Christmas Brunch Ideas-Christmas morning is busy enough without cooking individual breakfasts for everyone. These Christmas brunch ideas work as sharing platters or help-yourself breakfast bars, so you can put out the food and let everyone choose what they fancy.
Prepare what you can ahead, choose a few things that work together and share out the jobs. You don’t need to make everything here. One main breakfast idea and something sweet could be plenty, especially if you’re cooking Christmas dinner later.
Don’t forget to signup to my weekly newsletter
1. Homemade Breakfast Muffins
Toasted English muffins filled with sausage, egg and melted cheese make a lovely Christmas morning breakfast. Cook several sausage patties together, then toast the muffins and assemble them as the eggs are ready.
You can serve them already filled or let everyone choose their own combination.
Try these variations:
- Sausage, egg and cheese.
- Bacon and egg.
- Egg and cheese without the meat.
- Sausage and hash brown.
Make my homemade breakfast muffins.
2. American-Style Pancake Bar
A stack of fluffy pancakes with a few bowls of toppings makes a lovely family brunch. Children can choose their favourites, and you can keep the cooking simple by making one pancake batter for everyone.
Wash and prepare the fruit beforehand and put out the toppings while someone else cooks the pancakes.
Topping ideas:
- Berries and maple syrup.
- Banana and chocolate spread.
- Crispy bacon and maple syrup.
- Butter, sugar and a squeeze of lemon.
Try these fluffy American pancakes.
3. Smoked Salmon and Brown Soda Bread
Smoked salmon with brown soda bread is a lovely option when you want something special with very little cooking. Arrange the bread on a board and serve the salmon with butter and lemon wedges.
You can buy the bread or make it ahead. Keep the salmon refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.
Optional additions: Cream cheese, capers, chopped chives or a little black pepper. Put these out separately so everyone can choose.
See Odlums’ smoked salmon with farmhouse brown bread.
4. Festive Sausage Roll Platter
Homemade sausage rolls with cranberry sauce bring a festive touch to the brunch table. Ready-rolled puff pastry keeps them manageable, and you can make smaller rolls for sharing or larger ones for a more substantial breakfast.
Check the recipe’s preparation and storage instructions if you want to get them ready ahead of Christmas morning.
Make the platter your own: Leave some sausage rolls plain for those who prefer them, and serve ketchup, mustard or cranberry sauce alongside.
Make Aldi’s cranberry sausage rolls.
5. Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Christmas Wreath
A savoury pastry wreath makes a lovely centrepiece for a Christmas brunch buffet. Filled with ham and cheese, it can be cut into portions for everyone to share.
This would work well alongside something simple, such as fruit or a few sweet pastries. You don’t need another big cooked breakfast as well.
Variations: Choose a mild or stronger cheese to suit your family, and offer cranberry sauce or tomato relish for dipping.
Try Donal Skehan’s ham and cheese wreath.
6. Freshly Baked Croissants with Sweet and Savoury Fillings
Frozen bake-at-home croissants are a handy shortcut. I’d use the frozen croissants from Aldi and bake them according to the packet instructions, giving us warm pastries without making dough on Christmas morning.
Put them in a basket with a small selection of fillings and let everyone help themselves.
Filling ideas:
- Butter and strawberry or raspberry jam.
- Chocolate spread and sliced strawberries.
- Ham and cheese.
- Marmalade.
A bowl of fruit is a lovely addition, and there’s no need for a separate recipe when the packet takes care of the baking instructions.
7. A Sweet and Savoury Scone Board
A selection of warm scones makes a lovely brunch with a big pot of tea. Choose plain or fruit scones, savoury cheese scones, or a mixture.
Scones are a useful make-ahead option: bake and freeze them following your chosen recipe’s instructions, then defrost and warm them for serving.
Serve alongside: Butter and jam for the sweet scones, with cheese or chutney for the savoury ones. Add cream if you fancy.
Make classic sweet scones, or try my cheese and onion scones.
8. French Toast with a Choice of Toppings
French toast turns ordinary bread into a lovely warm breakfast. Serve it in slices or cut it into fingers for smaller appetites, with toppings on the table.
Have your bread, ingredients and toppings ready before you start, as this is one option that needs some attention at the hob.
Topping ideas: Cinnamon sugar, berries and syrup, chocolate spread, or warm cinnamon apples.
Try this simple French toast recipe.
9. Build-Your-Own Irish Breakfast Roll Bar
An Irish breakfast roll is a baguette filled with the makings of a full Irish breakfast. It’s hearty, unfussy and a lovely option for people who want a proper cooked breakfast.
Bake your part-baked baguettes according to the packet instructions and cook the fillings. Then let everyone build their own roll, keeping the cooked fillings hot for serving.
Choose your fillings:
- Sausages and rashers.
- Black or white pudding.
- Fried eggs.
- Hash browns.
- Butter, ketchup, brown sauce or relish.
Smaller baguettes work well for lighter appetites. Keep the muffins as a separate option: a breakfast roll is very much about the baguette!
See Ballymaloe’s breakfast roll recipe.
Enjoy Christmas Morning Too
A lovely Christmas brunch doesn’t have to mean standing at the cooker making separate plates of full breakfasts. A sharing platter or breakfast bar lets everyone choose their own food and portion size.
Pick one or two ideas, prepare what you can ahead and give someone else responsibility for drinks and clearing up. The aim is to enjoy a lovely breakfast together, with time for whoever is cooking to sit down too.
