32 Christmas Brunch Recipes You'll Make Every Year

Start your day in the merriest way possible — with a celebratory spread of sweet and savory favorites!

November 03, 2022

By: Food Network Kitchen

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Plan a Festive Morning Meal

While everyone may be excited to wake up on Christmas morning and open their presents, these recipes will help you ensure that what comes after the presents is special too. Yes, we’re talking about brunch. Thanks to these ideas, you can bake up a hearty casserole, serve savory mini quiches or create an entire breakfast buffet — no matter what, these mouthwatering dishes will tide your family over until dinner. We even have a delicious use for the ubiquitous holiday cake that everyone loves to give but no one seems to eat! Panettone's raisins, citron and pine nuts make this rich, custardy breakfast just right for special occasions.

Get the Recipe: Panettone French Toast Casserole

Deep Dish Hash Brown Ham and Cheese Quiche

How to improve on ham-and-cheese quiche? Bake it in an uber-crispy hash brown crust for the perfect breakfast dish for a crowd.

Get the Recipe: Deep-Dish Hash Brown Ham and Cheese Quiche

Mushroom-Spinach Baked Eggs

Potato bread adds volume to this breakfast casserole made with Gruyère cheese, white mushrooms and baby spinach.

Get the Recipe: Mushroom-Spinach Baked Eggs

Pancake Breakfast Casserole

Make breakfast pancakes extra special by baking them in a rich, creamy custard. You can cook and freeze the pancakes ahead of time (defrost them before using). An easy timesaver: Buy ready-made frozen pancakes.

Get the Recipe: Pancake Breakfast Casserole

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

We can't think of a sweeter way to start the day than with a citrusy slice of pound cake — topped with fresh, cut strawberries. The ricotta keeps the loaf moist and tender, even when it's made ahead.

Get the Recipe: Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

Bagel Breakfast Casserole

This dish has everything you love about a traditional bagel breakfast sandwich, but it's all baked into a casserole that can be made the night before.

Get the Recipe: Bagel Breakfast Casserole

Alton Brown's Perfect French Toast

Our resident chef-scientist has perfected his French toast recipe to yield pieces that are always custardy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Get the Recipe: French Toast

Christmas Steak

The best time to treat your family to a steak-and-egg breakfast? The holidays! This one even boasts festive red and green, thanks to two tasty sauces.

Get the Recipe: Christmas Steak

Herbalicious Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast casseroles are the way to go when you're in charge of feeding a crowd on Christmas morning. You can make it months(!) in advance and bake from frozen while everyone is trying to sneak a peek under the tree.

Get the Recipe: Herbalicious Breakfast Casserole

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Giada's lemony pancakes are rich and decadent, yet light and fluffy. The secret? She uses a mix of all-purpose flour and polenta. Ricotta ensures that each bite is moist, almost like a custard. You'll never go back to the boxed mix after this.

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Breakfast Cornbread Casserole with Ham and Kale

The combination of ham and kale is traditional for a reason: It's so unbelievably good. But this satisfying casserole is easy to adapt to other greens and meat pairings, depending on what you have on hand: Try cooked sausage with frozen spinach or andouille with frozen mustard greens.

Get the Recipe: Breakfast Cornbread Casserole with Ham and Kale

Hash Brown Breakfast Bundt

This breakfast bake includes everything you love from a traditional diner breakfast—hash browns, cheese, eggs and sausage—baked up in a Bundt pan. Prepare it ahead of time and you'll be able to serve this impressive all-in-one dish to a hungry crowd on Christmas morning without having to lift a finger.

Get the Recipe: Hash Brown Breakfast Bundt

Mini Quiches with Peas and Bacon

If you need a little something in the morning, but don't want to fill up before your family's mid-day feast, you need Molly's mini quiches. Everyone can grab a single-serve portion on their way to inspect what's under the Christmas tree.

Get the Recipe: Mini Quiches with Peas and Bacon

Maple-Pepper Bacon

Brushing bacon with maple syrup and baking it in the oven is a simple trick that yields a huge flavor upgrade.

Get the Recipe: Maple-Pepper Bacon

Strawberry Santas

Kids of all ages will love the idea of a breakfast treat that borders on the brink of dessert — especially when it's strawberries dressed up as cute little Santas!

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Santas

Alton's Hot Cocoa

Make steaming cups of Alton's classic hot cocoa on Christmas morning, or give out jars of the mix as gifts.

