28 Hands-Off Holiday Breakfast Recipes That Feed A Crowd
During the holidays, you want to be able to create a breakfast that doesn't require you to spend tons of time in the kitchen laboring over a hot stove. That's why we've put together a list of recipes that you can make without too much labor, leaving it to sit overnight or stick in the oven to cook while you enjoy time with friends and family.
Our list includes six main categories of recipes: egg-based breakfast casseroles, potato-based breakfast casseroles, sweet breakfast casseroles, quiches, overnight oats, and sweet breakfast treats. There are plenty of dishes for meat lovers and vegetarians alike, too. Some recipes require just a little bit of prep before you pop a dish in the oven. Meanwhile, others are great for putting together the night before so you don't have to do much other than warm it up the next day.
We hope you see something you like as you scroll through this list. To help you decide what to make, we've listed all the prep and cooking times as well as how many people each recipe serves so that you can decide if it's a good fit for you and the people eating with you this holiday season. You should be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy your morning with the people dearest to you rather than spending your time away from them in the kitchen.
1. Breakfast Casserole
A casserole is perfect for holiday breakfasts because it can easily feed a lot of people. This one will serve eight. Plus, once it's in the oven, it's almost entirely hands-off. It contains sausage, eggs, milk, bread, cheddar cheese, and chives to combine the best of breakfast foods in one dish.
Even better, the prep time for this casserole is only 15 minutes. If you cook the sausage the night before, it will take even less time to get it in the oven the next morning, where it will bake for 55 minutes. Serve with some fresh fruit and it easily turns into a complete breakfast.
Recipe: Breakfast Casserole
2. Egg Casserole
If you're looking for a breakfast casserole that takes less time in the oven and includes delicious mascarpone cheese, you'll definitely want to try this egg casserole. It comes together in just 15 minutes, so you can spend the next 25 minutes while it cooks doing other important things.
In addition to eggs and mascarpone, it also contains sausage, sautéed shallots, sautéed red bell peppers, and cheddar cheese. It serves six, but you can easily double the recipe to feed even more. Serve it with green onions, salsa, and more mascarpone on top to make it even tastier.
Recipe: Egg Casserole
3. Perfect Sausage Breakfast Casserole
We like this Perfect Sausage Breakfast Casserole because it combines the breakfast favorites of hashbrowns, eggs, and breakfast sausage into one delicious dish. Plus, with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and cheese, it has plenty of flavor. You can always add extra veggies like mushrooms and spinach to make it even more robust.
You'll only spend 15 minutes cooking the meat and veggies. Then, forget about it for the 40 minutes it takes to bake. This casserole serves eight. Jazz it up with sliced green onions, serve with orange juice, and your breakfast is complete.
4. Overnight Breakfast Casserole With Bacon
We love the Overnight Breakfast Casserole With Bacon for the holidays because you put everything together the night before. The prep time is short, too, (only about seven minutes) since you'll only have to fry up bacon (or other meat) and mix it with cubed bread, eggs, milk, and cheddar cheese.
Then, it's just a matter of taking it out of the fridge the next morning to bake for a little less than an hour before you want to eat. It serves six.
5. Easy Brunch Casserole
To make something a little fancier than your average breakfast casserole, try the Easy Brunch Casserole. Red onions, diced tomatoes, garlic, ricotta cheese, and fresh basil give this egg-based casserole an Italian twist.
The best thing is that it only takes five minutes to prepare before you put it in the oven to bake for 35 minutes. It serves five, but you can easily double it if you need more. Serve with hot crusty bread and it's a breakfast feast.
Recipe: Easy Brunch Casserole
6. Mexican Breakfast Casserole
Mexican flavors and ingredients make a welcome addition to practically any meal, including breakfast. So, this filling Mexican Breakfast Casserole can be a real crowd-pleaser. It takes about 10 minutes of prep time to warm the chorizo through and cut corn tortillas into squares.
These ingredients mix with eggs, black beans, Mexican cheese, tomato bullion, green onions, jalapeños, and salsa for a perfect flavor combination. After baking it for 50 minutes, it's ready to serve 10 with a side of salsa and sour cream.
Recipe: Mexican Breakfast Casserole
7. 30-Minute Spinach and Mushroom Egg Strata
If your idea of a good breakfast casserole is one with spinach, consider making this 30-Minute Spinach and Mushroom Egg Strata. There's only about eight minutes of prep, mainly comprised of toasting baguette cubes and sautéing mushrooms and spinach.
Next, you'll add the veggies to eggs, cream, and shredded white cheddar cheese and bake it all for 23 minutes. Keep breakfast vegetarian by serving it with fresh fruit or appease meat eaters with a side of bacon. The strata serves 10.
8. Mini Egg Souffle
You don't have to be an expert in French cooking techniques to whip up these mini egg souffleés. All you have to do is whisk together eggs, milk, green onions, and cheddar cheese in a bowl and pour it into greased muffin tins to bake.
Because this recipe uses bacon bits, you can have it in the oven in just three minutes. Then, it's done in 25 minutes. It serves 12. Provide biscuits or croissants if your crowd is likely to want something carby to go with them.
Recipe: Mini Egg Soufflé
9. Easy Cheese Grits Casserole
If you have a house full of grits lovers, this casserole is a heartier version of traditional grits and works great for a holiday breakfast. It takes about five minutes to put together, starting with cooking the grits on the stovetop for five minutes.
Then, you'll add butter, eggs, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and spices before popping it in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Additions like shrimp or breakfast sausage make it even heartier. When it's done, this casserole serves six.
Recipe: Easy Cheese Grits Casserole
10. Easy Tater Tot Casserole
Tater Tot Casserole is a comfort dish that is sure to make everyone happy when they sit down for a holiday breakfast. It will take about 10 minutes to put together since you have to cook the ground beef and onion. It calls for meat, onions, cheddar cheese soup, sour cream, real bacon bits, and cheddar cheese to your dish, followed by a layer of tater tots.
During the last five minutes, you'll add more cheese and bacon. Top it with green onions and it's ready to feed about six people.
Recipe: Easy Tater Tot Casserole
11. Easy French Toast Casserole
There's more than one way to make French Toast Casserole, so we've provided a couple of versions to give you plenty of ideas and options. This easy version uses sweet brioche bread, butter, brown sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
It only takes 10 minutes of prep and 30 to 40 minutes of baking before you have a beautiful breakfast dish that serves six. Top it with fresh berries and powdered sugar for an even tastier, prettier dish.
Recipe: Easy French Toast Casserole
12. Hashbrown Casserole
You don't have to spend time tending a pan of hashbrowns for your holiday breakfast when you turn them into a rich and filling breakfast casserole. You can either prepare everything the night before or thaw frozen hashbrowns.
This dish also contains cheddar cheese soup, two types of shredded cheese, diced onions, butter, and sour cream. Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 45 minutes, and it feeds six. Top with a bit of fresh parsley and it's ready to devour.
Recipe: Hashbrown Casserole
13. Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
There aren't many people who don't fall in love with Cracker Barrel's hashbrown casserole. So, you can bet a copycat version of the recipe will be a success for a holiday breakfast.
This recipe calls for hashbrowns, sour cream, spices, and a creamy sauce. Most of the 10 minutes of prep is involved in making the sauce from butter, flour, and half-and-half. Bake this delicious casserole for 45 minutes before adding extra shredded cheese and crumbled bacon on top. Since it only serves four, you might want to double up the recipe if you're feeding a crowd.
14. Overnight French Toast Casserole
French toast is always a crowd-pleaser, but it tends to take a while to make if you don't have a sizable griddle. So, turning it into a casserole can save lots of time, especially when you put together all the ingredients the night before and just pop it in the oven 35 minutes before you want to eat.
That prep work should only take eight minutes or less to put together eggs, milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon before refrigerating the mix overnight. The casserole serves eight and tastes amazing with berries and maple syrup on top.
Recipe: Overnight French Toast Casserole
15. Simple French Toast Casserole
French bread isn't the best option for regular French toast, but it's a good choice for a casserole. Using up day-old French bread for this recipe makes it a little like bread pudding except that it has a delicious cinnamon nut brown sugar crumble on the top.
Meanwhile, the base includes bread, milk, half-and-half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. It's a little more involved than other French toast casseroles, but it only takes 12 minutes to prep and a further 45 minutes to bake. This delicious dish serves eight and pairs especially well with fresh fruit.
Recipe: Simple French Toast Casserole
16. Pumpkin Spice Baked French Toast
Pumpkin spice fans will be thrilled to learn that there's a decadent pumpkin spice version of French toast casserole. It contains layers of brioche or challah, cream cheese, and spiced pumpkin (made with eggs, milk, and cream). It's all topped with a spiced brown sugar crumble.
Plan ahead because you'll need to refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. The casserole bakes for 40 minutes. However, you can easily make it the night before and bake the dish in the morning. It serves eight and tastes even better drizzled with maple syrup and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Baked French Toast
17. Instant Pot Snickerdoodle French Toast Casserole
Lovers of both French toast and snickerdoodle cookies are going to be thrilled by the idea of combining these two flavors into one breakfast dish. The recipe calls for dredging cubes of dried brioche bread in a mixture of heavy cream, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
The casserole bakes in a foil-covered pan inside your Instant Pot for 30 minutes. Transfer it to sit beneath the oven broiler for another five minutes to achieve a perfectly browned crust. Add berries, maple syrup, and powdered sugar before serving up to six people.
18. Quiche
Quiche is a no-brainer when it comes to feeding a holiday crowd. You'll need to spend some time pre-baking the crust for about 30 minutes. However, if you use a pre-made crust, a lot of your work will already be done. You'll also need to spend 20 minutes frying onions and bacon for this recipe. Consider doing this prep work the night before.
