Looking for easy Christmas breakfast and brunch ideas that look impressive without keeping you in the kitchen all morning? These festive recipes include sweet and savory options, make ahead casseroles, budget friendly ideas, and lighter choices, so you can pick what fits your morning.
From a show stopping croissant tower and Christmas cinnamon rolls to savory breakfast sandwiches, sliders, mini crustless quiches, and fun breakfast cupcakes, many can be made ahead or assembled in minutes. Best of all, these ideas are just as pretty as they are delicious, making them perfect for a picture-worthy Christmas brunch spread without all the extra work.
Whether you’re planning a festive breakfast buffet, a cozy family brunch, or something quick before opening presents, you’ll find plenty of inspiration so you can enjoy the gifts, the kids, and the cocoa instead of standing over the stove.
Easy Christmas Croissant Tower
Build this super easy croissant tower on a dollar store foam cone, then fill the gaps with cranberries and rosemary for a memorable Christmas morning centerpiece that doubles as breakfast. You can also build it with donut holes, mini donuts, mini pastries or even fruit (strawberries, large grapes, or whole figs on toothpicks.
What you need: 1 foam cone from the dollar store, plastic wrap (or foil), toothpicks, mini, regular, or large croissants (use one size or mix them), fresh cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, or grapes, rosemary sprigs, and ribbon.
How to make it:
1. Wrap the cone in plastic wrap so the foam never touches the food.
2. Push a toothpick into the cone and press a croissant onto it. Repeat in rows, working from the bottom up.
3. Fill empty spots with berries or grapes on toothpicks, and tuck in rosemary sprigs.
4. Top with a few rosemary branches pushed into the foam and tie on a bow.
Tips: Mixing sizes gives the tower a fuller shape, with larger croissants at the base and minis toward the top. Toothpicks are in the food, so warn guests and count them as you take the tower apart. You can build it the night before and cover it loosely until morning. Scale the tower to your guest list: a small cone and mini croissants for a family brunch, or a taller cone and large croissants for a crowd.
Easy Christmas Cinnamon Roll Ideas
Easy Christmas Tree Cinnamon Roll Platter
Turn ordinary cinnamon rolls into an adorable Christmas morning breakfast centerpiece! Use any of the cinnamon roll recipes in this section, or save time with store-bought rolls. Arrange them on a baking sheet or serving platter in the shape of a Christmas tree, starting with a wide row at the bottom and using fewer rolls in each row as you work your way up. Place one more roll centered below the bottom row for the tree trunk.
Finish with a drizzle of cream cheese glaze, festive red and green sprinkles, or a star-shaped sugar cookie on top. It’s an easy, picture-worthy Christmas breakfast idea that kids and adults will love!
Make-Ahead Tip: Bake the cinnamon rolls ahead of time, then warm and arrange them into a Christmas tree just before serving. Add the glaze and decorations last for a fresh, beautiful presentation.
Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze (3 recipes)
Deep red, pillowy, and topped with a thick cream cheese glaze, red velvet cinnamon rolls look as good as they taste on a Christmas morning table. Choose the version that fits your morning: an easy cake mix dough with no kneading, a from-scratch recipe for big bakery-style rolls, or a quick shortcut with refrigerated rolls.
Which version should you make?
- 1. Cake mix rolls: the easiest, with no kneading. About 2½ hours, mostly rising. Makes 12.
- 2. From-scratch rolls: big, bakery-style rolls with real red velvet flavor. About 3 hours. Makes 9 large rolls.
- 3. Shortcut rolls: refrigerated cinnamon rolls with red velvet-style toppings. About 30 minutes.
Cream Cheese Glaze (for all three versions)
Beat 6 oz softened cream cheese with 6 Tbsp softened butter until smooth. Mix in 1½ cups powdered sugar (add up to ½ cup more for a thicker glaze) and 1½ tsp vanilla. Add milk, 1 Tbsp at a time (about 1 to 3 Tbsp), until the glaze is thick, glossy, and drippy. Spread over warm rolls so it melts down the sides.
Optional topping: crumbled red velvet cake or crushed freeze-dried raspberries.
Version 1: Cake Mix Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls (Easiest)
Makes 12 rolls
Dough: 1 box (15.25 oz) red velvet cake mix, 2½ cups all-purpose flour (divided), 2¼ tsp instant yeast, 1¼ cups warm water
Filling: 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon, ⅓ cup melted butter
- Beat the cake mix, 1 cup of the flour, the yeast, and the warm water. Stir in the remaining flour to make a soft, sticky dough.
- Cover and let rise about 1½ hours.
- Roll into a large rectangle. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll up tightly from the long side and cut into 12 rolls.
- Place in a greased 9×13-inch pan, cover, and let rise 30 minutes.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the centers are set. Glaze while warm.
