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These cozy Christmas breakfast ideas will impress everyone! The festive brunch ideas are the best way to wake up on Christmas morning.

Christmas breakfast is the one time of year we put healthy on the backburner. Because Christmas Day is all about festive, showy baked goods! There’s nothing better than the smell of coffee wafting and a big pile of monkey bread to usher in the festivities. Here we’ve put together our top Christmas breakfast and brunch ideas, from sweet baked goods and hearty casseroles and frittatas! Along with favorite recipes from this website, we’ve got selections from two baking experts: Jocelyn Delk Adams of Grandbaby Cakes and Imma Adamu from Immaculate Bites.
And now…our top Christmas breakfast ideas!
Make your favorite pancakes into a snowman: perfect for a cozy Christmas breakfast! All you need is a carrot, raisins, pretzels and powdered sugar. Use your favorite pancake recipe, or try these applesauce pancakes! Applesauce makes the ideal soft and moist texture for flapjacks: perfectly fluffy and spiced with cinnamon.
Ready for the best Christmas breakfast tradition? Make up a batch of these Gingerbread Waffles! There’s nothing cozier than the smell of ginger and cloves wafting through the kitchen. Slather them in almond butter and top with a little powdered sugar and maple syrup as a deliciously cozy breakfast treat! (Better yet, top with Gingerbread Syrup.)
Here’s a deliciously comforting Christmas breakfast idea: Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole! It works cold, room temp or warm, so you can easily make it ahead. And leftovers stay good for days! It’s beautifully hearty, pairing cheesy hash browns with chili powder, garlic powder and cumin for massive savory flavor. You can make it the night before and refrigerate until baking.
Perfect for Christmas breakfast? These Cranberry Orange Muffins! They’re soft and fluffy, scented with zingy orange zest and pops of sweet tart cranberries. The best part? A sweet orange icing glaze brings in just the right extra pop of sweetness to balance the berries.
Looking for a savory Christmas breakfast recipe to impress? Try a crustless quiche! This concept is our favorite for entertaining: it’s deliciously savory and hearty, with lots of protein to keep bellies full all morning. Even better: it’s so easy to whip up! No need to bother with a quiche crust: just whisk together the filling and pop it in the oven.
Here’s a cozy quick bread that's ideal for Christmas: spiced and iced Applesauce Bread recipe! This one is perfectly flavored with cinnamon, allspice and cloves, and studded with oats. It’s so tasty and perfect for special occasions! Take it over the top with an easy icing drizzle.
It’s cinnamon-scented, crispy on the outside and custardy on the inside: try our best French toast recipe! It’s basic, but it makes the best Christmas morning when it's done right. Here we’ve cracked the code to the very best way to make this classic breakfast recipe: and it’s all in the ingredients.
When it comes to Christmas breakfast drinks, this one is it: try this Pomegranate Mimosa! The combination of sweet tart pomegranate, orange and airy bubbles is incredibly satisfying, and the perfect festive treat for the morning.
Here’s an impressive Christmas breakfast recipe that no one can resist: these Cinnamon Streusel Muffins! This one is deal for impressing guests at brunch. It’s light, fluffy and moist, sparkling with a glittery streusel topping. The secret? A surprising ingredient brings just the right texture to these little cakes: cottage cheese! It stands in for a bit of the oil and makes for perfectly moist muffins.
This braided bread recipe is all about holiday celebrations! It's filled with raspberry jam and cream cheese, and it’s a stunner. This one is ideal as a homemade baked treat for Christmas day.
Here's a fun Christmas breakfast recipe trick: mini frittatas! They’re filled with colorful veggies and crunchy pecans for added protein and nutrients. These are great as a make-ahead option and look festive on a spread of Christmas brunch treats.
Need a show-stopping Christmas pancakes recipe? Look no further than these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes! They’re impossibly fluffy and light, with a pop citrus flavor on the finish. Even better: they’re packed with protein and made with half the flour of a normal pancake! They might sound fancy, but they’re so easy to whip up and perfect for impressing friends and family at a lazy Christmas breakfast.