Get the Recipe: Hot Cocoa

The Barefoot Contessa's Panettone Bread Pudding

Wake up on Christmas Day to this warm, aromatic bread pudding made with toasty almonds and fruit-studded Italian panettone.

Get the Recipe: Panettone Bread Pudding

Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese Casserole

This hearty meatless breakfast casserole is a great way to use up stale bread. The cubes on top bake into a delicious crunchy crust that just might be the best part! The whole thing can be assembled the night before and popped into the oven in the morning.

Get the Recipe: Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Upside-Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans

Tyler Florence's five-star French toast is made in a skillet with layers of apples, pecans, dried cranberries, challah and brown sugar.

Get the Recipe: Upside-Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans

Overnight Belgian Waffles

If there's anyone we trust for make-ahead hosting magic, it's Ina. She knows that making the waffle batter the night before not only means a fuss-free breakfast, but allows the yeast to bloom, ensuring the waffles will come out fluffy and chewy.

Get the Recipe: Overnight Belgian Waffles

Corned Beef Hash Brown Casserole

Here's a casserole you can make the night before the big holiday-morning spread, leaving you free to tie up other details. It's kind of like a fat Western omelet supercharged with crispy potato tots: hearty enough for the men, fun for the kids and even gluten-free, so no one's left out!

Get the Recipe: Corned Beef Hash Brown Casserole

Almost-Famous Cheesecake Pancakes

For a sweet celebration brunch, dress up pancakes with chunks of creamy cheesecake mixed right into fluffy buttermilk pancake batter.

Get the Recipe: Almost-Famous Cheesecake Pancakes

Breakfast Hash

Ree's quick and simple hash utilizes veggies that you probably already have on hand for Christmas dinner. Bonus: It's hearty enough to keep you going from the present-giving to the in-law hosting.

Breakfast Hash: Breakfast Hash

Breakfast Pork Chops

Brine these pork chops in vinegar, brown sugar and cayenne the night before cooking to seal in flavor.

Get the Recipe: Breakfast Pork Chops

Sausage and Parmesan Waffles

Giada's savory take on waffles may make you never want sweet waffles again. Serve with maple syrup or, you could go all out, and top with sour cream, crumbled bacon or pesto.

Get the Recipe: Sausage and Parmesan Waffles

Very Berry Croissants

Ree upcycles day-old croissants into an easy make-ahead breakfast that's perfect for a crowd. This dish goes from freezer to table in just about 15 minutes, meaning you can have a cup of coffee before holiday mayhem begins.

Get the Recipe: Very Berry Croissants

Bacon and Cheddar Waffles

This is everything you love about breakfast, served in one waffle. Not trying to tell you how to live your life, but if it were up to us, we'd serve these puppies with a fried egg and maple syrup for the ultimate sweet-savory indulgence.

Get the Recipe: Bacon and Cheddar Waffles

Glazed Apples

Make these easy apples simmered in pomegranate juice and sugar in less than 15 minutes.

Get the Recipe: Glazed Apples

Breakfast Casserole

This savory casserole is layered with sausage, mushrooms, red potatoes and a generous sprinkling of cheese. Assemble this casserole the night before, then just pop it in the oven Christmas morning.

Get the Recipe: Breakfast Casserole

Stuffed Everything Bagel Puffs

We add everything bagel seasoning to classic pate a choux dough, then bake the dough into golden puffs topped with more everything bagel seasoning. A homemade scallion cream cheese filling turns them into the perfect bite-size brunch or party food.

Get the Recipe: Stuffed Everything Bagel Puffs

Giant Cinnamon Roll Snowman

This fun holiday brunch easily serves a crowd, using just a couple of tubes of refrigerated cinnamon rolls. After baking the dough, everyone can join in on decorating the giant snowman with store-bought frosting and colored icing gel. What better way to start the day than with this warm, friendly cinnamon-scented treat!

Get the Recipe: Giant Cinnamon Roll Snowman

Cinnamon Roll Christmas Trees

For me, the holidays are about spending time with loved ones, not hours in the kitchen. So I have a quick hack for making Christmas day extra special: I unravel a can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls and shape them into little Christmas trees. After they bake, the whole family can gather for the “tree trimming” – decorating with frosting and holiday-themed sprinkles.

Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Christmas Trees