Rise-and-Shine Breakfast Recipes

By Southern Living
Photo: Jennifer Davick

Nobody does breakfast like Southerners. We love our comfort food in the South, and that doesn’t exclude breakfast. Southern breakfast is a wonderful thing: from praline-pecan French toast to a stick-to-your-ribs sausage and hashbrown casserole, we’ve collected some of our favorite ways to start the day here. From classic dishes–we had to include grits!–to new ideas like waffles Benedict, breakfast down South is a beautiful thing. We’ve got plenty of sweet Southern breakfasts here, from a coffee cake that you won’t want to stop eating, to a breakfast buttermilk cake that you’ll want to sneak pieces of any hour of the day. (Oh, and we should mention our blueberry muffins with lemon cream cheese glaze. Make a double batch of those, because they’re irresistible.) Savory Southern breakfast is well-represented, of course, with casseroles and our best-ever buttermilk biscuit recipe. The only difficult thing about these breakfast recipes is choosing what to make first.

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Praline-Pecan French Toast

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Praline-Pecan French Toast

Yes, we did. We blended one of the South’s most cherished desserts, Pecan Pralines, with one of its favorite breakfast foods – French Toast. Try it with French bread, challah, or Italian sweet bread for texture variety. Looking for a flavor variation? Try using pumpkin bread in the fall. And although it will taste fresh from the stove, this short-order breakfast special gets an easy hands-off finish in the oven. One online reviewer claims that this Praline-Pecan French Toast recipe is, "sinfully delicious." While eating it may be decadent, it sure isn’t sinful. Your guests will be asking for the recipe before they can even clean their plates.

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Buttermilk Biscuits

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Buttermilk Biscuits

No Southern breakfast is complete without flaky, buttery biscuits.

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Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Photo: Luca Trovato

Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

The butter you spread on the rolled-out dough should be very soft so that the dough won't tear. The sweet Cream Cheese Icing is a perfect finish for the warm, decadent rolls.

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Blueberry Muffins with Lemon-Cream Cheese Glaze

Photo: Luca Trovato

Recipe: Blueberry Muffins with Lemon-Cream Cheese Glaze

These aren't ordinary blueberry muffins! The tart-and-sugary glaze turns plain blueberry muffins extraordinary blueberry muffins.

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Cheddar Cheese Grits Casserole

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Cheddar Cheese Grits Casserole

You simply cannot go wrong with this eggs, cheese, and grits combination. It’s unassuming but absolutely delicious, and a true Southern favorite. It comes together with ingredients that all Southerners have on hand – milk, butter, grits, eggs, and cheese. This creamy grits casserole can be served as is for a casual morning breakfast or as a main dish. Add a sprinkle of crumbled breakfast sausage or diced baked ham for added bulk. Don’t limit this crowd-pleaser to breakfast or brunch. Serve it on the side of a main meat, such as shrimp or brisket for a classic, rich, and comforting Southern supper. 

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Pam-Cakes With Buttered Honey Syrup

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Pam-Cakes With Buttered Honey Syrup

These fluffly buttermilk pancakes are named after their creator, Test Kitchen Pro Pam Lolley. Drench them in honey syrup and top off the meal with bacon and fresh fruit.

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Praline Pull-Apart Bread

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Praline Pull-Apart Bread

This indulgent bread tastes as good as it looks. Don't skip the quick step of whipping the cream before stirring in the brown sugar—that's the secret to the smooth texture of the caramel-flavored sauce.

Watch: Our Best Praline Pull-Apart Bread

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Banana-nut Bread

Recipe: Banana-nut Bread

This sweet bread has less oil than most traditional recipes, but you won't miss it. Extra bananas keep it moist.

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Overnight Coffee Crumble Cake

Photo: Luca Trovato

Recipe: Overnight Coffee Crumble Cake

Pep up your morning with a warm slice of this irresistable coffee cake. The Sweet Bourbon Drizzle and Cinnamon-Nut Crumble topping add richness and umph to this homemade coffee cake.

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Waffles Benedict

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Waffles Benedict

Can't decide between waffles or eggs for breakfast? Have both! You can substitute deli ham or country ham for the prosciutto.

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Pecan-Coconut Granola

Recipe: Pecan-Coconut Granola

This sweet-and-nutty granola is great as cereal, with yogurt, or as just a snack.

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Coffee Cake Pound Cake

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Recipe: Coffee Cake Pound Cake

Marry two Southern specialties, coffee cake and pound cake, to create one buttery, best-of-both-worlds treat.

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Applesauce Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Applesauce Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Chunky applesauce makes these muffins both moist and flavorful. For a finishing touch, top with a sugary-sweet Cinnamon Streusel. These muffins can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month.

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Scrambled Egg Muffin Sliders

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Scrambled Egg Muffin Sliders

These breakfast sandwich sliders, made with Bacon-and-Cheddar Corn Muffins and delicious scrambled eggs, will be the talk of your next brunch!

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Lemon-Blueberry Quinoa Porridge

Photo: Greg Dupree

Recipe: Lemon-Blueberry Quinoa Porridge

Recipe developer Carolyn O'Neil says: "Quinoa, a nutty seed packed with protein, is great for breakfast. Its firm texture is perfect in this creamy porridge."

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Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

This casserole combines true breakfast favorites—sausage, eggs, Cheddar cheese, and hash browns—in one filling and delicious dish.

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Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Buttermilk replaces sour cream in our twist on a not-too-sweet bundt cake.

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