Version 2: From-Scratch Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls (Big Bakery-Style)
Makes 9 large rolls
Dough: ¾ cup warm buttermilk, 2¼ tsp active dry or instant yeast, ¼ cup sugar, 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, ¼ cup melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 Tbsp red gel food coloring (add a little more only if the dough looks dull), 3¼ to 3½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ tsp salt
Filling: ½ cup softened butter, ¾ cup packed brown sugar, 1½ Tbsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp cocoa powder, pinch of salt
Before baking: about ⅓ cup warm heavy cream
- Stir the warm buttermilk, yeast, and a little of the sugar. If using active dry yeast, let it sit 5 minutes. Mix in the rest of the sugar, the egg, yolk, melted butter, vanilla, and food coloring.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa, and salt together, then mix gradually into the wet ingredients. Knead 7 to 9 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Don’t keep adding flour until the dough is stiff.
- Cover and let rise 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled.
- Roll into a roughly 14×18-inch rectangle. Spread with the softened butter, then sprinkle with the brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, and salt mixed together.
- Roll up tightly from the long side and cut into 9 thick rolls. Unflavored dental floss gives clean cuts without squashing the spirals.
- Place in a greased 9×13-inch pan, leaving a little room between rolls. Cover and let rise 30 to 45 minutes.
- Right before baking, pour the warm cream around and between the rolls, not over the tops.
- Bake at 350°F for 22 to 27 minutes, until the centers are baked through but still very soft (about 190°F). Glaze while slightly warm.
Version 3: Shortcut Red Velvet-Style Cinnamon Rolls (Last-Minute)
Bake refrigerated cinnamon rolls according to the package directions. Skip the icing that comes with them and top the warm rolls with the cream cheese glaze and red velvet crumbs. These aren’t red inside, so they’re red velvet-style, but they’re ready in about 30 minutes.
Tips for the best red velvet cinnamon rolls
- Use gel food coloring, not liquid. It gives a deep red without thinning the dough.
- Go easy on the cocoa in the from scratch dough. Too much turns the rolls brown red.
- Keep the dough slightly tacky. Too much flour makes dry rolls.
- Dark dough is hard to judge by color, so check the center. About 190°F means done.
- Store leftovers airtight and warm briefly in the microwave.
Easy Christmas Breakfast Fruit Tower
Stack silver goblets into a pyramid and fill them with jewel-toned berries and figs for a no-cook Christmas brunch centerpiece that doubles as the fruit course.
What you need: 10 stemmed silver finish dessert goblets (plastic keeps the tower light), strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, fresh figs, and red currants (or small clusters of red grapes).
How to build it:
- Wash and dry the fruit well. Halve the strawberries and cut the figs into wedges.
- Arrange the goblets in a pyramid: 6 on the bottom, 3 in the middle, and 1 top. Make sure each one sits steady before you fill it.
- Heap each goblet with a mix of berries and figs.
- Let strands of currants spill over the rims, and tuck in fig wedges for color.
Tip: Build the tower where you’ll serve it. Keep the fruit chilled and fill the goblets the morning you serve it, so the berries stay fresh. If you can’t find currants or fresh figs in December, small clusters of red grapes and pomegranate seeds give the same jewel toned look.
Easy Christmas Breakfast Cupcakes
Cornbread muffins topped with fluffy scrambled eggs and a fun finishing touch make a showstopper for your Christmas brunch buffet. Make all three flavors, or pick your favorite.
What you need: 2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix (plus what the box calls for, usually egg and milk), 12 to 18 eggs (about 1 to 1 1/2 eggs per muffin), butter, milk, and salt. For the toppers: bacon, mini pancakes (frozen or from scratch), mini waffles (frozen or from scratch), chicken tenders or nuggets (frozen or from scratch), chocolate chips, maple syrup, a small pat of butter, and toothpicks.
How to make them:
1. Bake the Jiffy mix as directed on the box, in a lined muffin tin. Let cool slightly.
2. Scramble the eggs with a little butter and milk until soft and fluffy.
3. Spoon a generous mound of scrambled eggs onto each muffin.
4. Finish each one with a topper:
– **Bacon, egg and mini pancake:** two stacked mini pancakes, crispy bacon, a pat of butter, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
– **Chicken and waffle:** a mini waffle topped with a crispy chicken piece, held with a toothpick, and a drizzle of syrup.
– **Chocolate chip pancake:** chocolate chips on the eggs, then two mini pancakes, a pat of butter, and syrup.
**Tip:** Warn guests about the toothpicks. The pancakes and waffles soften once they’re syruped, so serve right away, or keep the muffins and toppings separate and assemble just before serving. To make ahead, bake the muffins and scramble the eggs the night before. Refrigerate them separately in airtight containers. In the morning, rewarm the eggs gently in a skillet, slow cooker, or microwave, stirring often, until hot, then assemble.”
Two cautions. Keep the eggs cold overnight and heat them until steaming hot, since egg dishes need food safety care. Slightly undercooked eggs reheat better, because they keep cooking when reheated and don’t turn rubbery.
