11 Crowd-Pleasing Christmas Breakfast Ideas

Blueberry-Buttermilk Muffins

Christmas breakfast should be indulgent and a little sweet, and nothing checks those boxes quite like blueberry muffins. This recipe uses fresh berries, lemon zest for a little tanginess, and buttermilk for rich flavor. Best of all, this recipe makes 24 muffins—more than enough for everyone to eat their fill—and you can bake them ahead and freeze them, and then reheat for breakfast on Christmas so there's less to worry about day-of.

Breakfast Wreath

Tasty, perfectly seasonal, and completely satisfying, this savory pastry is a crowd-pleasing Christmas breakfast option. It cooks quickly and serves 12 (though expect everyone to come back for seconds). With cheese and eggs for heft and bacon for flavor, it's a complete breakfast in one dish—and it'll look great in pictures.

Cherry Berry Breakfast Custard

This jam-packed breakfast treat takes its cues from the French clafoutis—a custard-like dish that rises up around juicy fruit. It's sweet enough to satisfy a Christmas morning craving for something sugary, but not so over-the-top that it sends you crashing mid-morning; and pretty enough to wow family or guests. The best part? The custard works well with a variety of fruits. Frozen berries and cherries are called for here, but peaches or pears would be delicious, and mango and pineapple would make you forget all about the wintry weather outside.

French Toast Casserole

It serves eight, is make ahead, and is downright delicious. Check, check, check! The casserole aspect is brilliant, because soaking and flipping individual pieces of French toast for a crowd takes a while, and seems longer when that crowd is hungry.

Sourdough or country bread works best here. Thick slices get soaked in a rich egg custard sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with cinnamon. Layered in too are raisins and crunchy pecans, for an extra festive touch. Bake this dish a day ahead (it actually gets better if it sits overnight). Day of, just cover with foil and pop in the oven before serving.

Grapefruit Salad With Vanilla Syrup and Yogurt

This bright, fresh, jewel-like breakfast serves four but is easily doubled and served family-style, with fruit in one big serving bowl and Greek yogurt in another. Make sure your ingredients are the highest quality. That means using the ripest apples, grapefruit, and banana you can find, and being thorough about removing the bitter pith from the grapefruit. The great news is it takes just 10 minutes to pull together. The greater news is you can cut up the grapefruit and make the vanilla syrup the night before.

Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

Ahhh, the comforting flavors of carrot cake in a healthy cookie to start your day. Yes, healthy! Put them out for Christmas breakfast and, if they're not completely gone (which they might be), they make a great snack for nibbling throughout the day.

They're made of wholesome, fiber-rich ingredients—rolled oats, almond flour, walnuts, and a shower of shredded carrots—that mitigate the release of added sugar into your bloodstream. The result is a batch of tasty make-ahead treats for your holiday morning that you'll crave all year long.

Gluten-Free Carrot Coconut Bread

It goes without saying that this gluten-free recipe doesn't taste gluten-free. It also doesn't taste like other versions of carrot bread we know. The loaf is dense in a good hearty way, and unbelievably moist and rich—thanks to a perfect ratio of shredded carrots and mashed banana, as well as a cup of shredded unsweetened coconut (which adds texture but not too much coconut flavor). Make this bread a few days ahead of time, or freeze it for up to two weeks. To dress it up, wrap it in a festive towel on the breakfast table and serve with softened butter and flaky salt.

Nutty Superfood Breakfast Bites

These are everything an energy bar should be: packed to the brim with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Almonds are filled with heart-healthy fats, quinoa is an excellent source of protein, and goji berries are loaded with antioxidants—those are just a few of the nutrient-packed ingredients you'll find inside.

This recipe is customizable, too; so feel free to swap cashews for almonds, or dried cranberries for goji berries. Brown rice syrup is available at most health foods stores and does the best job of binding the ingredients together without making the bars sticky. It also gives a gorgeous shiny finish, which you can further enhance with a drizzle of dark chocolate. Merry Christmas indeed!

Baked Oatmeal With Cranberries and Almonds

What could be more comforting than a baked oatmeal casserole on Christmas morning? All the traditional oatmeal components—oats, chopped toasted almonds, cranberries, and cinnamon—are baked with melted butter, eggs, and maple syrup. The results are gooey in the middle and slightly crispy around the edges, a bit like a casserole-cookie hybrid. You can make this the day before, and might want to, because it bakes for about 45 minutes. Reheat it covered with foil before serving. It's extra decadent drizzled with cream or milk... or even eggnog (sshh, we didn't give you that idea).

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Slow Cooker Frittata

For some people, breakfast means eggs. Even on Christmas. We get that. But there's nothing more unappealing than a big helping of cold scrambled eggs. And fried eggs need to be cooked in batches. A frittata is the solution: This one serves 6 to 8 and is delicious warm or at room temperature.

And don't let "slow-cooker" scare you off: Cook time is as little as 2 hours, so you can even put it together the day of with just 20 minutes of prep. Or make it the day before and serve it cold, or cover it in foil and reheat it in the oven.

Potato, Egg, and Avocado Hash

Here, crispy hash browns and fried eggs combine for a mouthwatering Southwestern-inspired breakfast (thanks to a smattering of avocado, lime juice, cilantro, and Fresno chili peppers). It's not exactly the type of breakfast you want to leave sitting around for hours, but trust us, it will go quickly—and keep it covered in the meantime.

To save time Christmas morning, boil your potatoes the night before and cover them in cold water to prevent them from browning. Use your prettiest large skillet (we love cast iron) because you'll want to bring the whole thing to the table.