40 Breakfast Ideas for a Crowd
Best breakfast ideas for a crowd help you set up the perfect breakfast buffet for an open house, holiday brunch, or other special event with lots of friends and family. Find easy make ahead breakfast recipes you can reheat in the morning and arrange for a delicious start to everyone's day.
These easy breakfast ideas for a crowd will help you pull together an epic breakfast buffet filled with delicious options for guests of all dietary requirements.
From celebratory breakfast casseroles and sweet breads to protein-heavy dishes for anyone who needs low-carb or gluten-free breakfast options, your breakfast spread will have a little something for everyone.
Pick a hearty main dish, pair it with a sweet bread and some jam, platters of fresh fruit and a savory side like bacon or breakfast potatoes, and you're ready to go!
Make Ahead Main Dishes
Since breakfast arrives early in the morning, choosing strategic make ahead main dishes is just smart planning.
You can prep or bake these easy recipes weeks to months in advance and store them in the freezer.
For most of them, I recommend thawing in the fridge overnight and then simply reheating in the oven on big baking pans.
Breakfast Burritos
My make ahead breakfast burritos are perfect for feeding a crowd. You can get all the prep work done for a big batch ahead of time and pop them in the freezer.
Individually wrap them in aluminum foil and you can reheat them in the oven on big baking pans all at once.
Serve them on a buffet table with big bowls of fresh salsa, bottles of hot sauce, a container of sour cream.
Breakfast Sandwiches
Frozen breakfast sandwiches work just like the breakfast burritos -- get all the prep work done in advance, wrap in foil and freeze them.
I suggest thawing them in the fridge overnight before reheating them in the oven for the best texture.
To feed a crowd, you could mix and match the fillings from some of these options:
- Sausage, Egg, and Cheese
- Sausage and Cheese
- Egg and Cheese
- Just Sausage
- Just Egg
Baked Egg Patties
If you don't want to make the frozen breakfast sandwiches in advance, my easy baked egg patties cook in just 20 minutes. You could bake several pans of them at once.
Slice and serve them with trays of english muffins, platters of sliced fresh tomato, sliced cheese, and a bowl of arugula for everyone to build their own egg sandwich.
Easy Eggs Benedict for a Crowd
Believe it or not, my version of easy eggs benedict is perfect for feeding a crowd. This is a recipe inspired by one we enjoyed at a bed and breakfast for our anniversary, if it works for an entire B&B, it will work for you too!
Scramble the eggs in big pans, toast the croissants in the oven on a big sheet pan, and then offer the easy parmesan cream sauce in a pitcher on the buffet table for everyone to build their own eggs benedict.
Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables
You could serve this easy scrambled eggs with vegetables in warming trays for a crowd. Roast big pans of the veggies, scramble big skillets full of eggs, and then just keep them warm on the buffet table in covered warming dishes.
Build Your Own Yogurt Parfait Bar
One of the easiest breakfasts for a crowd is to set up a build your own yogurt parfait bar with a variety of fresh fruits, tubs of yogurts in different flavors, and a big bowl of my homemade granola.
You can even bake more than one batch of the granola so that one bowl is nut-free or to offer a couple different flavor options.
The granola keeps in an airtight container for at least a week so it is a great make-ahead option.
Make Ahead Quiche
Stock up on a few freezer-friendly disposable pie plates so you can bake ahead a couple different flavors of my make ahead easy quiche.
You can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and just warm them through in the oven before serving.
Even better? Keep it easy and use a store bought pie crust!
Breakfast Casseroles
The best breakfast casserole recipes involve prepping the dish the night before and letting it sit overnight.
Then just pull these easy breakfast casseroles out of the fridge and pop them in the oven before serving.
Sausage Breakfast Casserole
I love to serve this sausage breakfast casserole with English muffins for Christmas breakfast with fresh fruit but it is great any time of year.
You could also pair it with a light green salad for more of a brunch item.
Sausage Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
For a more southern spin on your big breakfast, why not try this easy sausage biscuits and gravy casserole? It is a great choice for a hungry crowd.
Overnight French Toast Casserole
My husband particularly loves this overnight french toast bake with pecan praline because it has a hint of bourbon in the brown sugar mix.
I included several different flavor varieties for you to mix and match if you wanted to prep more than one for a really big crowd.
Egg and Ham Slab Pie
This cheesy egg and ham slab pie starts with my perfect butter pie crust recipe. You can actually bake it in advance and freeze it if you want, too.
Fluffy French Toast
Our whole family is pretty darn sure this is the best French toast recipe in the world. They all get SO excited when I make it but the prep work can be a little messy for a holiday or brunch.
Instead, make the entire batch of French toast and just store it in the fridge in an airtight container with layers of waxed paper between the slices.
