Simple and Delicious Holiday Make Ahead Breakfasts

The holiday season is such a special time of year. I love everything from the decorations and music, to preparing gifts for loved ones, and family gatherings. It’s just so special.

Yet, amidst the excitement and joy of the season often comes stress and overwhelm. If we are to enjoy the holidays without the chaos, we have to be diligent to plan and prepare. Check out this blog post where I share more about how I plan for a peaceful and joyful holiday season.

One of the things that inevitably comes with holidays is food and I would guess that for many of you, food plays a very important role in your holiday traditions and memories.

For some people, preparing special holiday foods is a love language, something they enjoy. But for many others the thought of preparing food for families and guests is just one more stressor.

In this post, I’d like to share some ideas for delicious and special holiday breakfasts that can prepared the night before, or even weeks in advance, and frozen until the festivities. Whether holiday baking stresses you out and you need some easy button ideas or you’re just looking for some fresh ideas, I hope something here inspires you in your own homemaking this holiday season.

How to plan a holiday breakfast

Holiday breakfasts feel like they should be a little extra special. There’s nothing like the smell of coffee brewing and some thing delicious baking first in the oven to set the tone for a special day.

When I plan breakfasts, I generally like to include three main elements: a sweet baked treat, protein, and something fresh.

This is a simple formula and you can do one item in each category or even prepare two or three things for each category, depending on how many people you’re serving and how fancy you want your meal to be. Also consider whether this is true breakfast or more of a brunch as that may make a difference in how much food you want to prepare.

Breakfast or brunch

I’m a big proponent of doing more of a brunch type meal on holidays. This allows people to have a slower morning or sleep in if they choose while still enjoying delicious breakfast food. It also means that you only have to prepare two meals for the day, with maybe a snack somewhere in between.

Protein breakfast ideas

There are endless ways to serve eggs they are a great protein rich way to start the day. Here’s a few of my favorite make-ahead egg dishes:

Make ahead options: assemble the night before and simply bake the next morning or prepare all the ingredients and toss into a large, freezer-safe storage bag. Store in freezer until the night before baking. Then simply remove from the freezer, thaw and bake as usual.

Of course you can never go wrong with a giant stack of crispy bacon, sausage links, or even friend ham slices.

Sweet Breakfast ideas

A holiday morning just doesn’t feel complete without a warm baked treat to serve alongside a cup of coffee. Here’s a few of my favorite baked goods that are relatively simple to prepare:

While it is a little more time consuming, this cranberry star bread is an absolute show stopper and is absolutely worth the time invested into it. It would also be delicious with layers of butter and cinnamon sugar.

Pro tip: scones can be made ahead, shaped, and frozen until baking day. To bake from frozen, simply add an additional 3-5 minutes to baking time. This is a great make ahead option that feels elevated, but is easy to prepare in advance.

Festive Fresh Fruit

A simple fruit tray is always lovely with breakfast or brunch, but if you are looking for something extra special, try these:

Budget hack: always look for fruit that’s in season this time of year. Think citrus fruits like oranges and clementines, cranberries, pears, and pomegranates. These fruits are not only delicious, but look festive too!

More Festive Ideas

No brunch or breakfast is complete without a steaming pot of coffee or tea, and maybe a juice option or two. To round out your brunch menu, you could also consider adding a festive drink to the line up.

A Christmas wassail or spiced apple cider is always lovely
Holiday punch
Cranberry tea
Coffee punch

Conclusion

Whether you’re planning a holiday gathering for a large gathering, your small group, or a quiet family morning, I hope these simple make ahead ideas give you some inspiration for your own holiday breakfast menu. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!