Christmas morning is one of the most magical moments of the entire year. With the excitement of going to sleep on Christmas Eve, and waking up to a Christmas tree filled with sparkling lights and surrounded by highly anticipated presents, why not keep the celebration going? Christmas Day brunch can either be a sleepy breakfast, with a few tasty treats and hot coffee, or a spread of a few of your favorite casseroles and frittatas for a sit-down affair. We've got Christmas brunch ideas for every type of Christmas morning. If there’s one thing we love most about Christmas, it’s the opportunity to serve delicious meals on a whim, with minimal preparation time, so you can get back to enjoying this special day with your loved ones. With our these Christmas brunch recipes, you will have a quick morning feast everyone will love! From sweet rolls to strata, we have all the best Christmas brunch ideas that will transform your lack-luster breakfast into a magical experience.
Cream Cheese Pastries
Recipe: Cream Cheese Pastries
Pam found this recipe in an old issue of Southern Living and was making this family favorite long before joining the staff in 2003.
Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe: Chistmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls
Make sure your butter is very soft when you spread it on the rolled dough so the dough doesn't tear.
Festive Fresh Fruit Salad with Mint-Lime Simple Syrup
Recipe: Festive Fresh Fruit Salad with Mint-Lime Simple Syrup
Mint-Lime Simple Syrup may be kept in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Use leftovers in cocktails and to sweeten iced tea. Or spoon it over any fresh fruit.
Apple-Pecan Streusel Muffins
Recipe: Apple-Pecan Streusel Muffins
These muffins are simple enough to make with kids. Reheat by wrapping in foil and popping into a 325° oven for 15 minutes.
Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole
Recipe: Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole
The key to this delicious brunch dish is in the smoked sausage. Salt, thyme, garlic powder, and cheddar cheese give depth to the casserole’s savory flavor, but the most rich and filling flavor comes from the sausage. Choose local links for unique flavor. We love Conecuh Hickory Smoked Sausage, made in Evergreen, Alabama, since 1947. You can also opt for a breakfast sausage, flavored with sage and black pepper, for a classic breakfast dish. Low on time? You can assemble this up to four days ahead, and keep in the fridge; then let it stand at room temp for 30 minutes before baking.
Biscuit Cinnamon Sweet Rolls
Recipe: Biscuit Cinnamon Sweet Rolls
For a delicious variation, omit softened butter, sugars, and cinnamon, and spread with 1 cup of your favorite preserves. Roll up, and bake as directed.
Holiday Ham with Apricot Glaze
Recipe: Holiday Ham with Apricot Glaze
Refrigerate any leftover ham in individual servings. In the days after Christmas when your house is still full and your energy is waning, this will make it easy for guests to fix a meal on their own.
Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts
Recipe: Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts
If you make tarts often, Pam suggests investing in a tart tamper. It will make quick work of fitting dough rounds into the pan. Another quick-prep tip: Stack piecrusts to cut multiple rounds in one turn.
One-Dish Blackberry French Toast
Recipe: One-Dish Blackberry French Toast
Our readers love this family friendly favorite, decadent French toast. Perfect for a holiday breakfast or a weekend brunch, this French toast recipe is loaded with tasty, sweet ingredients like cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar, but the reduced fat cream cheese helps lighten the meal. Although this recipe calls for French bread, you can sub sweet Italian bread, a dense, crumbed white Pullman, challah, or brioche for varied density and flavor. This one-pan dish is great to make the night before for company, or for a family member’s birthday breakfast. It is sweet on its own, but of course, you can always add a little extra sweetness with maple syrup or whipped cream for special occasions.
Blueberry Muffins with Lemon-Cream Cheese Glaze
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.
Chicks in a Blanket
Recipe: Chicks in a Blanket
Dough-wrapped chicken-apple sausages are best fresh from the oven, so bake one batch at a time and serve warm.
Beet-and-Citrus Salad
Recipe: Beet-and-Citrus Salad
Play with different citrus here, such as tangelos, blood oranges, or clementines.
King Ranch Breakfast Strata
Recipe: King Ranch Breakfast Strata
This is the ultimate make-ahead breakfast casserole. For the best results, assemble it the night before. The next morning, pour the remaining milk over top, and knock off the chill by letting it stand 45 minutes before baking.
Cheesy Grits Soufflé
Recipe: Cheesy Grits Soufflé
Turn a classic Southern dish into a light, fluffy soufflé for the ultimate holiday brunch.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Recipe: Sweet Potato Biscuits
Serve these from-scratch biscuits warm with butter, honey, and jam, along with two platters—one with seared slices of country ham and pepper jelly and another with deli ham and pimiento cheese.
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
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.
Pecan Pancake with Caramel-Apple Topping
Recipe: Pecan Pancake with Caramel-Apple Topping
Toasted pecans add a nutty flavor to these pancakes. Skip the syrup and make our sweet Caramel-Apple Topping instead.
Cream Cheese-Filled Wreath
Recipe: Cream Cheese-Filled Wreath
A Vanilla Glaze and sparkling sugar make for a pretty presentation, but it's the sweet Cream Cheese Filling that will get rave reviews.
Mini Banana-Cranberry-Nut Bread Loaves
Recipe: Mini Banana-Cranberry-Nut Bread Loaves
Cranberries and a citrus glaze add a sweet-and-tart note to this delicious bread. The recipe makes five mini loaves—great for hostess gifts!
Overnight Coffee Crumble Cake
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.