The rest of the quiche comes together with eggs, half-and-half, shredded cheddar, and nutmeg. Then, it bakes for 30 to 40 minutes and serves eight.
Recipe: Quiche
19. Classic Spinach Quiche
Spinach Quiche is a classic dish that even those who don't think they like spinach can appreciate. Since you add the spinach while it's still raw, there's no need for boiling and squeezing the veggie. This means it comes together quickly, especially if you use a pre-made pie crust.
You'll only need to pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes before adding a mixture of shredded gruyere cheese, spinach, milk, and eggs. It bakes for 45 minutes and serves six. Since it's a vegetarian quiche, meat lovers might appreciate a side of bacon or sausage.
Recipe: Classic Spinach Quiche
20. Roasted Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Quiche
Butternut squash, goat cheese, and rosemary are winning combinations for a cold-weather quiche. The prep time for this quiche is 45 minutes, so you might want to bake the pie crust and par-bake the butternut squash ahead of time.
Once those easy tasks are done, it's simply a matter of mixing the butternut squash with rosemary, eggs, milk, heavy cream, and goat cheese. Then, put it in the oven to bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The flavors of this quiche go well with late-season fruits like apples and cranberries. It serves six.
21. Crustless Zucchini Quiche
Crustless quiches are a great option for getting your quiche into the oven so you can enjoy your holiday without spending so much time in the kitchen. Plus, without a crust, this recipe is gluten-free. It requires shredded zucchini, but the produce doesn't take long to prepare if you use a mandoline or food processor.
After you squeeze the liquid out of the shredded zucchini, add eggs, cream, cheddar, and Parmesan. The dish takes six minutes of prep, bakes for another 50 minutes, and feeds six. Top it with fresh basil and it's ready to serve and enjoy.
Recipe: Crustless Zucchini Quiche
22. Easy Apple Spiced Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are a great choice for making every part of your breakfast the night before so that your holiday meal only needs to be eaten. Even the night before, this dish only takes five minutes to make as you combine diced apples, oats, chia seeds, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, milk, and maple syrup.
The recipe serves one, but you can easily multiply it by the number of people who will be sitting down for breakfast. All you have to do in the morning is top the dish with more cinnamon, apples, and nuts and brew a pot of coffee.
Recipe: Easy Apple Spiced Overnight Oats
23. Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
If you're a pumpkin spice fiend, you can transfer your love of the flavor combo to your holiday breakfast with Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats. It's a decadent combination of oats, coconut milk, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, and chia seeds. It gets its pumpkin pie flavor from pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and sweetener. When you're ready to serve it, top it with walnuts, more yogurt (or even whipped cream), and nutmeg. Since this recipe only serves one, you will need to multiply the ingredients by the number of people eating it.
Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
24. Savory Southwest Cheddar Overnight Oats
Overnight oats don't have to be sweet. In fact, you can make hearty overnight oats savory with a just few ingredients. You might be surprised to learn that this version contains cottage cheese, cheddar, and milk instead of yogurt. Chopped green chiles and pico de gallo give it a Southwestern flair.
Be sure to save extra cheese, pico de gallo, and maybe a little extra salsa for serving. Keep in mind that this recipe makes two servings rather than one, so plan accordingly to accommodate everyone eating with you for the holidays.
25. Easy Cinnamon Rolls
If you make these cinnamon rolls the night before, you can easily have them ready for breakfast in the morning. These cinnamon rolls take about an hour and 20 minutes to mix, rise, and shape. However, since they use instant yeast, there's no proofing required and you don't have to wait for them to rise over several hours.
The rolls are stuffed with cinnamon and brown sugar and then topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting. These rolls serve 10 and take 20 minutes to bake.
Recipe: Easy Cinnamon Roll
26. Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
The secret to Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls is three tablespoons of cinnamon. The vanilla cream cheese frosting also contains butter, making the result even more delicious. These cinnamon rolls take only 20 minutes of prep and rise in the fridge overnight.
The recipe makes 12 rolls, which you'll start baking 20 minutes before you want to eat breakfast. Once they're done, frost them and serve them hot with fresh coffee.
Recipe: Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
27. Giant Cinnamon Roll
Even more impressive than individual cinnamon rolls is a giant cinnamon roll that everyone can share. This one is a bit of a labor of love because it takes one and a half hours of prep, one hour of dough rising, and 50 minutes of cooking.
However, you can make the roll the night before and warm it up the next morning before frosting it with a buttery vanilla cream cheese frosting. This giant cinnamon roll is big enough for 10 people. Don't forget the coffee!
Recipe: Giant Cinnamon Roll
28. Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake
Cranberry and orange are welcome flavors during the holidays, and they're all the more delicious in coffee cake. While you can make this the night before, it only requires 10 minutes of prep if you want to get started first thing in the morning.
It's done in 50 to 60 minutes and will fill your house with delicious holiday smells. Ingredients include orange zest and a can of cranberry sauce, with powdered sugar and candied orange slices for garnish. You'll get six generous slices for everyone to enjoy.
Recipe: Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake