43 Big-Batch Breakfast Recipes for Your Tailgate

By Mary Shannon Wells
Alison Miksch

Just because your team has an early kickoff doesn't mean you should go without a tailgate. Although your menu is usually filled with burgers, wings, and dips galore, you’ve got to rethink the spread when game time is brunch time. These tailgate breakfast ideas for a crowd were made to feed a big, hungry Southern crew—so don’t forget to invite family and friends. Whether you’re hosting an at-home tailgate or you’re going to campus for the big game, these breakfast ideas have you covered. 

From comforting casseroles that are easy to bake-and-take, to grab-and-go bites like doughnut hole muffins, sausage balls, and ham-stuffed biscuits, your rise-and-shine tailgate will be a winner. These easy breakfast ideas are ideal for making the night before, so you know your game day morning will go smoothly. With these tailgate breakfast ideas, you’ll actually be excited when your team gets scheduled for an early game. Don’t forget the mimosas and a Bloody Mary bar! 

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Serve up These Tailgate-Friendly Breakfast Recipes Before the Morning Game

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Pancake Casserole

Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Pancake Casserole

This is the tastiest way to make pancakes tailgate-ready. 

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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

For a big-batch egg casserole, this recipe—packed with hash browns, sausage, and plenty of cheese—makes the ultimate crowd-pleaser. 

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Breakfast Sausage Meatballs with Apple Butter Dipping Sauce

Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Breakfast Sausage Meatballs with Apple Butter Dipping Sauce

Put these make-ahead meatballs on the spread, and watch them disappear in two minutes flat. 

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Snickerdoodle Doughnut Hole Muffins

Alison Miksch

Recipe: Snickerdoodle Doughnut Hole Muffins

These bite-size muffins give every tailgating Southerner with a sweet tooth just the thing he or she needs to make it through the game. 

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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

This easy breakfast recipe uses miniature biscuits and sheet-pan eggs and sausage. The tiny bite-sized portions are the perfect tailgate snack. 

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Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Say hello to the easiest way to make cinnamon rolls portable and crowd-friendly. Switch things up later in the season with our option for an orange-apricot version.

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Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Bacon

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Bacon

Cooking bacon little by little in the skillet isn’t exactly practical for a big crowd, right? But...everyone loves bacon. This sheet pan method is easy, delicious, and serves a crowd. 

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Shrimp and Grits Casserole

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

Recipe: Shrimp and Grits Casserole

Get ready to wow the watch party with this family-style casserole version of a traditional Southern breakfast dish. 

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Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Let the slow cooker do the work while you get ready to cheer on your favorite team. 

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Tater Tot Bake

Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Tater Tot Breakfast Bake

This one-dish breakfast casserole is ideal for a crowd. Assemble it the night before and pop it in the oven before the game.

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Spicy Sausage-and-Cheddar Kolaches

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Spicy Sausage-and-Cheddar Kolaches

This is just the upgraded version of sausage biscuits your tailgate needs. Our take on the Czech pastries called kolaches are filled with Southern favorite Conecuh sausage.

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Mini Bananas Foster Sticky Buns

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

Recipe: Mini Bananas Foster Sticky Buns

Turn one of New Orleans’ famous desserts into a sweet tailgate treat. 

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Big Batch Bloody Marys

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Big-Batch Bloody Marys

Set up a Bloody Mary bar with celery stalks, pickled okra, and lime wedges—and instantly become the tailgate everyone wants to be at. 

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Country Ham Hash

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Country Ham Hash

Get a headstart on this savory breakfast dish by chopping the veggies a day in advance—it'll make day-of prep so much easier. 

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Sausage-and-Cheese Grits Quiche

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: William Smith

Recipe: Sausage-and-Cheese Grits Quiche

It's like two of our favorite breakfast recipes rolled into one—or rather, springformed into one. 

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Pumpkin Spice-Chocolate Marble Bread

Linda Pugliese

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice-Chocolate Marble Bread

You'll make this heavenly recipe over and over again this fall. 

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The Big Cinnamon Roll

Photo: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: The Big Cinnamon Roll

When cooked in a cast-iron skillet, this massive cinnamon roll is oh-so tasty and easy to bake-and-take. 

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Spinach-and-Broccoli Breakfast Bread Pudding

Southern Living

Recipe: Spinach-and-Broccoli Breakfast Bread Pudding

We'll never say no to bread pudding at breakfast—especially when it can be made in the slow cooker. 

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Sausage Balls

Lee Harrelson

Recipe: Sausage Balls

This easy three-ingredient recipe yields dozens of bite-sized sausage balls that are way too addicting.

