16 Christmas Breakfast Ideas
These 16 Christmas breakfast ideas make Christmas morning easier, with make-ahead casseroles, muffins, quick breads, scones, pancakes, donuts, and a coffee cake.
Many of them can be made ahead, so you can enjoy the morning with your family instead of standing at the stove. Every recipe here comes from my own kitchen.
Birthday Cake for Christmas Morning Breakfast
My mother was born on Christmas Day, and that is how she got the name Christine. So for our family, Christmas morning was always her birthday too.
Every year my father would have a beautiful cake from Hough Bakery in Cleveland for breakfast for all of us, since it was my mother’s birthday. We still had our eggs, bacon, and pancakes. But that cake on the table made the whole morning extra special.
Hough Bakery has been gone for years now, but I still smile when I think about birthday cake on Christmas morning. A good Christmas breakfast is really about the little traditions that make the day feel different from every other day.
The recipes below are the ones I turn to when I want that same feeling without being stuck at the stove. Some bake overnight, some come together in minutes, and a few are sweet enough to feel like a birthday treat. Pick one or two, or make a whole spread.
Why You’ll Love These Christmas Breakfast Ideas
- Many can be made ahead, so you spend less time in the kitchen on Christmas morning
- A mix of savory and sweet, so everyone at the table finds something they like
- Simple recipes for busy mornings, with casseroles, muffins, and quick breads
- Great for a crowd or a small family, since you can pick just two or three
- Kid-friendly picks like pancake muffins, cinnamon scones, and apple cinnamon pancakes
Make Ahead Christmas Breakfast Casseroles and Egg Dishes
Casseroles are the easiest way to feed a full house on Christmas morning. Several of these can be put together ahead of time.
Easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole
Put this one together the night before, keep it in the fridge, and bake it when you get up. It is a simple dump and mix egg bake, and it tastes even better the next day. You wake up to a warm, hearty casserole with almost nothing left to do but pour the coffee.
Get the recipe: Easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole
Easy Quick Breakfast Overnight French Toast Casserole
This French toast bake is warm and fluffy in the middle with a crunchy, cinnamony top and a touch of maple syrup. Prep it the night before and bake it fresh in the morning. Every scoop has that cozy cinnamon smell that brings everyone to the table in their pajamas.
Get the recipe: Easy Quick Breakfast Overnight French Toast Casserole
Make Ahead Spinach and Mushroom Egg Casserole
A cheesy egg casserole loaded with spinach and mushrooms, with plenty of protein to start the day. You can prep it ahead of time, which is just what you want on a busy holiday morning. Every square is packed with tender veggies and melty cheese, so it feels hearty without being heavy.
Get the recipe: Make Ahead Spinach and Mushroom Egg Casserole
Easy Ham and Swiss Cheese Quiche
A classic quiche you can prepare in less than 15 minutes. It looks like you spent hours on a fancy meal for your family or guests. The ham and Swiss bake into a rich, custardy filling that slices nicely for a holiday brunch.
Get the recipe: Easy Ham and Swiss Cheese Quiche
Pancakes, Biscuits and Hot Breakfast Favorites
These are the hot, comforting favorites that fill the table and get everyone out of bed.
Easy Sausage Gravy Recipe Over Biscuits
Homemade sausage gravy over biscuits looks like you spent hours, but it can be prepped ahead. It is the kind of hearty breakfast I like to have ready when the family is over at Christmas. The gravy is thick, savory, and full of sausage, just right for soaking into a warm biscuit.
Get the recipe: Easy Sausage Gravy Recipe Over Biscuits
How To Make Easy Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
Croissants filled with scrambled eggs, ham, and cheese. You can have the whole breakfast assembled and ready to eat without much work. The buttery, flaky croissant makes a simple egg sandwich feel like something special for the holiday.
Get the recipe: How To Make Easy Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
Easy Bisquick Pancake Recipe: Ultimate Apple Cinnamon
Bisquick pancakes with cinnamon, applesauce, and a hint of vanilla. This one started with my mother’s pancake recipe. They come out soft and fluffy, and your kitchen will smell like cinnamon and apples while they cook.
