Our 21 Best Christmas Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

One of our favorite things about Christmas morning is the feast that follows gift opening (because who can resist tearing through the wrapping paper first?). Dinner is a long way off and filling up before tending to the holiday roast is a good idea. Keep the prepwork simple by using up some leftovers from Christmas Eve in a savory porridge or breakfast casserole. Or lean into the eggy side of brunch with an easy but elegant quiche or a hearty shakshuka. For a sweeter option, treat your loved ones to a Swedish rice pudding or pecan-chocolate sticky buns that double as desserts. With our best Christmas breakfast recipes, your friends and family might just look forward to the feast more than the presents.

Rice Pudding with Raspberry Coulis

Lighter than most rice puddings, and not as sweet, this Swedish specialty is eaten both as a dessert and as a breakfast food. Short-grain rice, such as arborio, is essential for creating a deliciously creamy consistency. Get the recipe >

Sourdough Whole Wheat Waffles

Sourdough starter mixed into classic waffle batter gives a brightness, airiness, and—who knew?—exterior crunch to waffles that non-yeasted batters can’t match. Get the recipe >

Grilled Banana-Pear Pancake

A thick yet fluffy pancake full of creamy bananas, smooth hints of pear, and crunchy pine nuts over a heap of cool crème fraîche. “This is good with any ripe banana,” Mallmann says, so if you have extra-sweet varieties besides the ubiquitous Cavendish available, use them. Get the recipe >

Roasted Apples and Bacon with Onions and Thyme

In a classic Danish treatment, sweet red apples are roasted with onions, caramelized in bacon fat, and served under thick steaks of smoked belly bacon. Get the recipe >

Cottage Cheese Pancakes With Sour Cream and Dill

These old school Polish pancakes are lighter, fluffier, and cheesier than the batter-based standard making a great alternative to the usual for Christmas breakfast recipes. Get the recipe >

Billionaire’s Bacon

Caramelized brown sugar adds an irresistible layer of sweetness to crispy bacon in this recipe from late chef and food consultant Gene Hovis. Get the recipe >

Giant Apple Pancake With Dulce de Leche

Soft, tart apples balance a bittersweet caramelized crust, spurred on by rich dulce de leche in this giant flapjack. Get the recipe >

Perfect Blue Cheese Quiche With Whole Grain Crust

An extra-velvety quiche loaded with blue cheese for creaminess in a nutty spelt and whole wheat crust. Get the recipe >

Sage and Coconut Caramel Sticky Buns

Jonathan Brooks of Milktooth bakes these extreme pecan sticky buns atop a caramel sauce made with coconut milk, ale, coffee, and barley malt syrup—the bitterness of the sauce balances the sweet buns. Get the recipe >

Brown Butter Skillet Cake with Berry Compote (Kaiserschmarrn)

Essentially torn pieces of pancake topped with oozing lingonberry or cranberry sauce, this dessert is a cinch, even for the baking-challenged. Get the recipe >

Blackberry-Mint Scones

Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin of Ovenly bakery shared the recipe for these blackberry scones with us, which rely on frozen fruit so you can make them even when blackberries aren’t in season, perfect for Christmas breakfast when fresh isn’t an option. Get the recipe >

Fried Egg with Hazelnuts, Chanterelles, Green Garlic, and Blackberries

Chef Jim Christiansen fries his eggs with a splash of water to keep them from burning. Get the recipe >

Country Ham & Red Eye Gravy Danish

This savory danish with salty country ham gravy is a glorious mash-up of pastry and homey Southern comfort. Get the recipe >

Shakshuka

This classic Israeli breakfast, a dish of Libyan origin, can be served as a main course for any meal of the day. Get the recipe >

Spinach, Beef, and Egg Hash

This easy one-pan breakfast is just the thing for a fulfilling breakfast that comes together in the blink of an eye. Get the recipe >

French Baked Toast with Cream and Eggs

This classic French meal of baked, cream-soaked toast and eggs is deceptively simple (and scalable) but lavish. Named for the Alpine region of Bresse, which is best known to the culinary world for its exceptional chickens, the dish is practical country cooking at its finest. As it bakes, the cream soaks into the bread and thickens to a rich sauce right on the platter, resulting in a savory French toast. Get the recipe >

Danish Rye Bread Porridge (Øllebrød)

In Denmark, the regional rye bread, called rugbrød, is debatably sacred. Many bakeries stock upwards of five or six varieties of the nutty, rich, nutritious loaves. And when crumbs fall off while slicing it for smørrebrød, they’re not tossed. They’re saved (and soaked in beer) for this tangy, earthy breakfast treat. Get the recipe >

Espresso Waffles with Mocha Drizzle

Almond flour and espresso powder give bittersweet edge to these waffles, which are glossed with a decadent sauce of condensed milk, coffee, and dark chocolate. Get the recipe >

Baked Egg Danish with Kimchi and Bacon

Rich, chewy laminated dough puffs up in the oven to suspend kimchi, bacon, and baked eggs in the center of these savory breakfast pastries. Swap out the kimchi and bacon for any of your favorite savory egg accompaniments, like cooked mushrooms and greens or grated cheese and herbs. For the best texture, be sure to drain or squeeze any extra liquid off cooked vegetables before adding. Get the recipe >

Eggplant and Walnut Frittata (Badimjan Kükü)

This hearty Azeri egg dish—which can be served in small pieces as an appetizer or side, or cut into larger wedges as a main—is loaded with ground walnuts, onions, and eggplant, giving it a nutty, meaty consistency and color. Get the recipe >

Pecan-Chocolate Sticky Buns

Baker and cookbook author Bryan Ford cooks these over-the-top sticky buns in a large cast-iron skillet. To prevent messes, line the bottom of your oven with a layer of aluminum foil before baking. Get the recipe >