our Instant Pot hash, our Crockpot breakfast casserole, or our Instant Pot French toast. Don’t own any of those? We bet you own a sheet pan though, right? Use it to make our 4-way sheet-pan pancakes, our sheet-pan Brussels sprouts bacon egg hash, or our crescent breakfast squares. Once they’re assembled, you’re good to go. (Hot tip: Get someone else to cut and serve them so you can take a much deserved break.)
Finally, if you’ve got a crowd clamoring for eggs, but you really don’t want to take specific orders for them, make our giant breakfast sandwich, our migas, our eggs Benedict casserole, or our green shakshuka. These dishes have so much else going on that no one will complain that the eggs in them aren’t cooked exactly to their preferences.
Want even more Christmas inspiration? Check out our favorite Christmas cookies, appetizers, lunches, and dinners for leading up to and on the big day.
Overnight French Toast Casserole
We've got three words for you that are going to change your Christmas breakfast and brunch game forever: Overnight. French. Toast. It's comically delicious, thanks to a long overnight soak in a heavy cream-infused custard, which transforms sliced challah into a pudding-y delight.
Spinach & Cheese Quiche
This rich, custardy spinach quiche is just the thing to break out for Christmas brunch. This quiche is delicious served warm or at room temperature. A simple arugula salad and some crispy pan-fried potatoes nicely round out the meal, along with a Christ-mosa if you’ve got nowhere to be. 😉
Get the Spinach & Cheese Quiche recipe.
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Yeasted doughs like cinnamon rolls and brioche take time, which makes it hard to have soft, fresh out of the oven cinnamon rolls ready without getting up at the crack of dawn. Enter: overnight cinnamon rolls! Most of the work is done the day before so that all you have to do is roll out of bed, put on some Christmas pajamas, and pop these into the oven.
Get the Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe.
Bread Pudding
This rich, custardy dessert is a guaranteed breakfast crowd-pleaser. We love challah for its subtle sweetness and light, airy texture, but any [stale] bread will do. Though raisins are optional, we think they add a nice pop of sweetness and texture.
Get the Bread Pudding recipe.
Breakfast Monkey Bread
Upgrade your cinnamon sugar pull-apart monkey bread, with all your favorite breakfast flavors, including everything bagel seasoning! Plus, it's made using refrigerated biscuit dough, so it comes together extra fast—you can have this on the table in just an hour from beginning to end.
Get the Breakfast Monkey Bread recipe.
Versatile Scones
These are so buttery and flaky, come out tall and proud with plenty of layers. This base recipe works well with any extra add-ins and can even go sweet or savory. We include a few of our favorite variations, but don't let the fun stop here. Go wild with some of your family's favorite fruit, chocolate chips, or cheeses!
Get the Versatile Scones recipe.
Breakfast Strata
This healthy dish will fuel you and your family up for whatever the day ahead holds. Your family will be so into the sausage, eggs, and bread here, they won't even notice we snuck in some mushrooms and spinach too. Feel free to swap the fontina for Gruyère or white cheddar instead.
Get the Breakfast Strata recipe.
Instant Pot French Toast
There's no need for your French toast casserole to take an hour to bake in the oven. You can spend half that time in the Instant Pot for a fuss-free breakfast that means you'll spend less time in the kitchen and more time hanging with your kids.
Get the Instant Pot French Toast recipe.
Everything Bagel Casserole
This casserole is a GREAT alternative to a bagel bar, especially for those who can't handle cutting bagels (or are just indecisive!). If you can't find everything bagels (the horror!), just use extra everything bagel seasoning.
Get the Everything Bagel Casserole recipe.
Sticky Buns
These are absolutely perfect—the buns are fluffy and buttery, the cinnamon swirls tightly wound, and the glaze as sticky as possible. Bonus: They make your kitchen smell INCREDIBLE.
Get the Sticky Buns recipe.
Green Shakshuka
This take on shakshuka spins the color wheel, thanks to roasted tomatillos and Swiss chard, and takes flavor inspiration from Mexico. We top these eggs cooked in a tangy, spicy salsa verde with cotija cheese and avocado but the topping choices are endless—so get creative!
Get the Green Shakshuka recipe.
4-Way Sheet Pan Pancake
Making pancakes for a crowd? Some want plain and others want chocolate chip or blueberry? This sheet pan pancake is the perfect solution. You can make a whole batch and serve hot and fresh ones to everyone at once.
Get the 4-Way Sheet Pan Pancake recipe.
Crescent Breakfast Squares
This crescent roll hack is extremely simple and comes together in just about an hour. It’s a simple way to avoid any complaints about the way the eggs are cooked (hint: they’re scrambled, but even haters will enjoy it tucked between flaky pastry), is super customizable, and makes for a great on-the-go option too.
Get the Crescent Breakfast Squares recipe.
Crustless Quiche
This crustless quiche, also sometimes referred to as a frittata, forgoes the pastry shell and as a result the egg itself creates a satisfying crust on the edges. We love filling our quiches with veggies like zucchini and tomatoes or a wild mushroom blend, or even something a bit more decadent like ham and potato—get creative!
Get the Crustless Quiche recipe.
Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal
This cinnamon roll-inspired oatmeal is great as-is, but feel free to go crazy on the mix-ins! Dried fruit, chopped apples, sliced bananas, or frozen blueberries would all be totally delicious too.
Get the Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal recipe.
Biscuits and Gravy Bake
There is nothing better than biscuits and gravy, and this is the perfect way to serve them to a Christmas crowd. An extra thick layer of gravy with lots of black pepper makes this bake absolutely perfect. Heads up: we recommend par-baking the first layer of biscuits while the gravy is being prepared for best results.
Get the Biscuits and Gravy Bake recipe.
Homemade Monkey Bread
This recipe takes some extra time since you're making your own yeasted dough (instead of using canned biscuits), but we promise you it's well worth the effort for the softest, fluffiest monkey bread ever. Each piece of dough is generously coated in melted butter and cinnamon sugar making the whole thing taste like a cinnamon roll. 😍
Get the Homemade Monkey Bread recipe.
Egg & Hash Brown Casserole
Listen, we love a big breakfast featuring all the usual suspects—fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy hash browns, a plate of breakfast sausage, and a pile of sautéed spinach for good measure. Enter this casserole, which delivers all those classic breakfast foods in ONE single dish (means a lot less work and dishes!).
Get the Egg & Hash Brown Casserole recipe.
Best-Ever Migas
This traditional Mexican breakfast is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Crispy fried tortillas meet scrambled eggs, creating that magical crisp-gone-soggy texture that's irresistibly satisfying. This skillet breakfast might just compete with presents for reason to get out of bed on Christmas morning. 😉
Get the Best-Ever Migas recipe.
Cheesy Croissant Casserole
The contrast here between the crispy, flaky edges of the croissants and the soft, cheesy middle is very special. If you're able to, assemble everything on Christmas Eve, and bake it off Christmas morning while everyone begins opening stockings and presents.
Get the Cheesy Croissant Casserole recipe.
