12 Make-Ahead Christmas Breakfast Ideas for an Easy Holiday Morning

Christmas morning goes by fast. Between stockings, wrapping paper and a kitchen full of people, nobody wants to be cracking eggs and measuring flour at 7 a.m.

These make-ahead Christmas breakfast ideas do most of their work the day before or even weeks before. Some are assembled on Christmas Eve and baked in the morning, some go in the freezer, and one cooks in the slow cooker while you sleep. Each one comes from a food blogger who shared the full recipe, so you will find a quick overview here and the exact amounts on their page.

How to plan a make-ahead Christmas breakfast

Mix one savory and one sweet

A casserole, egg muffins or sliders keep everyone full, and a tray of cinnamon rolls, scones or coffee cake makes it feel like a holiday. Two dishes are plenty for most families.

Check your oven time

If two dishes need the oven at different temperatures, pair one oven bake with a slow cooker, freezer or no-bake option such as overnight oats.

Bake egg dishes all the way through

Overnight casseroles go into the oven cold, so they can take longer than you expect. FoodSafety.gov lists 160°F for egg dishes and 165°F for casseroles that contain meat or poultry, so an instant-read thermometer in the center is the easiest way to know it is done.

Plan for leftovers

The USDA recommends refrigerating cooked food within 2 hours and eating leftovers within 3 to 4 days, so put breakfast away once everyone has moved on to presents.

1. Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Casserole

Cubes of bread, crumbled sausage, red pepper, onion and cheddar soak in a seasoned egg custard and bake into a golden 9×13 casserole. It is the classic Christmas morning dish for a reason: you assemble it the night before and it feeds a crowd.

Quick ingredients

• Bread cubes
• Cooked pork sausage
• Red bell pepper and sweet onion
• Shredded cheddar
• Eggs and milk
• Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard

How to make it

1. Spread cubed bread in a greased 9×13 dish and top with cooked sausage, pepper, onion and cheese.
2. Whisk the eggs with the milk and seasonings and pour it evenly over the top.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Bake in the morning until the center is set and reaches a safe temperature.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Mother Thyme.

2. Overnight Eggnog French Toast Casserole

French bread soaks overnight in an eggnog custard spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, on top of a buttery brown sugar layer that bakes into a light caramel. It tastes like the holidays and needs only a drizzle of maple syrup or whipped cream.

Quick ingredients

• French bread
• Butter and brown or coconut sugar
• Eggs
• Eggnog
• Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt

How to make it

1. Melt the butter with the sugar and pour it into a greased 9×13 pan.
2. Add bread cubes, then pour over a custard of eggs, eggnog, vanilla and spices.
3. Cover tightly and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
4. Bake covered, then uncovered, until puffed, golden and set in the middle.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on HappiHomemade.

3. Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Soft homemade cinnamon rolls are shaped the night before, rest in the fridge and bake fresh in the morning with a cream cheese frosting. Nothing says Christmas morning quite like the smell of these filling the house.

Quick ingredients

• Milk, yeast and sugar
• Eggs and butter
• All-purpose flour and salt
• Brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon for the filling
• Cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla for the frosting

How to make it

1. Make and knead a soft yeast dough, then let it rise for about an hour.
2. Roll it out, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and roll it into a log.
3. Cut 12 rolls, arrange them in a buttered dish, cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Bake in the morning and spread with cream cheese frosting.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Life As A Strawberry.

4. Red Pepper and Spinach Egg Muffins

Eggs baked with diced red pepper, spinach and cheddar in a muffin tin make a lighter, protein-packed option, and the red and green look right at home on a Christmas table. Bake them a few days ahead and warm them up while the coffee brews.

Quick ingredients

• Eggs
• Red bell pepper
• Fresh spinach
• Cheddar
• Salt and pepper

How to make it

1. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped pepper and spinach.
2. Divide into a greased 12-cup muffin tin and sprinkle with cheese.
3. Bake until the centers are set.
4. Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container, then reheat until hot before serving.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Stephanie Kay Nutrition.

5. Freezer-Friendly Cranberry Orange Scones

Tender scones studded with cranberries and orange zest get a sweet orange glaze, and Handle the Heat explains how to freeze the unbaked wedges and bake them straight from the freezer. That means you can do the messy part weeks before Christmas.

Quick ingredients

• Cold butter
• Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt
• Orange zest
• Buttermilk, egg and vanilla
• Fresh or frozen cranberries
• Powdered sugar and orange juice for the glaze

How to make it

1. Rub orange zest into the sugar, whisk in the dry ingredients and cut in cold butter.
2. Stir in the buttermilk mixture, fold in cranberries and pat the dough into rounds.
3. Cut into wedges and freeze them on a baking sheet, then store them in a freezer bag.
4. Brush with egg wash, bake from frozen and drizzle with orange glaze once cool.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Handle the Heat.

6. Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sliders

Soft dinner rolls are filled with shaved ham, fluffy scrambled eggs and melty cheese, then brushed with butter and Dijon. They are easy for kids to grab between presents, and the tray can wait in the fridge until morning.

Quick ingredients

• Eggs and a little sour cream
• Dinner rolls
• Shaved deli ham
• Sliced cheese
• Butter and Dijon mustard

How to make it

1. Scramble the eggs with the sour cream until just set.
2. Slice the rolls in one piece, layer ham, eggs and cheese on the bottoms and add the tops.
3. Brush with butter mixed with Dijon, cover with foil and refrigerate if making ahead.
4. Bake covered until hot, then uncover for a few minutes to toast the tops.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Cooking With Carlee.

7. Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal

Oats bake with molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice into a soft, sliceable oatmeal topped with toasted pecans. It is cozy and lightly sweet, and leftovers reheat well for the busy days after Christmas.

Quick ingredients

• Rolled oats
• Milk or non-dairy milk
• Egg and melted butter
• Molasses
• Ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice
• Baking powder, salt and chopped pecans

How to make it

1. Whisk the wet ingredients with the spices, salt and baking powder.
2. Stir in the oats and some of the pecans and pour into a greased 8×8 dish.
3. Bake until puffed and just set, adding the rest of the pecans near the end.
4. Serve warm with whipped cream, or chill and reheat portions later.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Kara Lydon.

8. Crockpot Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Hash browns, sausage, bacon, peppers and cheddar cook low and slow in an egg mixture, so breakfast is ready when everyone wakes up. It frees up the oven for cinnamon rolls or a holiday ham later in the day.

Quick ingredients

• Frozen shredded hash browns
• Breakfast sausage and cooked bacon
• Onion and red and green peppers
• Shredded cheddar
• Eggs, milk and sour cream

How to make it

1. Brown the sausage with the onion and peppers and drain.
2. Layer hash browns, sausage mixture, bacon and cheese in a greased large slow cooker.
3. Pour over eggs whisked with milk, sour cream and seasonings.
4. Cook on low overnight until the eggs are fully set, then top with the remaining cheese.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on The Gracious Wife.

9. Overnight Brown Sugar Monkey Bread

Little balls of homemade dough are rolled in butter and cinnamon brown sugar, stacked in a Bundt pan and finished with a simple glaze. An Oregon Cottage calls it their Christmas morning tradition, and the make-ahead version rises slowly in the fridge overnight.

Quick ingredients

• Milk, butter, sugar and yeast
• Flour and salt
• Melted butter
• Brown sugar and cinnamon
• Powdered sugar and milk for an optional glaze

How to make it

1. Make a yeast dough and let it rise until doubled.
2. Cut it into small pieces, roll each in melted butter and cinnamon brown sugar and layer them in a buttered Bundt pan.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight to finish rising.
4. Let it sit at room temperature, bake until deep golden, turn it out and drizzle with glaze.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on An Oregon Cottage.

10. Freezer Breakfast Burritos

Scrambled eggs, seasoned sausage, peppers, onion and cheddar are rolled in flour tortillas and frozen individually. They are handy for a crowd of house guests who all wake up at different times.

Quick ingredients

• Ground breakfast or Italian sausage
• Bell pepper and onion
• Eggs
• Flour tortillas
• Shredded cheddar
• Optional cooked tater tots

How to make it

1. Cook the peppers and onion with spices, then add the sausage and cook it through.
2. Softly scramble the eggs and let the fillings cool.
3. Fill and roll the tortillas, wrap each one tightly and freeze.
4. Reheat in an air fryer, toaster oven or microwave until hot all the way through.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Project Meal Plan.

11. Gingerbread Overnight Oats

Rolled oats, milk, chia seeds, molasses and warm spices soak in a jar overnight and taste like a gingerbread cookie by morning. Crumble a leftover cookie or a Biscoff on top for a festive no-cook breakfast.

Quick ingredients

• Rolled oats
• Milk, or milk plus yogurt
• Chia seeds
• Molasses
• Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
• A pinch of salt

How to make it

1. Stir the oats, chia, molasses, spices, salt and milk together in a jar.
2. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or overnight.
3. Top with crumbled gingerbread cookies or Biscoff and eat cold.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Kath Eats.

12. White Chocolate Cranberry Coffee Cake

A buttery sour cream cake is layered with whole-berry cranberry sauce and topped with white chocolate chips, so every square has a ribbon of tart red fruit. Coffee cake is a natural bake-ahead option, since you can bake it on Christmas Eve and simply slice it in the morning.

Quick ingredients

• Butter and sugar
• Eggs and almond extract
• Flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
• Sour cream
• Canned whole-berry cranberry sauce
• White chocolate chips

How to make it

1. Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs and almond extract.
2. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream.
3. Layer batter and cranberry sauce in a greased 9×9 pan and finish with white chocolate chips.
4. Bake until a toothpick in the cake comes out clean and cool before slicing.

Get the full recipe: exact amounts, timing and tips are on Who Needs A Cape?.

FAQ

What is a good Christmas breakfast to make the night before?

Overnight casseroles are the easiest: the sausage casserole, eggnog French toast and breakfast sliders above are all assembled on Christmas Eve, refrigerated, and baked in the morning. Overnight cinnamon rolls and monkey bread also rest in the fridge overnight.

Which Christmas breakfast ideas can be frozen?

The cranberry orange scones can be frozen unbaked and baked straight from the freezer, and the breakfast burritos are wrapped and frozen individually. Follow each recipe for storage times.

How do I know an overnight egg casserole is done?

Because it goes into the oven cold, check the center with a food thermometer. FoodSafety.gov lists 160°F for egg dishes and 165°F for casseroles that contain meat.

Can I make Christmas breakfast without using the oven?

Yes. The crockpot casserole cooks in a slow cooker and the gingerbread overnight oats need no cooking at all.

How long do breakfast leftovers keep?

The USDA advises refrigerating cooked food within 2 hours and eating leftovers within 3 to 4 days, reheated to 165°F.

Pick one savory dish and one sweet one, do the prep on Christmas Eve, and you will get to spend Christmas morning with your family instead of at the stove. Planning the rest of the day? Set up a hot cocoa bar, try a breakfast charcuterie board, or get the kids decorating with these Christmas cookie decorating ideas.

The quick ingredients and steps above are short summaries to help you choose; they are not the creators’ full recipes. Follow the linked recipe for amounts, times and temperatures. Featured image credit: HappiHomemade.