35 Favorite Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated September 03, 2020
Blaine Moats

Warm up your mornings with our easy recipes for egg dishes, pancakes, quick breads, breakfast casseroles and more.

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Tomato-Zucchini Strata

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Swiss cheese, plump tomatoes, tender zucchini and herbs flavor this rich breakfast bake. Bonus: You can make it a day ahead and bake it in the morning.

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Herbed Egg-Potato Bake

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You can assemble the cheesy Herbed Egg-Potato Bake up to two days ahead and refrigerate it.

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Fruit and Nut Granola

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At Abilene's Victorian Inn in Kansas, guests might eat this granola with milk or layered in a parfait with yogurt and fruit. We love how the recipe lets you customize the nuts and fruit to your taste.

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Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes

Credit: Carson Downing
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When life gives you lemons, make the legendary lemon-ricotta hotcakes from Hell's Kitchen, a Minneapolis favorite.

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Cranberry Streusel Coffee Cake

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There's just a hint of cinnamon in the streusel for this moist cake.

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Sausage Polenta with Nestled Eggs

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Green chiles and shredded cheese lend Southwest flavor to this hearty breakfast casserole that you can prepare the night before and bake in the morning.

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Lazy Morning Cinnamon Rolls

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Pizza dough is the secret shortcut in this 45-minutes-and-done recipe. It doesn't yield a fluffy Amish-style roll, but rather a breakfast treat with a toothsome chew, like the love child of cinnamon buns and garlic knots. 

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A Hole-in-One Breakfast

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Our egg cooked in toast is a classic American breakfast recipe that's also been known as egg in a basket and knothole egg.

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Sausage-Apple Dutch Baby

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Why fry sausage separately when you can cook it right into the pancake? That kind of ease is just one reason we love this sweet-and-savory Dutch baby pancake. The batter's quick, and in the 15 minutes while it bakes, you can whip up the maple-glazed apple topping.

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Ham-and-Cheese Stuffed French Toast

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Vanilla extract, cinnamon, maple syrup and almonds give the classic Monte Cristo sandwich a sweet and nutty twist. 

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Pumpkin-Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

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Pumpkin, cranberries and brown sugar swirl through a tender, moist coffee cake with a golden pecan topper.

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Potato-Thyme Frittata

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This flavorful frittata can be a simple brunch or weeknight supper dish; if you don't have fresh thyme, just substitute dried. The recipe comes from Urban Roots Farm in Springfield, Missouri.

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Hearty Multigrain Pancakes

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We added whole grains to these flapjacks to help ward off the morning munchies. Personalize this breakfast or brunch recipe with chocolate chips, blueberries and other stir-ins.

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Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake

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Plump blueberries create a juicy filling in this old-fashioned sour cream coffee cake from The White Gull Inn in Fish Creek on Wisconsin's Door County Peninsula.

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Orange-Spice Challah Buns

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Melding her husband's Norwegian roots with her own Jewish heritage, blogger Molly Yeh's soft, slightly chewy rolls are ideal for brunch or even as a sweet complement to a holiday dinner.

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Farmer's Casserole

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This versatile casserole starts with eggs, hash browns and milk. Add in whatever meats you have on hand-such as bacon or sausage-and cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese for an easy casserole that can be served at just about any meal.

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Egg-on-Top Galettes with Potato and Cream Cheese

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Quiche, we love you-but these individual egg tarts from Sister Pie in Detroit may be our new favorite way to eat piecrust for breakfast. The key is serving the galettes with mustard, which cuts the richness of the pastry, egg and cream cheese. (They're doable to make in the morning for brunch, just be sure to prep the pastry in advance.)

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Orange and Pomegranate Overnight Oats

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Overnight oats owe their popularity to their ease: Soak them in the fridge and eat them cold. So keep a few jars in the fridge to grab for weekday breakfasts. Some supermarkets now sell refrigerated pomegranate seeds for convenience.

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Steak, Egg and Goat Cheese Pizza

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Eggs on pizza? Yes, please! The runny yolks mix deliciously with savory roast beef and tangy goat cheese. To make it a meal, pair with a simple salad.

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Gingerbread Pancakes

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Transform a weekend breakfast into a special occasion with a stack of these cakes featuring ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, molasses and thin-sliced apples.

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French Toast Sticks with Maple-Apple-Nut Topping

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Choose from several varieties of bread, including challah, whole wheat and cinnamon-raisin, for these easy French toast sticks. The Maple-Apple-Nut Topping makes this a standout dish. The recipe was inspired by RAGBRAI vendor Breakfast Delights.

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Darling Clementine Mocktail

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No offense to the classic mimosa, but not everyone wants to booze with their brunch. Enter the Darling Clementine, a tart, fizzy, deliciously pink, nonalcoholic alternative to classic morning cocktails.

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Maple-Apple-Glazed Breakfast Meatballs

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Perfect for holiday brunches, mini pork meatballs are a sweet and salty alternative to sides of bacon or sausage.

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Breakfast Puffs

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These sweet treats can be found in nearly every Amish cookbook. Roll them in melted butter, cinnamon and sugar before serving.

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Caramelized Onion Breakfast Casserole

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This easy broccoli-bacon-Swiss cheese strata is called a breakfast casserole, but it would satisfy for any meal of the day.

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Chard and Sweet Potato Frittata

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Breakfast, brunch or dinner-this colorful meat-free frittata is a 30-minute meal that tastes nutritiously delicious any time.

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Cinnamon Surprise Buns

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These yeast rolls poof as they bake, hiding the filled center. Guests will love the spiced nut and brown sugar in the middle of these frosted treats.

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Pork ‘n’ Pippins Quiche

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Round Barn Farm Bed and Breakfast and Bread in Red Wing, Minnesota, serves this sweet-and-savory quiche with a dollop of sour cream and seasoned, broiled tomato halves on the side.

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Rise and Shine Cranberry-Apple Crisp

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Spiced coconut streusel adds crunch to healthy apples and berries.

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Goat Cheese, Artichoke and Smoked Ham Strata

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This brunch recipe comes from Carol Mortensen of Flossmoor, Illinois, who says this is her favorite brunch dish. "The best part is preparing it the night before to bake in the morning."

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Sour Cream Swirl Coffee Cake

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A layer of brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans swirls through the center of this sour cream coffee cake from the Lantz House Inn in Centerville, Indiana.

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Lazy Morning Sausage Pie

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Lyndy Ireland cooks up breakfast favorites such as this classic biscuit mix recipe for her guests at Triangle Ranch in western South Dakota. She tops the Sausage Pie with refreshing salsa.

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Savory Egg and Sweet Potato Scramble

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Sweet potatoes, spinach and cumin add a fresh twist to scrambled eggs. 

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Ham-and-Egg Cups

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If you don't have custard cups, 6-ounce ramekins or jumbo muffin pans work for this simple brunch recipe, too.

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Coffee Cake Ring

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Trust us! This cake is utterly addictive.

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Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce

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Kids will love helping make this breakfast or brunch treat, but don't save it just for them—adults like chocolate chip pancakes, too! The raspberry sauce can be made ahead of time.

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