34 Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas That Just Might Outshine the Turkey

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly

Because last night’s mashed potatoes aren’t going to finish themselves. Pair them with crispy bacon, grated Parm and runny eggs to create an unexpected breakfast dish.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly

You only need three slices of leftover pumpkin pie (homemade or store-bought) to pull this autumn delight off. Wash it down with a homemade PSL to drive the flavor home.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Even if you don’t serve these doughnuts with anything substantial, your guests will happily eat their fill of the poppable fall treasures—especially picky kids.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, one pan, vegetarian

If you’re still feeling full from last night’s smorgasbord, this satisfying skillet gem is just the ticket. The eggs will hold you over before lunch, while the veggies keep things light.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy

What makes these pie-inspired scones so incredibly buttery and flaky? We’re glad you asked. We’ll chalk it up to pieces of real pie crust folded into the dough.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, slow cooker recipe, <10 ingredients, high protein

Plop all the ingredients in the slow cooker when you wake up, then start prepping the bird and sides. By the time your guests arrive, breakfast will be ready to serve.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly,

You know those spare Granny Smiths in your fridge? We have just the job for them. Shred ’em up, pair them with extra sharp cheddar and Maplewood bacon and mix them into these buttermilk waffles.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes

A girl can only eat so many stuffing-turkey-cranberry sandwiches before she gets sick of them, right? These cups are way easier to prepare and just as resourceful.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy

Warning: The buttery brown sugar-cinnamon filling will absolutely knock your socks off. Now, the moment of truth: vanilla icing or maple syrup?

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, vegetarian, gluten free

Even if you make the world’s best scrambled eggs, these crispy spuds are bound to overshadow whatever they’re plated with. Finish them with flaky salt, hot sauce or ketchup.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy

Once again, the day is saved, thanks to your Thanksgiving leftovers. This time, it’s store-bought biscuit dough, which is filled with simple pumpkin pie filling and finished with cinnamon-vanilla icing. Pop Tarts could never.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, high protein

Feeling all the wine from last night? Breakfast sausage, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs, arugula and slider buns are the ultimate antidote.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

The recipe calls for mixing your own buttery biscuit dough, which comes together with mostly pantry staples…but we won’t tell if you opt for store-bought dough instead.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

Breakfast for the fam doesn’t get easier than this, friends. Prepare the honey the night before to save time in the morning (and to infuse as much heat from the chiles as possible).

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly

There’s plenty of pumpkin-y flavor in the filling and icing, but it’s also an important component of the dough. Not only does pumpkin purée make it moist and soft, but it also tints it orange.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly

Whether it’s Thanksgiving or the day after, caffeine is a must. Pair your morning java with this sweet-but-not-cloying coffee cake, which calls for spiking the brown sugar streusel with instant espresso powder.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, one pan

Remaining goat cheese from the salad course? Toss it in. Shredded leftover turkey? Fair game. Spare roasted potatoes? Why not. The frittata is your oyster.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes,kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

These aren’t conventional flapjacks. Take your pick from sweet or sour apples, depending on your preference—just be sure to slather them in sour cherry spread and sour cream before digging in.

• Time Commitment: 5 hours and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser

If you really want to wow the in-laws, serve this warm, cozy spin on cinnamon rolls. It stars a slew of wintry spices (like cinnamon, ginger and cardamom), along with from-scratch pear-chai masala jam.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, one pan, vegetarian

This baked egg dish costs less than $2 per serving, which is a steal, considering how much you spent on your Thanksgiving menu. Serve it with plenty of crusty bread for dipping.

• Time Commitment: 8 hours and 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly

Thanks to a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar, these waffles veer into doughnut territory. Let the yeast batter chill overnight for the lightest, fluffiest waffles you’ve ever tasted.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, high protein

Add a jumbo muffin pan to your Thanksgiving shopping list so you can make these hearty handhelds the following morning. Douse them in hot sauce or ketchup and go to town.

• Time Commitment: 14 hours
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead

If you’re feeling ambitious (or want all the oohs and ahhs from your guests), look no further than this bakery-caliber breakfast. The loaf is stuffed with cinnamon-kissed apples and brushed with apricot jam.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, one pan, high protein

Odds are you already have a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink from last night’s meal. Do yourself a favor by preparing a one-pan breakfast that will still impress.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients

The bacon lattice crust is an absolute game-changer (and we bet it would pair just as well with apple pie as it does this egg-and-cheese number).

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, vegetarian

If you don’t serve these cuties with a side of tater tots, you’re doing it wrong. Don’t even get us started on the drool-worthy honey-vanilla syrup.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

This one-pan take on drunken nachos is pretty darn ingenious. Finish them with all the cotija, avocado, red onion, radishes and cilantro your heart desires.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes (plus rise time)
• Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser

File this beauty under Ways to Upgrade French Toast. Since the bread is only slightly sweet in flavor, a layer of coarse sanding sugar on the outside is the perfect finishing touch.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy

Store-bought crescent roll dough makes this Insta-worthy confection a breeze to assemble. Don’t be shy with the two-ingredient icing on top.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly

Your kids will be stoked to dunk these into hot cocoa or apple cider. Let them help you coat the doughnuts in cinnamon sugar and confectioners’ sugar.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

It looks and feels fancy but requires minimal work to come together. Basically all it takes is whisking the eggs, pouring them into a pan, adding the smoked salmon and cream cheese and baking to perfection.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly

BRB, drooling. Serve it as a side for eggs, add it to a sweet-and-savory breakfast sandwich or use it to garnish a next-level bloody Mary.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, high protein

When you’re not sure what to serve company for breakfast, you can never go wrong with an old-fashioned benny. Feel free to substitute another leftover protein for ham.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, slow cooker recipe, <10 ingredients

After all that cooking, you deserve a boozy cup of joe, spiked with vanilla vodka and Kahlúa. Might we suggest a pot of mulled cider for the kids’ table?