Christmas brunch is a beloved tradition that brings family and friends together over delicious, festive food. But preparing a holiday meal doesn’t have to be stressful. With these 10 easy Christmas brunch recipes, you can create a spread that’s flavorful, impressive, and simple enough to enjoy the holiday without spending all day in the kitchen.
From sweet treats to savory dishes, these recipes offer something for every taste. Classic favorites like fluffy pancakes, golden waffles, and baked French toast provide comfort and indulgence, while savory options such as quiches, frittatas, and breakfast casseroles keep things hearty and satisfying. Each recipe is designed to be approachable, so you can focus on celebrating rather than stressing over complicated steps.
For a sweet start, baked goods are always a hit. Cinnamon rolls, muffins, or sweet bread loaves can be made ahead of time, allowing you to enjoy the morning with minimal last-minute prep. Add seasonal touches like cranberries, nuts, or a dusting of powdered sugar to make them feel festive and special.
Savory dishes balance the table and ensure there’s something for everyone. Egg-based recipes such as quiches or frittatas can be customized with vegetables, cheese, and meats to suit your family’s preferences. Breakfast casseroles, layered with bread, eggs, cheese, and fresh herbs, are not only comforting but also easy to prepare in advance, so you can spend more time enjoying your guests.
Holiday brunch isn’t complete without beverages that make the table shine. Think mimosas, hot chocolate, or spiced coffee drinks that complement the dishes and add a festive touch. Even simple fruit smoothies or infused water can add color and flavor, keeping the menu balanced and refreshing.
Presentation matters, too. Arrange baked goods on tiered stands, serve casseroles straight from the oven in colorful dishes, and add fresh fruit or edible garnishes for a touch of holiday cheer. Even small details like cinnamon sticks, rosemary sprigs, or powdered sugar snow can make your brunch look as good as it tastes.
These 10 easy Christmas brunch recipes are designed to be flexible. They can be scaled for a small family breakfast or a larger holiday gathering. Many can be prepared ahead of time, letting the flavors develop while reducing stress on the morning of the celebration.
Whether you’re a seasoned holiday chef or hosting Christmas brunch for the first time, these recipes will become staples in your holiday tradition. They are delicious, approachable, and full of seasonal charm, making it easy to create a memorable meal year after year.
With these easy recipes, your Christmas brunch will be a perfect mix of sweet, savory, and festive, leaving everyone satisfied and creating holiday memories that will last a lifetime.
Cinnamon Roll Christmas Trees
The holidays are about spending time with loved ones, not hours in the kitchen. So we have a quick hack for making Christmas day extra special: unravel a can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls and shape them into little Christmas trees. After they bake, the whole family can gather for the “tree trimming”—decorating with frosting and holiday-themed sprinkles.
Mushroom and Gruyère Croissant Breakfast Casserole
This vegetarian breakfast casserole is easy to assemble up to a day ahead and bake off in the morning, making it the perfect addition to your brunch menu. Meaty mushrooms stand in for the typical breakfast proteins and dish is rounded out with a generous amount of creamy Gruyère, plus fresh thyme and tangy Dijon mustard. We use buttery, flaky croissants as the perfect vessel to sandwich the cheesy mushroom filling and soak up all the custardy eggs.
Breakfast Cornbread Casserole with Ham and Kale
The combination of ham and kale is traditional for a reason: It’s so unbelievably good. But this satisfying casserole is easy to adapt to other greens and meat pairings, depending on what you have on hand: Try cooked sausage with frozen spinach or andouille with frozen mustard greens.
Giant Cinnamon Roll Snowman
This fun holiday brunch easily serves a crowd, using just a couple of tubes of refrigerated cinnamon rolls. After baking the dough, everyone can join in on decorating the giant snowman with store-bought frosting and colored icing gel. What better way to start the day than with this warm, friendly cinnamon-scented treat!
Pancake Breakfast Casserole
Make breakfast pancakes extra special by baking them in a rich, creamy custard. You can cook and freeze the pancakes ahead of time (defrost them before using). An easy timesaver: Buy ready-made frozen pancakes.
Maple-Pepper Bacon
Brushing bacon with maple syrup and baking it in the oven is a simple trick that yields a huge flavor upgrade.
Hash Brown Breakfast Bundt
This breakfast bake includes everything you love from a traditional diner breakfast—hash browns, cheese, eggs and sausage—baked up in a Bundt pan. Prepare it ahead of time and you’ll be able to serve this impressive all-in-one dish to a hungry crowd on Christmas morning without having to lift a finger.
Herbalicious Breakfast Casserole
Breakfast casseroles are the way to go when you’re in charge of feeding a crowd on Christmas morning. You can make it months(!) in advance and bake from frozen while everyone is trying to sneak a peek under the tree.
Ube-Coconut Sticky Buns
oconut and the sweet purple yam known as ube are a popular pairing in the Philippines. These sticky buns highlight the combination, using ube jam to flavor and vividly color the dough as well as in the filling and coconut in the filling and frosting. Ube jam (also called ube halaya) is a Filipino dessert made of mashed ube, coconut milk, evaporated or condensed milk and butter; look for jars of it (as well as ube extract) in Asian grocery stores or online.