What’s more classic in the winter than a good Cranberry Orange Bread? This cozy quick bread has everything going for it: it’s moist and citrusy, studded with orange zest and pops of tangy berries. It’s simple and sweet, drizzled with a tasty sweet orange glaze. Every time we make this, it goes over incredibly well!
These Gingerbread Oatmeal Pancakes are perfect for Christmas breakfast! They're cozy spiced and flavored with a hint of molasses. Make them circular or pour them into a gingerbread mold for little gingerbread men! Either way, they're perfect for PJs on Christmas morning.
Here’s a recipe that stands out among all special breakfasts: this Cinnamon French Toast! This one has double the spice, featuring it both in the custard batter and in a crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. There’s really nothing better than French toast that tastes like cinnamon toast! Just a hint of spiced sugar brings it all together.
Looking for a cozy drink for the holidays? This cozy-spiced Christmas coffee is where it’s at! Mix up a homemade gingerbread syrup with brown sugar and whole spices: it infuses the best hints of cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Top with whipped cream and festive sprinkles, if you like! Serve it at Christmas breakfast or brunch to please everyone.
These yogurt biscuits are light, fluffy, and just buttery enough, with a bit of Greek yogurt to keep them moist. They’ve got some whole wheat flour for some added flavor and depth. Cut them into Christmas shapes with cookie cutters and top with Cranberry Jam.
No need to make special pancakes or waffles when you have Gingerbread Syrup! Just a drizzle of this cookie-inspired syrup is pure bliss, melding notes of cinnamon and allspice with ginger and molasses. The great thing about it? It’s endlessly versatile: use it for coffee, cocktails, oatmeal, pancakes or waffles to infuse them with a bit of holiday cheer.
These Sweet Potato Muffins are a delicious way to enjoy the season! Adding mashed sweet potato to baked goods makes them deliciously moist. These tall, fluffy muffins are perfectly cinnamon spiced and an ideal dish for a Christmas breakfast or brunch.
Looking for a hearty savory breakfast idea? Enter, The Frittata! A frittata is an Italian dish that’s best described as a crustless egg pie. It’s often served for breakfast or brunch. You can eat it at any temperature and it saves well. For Christmas, try adding sautéed spinach and diced red pepper for a red and green flair.
Here’s that perfect Christmas breakfast or brunch recipe you search for when you have house guests to impress. The combination of the cinnamon, allspice and maple makes magic. It’s got just the right cozy-spiced flavor, gooey but set texture, and the apple is the perfect fruit for baked oatmeal (in our opinion). Add a drizzle of Powdered Sugar Icing for a festive touch.
Why not cozy up to this Gingerbread Latte on Christmas morning? It’s sweetly spiced and full of flavor, with bold notes of ginger, cinnamon and allspice. Add to that creamy, foamy steamed milk and it’s the cozy drink of your dreams.
Cottage cheese pancakes? This protein-packed pancake uses half the flour as a regular pancake recipe, relying on eggs and cottage cheese instead. It’s tender, fluffy, and vanilla-scented: in fact, it tastes like a cross between pancakes and French toast! This is our go-to pancake recipe to impress when we're entertaining (really!).
Make up scrambled eggs in muffin tin cups with red and green veggies, and they're perfect for Christmas breakfast or brunch! They can be served warm or room temperature. The filling is packed with good stuff: loads of spinach, cottage cheese for healthy protein, and jarred red pepper.
What's more Christmas than cranberry bread? This one's got the right crunchy sugar outside and fluffy interior. It’s not too sweet, punctuated with tart cranberries. The best part? A hint of vanilla and bourbon seals the deal. It’s every bit a holiday treat!
There’s nothing better than a great Smoked Salmon Bagel or lox, as a special breakfast. It’s a study in bold contrasts: homemade herb cream cheese against smoky, buttery salmon, herbaceous dill against briny capers, and of course a fluffy, perfectly toasted bagel. Guess what? You can make a next-level version of this treat right at home.
What's more festive than traditional English crumpets? These perfect circles of golden batter are crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside, ideal for topping with butter or jam. This mashup of an English muffin and a pancake is one of the most satisfying breakfast or snacks you’ll find. It’s a fun project that results in irresistible golden orbs with the best yeasted flavor and spongy texture (or find them frozen at the grocery).
