19 Shareable Holiday Breakfasts

Cooking a weekday breakfast for yourself is one thing, but if you’re hosting folks for the holidays, breakfast should be shareable, satisfying and a little impressive. Our holiday breakfast recipes are fortifying and enticing—with ingredients like Parmesan, linguiça sausage, and curried potatoes—but most importantly, a single recipe can serve four or more, so you can save some time. (And they’re all easily doubled for bigger crowds.)

Oven-Baked Eggs in a Hole with Toasted Parmesan

Egg in a hole gets an upgrade. Garlic cloves rubbed directly onto the bread before toasting add a sophisticated twist to the classic; a sprinkle of Parmesan browns and crisps during cooking, providing texture and a salty bite. For ease, we do the cooking on a baking sheet in the oven, rather than in a skillet on the stovetop, so 4 servings or more can be made simultaneously.

Don’t confuse simple for basic. This dish is straightforward—eggs fried in a pan surrounded by panko breadcrumbs—but the flavor and texture is far more complex. The craggy panko is spiked with vinegar, Aleppo pepper, sesame seeds and thyme. We love the melding of textures (firm egg white, runny yolk and crisp breadcrumbs)—you get the contrast of eggs on toast in a single bite.

Skillet Pancake

Crispy-edged and fluffy-centered, this oversized skillet pancake makes a great centerpiece for your breakfast spread. A combination of rice and all-purpose flours delivers a delicately crisp crust and gives the crumb a pleasant chew without weighing thing down. You will need an oven-safe, 10-inch skillet for this recipe; cast iron is a fine option, but keep in mind that its weight may make inverting the pancake a little tricky. Enjoy with syrup, whipped cream, or yogurt and berries.

Curried Potato and Green Pea Frittata

This warmly spiced frittata takes inspiration from Indian samosas. We bloom curry powder and whole cumin seeds in oil, creating a flavor-rich base for cooking the vegetables. Simmering the potatoes on the stovetop ensures they’re fully cooked through, and finishing the frittata off briefly in a hot oven sets the eggs just-so, without overcooking.

Savory Kale and Two-Cheese Scones

Holiday breakfasts can fall on the sweet side; keep things from getting cloying with these savory scones. Just a touch of sugar in the dough balances the mineral-y kale and sharp cheeses. We add tangy dried currants and crunchy sunflower seeds for textural contrast, and buttermilk keeps the crumb soft and tender. Serve the scones warm.

For this two-step recipe, we brown the sausage first, then cook the veggies in the flavorful rendered fat. If you can’t find linguiça, a cured Portuguese sausage seasoned with garlic and paprika, use Spanish dry-cured chorizo instead (not the crumbly kind). Serve this dish with slices of rustic bread for dipping into the savory sauce and egg yolks.

Indian-style Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and Chilies

Holiday breakfasts don’t have to be served casserole-style. In this Indian dish, called anda bhurji, the eggs are scrambled with a heady combination of spices and aromatics. Fresh green chilies and tomatoes bring a hit of brightness; garam masala adds warmth and a touch of spiciness. For a milder version, remove the seeds from the chilies before chopping. Serve with warm naan, paratha or a slice of buttered toast.

Sweet Pepper Shakshuka with Eggs

For this combination of a Romanian piperchi and North African shakshuka, crumbled feta or goat cheese is melted into a sauté of sweet peppers and tomatoes, yielding a savory-sweet, subtly creamy sauce. Eggs are poached right in the mix, streamlining the preparation. We serve this dish with a final sprinkling of cheese and chopped herbs to add fresh flavor and a tantalizing aroma.

French Toast, Perfected

The key ingredient in Chris Kimball’s perfected French toast is semolina flour. A couple tablespoons adds just the right amount of starch, keeping the bread from becoming become limp and structureless in the center. Sugar sprinkled onto the surface just before frying gives the toast a caramelized crunch. We like challah for this recipe but for a heartier texture, opt for a batard-shaped Italian bread.

Sherry-Soaked French Toast

This is our take on torrijas, Spain's version of French toast. We use cinnamon and citrus with a splash of dry sherry for complexity and caramel undertones. Make these as close to serving time as possible; they're best warm from the oven, when the outsides are delicately crisp and the insides are soft and custardy. Keep in mind torrijas are sweetened throughout, so syrup isn't necessary—berries or a fresh fruit compote are the best companions.

