It’s the first day of school! This is not the time for a granola bar eaten hastily as everyone dashes out the door. Instead, pull out all the stops with any of these 25 first-day-of-school breakfasts. Whether you’re dealing with a pancakes type of kid or a bacon, egg and cheese-er, there’s a recipe that will send them off (and say “see ya next year, summer”) in a special way. Now, did someone say cinnamon roll pancakes?
25 First-Day-of-School Breakfasts That Will Start the Year Off Right
This is not the time for granola bars
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Published Aug 6, 2024
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Sweet First-Day-of-School Breakfasts
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
- Serves: 6
Don’t just slather chocolate-hazelnut spread on top of the pancakes. (That, friend, is a rookie move.) Instead, you’ll freeze a dollop of the topping overnight, then nestle it into the batter when you go to cook a batch. “My family loves these—the trick is really waiting for a lip to form around the edge of the pancake before flipping it, just to ensure the Nutella coin doesn’t slip around,” says Candace Davison, VP of editorial content.
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
- Serves: 4
If you’re like, what the heck is a Dutch baby, I have the answer: It’s a custardy-yet-light skillet pancake that comes together in a blender and tastes like a gourmet chef made it. Top yours with any flavor of store-bought or homemade jam.
3. Sheet Tray Pancakes with Peaches and Strawberries
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, one pan
- Serves: 6
If the thought of flipping a stack of pancakes before school starts makes you shudder, try making the entire batch on a sheet tray instead. (“Work smart, not hard,” applies to breakfast too, you know.)
4. Skillet Blueberry Cornbread
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pan, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 12
This breakfast cornbread—it’s a thing—is packed with fresh blueberries in every square. Pair it with a batch of candied bacon—see no. 24 on this list—and you’ll win the morning.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
- Serves: 4
You could go the maple syrup route, and that’d be fine, but I’m partial to this three-ingredient vanilla glaze. (TBH, that buttery brown sugar filling would taste great with both.)
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, special occasion–worthy, vegan
- Serves: 1
Sure, you could turn that bunch of ripe bananas into banana bread…or you could do a little magic trick and make them into ice cream instead. Use the base ingredients as a blank slate, adding whatever toppings you please—like granola, berries and maple syrup.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
With a rich egg custard and a honey-vanilla dipping syrup, these cuties will knock the boxed, frozen kind out of the park. Of course, you can totally make a batch ahead of time and store it in the freezer if you want.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
- Serves: 12
Doughnuts can be tricky to make at home, but muffins are super easy. The key to making the toppings stick is dipping each muffin in melted butter first. Pick your flavor: confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon sugar…or one of each.
9. Sunday Morning French Toast
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 6
Despite the name, you don’t have to save this breakfast recipe for Sundays. It comes together in one dish and only takes about 30 minutes to bake. Now, where’s the syrup?
10. Double Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 12
Everyone knows the top of the muffin is the best part. Make the deal even sweeter by adding cocoa and chocolate chips to the batter. (Psst: You don’t need a special pan for this one, either.)
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, one pan
- Serves: 8
When people say, “more is more,” I’m pretty sure they’re referring to this skillet cinnamon beauty. Great news for you: It starts with store-bought crescent roll dough, so you can easily make it in the morning without having to wake up early.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead
- Serves: 6
Start with something good and make it even better, like traditional bread pudding. By swapping sliced bread for frozen waffles, you can transform the dessert into a crowd-pleasing first-day-of-school breakfast.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion–worthy
- Serves: 12
I know I said making doughnuts at home is tricky, but there is an exception: baking them. You just need a doughnut pan. Add a sweet glaze and some swirls of food dye and you’re basically a professional pastry chef.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 12
If mini desserts are ten times cuter and more fun, the rule has to apply to breakfast, right? Plus, it means everyone can down at least two of these citrus-y glazed bites in rapid succession. Use store-bought pizza dough to streamline the baking process.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 6
Pastries are delicious, but they go stale in the blink of an eye. Dealing with the leftovers can be just as tasty, as long as you soak them in custard and drizzle them with chocolate sauce. FYI, it’s also a good way to zhuzh up less-than-perfect grocery store croissants.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, special occasion–worthy
- Serves: 8
TBH, the first day of school can be stressful for some kids (and parents). A full cup of rainbow sprinkles might be able to help. You can top these waffles with homemade whipped cream, maple syrup or both.
Savory First-Day-of-School Breakfasts
17. Pancake Tacos with Cheese and Bacon
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
When your crew can’t decide between a short stack and a breakfast taco, the only logical solution is to make these mashups. (Call ’em pacos if you want.) They’re filled with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese, but you can add any toppings you like.
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, high protein
- Serves: 4
As it turns out, a Dutch baby is the ideal blank slate for all sorts of breakfast toppings, savory items included. Turn yours into the French equivalent of a bacon, egg and cheese, ham and sunny-side up oeufs.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4 to 5
This savory breakfast dish is all about the layers: sauce-soaked freshly fried tortillas, a bed of baked eggs and fresh toppings like avocado, red onion, radish, cilantro and hot sauce (if your kid wants it).
20. Sweet Potato, Bacon and Broccoli Egg Muffins
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, high protein
- Serves: 12
Sometimes the running-out-the-door morning routine is unavoidable. But you still shouldn’t settle for an afterthought breakfast. These egg muffins are as nutritious as they are easy to make (ahead of time, if you want), and they’ll keep your kid bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for that first day of class.
21. Waffle Breakfast Sandwich with Chorizo
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
Bacon and eggs won’t see it coming. These sammies start with homemade savory cheese waffles, but if you want to save time, you can use frozen waffles as a shortcut. If you want to switch it up, swap breakfast sausage for the chorizo.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein
- Serves: 4
These bites couldn’t be easier or look more impressive thanks to your trusty muffin tin. Serve them with a side of crispy potatoes for a home-fries-at-home effect.
23. Slow Cooker Mediterranean Frittata
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, <10 minutes
- Serves: 6
Recruit your slow cooker for the first day of school and make this impossibly easy egg breakfast idea. It’s filled with a mix of Mediterranean veggies, but you could swap in whatever’s in your fridge.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
- Serves: 6 to 8
Slather thick-cut bacon in maple syrup, sprinkle it with brown sugar and a hint of black pepper for a salty-sweet delight that elevates your morning to an ohmygosh level. Part sweet, part savory and gone before you can go back for a second slice.
25. Bacon, Apple and Cheddar Waffles
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 12
Speaking of sweet and savory, these waffles are like the apple pie and cheddar cheese of the breakfast world. The recipe calls for a Belgian waffle maker, which has larger, deeper pockets, but you could use any type of waffle iron with success.
