Inside: Choose an easy Christmas morning breakfast recipe from this list of sweet and savory ideas to make feeding your people on Christmas a simple, not stressful affair.
I don’t love to cook. If I wasn’t married, I could honestly do “girl dinner” every night of the week.
Add on the holiday stress/pressure to cooking? Forget about it.
Please, oh please, let me be the one to bring a side dish to someone else’s Christmas dinner, thank you very much.
And I am definitely not going to be the “make all the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner” mom decades from now – sorry, kids, it’ll be a family affair.
We also have quite the combination of palates in our house, so pretty much anything I make doesn’t work for someone in the family.
Offering several separate options works much better for us (I included our usual Christmas morning breakfast at the end).
But for many families, likely you if you’re reading this, sharing a special Christmas breakfast is a cherished tradition.
And I say, if you have to make a nice breakfast on Christmas morning, why not make it an easy one?
Related: 15 Christmas Traditions to Start This Year (The Easiest Ideas)
21 Easy Christmas Morning Breakfast Ideas
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If Christmas breakfast is a staple in your house – or you’re trying to create a tradition for the first time – and it needs a refresh, these recipes will inspire you!
Try them out pre-Christmas morning to make sure you like them, or if you’re the adventurous type (read: not me), go ahead and make them on Christmas morning.
I tried to round out this list of ideas with both sweet AND savory recipes. There should be something for everyone.
Happy “shopping” for a new favorite Christmas breakfast recipe!
Related: How to Transition to a Minimalist Christmas with Kids (And Not Feel Like the Grinch)
1. Ricotta Pancakes
THESE delicious ricotta pancakes are the perfect Christmas morning treat! Made super moist with a cup of milk, three large eggs AND half a cup of ricotta cheese.
Serve with:
- Fresh berries
- Powdered sugar
- Real maple syrup
- Whipped cream
If you don’t have fresh berries, you can use frozen berries and make a simple berry sauce topping, instead.
2. Meat Lover’s Breakfast Casserole
THIS meat and egg casserole is SO easy. Make it Christmas Eve in a few simple steps and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Then bake Christmas morning!
You can’t get any better than that.
Just be careful pulling it out of the fridge, lest you end up like Sarah Jessica Parker in The Family Stone come Christmas morning.
3. Gingerbread Pancakes
Nothing says Christmas like gingerbread. Perfect for an easy Christmas morning breakfast!
With dark brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, THESE Christmas morning pancakes are packed with gingerbread flavor.
Serve with powdered sugar, maple syrup and whipped cream.
4. Baked Panettone French Toast
If you’re a fan of Panettone, you’ll love this easy Baked Panettone French Toast!
Perfect for throwing together quickly on Christmas morning, this Christmas breakfast doesn’t need to be made the night before.
5. Frozen Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls
If you love homemade cinnamon rolls, but can’t be bothered to put in all that work (not even for Christmas morning), try THESE easy cinnamon rolls made from frozen Rhodes cinnamon rolls.
You can thaw the frozen cinnamon rolls overnight in a 9×12 casserole dish in the fridge and let them double in size. Then add the ingredients in the morning and bake.
6. Breakfast Sausage, Egg & Cheese Scramble
If you want a quick savory breakfast with less than five ingredients for Christmas breakfast, THIS breakfast scramble is perfect.
Eggs, cheese, sausage and dried minced onion, plus salt and pepper come together for a delicious meal worthy of Christmas morning.
7. The Best Sheet Pan Pancakes
Looking for Christmas breakfast pancakes without all the pouring and the waiting and the standing? You might love THESE sheet pan pancakes.
With both buttermilk AND regular milk, plus two tablespoons of baking powder, these pancakes will definitely be moist and fluffy.
You can divide the pan into sections and put separate toppings on different sections – blueberry, plain and chocolate chips.
8. Bananas Foster Pancakes
If bananas and nuts are your family’s jam, THESE bananas foster pancakes will be perfect for Christmas morning!
Keep in mine, you’ll need rum extract for both the pancakes and the sauce (bananas foster syrup).
9. Easy Cinnamon Cranberry Overnight French Toast
What says “Christmas” more than cranberries?! Another easy overnight french toast recipe, but what makes this one special is the cranberries.
Beaten cinnamon, eggs, and milk are poured over french bread slices. They soak in the fridge overnight, get topped with cranberries in the morning and baked for 30 minutes.
Easy peasy Christmas morning breakfast!
10. Gingerbread Baked Donuts
Again, gingerbread, Christmas, need I say more? I’m not exactly sure you could call THESE scrumptious-looking gingerbread donuts easy, buuuutttt it is a pretty straightforward recipe.
Mix the dry ingredients first, then mix the wet ingredients separately.
Combine and bake in donut pans, then dip warm donuts in spiced sugar mixture and enjoy!
