Recipes Breakfast + Brunch 29 Christmas Brunch Recipes to Add to Your Menu By Food & Wine Editors Updated on August 5, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jennifer Causey Christmas morning can be filled with anticipation and excitement, and what better way to kick it off than with an impressive brunch spread? From pillowy pancakes to gooey cinnamon rolls, and luscious poached eggs to cheese-encrusted biscuits, our festive recipe roundup hits all the mouthwatering notes from sweet to savory. We've also included a couple cocktails for your celebration. Read on for those recipes, and more dishes you can add to your Christmas brunch menu. 01 of 29 Christmas Morning Casserole © CHRISTINA HOLMES Chef Bryan Voltaggio loves this make-ahead dish: a classic baked bread-and-egg casserole with bites of pepperoni, mushrooms, and gooey cheese. It's as good for dinner as it is for breakfast. Get the Recipe 02 of 29 Open-Face Egg and Griddled Ham Breakfast Sandwiches © Nicole Franzen F&W's Justin Chapple poaches a dozen eggs at once in a muffin pan in the oven, making his tasty breakfast sliders extraordinarily easy to prepare for entertaining. Get the Recipe 03 of 29 Glazed Cinnamon Rolls with Pecan Swirls © MATTHEW ARMENDARIZ Baking these buttery cinnamon rolls in big batches makes the effort worth it — they take time but are so satisfying. The unbaked rolls and sugar glaze can be frozen separately for up to one month. Get the Recipe 04 of 29 Orange-Scented Buttermilk Cake Loaves © MICHAEL TUREK The solution to baking for a crowd is to stick with easy recipes like this one for moist buttermilk cake loaves, which can be made a day in advance. Dress them up with a snowy dusting of powdered sugar right before slicing and serving. Get the Recipe 05 of 29 Rye and Crème Fraîche Strata with Smoked Salmon John Kernick In this playful riff on a bagel with cream cheese and lox, Food & Wine's Justin Chapple makes a custardy rye bread pudding with capers, then tops it with smoked salmon and red onion. It's warm, comforting, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Get the Recipe 06 of 29 Christmas Morning Biscotti John Kernick "These biscotti spiced with cocoa nibs and anise seeds are my Italian interpretation of biskotso, a Filipino twice-baked cookie I grew up eating with hot cocoa," chef Merrin Mae Gray says. Get the Recipe 07 of 29 Cheddar-Scallion Biscuits Greg DuPree "The buttermilk dough bakes atop a pile of grated cheddar, bringing not just a wonderfully caramelized flavor, but a clever textural element in the form of crisp, lacy 'feet' that form around the bottom of each biscuit," Food & Wine's Kat Kinsman writes of this recipe from Megan Scott. "Add a hefty amount of chopped scallion into the mix and it's a savory, joyous match for the ages." Get the Recipe 08 of 29 Poached Eggs with Red Wine Sauce Greg DuPree Traditionally the eggs for this dish are poached in red wine; it adds a bit of flavor, but the eggs take on a grayish-purple color. This version calls for eggs that have been poached in water, then assembled with the red wine sauce at the end. Get the Recipe 09 of 29 Savory Bread Pudding © Abby Hocking This bread pudding from chef Sohui Kim is studded with bacon and Swiss chard, plus two types of cheese — Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano. You can prepare it up to a day in advance and then bake it the day you serve it. Get the Recipe 10 of 29 Lemony Crêpe Casserole Jennifer Causey Reminiscent of classic bread pudding, this sweet-tart crêpe casserole has a beautiful lacy top and tender-but-sliceable center, adorned with a buttery lemon-tinged maple sauce. It's made with the ease of store-bought lemon curd and crêpes. Get the Recipe 11 of 29 Sparkling Cranberry-Ginger Punch with Toasted Spices Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This low-alcohol punch leans on tart cranberry juice and spicy ginger ale for a big punch of flavor, allowing the booze to take a back seat. Get the Recipe 12 of 29 Caramelized Apple Bread with Candied Ginger and Almond Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall Like a tarte Tatin, this treat is also topped with caramelized apples. But instead of cake, the base is a buttery yeasted bread with a creamy almond-paste filling. Even better, the apples sizzle in caramel before they're arranged in a baking pan that's been sprinkled with crystallized ginger, ensuring gently spiced flavor in every bite. Get the Recipe 13 of 29 Double Lemon Scones © Marcus Nilsson Lemon–poppyseed cake meets scones in this delightful recipe from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple. The lemon flavor is compounded by a tangy glaze brushed on after the scones have cooled. Get the Recipe 14 of 29 Buttermilk Biscuits and Pat LaFrieda's Sausage Gravy William Hereford Dry white wine helps cut through the richness in the gravy, bringing a balanced acidity to this hearty dish. Homemade sausage is well-seasoned and not overly sweet, so choose a savory or spicy blend if substituting for store-bought sausage. Get the Recipe 15 of 29 Brown-Butter Pancakes with Sheet-Pan Berry Syrup Andrea Slonecker For this elevated classic, browned butter infuses the barely sweet batter, which fries up into fluffy, lacy-edged flapjacks. The sheet-pan fruit syrup comes together quickly; frozen berries burst in the oven, releasing