Christmas breakfast ideas: 30 easy, make-ahead dishes for Christmas morning

The short answer: the easiest christmas breakfast ideas are the ones you make the night before, like an overnight egg casserole, a French toast bake or a pan of cinnamon rolls.

• Pair one hot make-ahead dish with one sweet item, fruit and a warm drink
• Hands-on time: about 15 minutes on Christmas morning
• 30 ideas sorted by type
• Christmas Eve timeline and food safety numbers below
• Next step: Plan it with the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99).

The easiest Christmas breakfast ideas are the ones you make the night before: an overnight egg casserole, a French toast bake or a pan of cinnamon rolls that goes straight from the fridge to the oven. Pair one hot make-ahead dish with one sweet item, fruit and a warm drink, and Christmas morning takes about 15 minutes of hands-on work. Below are 30 ideas sorted by type, a simple Christmas Eve timeline and the food safety numbers to know.

Our Meal Planner & Grocery List printable has a weekly meal planner, a dinner plan and prep page and a grocery list sorted by aisle, so Christmas morning goes on the same shopping list as the rest of the week.

I love cooking, and I'll watch a holiday cooking show any chance I get. But on Christmas morning I want to be with my family, not stuck at the stove. These ideas are built for that.

Make-ahead egg dishes

These go together on Christmas Eve and bake in the morning.

1. Overnight sausage and egg casserole. Bread cubes, sausage, eggs, milk and cheese soak overnight and bake into a crowd favorite.
2. Ham and cheese breakfast strata. A great use for leftover holiday ham.
3. Veggie frittata. Spinach, peppers and onions baked in a skillet or sheet pan.
4. Mini quiches in a muffin tin. Easy to grab and easy to portion for a crowd.
5. Hash brown breakfast casserole. Frozen hash browns, eggs, cheese and bacon in one dish. For a skillet version, try our corned beef hash recipe.
6. Breakfast enchiladas. Tortillas filled with eggs and sausage, covered in sauce and cheese.
7. Southern grits casserole. Cheesy baked grits that hold well in a warm oven.

Sweet bakes and pastries

8. Cinnamon rolls. Homemade dough rises overnight in the fridge, or use a store-bought tube.
9. Overnight French toast bake. Add a brown sugar and pecan topping just before baking. Prefer it fresh from the skillet? Use our classic French toast recipe.
10. Gingerbread pancakes. Add molasses, ginger and cinnamon to your usual batter. Use the rest of the jar in our soft, chewy molasses cookies.
11. Coffee cake. Bake it on Christmas Eve, and it's even better the next day.
12. Monkey bread. Pull-apart dough balls in cinnamon sugar.
13. Chocolate chip banana bread. I'm a chocolate dessert person, so this one is always on my list. Start with our one-bowl banana bread recipe and fold in a cup of chocolate chips.
14. Cranberry orange muffins. Bake ahead and freeze, then warm in the oven.
15. Sheet pan pancakes. One pan feeds a crowd with no flipping.
16. Waffle bar. Make waffles ahead, freeze, then toast and set out toppings.

No-cook and low-effort sides

17. Fruit platter in a Christmas tree shape. Green grapes, kiwi, strawberries and a star fruit topper.
18. Yogurt parfait bar. Yogurt, granola, berries and honey in bowls.
19. Overnight oats in jars. Each person gets their own jar. Our overnight oats guide has the ratio and 8 flavors.
20. Bagel board. Bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, cucumbers and tomatoes.
21. Charcuterie breakfast board. Cheese, sliced meats, fruit, mini muffins and nuts.
22. Sheet pan bacon. Bake a full pound at once while the casserole finishes.
23. Sausage links in a slow cooker. Brown them, then keep them warm for hours.

Christmas morning drinks

24. Hot chocolate bar. Hot chocolate is one of my favorite things, so this is a must. Set out marshmallows, whipped cream, crushed peppermint and cinnamon sticks.
25. Slow cooker hot chocolate. Keeps warm all morning for a crowd.
26. Peppermint mocha. Coffee, hot chocolate and a splash of peppermint syrup.
27. Cranberry orange spritzer. Juice and sparkling water with fresh cranberries.
28. Spiced apple cider. Warm cider with cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange slices.
29. Eggnog. Store-bought is fine. If you make it at home, use a cooked recipe or pasteurized eggs.
30. Coffee station. A pot of coffee, flavored creamers and festive mugs.

Sample Christmas breakfast menus

Christmas Eve to Christmas morning timeline

1. December 22 or 23: Shop for everything at once and bake anything that freezes, like muffins and coffee cake.
2. Christmas Eve afternoon: Assemble the casserole or French toast bake, cover it and refrigerate.
3. Christmas Eve night: Cut fruit, set out the hot chocolate toppings, mugs and serving dishes, and put the cinnamon rolls in the fridge to rise.
4. Christmas morning: Take the casserole out of the fridge while the oven heats, then bake.
5. While it bakes: Open stockings, make coffee and set out the cold sides.

Food safety for a Christmas brunch

A big holiday breakfast sits out longer than a weekday one, so it's worth a quick check:

• Cook to temperature. FoodSafety.gov's safe minimum internal temperatures list 160°F for egg dishes like frittata and quiche and 165°F for casseroles and reheated leftovers. Check the center with a thermometer.
• Watch the 2-hour rule. Don't leave eggs, meat, dairy or cut fruit out of the fridge for more than 2 hours, per FoodSafety.gov's 4 steps to food safety.
• Keep hot food hot. Hold hot dishes at 140°F or above with a warming tray or slow cooker.

Plan breakfast with the rest of the holiday meals

Christmas breakfast is easier when it's on the same grocery list as Christmas dinner and the leftovers. The Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99) puts the week's meals on one page with a grocery list sorted by aisle and a pantry and freezer inventory, so you shop once. Keep the dishes your family asks for every year in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99), with room on each page for the story behind the recipe. For the whole season (budget, gifts, meals and savings), the Holiday Season Bundle is $15.99 ($25.94 if bought separately). Browse all our printable planners.

Want a free page to start? The Holiday Budget Starter Kit is three US Letter pages we email you after you join our list.

See also

• Christmas dinner menu planner
• Christmas baking list
• How to host a cookie exchange
• Cheap family Christmas traditions

For a make-ahead bakery basket, try our one-bowl blueberry muffins, and for an easy side, our air fryer bacon chart cooks a batch with less mess. If guests eat on the go, our breakfast sandwich ideas include a freezer method you can prep days ahead.

Want one pan that feeds a crowd? Our breakfast pizza piles scrambled eggs, sausage and cheese on a par-baked crust.

Want something you can bake the night before? Our quiche recipe uses one simple custard ratio with 12 fillings, from quiche Lorraine to crustless spinach.

Want a make-ahead brunch centerpiece? Freeze a batch of our homemade waffles a few days early and set out a topping bar. Coffee cake tastes even better the next day, so bake our coffee cake recipe on Christmas Eve.

Two make-ahead holiday morning ideas: a crepe bar with our crepe recipe, and a freezer batch of our breakfast burritos. For a classic holiday brunch plate, make eggs benedict with poached eggs and hollandaise.