Christmas Breakfast Recipes That Will Make for a Merry Holiday Morning
This year, as you plan ahead for the holiday season, consider swapping your usual Christmas morning routine for something more social. Instead of opening presents in your pajamas, why not host a morning feast? A special breakfast can be the center of the day. Call it breakfast or call it brunch—either way, it's an opportunity to start the day with your friends and family and let it unfold in a merry way. Serve them a seasonal, delicious meal that just might keep them going until dinnertime.
A breakfast feast has become a favorite holiday tradition of Martha's and it's one you might like to join in with. Set the table with the nicest linens and tableware, and get out your punch bowl. If you plan ahead you can serve the recipes Martha favors for her Christmas gathering or the decadent Yeasted Chocolate Coffee Cake shown here.
Quicker to prepare are a coffee cake with tender Meyer lemon slices and a platter of caramelized pineapple with toasted nuts and oats, which you can spoon onto bowls of creamy yogurt. We know that every once in a while we all need a breakfast dish that can be prepared the night before and popped in the oven while we take care of the morning rituals, and a festive baked French toast will takes some of the pressure off. Everyone will be satisfied with the options ahead. You can whip up an oven-to-table hash brown casserole that's sure to make the meat-lovers happy, our gloriously decadent pull-apart cinnamon buns, or our gingerbread-spiced pancakes, which are guaranteed to hold the kids off from hounding you to open presents. If you need an eye opener, try a sip of this warmed eggnog with espresso stirred into it before your guests arrive—it's the perfect way to get yourself in the spirit.
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Yogurt with Caramelized Pineapple and Hazelnuts
A sweet but nutty yogurt mix, this special breakfast is made with only seven ingredients. Just combine crunchy rolled oats and hazelnuts with big chunks of juicy pineapple in a hot skillet, then pour over a bed of creamy Greek yogurt.
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Spinach-and-Cheddar Slab Quiche
This easy-to-assemble big-batch quiche is just the ticket for a Christmas morning. The filling calls for nearly a dozen eggs, along with frozen spinach, cheddar, and cream, and the crust is simply frozen puff pastry decorated with sesame seeds.
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Eggnog Latte
That desperately needed caffeine kick you need for the full day of festivities ahead is a match made in heaven with the star drink of the season, eggnog.
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Gingerbread Pancakes
Pass on the gingerbread house for now. A fluffy stack of ordinary pancakes gets an indulgent twist: They are sweetened with molasses and flavored with warm gingerbread spices.
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Crepes with Smoked Fishes and Dill Cream Cheese
Nova smoked salmon, sturgeon, and sable are served with thick dollops of dill-flavored cream cheese, zesty lemon, and cayenne in a spectacular tiered display. Guests can mix and match as they please and the cream cheese can be made two days ahead.
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Hash-Brown Casserole
This creamy, cheesy baked breakfast has no shortage of fans. Our version gets an update with layers of sausage, vinegar-glazed peppers, and grated potatoes mixed with cheddar cheese, scallions, and a silky bechamel sauce.
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Mulled Blood-Orange Punch and Bloody Mary Mix
Offer two pitchers of bright red beverages: Mulled Blood-Orange Punch and Bloody Mary Mix.
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Cinnamon Rolls
These wonderfully fluffy cinnamon rolls have a secret ingredient: mashed potatoes! And they are well suited to a holiday breakfast not only because they are so tender, but because the dough can be made and the buns assembled a day ahead. All you have to do on Christmas morning is pop them in the oven.
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Turkey-Pastrami Croque-Madame Casserole
A cheesy casserole with turkey pastrami (or ham if you prefer) that's topped with eggs, this is our latest riff on the Croque Monsieur. Your Christmas breakfast crowd will consider it irresistible.
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Pear-and-Raspberry Baked French Toast
Thick slices of challah soak up the custard here, while Bosc pears and fresh raspberries add just the right amount of sweetness. The best part? You can prep the whole thing in advance, then exchange gifts while the casserole bakes the morning of.
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Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake
With their mellow complexity, Meyer lemons take classic coffee cake to a whole new level. Here they are thinly sliced and layered within the batter. This showstopper is finished with a streusel topping and a Meyer-lemon glaze.