their juices to mingle with caramelly brown sugar and a touch of lemon. Get the Recipe 16 of 29 Breakfast Egg Cups with Parsley Gremolata and Mushrooms Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners These elegant, savory herb-topped eggs bake up in a muffin pan, so it's easy to make breakfast or brunch for a few days — or for more than a few people. Serve any leftover breakfast egg cups sandwiched between buttered, toasted English muffins or brioche slices. Get the Recipe 17 of 29 Chilaquiles with Tomatillo Salsa and Fried Eggs Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Bringing a skillet of chilaquiles topped with all the fixings to the table is a very wise Christmas brunch move. Start out by firing up your broiler: Lightly charring the tomatillos, garlic, jalapeños, and onion gives the green salsa terrific depth of flavor. If you don't have time to fry the tortilla chips at home, just pick up a bag of your favorite store-bought brand. Get the Recipe 18 of 29 Make-It-Your-Own (MIYO) Tofu Scramble Haile Thomas / Will Coleman "Nutritional yeast adds a rich and nutty 'cheesy' flavor, while the layering of herbs, spices, and add-ins really brings the scramble to life!" cookbook author and activist Haile Thomas writes. Get the Recipe 19 of 29 Brown-Butter Banana Bread Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Brown butter adds a deep, caramel-like note of nutty richness to this make-ahead banana bread. To hit the proper note, 2020 F&W Best New Chef Lena Sareini insists on waiting until your bananas are extremely ripe — very speckled and mushy. Get the Recipe 20 of 29 Homemade Hot Chocolate © Evi Abeler This cozy hot chocolate recipe calls for just three ingredients — 60% cocoa dark chocolate chips, sugar, and milk — and is so worth making from scratch. Don't forget the whipped cream and marshmallows! Get the Recipe 21 of 29 Wild Mushroom Toasts Hannah Khan For his wild mushroom toasts, chef Michael Reed starts with griddled sourdough bread, slathers it with homemade hollandaise sauce, tops it with sautéed mushrooms and spinach, and then crowns it with a mound of rich scrambled eggs. The end result is an impressive dish perfect for Christmas brunch. Get the Recipe 22 of 29 Puntarelle Citrus Salad with Roasted Beets Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Puntarelle stays bright and crisp in this salad, while beets bring a tender, earthy sweetness. The former is a specialty buy — check your local farmers market, or substitute another bitter chicory. Get the Recipe 23 of 29 Inverno Arancione Photo by Victor Protasio / Prop Styling by Christine Keely "Spiced mulled cocktails are what I crave when I want to relax in the colder months," says chef Amy Brandwein of Centrolina in Washington, D.C. For this recipe, the usual red wine base is replaced with Pinot Grigio to focus on citrus and ginger. "It almost plays off the flavors of a classic panettone, which is a winter specialty in Italian culture," she says. Get the Recipe 24 of 29 Japanese Soufflé Pancakes Gregory DuPree The secret to high-rise soufflé pancakes is all about speed and temperature. Cold egg whites whip more slowly than room temperature ones, but they form stronger, more uniform bubbles, and whipping them on medium speed incorporates more air. Finally, piping the batter in one swift pass allows you to create more height from the beginning without overcooking each pancake. Get the Recipe 25 of 29 Sourdough Buttermilk Waffles Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland These waffles call for sourdough starter discard — collect it in a bowl in the fridge, adding to it until you have enough for the recipe. If you can't find full-fat buttermilk at the market, you're better off substituting a mix of milk and sour cream instead. Get the Recipe 26 of 29 Guava and Cheese Bread Pudding Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell This budin de pan recipe features a lavish custard made with lots of evaporated milk, which yields an utterly dreamy texture in the final product. Mastering the homemade caramel portion calls for some close attention and meticulous stirring, but the reward is sweet and filled with plenty of tropical vibes, especially if you opt for chopped mango on top. Get the Recipe 27 of 29 Basted Egg Tartines with Creamed Mustard John Kernick Sour cream adds milky richness to both Dijon and whole-grain mustards, with a splash of lemon juice for brightness. This simple, creamy sauce pairs with lightly bitter greens and rich, runny egg yolks for a beautiful breakfast. Try leftover sauce on baked salmon. Get the Recipe 28 of 29 Sausage and Red Onion Sheet Pan Quiche Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Inspired by a foot-long quiche that chef Cedric Maupillier served at Convivial in Washington, D.C., this quiche is prepared in a rimmed baking sheet. It makes plenty for the whole crowd, yielding 12 servings total. Get the Recipe 29 of 29 Pain au Chocolat Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Pain au chocolat is all about the perfect pairing of flaky, buttery pastry with rich chocolate, so you want to ensure that there's chocolate in every bite. To do so, space the batons side by side with a layer of dough in between. Tuck the dough seam under the batons to prevent unfolding during baking. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit