40 Easy Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas For A Stress-Free Morning
Brunch without the fuss.
We've all been in this frighteningly all-too-common holiday scenario: The prep for your Thanksgiving dinner spread is already stressful enough if you're hosting, but that means you might be in charge of whipping up a hearty breakfast for everyone on the big day as well. Whatever you do, don't panic! We've cracked the code on all the easiest Thanksgiving breakfast recipes, like one-pot breakfast casseroles, Instant Pot breakfasts, and tons of our favorite brunch recipes of all time. These 40 easy morning meals will make the start to your Thanksgiving day as stress-free as possible!
It can be daunting to prep breakfast for a whole crew, especially when you might already be roasting that Thanksgiving turkey in the oven, but we've compiled our easiest potluck-style breakfasts to satisfy your crowd with minimal mess (and effort!). While these recipes may be simple, they're still satisfying enough to keep everyone full until the big meal. If you're feeling savory, serve up our cheesy croissant casserole, spinach & cheese quiche or breakfast strata for a hearty start to your morning. We've also included plenty of sweet favorites made easy, like our overnight cinnamon rolls, Instant Pot French toast, and 4-way sheet pan pancake, so you can satisfy that sweet craving early in the day.
If you don't want to miss out on any fall flavors, we've included plenty of fall recipes to get into the spirit right as the day starts. Our slow-cooker pumpkin spice oatmeal, apple cinnamon muffins, and sheet pan sweet potato hash will get you and your fam excited about the signature meal to come.
Ready to make this Thanksgiving the most stress-free possible? Check out our last-minute Thanksgiving appetizers and our favorite make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes to be three steps ahead of the game this year.
Pumpkin Bread
Enter: our best basic pumpkin bread recipe. It's insanely easy to whip together, super-moist, and infinitely adaptable. Is it even fall without a loaf?
Get the Pumpkin Bread recipe.
Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole
If you like the idea of a savory breakfast strata or crave scallion cream cheese and toasted everything bagels, then this will make a lot of sense. All you need to do is pop a fresh can of crescent rolls, stuff with scallion cream cheese, and roll. Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning and bake in a frittata-style, savory egg custard. It will fit perfectly on the center of a breakfast table with each person taking their designated crescent roll slices.
Get the Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole recipe.
Sheet-Pan Apple Cinnamon Roll Bites
Imagine the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls filling your kitchen, but with a delightful twist—miniature versions bursting with the sweet, spiced flavor of apples. These mini apple cinnamon rolls are a perfect blend of comfort and indulgence, crafted to impress at any gathering or to elevate your cozy morning routine.
Get the Sheet-Pan Apple Cinnamon Roll Bites recipe.
Mini Cranberry Popovers
Of course, plain popovers are irresistible in and of themselves, but we couldn’t help but add some cranberry (and a little orange) to the mix, making these mini cranberry popovers a perfectly festive breakfast or brunch treat for the holidays. Topped with our favorite cranberry sauce, a pat of softened butter, and a drizzle of maple syrup, this might become your new go-to weekend breakfast during the holiday season.
Get the Mini Cranberry Popovers recipe.
Breakfast Strata
This veggie-packed dish will fuel you and your family up for whatever the day ahead holds. Your guests 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.
Pumpkin Spice French Toast Poppers
Buttery Hawaiian rolls (yep, like you'd use for Hawaiian roll sliders) soaked in a creamy pumpkin custard, coated in a layer of crispy panko, fried, and rolled in pumpkin spice sugar...trust us, these are just weird enough to work!
Get the Pumpkin Spice French Toast Poppers recipe.
Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Hash
This easy bacon and sweet potato hash can upgrade any breakfast and comes together in one. single. pan. Yes, even the bacon! It's a savory favorite that'll have your potluck guests clamoring for more.
Get the Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Hash recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Slow-Cooker Oatmeal
Forget the classic pumpkin spice latte—this slow-cooker oatmeal will be your new morning pick-me-up. Heartier than a latte and a pastry, this pumpkin spice recipe is the hearty breakfast you need when you want to stay full and satisfied until the big meal.
Get the Pumpkin Spice Slow-Cooker Oatmeal recipe.
Apple Cheddar Crescent Casserole
If you can't get enough of the combo of apple and cheese, you're going to love this eggy breakfast version too. Think a breakfast strata, but with buttery, caramelized apples, crescent rolls strewn throughout, and lots of sharp cheddar.
Get the Apple Cheddar Crescent Casserole recipe.
Pumpkin Pie French Toast Bake
Homemade pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice lattes aren't the only way to get into the spirit of pumpkin season, and this cozy overnight French toast bake is proof.
Get the Pumpkin Pie French Toast Bake recipe.
Croque Monsieur Breakfast Casserole
A croque monsieur is a delectable French sandwich featuring Gruyére and a silky béchamel sauce poured over top. It’s the savory version of French toast casserole and is perfect for your next brunch.
Sheet-Pan Frittata
If you're looking for the easiest way to make a customizable brunch for a crowd, then this sheet-pan frittata is the answer. Instead of worrying about having enough food to feed friends and family of 8 to 10 people, you can lean on a sheet pan to do the work for you. Just like our classic frittata, this recipe is completely customizable.
Get the Sheet-Pan Frittata recipe.
Classic Coffee Cake
Don’t let the name fool you: There’s no actual coffee in a classic coffee cake. The name comes from the quintessential accompaniment to this brunch staple, which is a steaming cup of coffee. TMYK!
Get the Classic Coffee Cake recipe.
Crescent Breakfast Tart
This tart is endlessly adaptable and is way easier than it looks thanks to refrigerated crescent dough. We topped ours with eggs and bacon, but feel free to use your favorite breakfast ingredients.
Get the Crescent Breakfast Tart recipe.
Hawaiian Roll French Toast
Have leftover Hawaiian rolls kicking around (maybe from making some of our killer sliders?)? Use them to make these cute French toast squares! Paired with a "costume" made up of coconut custard, pineapple maple syrup, toasted coconut flakes, and bits of zingy orange zest, you'll barely recognize them.
Get the Hawaiian Roll French Toast 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 to bring to a potluck. Make it easy on yourself, and prepare them the night before! They'll just need a short (-ish, ~1 hour) rise in the morning, then can be baked (for only 25 minutes!).
Get the Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe.
Cranberry Bread Pudding
This autumnal take on bread pudding is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and rich. With bright pops of cranberries, almond- and clove-scented custard, and a sweet icing made with orange zest, it’s impressive enough to serve for dessert at a dinner party, and not to sweet to serve as breakfast.
Get the Cranberry Bread Pudding recipe.
Apple, Sausage, Cheddar, Hash Brown Breakfast Bake
Many American continental breakfasts consist of hash browns, sausage, and cheesy eggs—consider this apple, sausage, cheddar hash brown breakfast bake the crowd-friendly version of this simplistic holiday morning meal. Instead of served together on a plate, hash browns are layered with sausage, soft apples, and a quiche-like egg mixture.
Get the Apple, Sausage, Cheddar, Hash Brown Breakfast Bake recipe.
Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
When the weather isn't cold enough for a pumpkin spice latte, a pumpkin cream cold brew is the perfect compromise. Making one at home is simple and worth making your own cold brew for. Of course, you can always use your favorite store-bought cold brew or iced coffee to speed the process up. It's all about that pumpkin topping anyway!
Cranberry-Mimosa Breakfast Cake
This is exactly what cranberry-mimosa breakfast cake dreams are made of. Because we love our mimosas and our breakfast cakes, such as this blueberry-lemon one, we decided the world needed this fall-forward rendition.