Easy Christmas Breakfast Sandwiches & Sliders
Make-Ahead Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches with Ham, Egg and Cheese
Flaky croissants filled with soft scrambled eggs, ham (or bacon/sausage), and melted American cheese, assembled the night before and baked on Christmas morning, so nobody’s stuck at the stove.
What you need: croissants (mini or regular), eggs, ham slices, American cheese slices, butter, milk, salt, and foil.
How to make them:
- The night before, scramble the eggs slightly undercooked with a little butter and milk. Pat them dry so the croissants don’t turn soggy.
- Slice the croissants open and fill each with eggs, ham, and a slice of cheese. Replace the tops.
- Line the sandwiches up on a baking sheet, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, bake covered with foil at about 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, then uncover for the last few minutes, until the cheese is melted and the centers are hot all the way through.
Tip: Keep the tray refrigerated until it goes in the oven. For a last-minute option, set up a build-your-own bar: keep the eggs and meat warm in a slow cooker or chafing dish and let guests assemble their own.
Pancake Breakfast Sandwiches with Bacon, Egg, Sausage and American Cheese
Two fluffy pancakes stand in for the bread, stacked like a burger with crispy bacon, egg, a sausage patty, and American cheese. It’s a sweet and savory sandwich that’s fun for Christmas morning, and a little maple syrup for dipping ties it all together.
What you need: pancakes (frozen, from a mix, or from scratch), bacon, eggs, sausage patties, American cheese slices, and maple syrup.
How to make them: Cook the pancakes, bacon, egg, and sausage patties. Stack a pancake with cheese, sausage, bacon, and egg, then top with a second pancake. For a hands-off option, bake the bacon and sausage on a sheet pan and use frozen pancakes.
Tip: Keep the fillings warm in a low oven and let guests build their own.
Christmas Breakfast Sliders with Egg, Bacon and Cheese
Sweet Hawaiian rolls piled with egg, crispy bacon, and melted cheese, finished with a sprinkle of parsley. They’re easy to pass around on a brunch buffet.
What you need: Hawaiian slider rolls, eggs, bacon, cheese slices, fresh parsley, and butter for brushing the tops.
How to make them: Cook the eggs and bacon. Layer the egg, bacon, and a slice of cheese on the bottom half of the rolls, replace the tops, and brush with melted butter. Bake covered at 350°F for about 10 minutes, until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with parsley.
Tip: Assemble the sliders ahead, cover, and refrigerate. In the morning, bake them, adding a few extra minutes, until hot all the way through. For a last-minute shortcut, skip the oven and serve right away.
Easy Christmas Breakfast Ideas for Kids
Easy Christmas Tree Waffles for Kids
These adorable Christmas tree waffles are one of the easiest Christmas breakfast ideas for kids! They’re festive, fun to decorate, and take just minutes to put together. You can use frozen waffles to save time or make your own with a waffle maker. Either way, they’re a cute addition to your Christmas morning breakfast or brunch buffet!
What You’ll Need:
- Round waffles (frozen or homemade)
- Green food coloring (optional, for homemade waffles)
- Whipped cream
- Colorful candy sprinkles or mini M&M’s
- Yellow star-shaped sprinkles or candies for the topper
Easy Instructions:
- Prepare the waffles. Toast frozen waffles according to the package directions, or make homemade waffles in a waffle maker. For green Christmas trees, add a little green food coloring to your waffle batter before cooking.
- Cut the waffles. Cut each round waffle in half. Then cut one of those halves in half again, leaving you with three pieces: one large half-circle and two smaller quarter-circle pieces.
- Build your Christmas tree. Arrange the large half-circle at the bottom of a plate, with the curved edge facing down. Place one quarter piece above it, followed by the remaining quarter piece at the top, creating a Christmas tree shape.
- Add the snowy garlands. Pipe or spoon whipped cream along the curved bottom edge of each waffle piece to resemble snow-covered Christmas garlands.
- Decorate your tree. Add colorful candy sprinkles or mini M&M’s to look like Christmas ornaments. Finish with a small yellow candy star at the top.
Christmas Morning Tip: Set out bowls of sprinkles, whipped cream, berries, and other toppings so the kids can decorate their own Christmas tree waffles! It’s a fun, easy Christmas breakfast activity that doubles as a delicious holiday treat.
Make Christmas Morning Delicious Without the Stress
Christmas morning should be about making memories, not spending hours in the kitchen! Whether you’re putting together a show stopping croissant tower, whipping up festive cinnamon rolls, or preparing an easy make-ahead breakfast casserole, these Christmas breakfast and brunch ideas prove you don’t have to work hard to make something special.
Mix and match a few sweet and savory favorites, set up a beautiful Christmas breakfast buffet, and let everyone help themselves while you enjoy the holiday. After all, the best Christmas morning traditions aren’t always the fanciest or most expensive. They’re the little things everyone looks forward to year after year.
Save these easy Christmas breakfast ideas for later, and tell us in the comments: What’s one Christmas morning breakfast tradition your family can’t celebrate without? We’d love to hear your favorites!