Get the recipe: Easy Bisquick Pancake Recipe: Ultimate Apple Cinnamon
Harvest Pancake Muffins or Puffins
All the taste of pancakes in a muffin, great when you are short on time. Little ones love them, and you can stir in chocolate chips or blueberries. Set out a basket with a little warm syrup for dipping, and watch how fast they disappear.
Get the recipe: Harvest Pancake Muffins or Puffins
3 Ingredient Classic Simple French Toast
Classic French toast made with just 3 ingredients you already have in your kitchen. It is quick, fluffy, and so good with plenty of maple syrup. Dust it with a little powdered sugar and add a few berries, and it looks ready for Christmas morning.
Get the recipe: 3 Ingredient Classic Simple French Toast
Christmas Morning Muffins, Breads and Sweet Bakes
Bake these the day before, and Christmas morning gets even easier.
Easy Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel and Glaze
These start with a boxed muffin mix, then get an oat streusel topping and a light orange glaze. They bake in 18 to 22 minutes and make 12 muffins. The tart cranberries and sweet orange glaze make them look and taste like Christmas.
Get the recipe: Easy Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel and Glaze
The Best Streusel Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
A buttery, moist cinnamon coffee cake with thick streusel baked inside and on top. It comes together in two bowls and is ready in about 45 minutes. That crumbly cinnamon topping is the part everyone wants, so cut generous squares.
Get the recipe: The Best Streusel Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
4 Ingredient Apple Cider Donuts with Spice Cake Mix
These baked donuts start with a box of spice cake mix and just 4 ingredients, then get a sweet maple glaze on top. They taste like the apple cider donuts we buy at the fruit farm every fall, and a few sprinkles make them ready for Christmas morning.
Get the recipe: 4 Ingredient Apple Cider Donuts with Spice Cake Mix
Featherlight Cinnamon Sugar Scone Recipe
Light, cinnamon packed scones that are lovely with a hot cup of coffee. I added extra cinnamon to a great recipe I found about 10 years ago. Each one is tender inside with a sweet cinnamon sugar top that tastes like a coffee shop treat.
Get the recipe: Featherlight Cinnamon Sugar Scone Recipe
Easy Maple Glazed Cinnamon Quick Bread
A moist cinnamon loaf with a maple cinnamon glaze. Make a loaf and watch it disappear. Each slice tastes like a cinnamon roll with a sweet maple finish.
Get the recipe: Easy Maple Glazed Cinnamon Quick Bread
Glazed Lemon Bread Recipe (Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf)
A sweet, tangy homemade version of the Starbucks lemon loaf. The batter comes together in just 10 minutes. The bright lemon flavor is a fresh, sunny change from all the rich holiday food.
Get the recipe: Glazed Lemon Bread Recipe (Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf)
Low Sugar Zucchini Bread with Olive Oil
Moist and lightly sweet, made with olive oil and Greek yogurt with no seed oils. It has just a little sugar in every slice, so it is a lighter treat next to the richer dishes. It is soft and tender with crunchy walnuts in every slice, so no one will guess it is the lighter choice.
Get the recipe: Low Sugar Zucchini Bread with Olive Oil
Tips for an Easy Christmas Morning Breakfast
- Pick one egg casserole, one sweet bake, and one quick item. Three dishes is plenty.
- Make your overnight casseroles on Christmas Eve and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
- Bake the muffins, breads, and coffee cake the day before so the oven is free for your casserole.
- Add one small tradition, like the bakery cake we had every year.
What to Serve with Your Christmas Breakfast
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
- 32 Best Christmas Dessert Ideas
- 20 of Our Best Christmas Cookies
- 23 Easy Christmas Appetizers
- 64 Best Christmas Dinner Ideas
Christmas Breakfast FAQs
The Easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole and the French Toast Casserole are both made the night before and baked in the morning. The Spinach and Mushroom Egg Casserole can be prepped ahead too.
A breakfast casserole is the easiest, since it feeds a group from one pan. Pair it with biscuits and sausage gravy and a sweet bake like coffee cake.
Pancake muffins, cinnamon scones, and apple cinnamon pancakes are easy for little hands and easy to love.
I like one egg dish, one sweet bake, and one extra, such as French toast or biscuits and gravy. Three is plenty.