Reheat it in the oven on big baking pans all at once and serve it family style. This trick works amazing because the toast retains that wonderful crispy texture when it heats back up in the oven.
Pumpkin Pecan Waffles
Another great prep ahead breakfast treat you can finish ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer is my pumpkin pecan waffles.
You can griddle up the waffles in advance and then just reheat them in the toaster or on big pans in the oven.
Stir in butterscotch chips and chopped pecans to the batter before griddling and they almost don't need any syrup!
Sweet Breads
Whether or not you have a big hearty main dish, it is easy to fill out a breakfast buffet for a crowd with a variety of sweet breads, tubs of flavored cream cheese, butters, and jams.
Let your guests make their own toasts or just enjoy a breakfast roll with some fresh fruit.
Most of these ideas can be made ahead and frozen to save time.
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Big Batch Pumpkin Bread
This big batch pumpkin bread recipe is one of the most popular quick bread recipes on my whole site because it uses one can of pureed pumpkin to make three loaves of spiced pumpkin bread.
You can mix dried cranberries, nuts, or even mini chocolate chips into individual loaves for variety.
Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
Good news! If you're too nervous to try making cinnamon rolls from scratch, you can make my cranberry cinnamon rolls with leftover cranberry sauce and a package of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough!
This lets you make pans and pans of easy cinnamon rolls that taste homemade in just minutes.
Bread Machine Orange Rolls
On the other hand, if you have a bread maker it is so easy to make a batch of my bread machine orange rolls in advance and freeze the pan for later.
This easy recipe is always a hit because it is unique and different from regular cinnamon rolls. The bright orange flavor is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.
Monte Cristo Pinwheels
Another fun and easy crescent roll recipe is my sweet and savory Monte Cristo pinwheels filled with ham, turkey, and covered with a pinch of powdered sugar.
You can prep the pinwheel logs in advance and then just slice and bake big pans of them at once to serve warm with raspberry jam.
Fresh Strawberry Bruschetta
If you want to serve a more European style breakfast, you could easily place large platters of cold cuts and cheese out along with a platter of homemade crostini.
Add a bowl of my strawberry bruschetta topping for a sweet fruit accent, the fresh basil makes it a perfect partner for the meats and cheeses.
Bread and Jam Station
You could easily turn your breakfast for a crowd into a breakfast potluck and just ask every guest to bring a loaf of interesting bread, a flavored butter or homemade jam.
Line up all the sliced breads in bread baskets with an arrangement of spreads and toppings and let everyone mix and match to their hearts' content.
Easy Bread Recipes
These easy bread machine recipes and quick breads can be made ahead and frozen or prepped the day before and stored just at room temperature.
Easy Jam Recipes
I love making freezer jam in the summer when the fruit is in season, you can enjoy the flavors all year round!
Protein Side Dishes
For those that need a hearty start to their day, you'll be sure to include some protein-heavy options for them to mix in with the fruit and breads.
These are also great options for anyone who needs a gluten-free or low-carb breakfast.
Hardboiled Eggs
Simply make a big batch of hard boiled eggs and arrange them in a pretty basket or bowl on the buffet table.
Just be sure to place a little sign out so that your guests know they are already cooked!
Peppered Bacon
My peppered bacon recipe is baked in the oven on big baking pans. You can bake more than one pan at a time and even do it a day or two in advance.
Simply reheat the bacon in the oven for a few minutes so it gets nice and crispy again.
Turkey Breakfast Sausage
My turkey breakfast sausage recipe can be formed into sausage patties for adding to a breakfast sandwich or you can cook it into sausage crumbles for adding to scrambled eggs or omelettes.
Breakfast Sides
If you need a filling breakfast potato side dish or veggie side dish, these recipes are easy to prep ahead and are always a hit on a buffet.
Funeral Potatoes
My cheesy cornflake topped funeral potatoes recipe fits right in with a breakfast buffet, a holiday brunch, or even with some holiday dinner menus!
Everyone loves that buttery, crispy topping over the creamy, cheese potato filling.
Potato Latkes
My homemade potato latkes, or potato pancakes as you might call them, do take a little more work to prep but the good news is my version helps you make them ahead for the fridge or freezer.
Then you can just reheat them in the oven and serve with my 10-minute microwave applesauce and a bowl of sour cream.
Marinated Tomatoes
This simple marinated tomatoes recipe is actually the perfect accent for a cheesy or eggy breakfast.
You could serve a big bowl of the fresh tomatoes near a tub of cottage cheese for another low-carb, gluten-free breakfast option for guests who want something filled with protein.
More Brunch Ideas
Planning a festive brunch? Learn how to host a brunch and plan your menu and then get seasonal ideas for every event:
More Recipes for a Crowd
If you're planning a special event for a crowd, you need all the make ahead buffet dishes you can get your hands on:
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