Toasted Oat and Maple Scones

Tangy buttermilk moistens and binds the dough in these scones; dark maple syrup gives the scones their signature flavor. We coat some whole rolled oats in maple syrup before toasting them for a sweet finish that offers nuttiness and crunch. If you need to pack or transport the scones for holiday brunch, wait for 30 minutes or so to allow the glaze to fully set.

Kolaches

These rich, tender yeasted buns are filled with a combination sweetened cheese and jammy fruit. We fill our kolaches with spoonfuls of lemon-scented cream cheese, plus jam, then finish them with a crumb topping. We developed this recipe to be made over the course of a couple days, so you can mix the dough the day before you plan to bake. The next morning, plan 1 to 1½ hours for the dough to proof, then fill and bake.

Cinnamon Sugar Yogurt Doughnuts

These doughnuts are a quick and easy baking powder-­leavened version of Romanian gogoși (yeasted doughnuts that are rolled out and cut). This drop-style doughnut batter requires only a couple bowls; portions are dropped into hot oil and shallow-fried until deep golden brown. We think they’re fantastic tossed with cinnamon sugar, but serving them with cherry jam and crème fraîche creates a particularly beautiful plate.

Swedish Cardamom Buns (Kardemummabullar)

A Swedish classic, our kardemummabullar are soft, rich and aromatic. Don’t be put off by the time commitment. They’re worth the effort and the dough is remarkably easy to handle. To take the pressure off, you can even make the buns over the course of two days. Prepare the dough the day before and pause during the refrigeration step; the dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours before rolling, filling, shaping and baking. Continue with the recipe early the next day so they’re fresh for breakfast or brunch.

Deep-Dish Quiche with Mushrooms, Bacon and Gruyère

This quiche is tall and creamy, yet light and richly flavored. Crème fraîche, in addition to the heavy cream, along with just the right number of eggs creates a tender base that adapts well to various flavor combinations. Use our recommendations—like sausage, fennel and asiago, or Canadian bacon, tarragon and Gruyère—or experiment with your favorite chopped meats, herbs and cheeses.

Frittata with Toasted Bread, Cheese and Caramelized Onions

This recipe takes a handful of basic ingredients and turns them into a rich, satisfying breakfast. Crusty bread toasted in butter and olive oil gives the frittata substance and texture, like a strata. The onions, cooked until sweet and caramelized, add sweet, jammy depth. Be sure to use a 10-inch nonstick skillet that’s oven-safe; this dish starts on the stove and finishes in the oven.

Eggs Fried in Parmesan Breadcrumbs with Wilted Spinach

Eggs fried in breadcrumbs sounds humble, but this dish is pretty enough for a holiday breakfast. We mix in a little Parmesan (or manchego) cheese to add umami, plus a touch of vinegar to sharpen the flavors. Baby spinach scattered over the eggs as they fry in the covered pan offers insulation so they cook gently. It’s quick too—ready in just 20 minutes.

Spanish-Style “Poor Man’s” Potatoes with Eggs

This may be a humble dish of potatoes, onions and peppers, but we cook them until they’re caramelized and meltingly tender. We add eggs in at the end to create a one-skillet meal worthy of entertaining. Serve this as a side to a greater breakfast spread of griddled meats, breakfast breads and sweets, or serve with toast.

Spanish Eggs and Potatoes (Huevos Rotos)

Spanish huevos rotos, or “broken eggs,” are for the runny yolk fans among us. The eggs are gently cooked over a bed of crisped potatoes, then the yolks are broken, creating a rich sauce. To speed things along we precook the potatoes in the microwave, then crisp them in olive oil. We like small red or white potatoes, as their skins add flavor without toughness. If you can find only large potatoes, choose a thin-skinned variety, such as Yukon Golds.

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Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Allie Chantorn Reinmann is a Digital Staff Writer for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. She’s a Thai-American chef who earned her diploma for Pastry and Baking Arts at The Institute of Culinary Education and worked professionally for over a decade honing her craft in New York City at places like Balthazar, Bien Cuit, The Chocolate Room, Billy’s Bakery and Whole Foods. Allie took her know-how from the kitchen to the internet, writing about food full-time at Lifehacker for three years and starting her own YouTube channel, ThaiNYbites. You can find her whipping up baked goods for cafés around Brooklyn, building wedding cakes and trying her hand (feet?) at marathon running. She’s working on her debut cookbook and lives in Brooklyn, NY.