Get in some much-needed breakfast fuel before a marathon day of Thanksgiving baking and cooking! From fall-inspired sweet options featuring apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, and maple flavors, to hearty savory dishes like cheesy spinach quiche and biscuit breakfast casserole—here are 30+ Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas to start your holiday on a tasty note.
The turkey, the endless choices for Thanksgiving sides, and the array of Thanksgiving pies usually take the crown.
But let’s not forget breakfast, our base meal to get us through the marathon day of cooking, prepping, and hosting. Better yet, let’s make it a breakfast that can be made ahead of time, so you have one less dish to make on Thanksgiving day.
My team & I spent some time gathering 30+ Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas so you can start the big day with some much-needed fuel. The full list is below!
Breakfast casseroles are always a top choice for make-ahead breakfasts—especially if you’re hosting a crowd. I always like to offer a savory option, like my easy breakfast casserole, and a sweet option, like this baked cream cheese French toast casserole. For a festive twist, this pumpkin French toast casserole celebrates one of fall’s favorite flavors.
Baked goods like muffins, quick breads, scones, and coffee cakes are also fantastic to prepare in advance. They freeze and thaw wonderfully. A loaf of pumpkin bread is a classic option, or try apple cinnamon crumb muffins or cranberry pecan breakfast cake instead.
Make-Ahead & Freezing Options
Most of my recipes have make-ahead and freezing directions included the recipe Notes, which can be found below the step instructions. I also have a helpful Make-Ahead Baking post with plenty of tips on how to prepare and package your baked goods in advance so that they taste as good and fresh when it’s time to enjoy.
For more inspiration, here are all of my breakfast recipes and here are 30+ healthy breakfast ideas.
30+ Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
This spiced pumpkin French toast casserole combines a few of the season’s best baking ingredients and is ideal for preparing the evening before.
Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole
Another make-ahead option, this easy egg breakfast casserole is infinitely adaptable. Use your favorite seasonings, cheeses, vegetables, and breakfast meats.
Baked Apple Cider French Toast
If apple is your go-to fall flavor, you’ll love everything about this baked apple cider French toast. Prepare the evening before and then serve with maple syrup or caramel.
Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Every day is a good day for cinnamon rolls with tangy cream cheese icing—and Thanksgiving is no exception. This recipe is tailored for an overnight rise and yields buttery soft, gooey, extra fluffy cinnamon rolls in the morning.
Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
By combining everything bagels, seasoning, bacon, eggs, and cream cheese, this breakfast casserole is the ultimate satisfying make-ahead breakfast dish, especially if you’re entertaining.
Pumpkin Bread Recipe
My fall-favorite pumpkin bread recipe is packed with cinnamon spice and tons of pumpkin flavor. You don’t even need to break out your mixer to make it, and the baked bread freezes beautifully if you want to make it ahead of the holiday rush.
Easy Frittata Recipe (Choose Your Add-Ins)
This easy frittata recipe will be your new go-to for a healthy egg-based dish that can feed the entire family. It keeps and reheats well, plus it’s adaptable to your favorite variety of add-ins.
Pumpkin Pancakes (Thick & Flavorful!)
Kick off the holiday with homemade pumpkin pancakes filled with warm spice flavor. They’re soft, thick, and perfect with a pat of butter and homemade maple pecan topping.
Breakfast Strata Recipe
This spinach, parmesan, and bacon version of breakfast strata is cozy, satisfying, and super simple to throw together. It tastes even better when made ahead of time, which makes getting breakfast on the table in the morning a breeze.
Biscuit Breakfast Casserole
This version of breakfast casserole is the definition of warm comfort food and perfect to enjoy on a chilly morning. It features eggs, sausage, and cheese, with buttery biscuits baked on top.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe is a dream come true for pumpkin aficionados and cinnamon roll lovers. Both the dough and filling have plenty of pumpkin flavor, and they’re topped with maple cinnamon cream cheese icing.
Ham & Potato Casserole Recipe (Egg-Free)
This savory ham and potato casserole is cheesy, flavorful, and satisfying. It’s a delicious way to use leftover ham, and it can do double duty as a brunch recipe or to serve at Thanksgiving dinner.
Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
Breakfast has never been more indulgent than maple pecan sticky buns! This is a reader favorite, family favorite, and personal favorite. I make them nearly EVERY holiday!
Apple Crumb Cake
Think delicious New York-style crumb cake but with warm cinnamon apples and DOUBLE the buttery crumb topping. Everyone will be begging for a piece—and the recipe!
Cranberry Pecan Breakfast Cake
Cranberries and pecans are a match made in heaven, especially during the holiday season. This breakfast (or anytime) cake is tender and buttery with a brown sugar cinnamon pecan crumble blanketing each cranberry-filled bite.
Cheesy Spinach Quiche
Using my favorite quiche recipe as the starting point, this cheesy spinach quiche is savory, creamy, and satisfying.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake (with Crumb Topping)
Simple and classic, this buttery cinnamon crumb coffee cake is anything but plain. Sour cream ensures a moist, light (not overly dense) breakfast cake, and there’s double the brown sugar cinnamon crumb streusel.
Dutch Baby Recipe (Pancake)
This delicious breakfast dish looks impressive but is surprisingly easy to make. Prep is quick (you can even refrigerate the batter for up to 24 hours) and the result is a beautifully light and airy pancake that’s ready for your choice of toppings.
Simply Pumpkin Muffins
My super-moist, deliciously spiced, and extra soft pumpkin muffins are perfect as-is, or with a handful of chocolate chips added to the batter. No mixer required!
Simply Applesauce Muffins
Packed with wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats, and applesauce, these healthful muffins are naturally free from refined sugar and contain no dairy. Play around with the add-ins for varying flavors and textures.
Baked Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
A French toast bake is always easier than preparing traditional French toast, and it’s quite the treat to boot. This version is stuffed with dollops of sweetened cream cheese and topped with a brown sugar crumble topping, and it’s best prepared the night before baking for optimal flavor and texture.
Homemade Bagels Recipe
Impress your family with a batch of homemade bagels to kick off the Thanksgiving day activities. I include several flavor variations and instructions for making the dough ahead of time and freezing the baked bagels.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping
Everything you love about classic coffee cake, but make it taste like fall. This pumpkin-spiced version is moist and flavorful, piled high with a crumb topping, and finished with an optional drizzle of vanilla icing.
Cinnamon Roll Wreath
Use my reader-favorite overnight cinnamon roll recipe to make a stunning cinnamon roll wreath. Drizzle with vanilla icing and serve with optional sugared cranberries for an extra festive look.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
These pumpkin muffins feature a rich cream cheese filling and a brown sugar crumb cake topping. Like a pumpkin roll but in muffin form!
Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
What’s more fun than making a giant cinnamon roll cake? Eating it! Kids love helping with this one, too, so it’s a perfect way to get your little bakers involved in the holiday food prep.
Apple Cinnamon Babka
Sweet apples, thick cinnamon filling, and a brown sugar cinnamon crumble topping pair perfectly with a rich and buttery yeasted dough that produces a babka that’s excellent on its own or as French toast.
Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins
These apple cinnamon muffins are bursting with cinnamon, brown sugar, and oodles of juicy apple chunks. Enjoy them plain or with a crumb topping and vanilla icing for an extra special treat.
Cranberry Orange Muffins
If you love a muffin packed with tons of bright flavor, these cranberry orange muffins fit the bill. They’re buttery and moist with tart cranberries and sweet orange flavor in every single bite.
Classic Pumpkin Scones
I love making a batch of scones for special breakfasts, because you can freeze them baked or unbaked and just pop them in the oven before serving. These pumpkin scones are deliciously spiced, flaky yet soft, and topped with a drizzle of dreamy maple icing.
Glazed Cranberry Orange Scones
Cranberry orange scones are another seasonal favorite that will leave taste testers licking every last crumb from their plate. The orange glaze is the icing on top of this morning treat—literally!
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Scones
These caramel apple scones always fly off the serving plate, especially when topped with my buttery salted caramel. Caramel apples for breakfast, anyone?
More Thanksgiving Baking Resources:
Finally, if you like to use the Thanksgiving weekend to get a start on your holiday shopping, don’t miss my annual Holiday Gifts for Bakers shopping guide.