Try these tasty orange Vegan Scones with bright pink cranberry frosting! They come out golden and lightly sweet, an ideal morning treat for weekends or entertaining. Like a good scone, they’re scented with vanilla and orange zest. Drizzle with an easy powdered sugar icing flavored with cranberry juice for a tart kick.
A great make-ahead breakfast recipe is healthy granola! Serve it over yogurt, or with almond milk or oat milk. Our favorite maple pecan granola is low calorie and still nutrient dense...and full of toasty, cozy flavor. Try it in a Christmas Breakfast Parfait with cranberry jam or raspberry sauce.
Need a great savory side dish for Christmas breakfast? Try Oven Hash Browns! This method is easy, hands off, and you can make double the potatoes: perfect for a crowd or just larger servings. They come out unbelievably crispy and salted to perfection!
Why not make your favorite Christmas drink into...French toast? This recipe stars Challah bread dipped in a wonderfully spiced Eggnog custard and fried to perfection. It's the ultimate holiday breakfast treat! via Grandbaby Cakes
Christmas breakfast is time to pull out all the stops and flex your baking muscles! These decadent Sticky Buns start with a fluffy dough that is filled with cinnamon sugar pecans then drizzled with both with a sticky bourbon pecan glaze and rich cream cheese icing. Via Grandbaby Cakes
Monkey bread is the perfect Christmas morning tradition! Stack buttery dough balls rolled in cinnamon and sugar, bake them up and top with a sweet glaze. It’s a mass of gooey cinnamon rolls that everyone loves pulling apart with their fingers. via Immaculate Bites
Christmas breakfast is a great time to pull out a treat like cinnamon rolls (it's the only time of year we splurge on it!). The flavor in these cinnamon rolls are inspired by everyone's favorite brunch drink, the Mimosa! They start6 with a tender fluffy dough combined with a zesty cinnamon sugar filling and are finished off with a creamy citrusy champagne glaze. via Grandbaby Cakes
Here's a tasty homemade bread for Christmas morning: cinnamon raisin bread! Loaded with sweet raisins that complement the flavors brought by cinnamon, it's a simple bread to make from scratch. Your family will be drooling from the aroma wafting from the oven! Via Immaculate Bites
Coffee cake is the ideal breakfast treat to wake up to Christmas morning! This one has a tender texture, crumbly streusel topping and vanilla drizzle all baked up in a Bundt pan. via Immaculate Bites
Last up in our Christmas breakfast ideas: Crepes! Make them to order, drizzle with Nutella and top with fruit for a beautiful presentation. These light, tender crepes that make for a fancy breakfast everyone will love! via Immaculate Bites
More Christmas resources
Still looking for Christmas inspiration? Outside of these Christmas breakfast ideas, are a few more collections of recipes to help you plan your meals:
- Try 15 Christmas Cocktails & Drinks or 35 Great Christmas Recipes
- Pick by alcohol with Vodka Christmas Cocktails or Bourbon Christmas Cocktails
- Make a big bowl of Christmas Punch
- Pick from these fun and 20 Festive Christmas Desserts
- Try 25 Christmas Side Dishes to round out your meals
35 Festive Christmas Breakfast Ideas
Make a batch of snowman pancakes for Christmas morning! They’re tender and sweet, topped with powdered sugar snow.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 9 medium pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Christmas
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Butter, for cooking
- To make the snowman: pretzel sticks, raisins, carrot, and powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- In another medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Add it to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
- Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium low heat, then add a bit of butter to coat. Scoop out ¼ cup portions of batter and cook the pancakes until golden brown on one side, adjusting the heat so it doesn’t brown too fast. Flip and cook until cooked through and no longer gooey at the edges (the batter may ooze out a bit at the sides; just keep cooking until it is fully cooked, adjusting the heat as necessary so it doesn’t brown too fast). Place the pancakes in a stack under an overturned bowl, and cook the second batch of pancakes.
- To assemble the snowman: lay out three circle pancakes on a platter or plate. Dust with powdered sugar. Use raisins to make eyes and buttons, cut a carrot into a triangle for a nose, and use pretzel sticks for arms.
Let us know if you have any questions!