Christmas breakfast and brunch are a great family tradition. Christmas morning is chaotic, with children waking up early to see what Santa has brought them. It can be hard to find time for a good breakfast when you’re busy unwrapping presents and getting ready for guests later that day. We love the idea of a Christmas brunch family tradition, where everyone has to sit down and eat together. To make breakfast faster, and still special, we adore casseroles and quick recipes.
We’re sharing some of the best Christmas breakfast and brunch recipes. What is your Christmas morning tradition?
There’s nothing like a hot cross bun in the morning. These soft and pillowy pieces of heaven are definitely worth making for Christmas. You can follow this Delish recipe to make it from scratch, which yields about one dozen servings. The homemade dough, waiting for the dough to rise, and baking the bread is completely worth the effort.
What brings hot cross buns to the next level is drizzling on a sweet glaze. All you need is powdered sugar, whole milk, and lemon zest to make it from scratch. The bread combined with the glaze will melt in your mouth, especially when the buns are fresh out of the oven.
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For anyone craving a savory breakfast on Christmas Day, consider whipping up a breakfast casserole. This hash brown breakfast casserole is one variation to consider. It’s loaded with eggs, sausage, and hash browns. These mouthwatering layers are topped with a cheddar cheese.
To balance out the heartiness of this meal, serve alongside some fresh fruit. You can give yourself less work to do on Christmas morning by making the casserole ahead of time. Simply cover and refrigerate the uncooked casserole for up to two days. Let it sit at room temperature for at least half an hour before baking, toss it in the oven, and you’ll be dining in no time.
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What’s great about cinnamon buns is they’re basically dessert in disguise. The soft, gooey, and warm buns topped with a sweet glaze is definitely something to indulge in on Christmas morning. For a bite-sized option, consider making these Forkly mini cinnamon bun pops.
Despite these cinnamon buns being made at home, they are actually really easy to whip up. The recipe uses one roll of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls which prevents you from making them completely from scratch. The cinnamon bun pops are also much less messy compared to traditional buns. These treats could be a sweet side to the main course you’re serving at breakfast.
Chocolate makes everything better, especially when you’re following this chocolate pancake recipe. This decadent breakfast brings sweetness to a whole other level that you’ll end up craving it long after Christmas morning. As if the pancakes being chocolate flavored isn’t enough, they are topped with a homemade chocolate ganache sauce.
Skipping the boxed pancake mix will ultimately be worth it. The recipe calls for cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and chocolate chunks to achieve max chocolatiness. It yields about 12 medium-sized pancakes. If you need to rewarm the chocolate sauce, simply heat in the microwave for a few seconds.
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Put your pressure cooker to good use this Christmas by making this Instant Pot French toast croissant casserole. It delivers sweet, cinnamon flavored French toast but without needing to use the stove. This is great for people who want to whip up eight servings at once, rather than making one at a time by using a pan.
This Forkly recipe puts a twist on traditional French toast by using croissants instead of white bread. Although it’s not completely necessary to broil the casserole, it’s recommended so the tops crisp up and appear golden brown. Dust the toast with powdered sugar, pour on some maple syrup, and bon appetit!
Those who desire something savory on Christmas morning will love this tomato and feta tart recipe. The pastry is loaded with mustard, caramelized onion, tomato, feta cheese, and fresh herbs. Feel free to put your own spin on the recipe by adding in your favorite ingredients or whatever you’re craving that day.
The recipe yields anywhere from four to eight servings and takes just over half an hour to make. To make things easier for home chefs, the recipe uses store-bought puff pastry. You can achieve a crispier tart by pre-baking the crust five minutes before adding your other ingredients to the tart.
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Take full advantage of the Christmas season by consuming eggnog in every possible way. You can include this creamy drink by making some fluffy eggnog pancakes. All you have to do is replace the milk in your regular pancake recipe with eggnog. It’s really just that simple!
This recipe shows you how to whip up the eggnog batter in five steps. It yields up to eight servings and takes no more than 20 minutes to prepare. The writer also teaches you how to make a homemade vanilla syrup, which will bring any type of pancake breakfast to a whole other level.
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For a lighter breakfast that’s rich in flavor, make smoked salmon eggs benedict. There’s no need to pay overpriced menu prices to indulge in this dish at a restaurant — make it homemade instead! This recipe teaches you how to easily do it. It yields two servings, takes 15 minutes to prepare, and just 10 minutes to cook.
This recipe delivers an English muffin loaded with smoked salmon, sliced avocado, and poached egg. The hollandaise sauce elevates the dish with a fusion of flavor. It’s made up of egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne, salt, and butter. Pour it on top of the poached egg and serve immediately!
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Make your pancakes a little more filling this Christmas by trying out this oatmeal cookie pancakes recipe from the Food Network. It takes 10 minutes to prepare, 12 minutes to cook, and yields about 12 pancakes in total. Make sure to have maple syrup or honey at the table to complete the pancake breakfast experience.
These pancakes are flavored with brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped walnuts, vanilla extract, and others that perfectly blend together. It also calls for ripe bananas. If you don’t have any ripe options on hand, simply heat them up in the microwave for 15 seconds to get them soft enough for mashing.
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Not everyone’s Christmas Day starts at the crack of dawn, which is why we’re including a ham and cheese brunch bake on this recipe round-up. It’s made with eggs, shredded white cheddar, ham, and seasoned with a handful of other ingredients. Since it uses a 9×13-inch baking dish, the recipe yields up to 10 servings.
It takes just an hour and 15 minutes to prepare. All you have to do is add the bread, ham, and cheddar to your baking dish. Pour on the egg mixture and bake until the eggs are fully cooked and the ham appears golden. Garnish with some extra thyme before serving and enjoy!
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Whoever believes that apple pie cannot be eaten for breakfast is sadly mistaken. Especially since this sheet pan apple pie recipe is too tasty to resist! The sweetness of the apples mixed with the flavor of cinnamon will pair excellently with your morning coffee on Christmas Day.
The Forkly recipe calls for pre-made pie crust rolls, so no need to panic over making the crust homemade. All you have to do is roll the crust and pour the apple mixture evenly onto the sheet pan. It also teaches you how to make the crumbly streusel topping using just four ingredients.
We love quiche for breakfast and brunch. The creamy egg custard makes it a really special dish. It’s a restaurant-worthy meal that can easily be prepared in the comfort of your own home by following this recipe. It uses store-bought crust and simple ingredients to make things as quick as possible.
Be careful not to overbake the quiche. You want it to still jiggle a little once it’s done so that it remains creamy and delicious. It’s also recommended that you bake it on the lower oven rack to guarantee the crust is golden brown and the right amount of crispy.
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