15 Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas to Savor Before the Feast
Before the turkey, serve up one of these easy breakfast ideas.
Choosing just-the-right Thanksgiving breakfast recipe greatly depends on when the day’s main meal will be served. If you’re planning to feast around noon, something simple, like muffins, cinnamon rolls, or scones are perfect. If you’ll be eating dinner later in the afternoon, you’ll need something more substantial in the a.m. Whatever the plan at your house, you’ll find just what you need with this list of hassle-free and holiday-worthy Thanksgiving breakfast ideas.
Our Best-Ever Cinnamon Rolls
A pan of fluffy, sweet cinnamon rolls served alongside a great breakfast drink might be just the ticket for the perfect Thanksgiving breakfast! Not only is this our best-ever recipe (from over 100 years of expertise!), but there’s a make-ahead option, to boot. That means all the mixing, kneading, and rising can be done a day in advance.
Caramelized Pear Dutch Baby
A Dutch baby is also known as a Bismarck, a German pancake, or a puffed oven pancake. No matter what you call it, it’s a very simple way to serve a satisfying pancake-like treat without having to stand over the stove and flip the flapjacks in batches. Add caramelized pears to the concept, and you’ve got a breakfast that’s both easy and in-season.
Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal
Since Thanksgiving dinner is all about feasting on the gorgeous bounty of the autumn harvest, a little over-indulging often happens! That’s why oatmeal could actually be one of the best breakfast ideas ever. Serve bowls of the optional ingredients buffet-style to create a breakfast bar that will be generous and filling—and also a welcome way to eat healthfully before the main event.
Pumpkin Waffles with Maple-Walnut Cream
These pumpkin-flavored waffles are topped with a crazy-good maple-walnut cream for a windfall of harvest flavors. P.S.: If you’re going to serve pumpkin pie for your dinner, don’t worry about serving pumpkin flavors twice in the same day. Pumpkin-spice season only comes around once a year, so enjoy the pleasures any chance you get, including for your Thanksgiving breakfast!
Apple Scones with Spiced Maple Butter
Here, great apple-pie flavors get kneaded into one of our best breakfast ideas for Thanksgiving. To get a jump-start on these, measure and stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, spice, and salt the day before and store in a covered container until ready to mix. You can also make the autumn-spiced Maple Butter up to one week in advance; store in the fridge as directed.
Mascarpone-Stuffed French Toast with Salted Caramel-Banana Sauce
Most of the Thanksgiving breakfast ideas offered here are in the lighter vein – meant to simply keep everyone satisfied until day’s main feast. If, however, you’ll be serving dinner later in the day, you might want to start the morning off with something more substantial. Special enough for a holiday, this version of French toast, with its creamy stuffing and salty-sweet sauce, will do the trick.
Orange-Chocolate Chip Muffins
If breakfast is a catch-as-can event at your house—with some people sleeping in and others rising early to help prep the main meal—simply set out a tray of muffins and a thermos-carafe of coffee and let everyone serve themselves as they come and go. Here’s a recipe that will please everyone: The orange peel adds a little zing that perfectly balances the delightful sweetness of the small sprinkling of chocolate chips.
Apple Dutch Baby
When it comes to great breakfast ideas for Thanksgiving, omelets and pancakes could easily top the list. But getting both to the table—considering everything else you have to do for the holiday—could be a challenge. With almost one egg per serving, this easy oven recipe crosses the rich, eggy appeal of an omelet, with the pure pleasure of pancakes. Better yet, it brings the flavors of autumn you seek this time of year.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
If you simply don’t have enough time to make cinnamon rolls for your breakfast, give this recipe a look. These pancakes offer all the flavors you love in a cinnamon roll, including an irresistible powdered-sugar/cream cheese topping, but they take less than 20 minutes to make. By the way, if you’re hosting a houseful, check out how to make pancakes for a crowd.
Huevos con Migas
“Migas” means “crumbs” in Spanish, and in this case, the term refers to the strips of fried corn tortillas added to the scrambled eggs. These tasty bits add extra texture and flavor to the recipe, which is perfect if you’re looking for easy breakfast ideas for Thanksgiving. Add avocado, salsa, and a little crème fraîche to make the dish really take off!
Baked Buttermilk-Pumpkin Donuts
When searching for just-the-right donut to add to our list of breakfast ideas, we wanted to choose one that offered seasonal flavors, but that didn’t take all morning to make! Out of all the great donut recipes in our files, this one was our top choice. Because it’s a cake donut, it doesn’t require a long rising time. And because it’s flavored with pumpkin and pumpkin spice, it’s perfect for your autumn celebration.
Egg 'n' Bacon Breakfast Casserole
Here’s another great Thanksgiving breakfast recipe to consider when your feast will be held later in the afternoon. Anchored by bacon, cheese, eggs, and heavy whipping cream, it’s hearty enough to keep everyone satisfied until the holiday dinner. Better yet, you can get it all prepped and ready to pop in the oven up to 24 hours in advance.
Pear-Bacon Strata
Gouda and pears are perfect partners on a cheese board, so it’s no surprise to find that they make a dynamite duo in a breakfast casserole, too! Add a little salty bacon to the sweet-savory mix, and you’ve got a dreamy dish that might just become a beloved yearly tradition.
Pumpkin Latte Coffee Cake
No collection of breakfast ideas would be complete without a coffee cake! And of course, we chose one that was chock-full of autumn flavors. While this spectacular treat will make a pleasing breakfast on its own, if you need something more hefty, simply whip up some scrambled eggs to serve alongside. P.S.: This can be made in advance—see instructions toward the bottom of the recipe.
Air-Fryer Banana Bread
Here’s one of our easiest-ever breakfast ideas for Thanksgiving: Simply make up a loaf or two of a quick bread, and serve the moist, satisfying slices with juices and coffee. Incidentally, quick breads are a great make-ahead recipe for the holidays—in fact, they’re better (and easier to slice) when made a day in advance. This is what we call a win-win: less morning-of prep work for you, but a tasty treat for everyone at your table.
