Top-Rated Christmas Brunch Recipes

By Southern Living
Jennifer Causey

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.

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Homemade Orange Rolls

Tender, buttery spirals with a hint of cinnamon and a perfectly gooey sweet orange marmalade center make this recipe irresistible.

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Cream Cheese Pastries

Photo: Alison Miksch

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.

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Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Packed with cinnamon roll flavor with none of the cinnamon roll mess, these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes pair perfectly with Christmas morning coffee or milk. 

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Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

Photo: Hector Sanchez

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.

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Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole

With only 20 minutes of hands-on time, this family-favorite cinnamon roll casserole will keep your hands out of the kitchen so they can open presents instead. 

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Pancake Bake with Cinnamon Streusel

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Pancake Bake with Cinnamon Streusel

Flip-less pancakes with a cinnamon streusel the whole family will flip for on Christmas Day.

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Pecan Pancakes with Caramel Apple Topping

Luca Trovato

Recipe: Pecan Pancakes with Caramel Apple Topping

Toasted pecans add a nutty flavor to these pancakes. Skip the syrup and make our sweet Caramel-Apple Topping instead.

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Baked Oatmeal

Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Baked Oatmeal

Reminiscent of bread pudding, your whole family will thank you for this hearty and healthy addition to your brunch spread. 

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Apple-Pecan Streusel Muffins

Photo: Alison Miksch

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.

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Make-Ahead Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Victor Protasio

Recipe: Make-Ahead Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Put your leftover bread to work with this family favorite breakfast casserole. Made with day-old mini croissants, caramelized onions, and a rich and cheesy egg custard, this breakfast casserole can be assembled a day in advance assemble and refrigerated overnight. 

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Biscuits-and-Gravy Skillet

Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Biscuits-and-Gravy Skillet

Is it even breakfast without biscuits and gravy? Combine these classic brunch flavors in one skillet for easier prep work. 

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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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Country Ham Hash

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Country Ham Hash

You can get a head start on this breakfast side dish by chopping all of the vegetables a day in advance.

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Buttermilk Biscuits

Joseph De Sciose

Recipe: Buttermilk Biscuits

This no-fail biscuit recipe will make you look like a pro come Christmas Day.

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Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole

Photo: Alison Miksch

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.

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Orange Rolls

Southern Living

Recipe: Homemade Orange Rolls

Rise, shine, and dine (after digging into your Christmas present pile, of course), with these warm orange rolls. 

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Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts

Photo: Alison Miksch

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.

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One-Dish Blackberry French Toast

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

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.

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Biscuit Cinnamon Sweet Rolls

Alison Miksch

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.

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Chicks in a Blanket

Photo: Hector Sanchez 

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.

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Cornmeal-and-Brown Sugar-Crusted Bacon

Photo: Jennifer Davick

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.

Bacon Cooking Basics

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Beet-and-Citrus Salad

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Beet-and-Citrus Salad

Play with different citrus here, such as tangelos, blood oranges, or clementines.

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Holiday Ham with Apricot Glaze

Photo: Alison Miksch

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.

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King Ranch Breakfast Strata

Southern Living

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.

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Cheesy Grits Soufflé

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Cheesy Grits Soufflé

Turn a classic Southern dish into a light, fluffy soufflé for the ultimate holiday brunch.

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Sweet Potato Biscuits

Photo: Hector Sanchez

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.

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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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Cream Cheese-Filled Wreath

Photo: Luca Trovato

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.

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Festive Fresh Fruit Salad with Mint-Lime Simple Syrup

Photo: Alison Miksch

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.

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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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Breakfast Enchiladas

Southern Living

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.

Watch Us Make It!

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Italian Bread Pudding

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns

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.

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Easy Orange Rolls

Photo: John O'Hagan

Recipe: Easy Orange Rolls

Your family will definitely want to rise, shine, and dine when they smell these rolls baking in the oven.

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Sweet Potato Coffee Cake with Caramel Glaze

Photo: Luva Trovato

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.

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Cranberry-Orange Bread

Photo: Jennifer Davick

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.

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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.

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Mini Banana-Cranberry-Nut Bread Loaves

Photo: Luca Trovato

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!

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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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Brunch Eggs

Photo: Charles Walton

Recipe: Brunch Eggs

Baked in a casserole dish, these easy eggs served on English muffins are a delicious twist on Eggs Benedict.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Brandy Slush

Photo: Jennifer Davick

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.

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Cornbread Omelets

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Cornbread Omelets

A feather-light cornbread batter takes the place of eggs in these fun omelets.

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Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls

Whip up a batch of these cinnamon rolls that your whole family is sure to love.

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