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Orange-Vanilla French Toast Casserole with Bourbon-Maple Syrup

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

Recipe: Orange-Vanilla French Toast Casserole with Bourbon-Maple Syrup

For a hungry crowd, look no further than this next-level overnight breakfast casserole.

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Ham Buttermilk Biscuits

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Recipe: Ham Biscuits

If you’re looking for an easy touchdown, you can't beat this classic party recipe. Pair these ham biscuits with one of our homemade spreads: Creole Mayonnaise, Chive-Radish Compound Butter, Spicy Orange-Peach Butter, or Pecan Cheese Spread.

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Smoky Pimiento Cheese Deviled Eggs

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Smoky Pimiento Cheese Deviled Eggs

No Southern tailgate would be complete without pimiento cheese, even in the morning.

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Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Victor Protasio

Recipe: Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Did someone say croissants? In a casserole? Genius. 

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Best-Ever Sticky Buns

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Best-Ever Sticky Buns

These sticky and sweet pecan-topped buns will steal the show on your tailgate spread, mark our words. 

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Apple Cider Doughnuts

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Apple Cider Doughnuts 

Fluffy and cakey on the inside with a crispy sweet exterior, these spiced doughnuts make the perfect sweet for a fall tailgate. 

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Ham-Stuffed Biscuits With Mustard Butter

Tina Cornett

Recipe: Ham-Stuffed Biscuits with Mustard Butter

This recipe yields five dozen biscuits. As in, you're set with an easy-to-serve tailgate snack. 

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Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

Victor Protasio

Recipe: Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

Could you find a recipe any more perfect for an early kickoff the week of Thanksgiving? 

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Fresh Fruit Salad

Jen Causey

Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad

Dress up any fruit that’s in season with a mint-honey orange juice mixture. 

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Bacon-and-Cheddar Grits Quiche

Alison Miksch

Recipe: Bacon-and-Cheddar Grits Quiche

You’ve never had quiche quite like this one made with a grits “crust.”

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Scrambled Egg Muffin Sliders

Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Scrambled Egg Muffin Sliders

A little different than the cheeseburger sliders you usually serve at a tailgate, these sliders have all the makings of a filling breakfast.

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Fried Skillet Potatoes

Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Fried Skillet Potatoes

These go-with-anything spuds will be a crispy sensation at the tailgate. 

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Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel

Raspberry, blueberry, blackberry—pick your favorite combination when making these cornmeal muffins. 

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Herbed Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Herbed Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Another big-batch breakfast casserole that lets the slow cooker do all the work.

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Apple Muffins

Stephen Devries

Recipe: Apple Muffins

Kick off the fall season—we mean football season—with some portable and seasonal muffins. Try our Sugar-and-Spice Apple Muffins, Caramelized Apple Toffee Muffins, or Apple Crumb Muffins for more variations.

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Barbecue Deviled Eggs

Southern Living

Recipe: Barbecue Deviled Eggs

If your tailgate is usually filled with barbecue, an early game time doesn’t have to ruin that.

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Strawberry Kuchen

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Recipe: Strawberry Kuchen

Halfway between coffee cake and strawberry cake, this classic pastry makes a fresh and fruity treat. 

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Muffin-Cup Soufflés

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Muffin-Cup Soufflés

These savory soufflés filled with breakfast flavors are so easy to bake and take (and take off the plate).

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Bacon-Herb Cupcakes

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Bacon-Herb Cupcakes  

This recipe makes dozens of savory mini cupcakes that tailgaters won’t be able to resist every time they pass by.

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Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Because you always needs a dessert-for-breakfast option, and these best-ever pumpkin spice muffins are the perfect grab-and-go recipe. 

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Cornmeal-Chive Biscuits

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Cornmeal-Chive Biscuits

These homemade biscuits have a high yield and come together quickly. Set out a biscuit-filling table with ham, bacon, cheese, and various jellies and jams.

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Roll Tide Breakfast Rolls

Oxmoor House

Recipe: Roll Tide Breakfast Rolls

Even if you’re not an Alabama fan, these breakfast rolls are a quick, easy, and filling breakfast on the go. If “Roll Tide” isn’t in your vocabulary, make up your own team-centric name for this delicious dish.

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Pepper Jelly Danish

Charles Walton IV

Photo: Pepper Jelly Danish

If your tailgate usually has a pepper jelly-topped dip, you’ll love these danishes for a breakfast bite that’s sweet and savory.

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Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole

Alison Miksch

Recipe: Cheesy Sausage and Croissant Casserole

Game days get long, so you need a hearty breakfast like this casserole to fill you up.

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