Food and Recipes Breakfast 46 Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas For Your Best Morning Ever By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 30, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jennifer Causey When the pressure is on to get a meal on the table, there's nothing more comforting than knowing you've got it covered. With these make-ahead breakfast recipes, you can serve a weekend brunch crowd or have healthy breakfasts ready to go for the entire week. Whether you prefer a sweet French toast casserole, cheesy grits, or healthy overnight oats, these make-ahead breakfast recipes will have you waking up on the right side of the bed every day. The kids will love our Pancake Casserole and Best-Ever Sticky Buns, and your book group will love our Cinnamon Coffee Cake. Whatever you decide to make, you can rest assured these breakfast recipes will be ready to go well before you're serving. From delicious breakfast casseroles to fresh and light quiches, these pre-made breakfast ideas are going to wake up your taste buds with minimal a.m. prep. Wake up on the right side of the bed with these easy recipes. 01 of 46 Asparagus and Goat Cheese Mini Quiches Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Asparagus and Goat Cheese Mini Quiches You can make these quiches up to 2 days ahead. Chill them in an airtight container and let the quiches come to room temperature before serving. 02 of 46 Blueberry Pancake Breakfast Casserole Jennifer Causey Recipe: Blueberry Pancake Breakfast Casserole You won't be standing over a hot skillet while everyone else enjoys hot cake after hot cake. Bake pancakes in casserole form and you'll be sitting down to breakfast right alongside your a.m. crowd. 03 of 46 Baked Oatmeal Jennifer Causey Recipe: Baked Oatmeal Honeycrisp apples, rolled oats, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins are a few of the all-star flavors you'll find in this baked oatmeal. Leftovers can be reheated or enjoyed cold the next day. 04 of 46 Tater Tot Breakfast Bake Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Recipe: Tater Tot Breakfast Bake This definitely isn't a light option. If you're looking for an indulgent way to start your day, try our Tater Tot Breakfast Bake. Tater tots are baked with eggs and milk and topped with sharp Cheddar cheese and thick-cut bacon. 05 of 46 Spinach-and-Broccoli Breakfast Bread Pudding Southern Living Recipe: Spinach-and-Broccoli Breakfast Bread Pudding Fresh baby spinach and frozen broccoli florets are cooked into this savory bread pudding. Now, that's one delicious way to eat your veggies. 06 of 46 Sausage-Stuffed Honey Buns Iain Bagwell Recipe: Sausage-Stuffed Honey Buns Everyone's favorite breakfast treat gets a savory update with our Sausage-Stuffed Honey Buns. 07 of 46 Herbed Sausage Breakfast Casserole Jennifer Davick Recipe: Herbed Sausage Breakfast Casserole Herbed Sausage Breakfast Casserole is layered decadence. On the bottom is a fluffy layer of hash browns that's topped with cooked sausage and a vegetable mixture. The whole thing is topped off with milk, eggs, and a blanket of sharp Cheddar cheese. 08 of 46 Sausage-Potato Frittata Victor Protasio Recipe: Sausage-Potato Frittata This hearty casserole includes delicious flavors from smoked sausage, baby red potatoes, eggs, milk, and Monterey Jack cheese. 09 of 46 Bacon-and-Tomato Breakfast Casserole Jennifer Davick Recipe: Bacon-and-Tomato Breakfast Casserole All of our favorite omelet fillers go into one delicious casserole in our Bacon-and-Tomato Breakfast Casserole recipe. 10 of 46 Cinnamon-Pecan Breakfast Bread Pudding Southern Living Recipe: Cinnamon-Pecan Breakfast Bread Pudding Prep time for this recipe is only 12 minutes, but it will need to chill for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours. 11 of 46 Ambrosia Breakfast Iain Bagwell Recipe: Ambrosia Breakfast Pre-make all the elements in this Ambrosia Breakfast the day before. Assemble in the morning and enjoy a quick, easy, and fresh breakfast that will keep you satisfied all morning. 12 of 46 Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole Victor Protasio Recipe: Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole Sweet potatoes and savory breakfast sausage make a delicious pair. We used creamy mozzarella in this recipe, but feel free to swap in your favorite cheese variety. 13 of 46 Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich with Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich with Sausage, Egg, and Cheese While you may think it's impossible to re-create your favorite on-the-go morning diner order at home, think again. Try your hand at this delicious breakfast sandwich, which is filled with sausage, egg, and cheese (just how you like it). 14 of 46 Breakfast Enchiladas Hector M Sanchez Recipe: Breakfast Enchiladas Calling all Tex-Mex fans, this one is for you. To make this ahead of time, follow the process through Step 2. Cover the casserole and refrigerate until the next day. Before baking, let the casserole stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. 15 of 46 Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole Alison Miksch; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole This savory bread pudding recipe is a decadent combination of croissants, sausage, cheese, eggs, and cream. Serve with a fresh fruit salad. 16 of 46 Oven-Baked Buttermilk French Toast Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Oven-Baked Buttermilk French Toast Lemon brightens up this sweet and springy make-ahead French toast, which you'll love serving to guests. 17 of 46 Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Pork Strata Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Pork Strata This hearty breakfast casserole starts with tender pork from the slow cooker. It ends on a plate on the breakfast table, right where it belongs. 