Praline Pull-Apart Bread
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
Italian Bread Pudding
Recipe: Italian Bread Pudding
Just when we thought make-ahead breakfasts couldn't get any easier, they do. This reader-inspired recipe starts with frozen Texas toast and assembles in about 15 minutes. After assembling, simply chill for at least 4 hours and then bake.
Easy Orange Rolls
Recipe: Easy Orange Rolls
Your family will definitely want to rise, shine, and dine when they smell these rolls baking in the oven.
Praline Coffee
Recipe: Praline Coffee
This enticing coffee treat featuring praline liqueur, brown sugar, and half-and-half will warm up even the coolest of holiday mornings.
Sweet Potato Coffee Cake with Caramel Glaze
Recipe: Sweet Potato Coffee Cake with Caramel Glaze
Sweet potato, orange zest, and ground cinnamon offer flavors of the season in this morning treat. Top it all off with a drizzle of Caramel Glaze.
Cranberry-Orange Bread
Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Bread
Sweetened dried cranberries, grated orange rind and orange marmalade add festive flavor to this hearty quick bread. And if you prefer muffins, you can spoon this same batter into muffin pans instead of a loaf pan.
Brunch Eggs
Recipe: Brunch Eggs
Baked in a casserole dish, these easy eggs served on English muffins are a delicious twist on Eggs Benedict.
Mixed Fruit Granola
Recipe: Mixed Fruit Granola
This makes a good treat for a quick breakfast side. Serve the granola and fat-free yogurt with Orange Syrup.
Baked Cheese Grits
Recipe: Baked Cheese Grits
Calorie counters rejoice! Not only is this baked version of the breakfast favorite easy to make, but it is also light and healthy.
Confetti Omelet Casserole
Recipe: Confetti Omelet Casserole
We’ve revised the recipe for cheesy egg casserole to lower the calories and fat but maintain the rich flavor of this classic morning favorite.
Pork Tenderloin on Cornmeal Biscuits
Recipe: Pork Tenderloin on Cornmeal Biscuits
Running out of time to assemble sandwiches yourself? Let guests make their own—serve sliced pork on a platter with chutney and biscuits on the side.
Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Recipe: Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Make a hearty breakfast casserole with hot pork sausage, cubed hash browns, eggs, and shredded cheese. Top with picante sauce and sour cream for Tex-Mex flair.
Brandy Slush
Recipe: Brandy Slush
Wake up! Our brandy slush is a great morning surprise. This makes a big batch, so keep one bag in the freezer up to three months.
Cornbread Omelets
Recipe: Cornbread Omelets
A feather-light cornbread batter takes the place of eggs in these fun omelets.
Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls
Whip up a batch of these cinnamon rolls that your whole family is sure to love.
Mini Sausage-and-Egg Casseroles
Recipe: Mini Sausage-and-Egg Casseroles
Pull out your favorite ovenproof coffee mugs to bake and serve these mini casseroles.
Holiday Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Recipe: Holiday Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Get the enjoyment of a cream cheese Danish the easy way in this clever confection.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Recipe: Sweet Potato Biscuits
These sweet potato biscuits feature the sweet taste of canned sweet potatoes and boast a bolder flavor than regular biscuits. They take a few hours to let rise, punch down, and rise again, but are well worth the wait.
Breakfast Enchiladas
Recipe: Breakfast Enchiladas
Prepare the recipe, without baking, and refrigerate overnight. Tip: Make the Cheese Sauce before scrambling the eggs so the sauce will be ready to add at the proper time.
Sausage-Cheese Muffins
Recipe: Sausage-Cheese Muffins
Make these savory muffins for a flavorful addition to your breakfast or brunch standards. With only five ingredients, the hardest part is getting out of bed to enjoy them.
Double Coffee Tiramisù
Recipe: Double Coffee Tiramisù
This chilled dessert recipe makes three servings, so plan to enjoy the two extra servings the next day
Sour Cream Sauce
Recipe: Sour Cream Sauce
For an easy and elegant fruit presentation, drizzle this rich, make-ahead sauce over fresh fruit in your favorite glassware.
Grits-and-Greens Breakfast Bake
Recipe: Grits-and-Greens Breakfast Bake
This dish combines breakfast favorites grits and eggs with tried-and-true Southern collard greens. Make Simple Collard Greens up to three days ahead for simple prep before mealtime.
Cornmeal-and-Brown Sugar-Crusted Bacon
Recipe: Cornmeal-and-Brown Sugar-Crusted Bacon
Dress up your bacon with this oh-so-Southern crispy coating. Once you've prepared it for the pan, you can stick the bacon in the oven and free your hands up to prepare other parts of your meal.
Streusel Coffee Cake
Recipe: Streusel Coffee Cake
The buttery pecan streusel takes this dessert-like cake from ordinary to extraordinary. Make it a day in advance so it's instantly ready to serve for brunch.
Coffee Milk Punch
Recipe: Coffee Milk Punch
Whether you serve it hot or cold, this coffee milk punch has just the right amount of kick to jump-start your holiday morning.
Brie-and-Veggie Breakfast Strata
Recipe: Brie-and-Veggie Breakfast Strata
Looking to feed a crowd? This sourdough bread based strata serves 8-10 brunch guests. We promise you won’t have leftovers. Creamy Brie cheese combines with the fresh flavors of onion, bell pepper, and potatoes in this hearty casserole. Add breakfast sausage or cubed honey ham to up the protein and add more flavor. Make sure you prepare the entire casserole the night before you plan to serve it, so the bread has time to absorb into the eggs, milk, and oil, and cheese. Just pop it in the oven the next morning and bake for 45-50 minutes. Serve with sweet berries for a balanced meal.
