How I Do Christmas Morning Breakfast Without the Rush

Christmas breakfast and brunch recipes are the sweet rolls, egg bakes and quick breads you can mostly build the night before, so Christmas morning is about coffee and presents, not standing at the stove.

Collage of Christmas breakfast and brunch dishes, including cinnamon rolls, cranberry bread, a breakfast casserole, and cherry French toast sandwiches.

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This is a growing collection of the recipes from my kitchen that fit a holiday morning, sorted by type and flagged for what you can prep ahead. A few feed a crowd and a few are just right for a quiet morning at home.

Do the assembly on Christmas Eve and all you have to do is turn on the oven.

Sweet Rolls and Coffee Cakes

The centerpiece of the table. Most can be shaped the night before and baked in the morning.

How To Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Soft homemade cinnamon rolls with a cream cheese glaze, shape them the night before and bake in the morning.

MAKE THE RECIPE

Monkey Bread Muffins Recipe

Pull apart monkey bread baked in a muffin tin, cinnamon sugar pieces with no dough to proof.

MAKE THE RECIPE

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe

A tender apple coffee cake with a cinnamon streusel swirl, good warm or at room temperature.

MAKE THE RECIPE

Sliced apple streusel coffee cake with a crumbly cinnamon streusel topping sits on a wire cooling rack next to a green apple, with more crumbs scattered around.

Egg Bakes and Casseroles

Assemble, refrigerate overnight, and bake straight from the fridge while the coffee brews.

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

A hash brown breakfast casserole with eggs, cheese and sausage, a classic make ahead crowd feeder.

MAKE THE RECIPE

A close-up of the hashbrown breakfast casserole with a portion cut out, showing the shredded hashbrown, ham, and egg layers beneath the melted cheese and jalapeno topping.

Breakfast Casserole With Potatoes And Ham

A hearty breakfast casserole with potatoes and diced ham, a good use for holiday leftovers.

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Breakfast Casserole With Potatoes And Ham

Bacon Sausage Strata Breakfast Casserole

A layered bread, egg and cheese strata loaded with sausage and bacon, refrigerated overnight and baked fresh Christmas morning.

MAKE THE RECIPE

Photo credit: gritsandgouda.com

Bacon Sausage Strata Breakfast Casserole

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Savory sausage and sharp cheddar baked into a creamy egg custard over bread, assembled the night before and baked golden in the morning.

MAKE THE RECIPE

Photo credit: onceuponachef.com

Quick Breads and Muffins for the Table

Bake these two or three days ahead so there is something to nibble while the main dish finishes.

Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe With Glaze

A cranberry orange loaf with a bright citrus glaze, festive in both color and flavor.

MAKE THE RECIPE

Sliced cranberry orange loaf drizzled with white glaze and topped with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs, showing the studded crumb inside.

Easy Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread (With Glaze)

A bakery style blueberry bread with a ribbon of sweet cream cheese through the middle.

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Pumpkin Spice Scones with Vanilla Glaze

Flaky pumpkin scones with a vanilla glaze, still very much in season on Christmas morning.

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Pumpkin Bread With Streusel Topping

Spiced pumpkin bread under a thick cinnamon streusel, an easy loaf that slices well for a buffet.

MAKE THE RECIPE

Close-up of sliced pumpkin bread with a crumbly streusel topping, showing the moist orange crumb, with cinnamon sticks in the background.

Pumpkin Muffins With Cranberries

Bakery style pumpkin muffins with tart dried cranberries, portioned and ready to grab.

MAKE THE RECIPE

a stack of Pumpkin Muffins With Cranberries

Pancakes and French Toast

For a smaller table where someone is happy to stand at the griddle.

Cherry Cottage Cheese French Toast Recipe

High protein cherry cottage cheese French toast, a filling holiday breakfast that does not weigh you down.

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Strawberry Pancakes

Fluffy strawberry pancakes with fresh fruit folded into the batter.

MAKE THE RECIPE

Tips for a Calm Christmas Morning

Do all the assembly on Christmas Eve – shaped rolls, layered casseroles and mixed batters all hold overnight in the fridge.
Take egg bakes out of the fridge while the oven preheats – a cold dish going into a hot oven bakes unevenly and cracks.
Bake quick breads two or three days ahead – they slice better on day two and free the oven on the morning itself.
Set the table and the coffee station the night before – one less thing to think about before everyone is awake.
Pick one hot dish and one cold spread – you do not need three things in the oven at once.

Christmas Breakfast Questions

What Christmas breakfast can I make the night before?

Cinnamon rolls can be shaped and refrigerated overnight. Egg and hash brown casseroles are assembled and chilled unbaked. Quick breads and muffins are fully baked two or three days ahead. That leaves only the baking for the morning.

How do I feed a crowd on Christmas morning without stress?

Pick one make ahead egg casserole, one sweet roll or coffee cake, a platter of fruit, and a quick bread you baked earlier in the week. Everything but the casserole is done before Christmas Eve.

Can I freeze Christmas breakfast bakes?

Quick breads, muffins and unbaked cinnamon rolls all freeze well for up to a month. Egg casseroles are better assembled fresh the night before, though fully baked ones can be frozen and reheated in a pinch.

Choose one hot dish and a couple of things from the table, prep them on the twenty fourth, and enjoy your own morning.