11. Overnight Eggnog French Toast
THIS overnight eggnog french toast recipe
12. Easy Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree
If you don’t want to make your own cinnamon rolls and “from the can” rolls feel not special enough for Christmas morning, you’ll love THIS easy cinnamon roll Christmas tree!
A simple holiday made from canned cinnamon rolls arranged into a Christmas tree shape and topped with colorful icing, sprinkles and candy, young kids especially will love it.
13. Overnight Pumpkin Pie French Toast
If you hold onto your pumpkin obsession way past Thanksgiving, you’ll adore THIS overnight pumpkin pie french toast and think it’s perfect for Christmas breakfast.
(Even though Starbucks has moved onto peppermint mochas and eggnog lattes).
It includes french bread, just the right amount of pumpkin puree, and of course, plenty of pumpkin pie spice. If pumpkin is your jam, this is the overnight french toast recipe for you.
14. Baked Eggnog Oatmeal
THIS baked eggnog oatmeal is super simple. If your family is a fan of baked oatmeal or oatmeal in general, give this a try Christmas morning.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine and spread in a 9×12 pan. Bake for 45 minutes, and you’re good to go!
15. Air Fryer Santa Cinnamon Rolls
THESE adorable Santa cinnamon rolls are so easy! And they cook so much faster in an air fryer than the oven.
All you need are a can of your favorite refrigerated cinnamon rolls, cream cheese frosting, red food coloring, mini marshmallows and candy eyes.
Perfect Christmas morning breakfast if you have younger kiddos!
16. Chocolate Gingerbread Oatmeal
Sticking with the oatmeal theme, THIS healthy holiday-themed oatmeal with plant-based milk is warm and comforting, perfect for Christmas morning.
The only edit I would make to this recipe is to cut the blueberries. They don’t really seem to go with the chocolate and gingerbread flavors in the rest of the dish.
Serve with gingerbread cookies for a fun Christmas morning touch!
17. Healthy Freezer-Friendly Egg Muffin Cups
If you want a super healthy Christmas morning breakfast, THESE healthy egg muffin cups that you can make and freeze in advance if you wish will be your jam.
With wild rice, mushrooms and spinach, these are packed full of protein and veggies. Not a bad idea if you’re planning to have lots of Christmas desserts later in the day (guilty!).
Between these and stocking treats, you’ll definitely keep everyone full until you’re ready for Christmas dinner.
18. Overnight French Toast Casserole
I know, at this point, you’re probably like, “Enough with the overnight French toast casseroles already!!” But I thought THIS overnight French casserole was unique enough to warrant including.
The author of this recipe “sells” it best when they describe it this way…
Delicious French Toast Casserole combines bread with a sweet vanilla custard that’s topped off with a buttery streusel. Make the night before and bake it in the morning!
Sounds pretty darn good to me and very Christmas morning worthy.
19. Breakfast Sliders with Country Gravy
I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about with biscuits and country gravy until I finally tasted it at our local soccer club one day. And OMG was it good!
THESE breakfast sliders with country gravy look so delicious I’m tempted to make them for Christmas breakfast myself.
Hawaiian rolls, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns and American cheese. YUM.
20. Cracker Barrel Copycat Cinnamon Roll Pie
I am not a huge Cracker Barrel fan, but I can imagine that if you are, you might love their cinnamon roll pie?
If that’s you, grab a pack of your favorite refrigerated cinnamon rolls, some premade pie crust and make THIS Cracker Barrel Cinnamon Roll Pie Copycat recipe for Christmas morning.
This comes together quickly and easily – but if I were you, I’d make some extra frosting. In my opinion, you can never have too much!
21. Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
Finally, if you want a true set it and forget it savory Christmas morning breakfast, THIS slow cooker egg casserole is for you!
Canned biscuits, eggs, cheese, ham and green onions come together in a slow cooker and only take an hour and a half to cook.
If anything says simple Christmas morning breakfast, this one does.
Or You Could Do What I Usually Do for Breakfast on Christmas Morning…
When I don’t have a mother-in-law around to help cook breakfast on Christmas morning, I usually serve the following:
- Cheese or raspberry danish
- Some kind of cinnamon roll (I’m eyeing the recipe above as a potential new go-to)
- Bacon
- Frozen Hashbrowns
- Clementines and/or Strawberries (the prerequisite “hey, I feed my kids healthy stuff on days they stuff their faces with candy and treats” gesture)
- Pancakes…from a mix
Glamorous, I know.
Whether you choose a recipe from this list for Christmas breakfast or you go some combination of the easy foods I shared above, please enjoy your Christmas morning!
It doesn’t need to be stressful: it can be relaxing and simple.
(Even as the wrapping paper flies, stockings are dumped out everywhere and your living room is completely trashed. 😉 It’ll all get cleaned up eventually.)
Read Next: I Hate Christmas! A Grinchy Parent’s Holiday Survival Guide