18 of 46 Mini Cheese Grits Casseroles Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Mini Cheese Grits Casseroles Prep the grits the night before and bake these adorable mini casseroles the day you're hosting for easy, no-scoop serving. 19 of 46 Pancake Bake with Cinnamon Streusel Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: William Smith Recipe: Pancake Bake with Cinnamon Streusel This bread pudding-like casserole will satisfy every family member's sweet tooth. 20 of 46 Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel Use whichever fresh berries you have on hand for these easy muffins. 21 of 46 Fig and Lemon Refrigerator Jam Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Fig and Lemon Refrigerator Jam Put up the sweet taste of fresh figs with bright lemon for up to three months with this simple jam recipe. 22 of 46 Croissant Breakfast Casserole Victor Protasio Recipe: Croissant Breakfast Casserole This breakfast casserole is our Test Kitchen's latest favorite way to prep a big-batch brunch ahead of time. 23 of 46 Praline-Pecan French Toast Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell Recipe: Praline-Pecan French Toast This totally decadent breakfast casserole is holiday-worthy. 24 of 46 No-Bake Granola Bars Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: No-Bake Granola Bars If you like a light breakfast, these grab-and-go homemade granola bars are perfect to have on hand. 25 of 46 Cinnamon Coffee Cake Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Cinnamon Coffee Cake This will be your new go-to coffee cake recipe, trust us. 26 of 46 Hurry Up Homemade Crescent Rolls Beau Gustafson; Styling: Sissy Lamberton Recipe: Hurry Up Homemade Crescent Rolls You won't believe how easy it is to mimic those crescent rolls you always have in your freezer. 27 of 46 Cinnamon Roll Casserole Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Casserole It's hard to beat an ooey gooey cinnamon roll straight from the oven, but this big-batch casserole manages to do so. 28 of 46 Banana Bread Southern Living Recipe: Banana Bread A tried-and-true banana bread recipe that always hits the spot with a cup of hot coffee. 29 of 46 Strawberry Jam Jennifer Causey Recipe: Strawberry Jam If you hate to see strawberry season go, savor their sweet flavor even longer with this homemade jam. 30 of 46 Slow-Cooker Buttermilk Grits Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Buttermilk Grits Make a big batch of classic grits in the slow cooker and eat off it for breakfast all week long. 31 of 46 Creamy Egg Strata Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Recipe: Creamy Egg Strata Everyone at the table can enjoy this meatless dish that's made extra-creamy from two types of cheese. 32 of 46 Best-Ever Sticky Buns Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Best-Ever Sticky Buns Prepare these the night before, bake them the next morning, and enjoy how amazing your house smells. 33 of 46 Overnight Eggnog-French Toast Casserole Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Overnight Eggnog-French Toast Casserole This festive breakfast casserole couldn't be more perfect for a Christmas morning brunch. 34 of 46 Bakeshop Blueberry Muffins Southern Living Recipe: Bakeshop Blueberry Muffins You can get these classic muffins ready in less time than it would take you to drive to the grocery store and buy them. 35 of 46 Our Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits Will Dickey Recipe: Our Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits You're only a few pantry-staple ingredients away from making our Test Kitchen's signature biscuits. 36 of 46 Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole Alison Miksch Recipe: Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole You can assemble this savory casserole up to four days in advance before baking. 37 of 46 Blackberry Jelly Southern Living Blackberry Jelly Recipe: Blackberry Jelly You can use this fresh jelly to make a vintage Blackberry Jam Cake. 38 of 46 Pancake Casserole Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Pancake Casserole We can turn just about anything into a casserole, and this recipe is proof it's always going to be delicious. 39 of 46 Baked Oatmeal with Apple, Cranberries, and Pecans Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Baked Oatmeal with Apple, Cranberries, and Pecans If you're tired of the egg-based breakfast casserole you always make, try out this not-overly-sweet big-batch oatmeal. 40 of 46 Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread This pretty bread is such a fun baking project, and we love it with a cup of hot tea. 41 of 46 Sweet Potato Biscuits Micah A. Leal Recipe: Sweet Potato Biscuits These fluffy biscuits only have a slight sweet potato flavor that doesn't overwhelm from the classic buttermilk biscuits you love. 42 of 46 Overnight French Toast Casserole with Bourbon-Maple Syrup Antonis Achilleo; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Overnight French Toast Casserole with Bourbon-Maple Syrup A splash of bourbon enhances the maple syrup's sweetness, but you can just as easily leave it out. 43 of 46 Sorghum-Pecan Monkey Bread Muffins Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sorghum-Pecan Monkey Bread Muffins Get ready to be amazed: These sticky-sweet muffins can be frozen safely for up to two years. 44 of 46 Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole This sweet breakfast casserole is so good it'll make you wish you had two slow cookers. 45 of 46 Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal Alison Miksch, Kay E. Clarke, Torie Cox Recipe: Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal This oatmeal is a simple, healthy way to get your day started. 46 of 46 Banana Bread French Toast Casserole Jennifer Causey Recipe: Banana Bread French Toast Casserole Your favorite banana bread is transformed into a sweet, big-batch breakfast the whole family will love. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit