food
By Alexandra Hough
•
Published Jan 24, 2022
Additional reporting by
Taryn Pire
Half Baked Harvest
So, you’ve been invited to a breakfast potluck. You could resort to your usual chocolate chip pancakes or fresh fruit platter (yawn), but why not spice it up with something way more exciting? Don’t worry, we’ve got just the recipes that are not only delicious, but also sure to impress even the harshest brunch critics. Here, 32 easy and unexpected breakfast potluck ideas that will feed and delight a crowd, from sheet pan eggs with smoked salmon to pizza dough cinnamon rolls.
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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
1. Sheet Pan Eggs With Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese And Dill
- Time Commitment: 32 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, nut free, pescatarian, keto
You know how easy eggs are to cook for one, but preparing them for a crowd doesn’t have to be an all-day affair either. These ingenious sheet pan eggs are proof.
Get the recipe
2. Blueberry And Ricotta Skillet Cake
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, vegetarian
Go ahead, eat cake for breakfast (and top it with all the confectioners’ sugar your heart desires).
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
3. Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, nut free
What’s a potluck without at least one casserole? Instead of cooking all of your breakfast favorites—eggs, potatoes and bacon—separately, just do it all together.
Get the recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
4. ‘everything Bagel’ Cauliflower Rolls
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, vegetarian
These cuties won’t weigh you down like regular bread, but don’t worry: They still break and taste just like the real thing.
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5. Breakfast Enchiladas
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free
Spice up the event with this Latin-inspired recipe that's stuffed with your favorite breakfast ingredients and smothered in creamy salsa sauce.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
6. Sheet Tray Pancakes With Peaches And Strawberries
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian, Insta-worthy
Anyone can make flapjacks the old-school way, but these take pancakes to a whole new level. Plus, there’s absolutely no flipping required.
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7. Pancake Balls
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian
Also known as Danish aebleskiver, these fluffy pancake balls are ready in just a half-hour. And let’s be honest, everything is better in ball form.
Photo: Eric Moran/Styling: Erin McDowell
8. Kale Quiche With A Cheddar-rice Crust
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, nut free, vegetarian, Insta-worthy
Quiche may be breakfast classic, but the impossibly crisp cheese crust is what makes this recipe one of our new morning go-tos.
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Erin McDowell
9. Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian
Oh no, you forgot to make something for tomorrow's potluck brunch. This recipe that calls on store-bought dough will certainly save the day.
Get the recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
10. Slow Cooker Mediterranean Frittata
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian
It may look fancy, but it almost takes no effort to execute. You basically just drop all the ingredients into the Crockpot and voilà (but your guests don't need to know that).
Get the recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
11. Breakfast Sliders
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free
Fact: Everyone loves sliders. So why wouldn’t your guests go gaga for these made with sausage, cheese and eggs?
Get the recipe
PHOTO: LIZ ANDREW/STYLING: ERIN MCDOWELL
12. Pumpkin Pie-stuffed French Toast
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian, Insta-worthy
This dessert-like breakfast will score you major points with the PSL-loving brunchers at your table. You’re welcome.
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13. Cheesy, Flaky Breakfast Cups
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, Insta-worthy
Savory breakfast lovers, this one’s for you. The best part is you can add any ingredient you want. Spinach? Sure. Tomato? Go for it. Chile peppers? Why the heck not.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
14. Breakfast Nachos
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, Insta-worthy
We've tried a lot of different takes on nachos, but none of them compare to this version starring frozen waffles. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
Get the recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
15. Leek, Kale And Goat Cheese Strata
- Time Commitment: 8 hours and 35 minutes (includes chilling time)
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian
Not all breakfast food needs to be sweet. Exhibit A: This strata featuring eggs, bread and cheese. Assemble it the night before, let it sit in the fridge overnight, then bake it for 30 minutes the next morning.
Get the recipe
16. Smoked Salmon And Cream Cheese Pastries
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, pescatarian
We love a solid sweet pastry as much as the next foodie, but a savory pastry like this one—packed with salmon and cream cheese—is definitely more our speed. Might we suggest finishing them with everything bagel seasoning?
17. Baked Bagel French Toast With Maple Glaze
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian
Using bagels instead of regular ol’ bread? Ingenious. This no-flip recipe is soft, chewy, moist and tender…what more can you ask for?
18. Baby Apple Banana Oat Muffins
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, nut free, vegetarian
The batter comes together in a blender and the muffins freeze wonderfully. Did we mention they’re kid- and toddler-approved?
Photo: Jon Cospito/Styling: Erin McDowell
19. Champagne Doughnuts
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian, Insta-worthy
Baked instead of fried, these babies are made with real Champagne, and therefore pair perfectly with your morning mimosas.
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20. One-bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, dairy free, vegan
One bowl and ten ingredients, all plant-based. You really can't lose, friend.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
21. Avocado Deviled Eggs
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: Gluten free, nut free, vegetarian, keto
We married two of our absolute favorite breakfast foods to create this recipe full of creamy richness and splashes of lime juice and hot sauce.
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22. Pepperoni Roll Breakfast Strata
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, Insta-worthy
It’s essentially just pepperoni rolls (read: pepperoni and cheese baked into fluffy bread), eggs and veggies baked together for the perfect pizza-like meal.
23. Vegetarian Breakfast Tacos
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: Gluten free, nut free, vegetarian
Have some guests who aren’t meat eaters? No problem. Made with gluten-free tortillas and topped with black beans, cherry tomatoes and poached eggs, these will be a crowd favorite (even among the carnivores).
24. Berry And Cream Cheese Croissant French Toast Bake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: Nut free, vegetarian, Insta-worthy
This make-ahead dish features soft, buttery, flaky croissants and fresh fruit. We totally won’t judge if you add extra cream cheese too—we actually encourage it.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
25. Mini Citrus Monkey Bread
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian, Insta-worthy
The only thing better than one pull-apart bread? Single-serve pull apart breads that don't require sharing. Grab some pizza dough at the grocery store and you’ve already done half the work.
Get the recipe
26. Mango And Granola Protein Popsicles
- Time Commitment: 6 hours and 10 minutes (includes freezing time)
- Why I Love It: Easy, dairy free, vegan, Insta-worthy
Think of them as smoothies in ice pop form. You’ll score chunks of frozen mango and bits of granola in every bite. Better yet, the pops only call for four ingredients.
27. Chicken-ranch Breakfast Hash
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, nut free
Both Whole30 and Paleo, this one-pan beauty is packed with protein, potatoes (to keep you full longer) and spinach, because greens never hurt.
28. Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: Vegetarian, Insta-worthy
There’s nothing we love more than everything bagel seasoning. Combine that with cheddar cheese and basic store-bought pesto and you’ve got the dough filling of your dreams.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
29. Eggs Baked In Tomatoes
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, nut free, vegetarian, keto
Starring two foods that you probably have in your kitchen at this very moment. It's time to (finally) put them to good use with this creative, savory recipe.
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National Honey Board
30. Mini Cauliflower-crust Breakfast Pizzas With Spicy Garlic Honey
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: Gluten free, nut free, vegetarian, Insta-worthy
In case you didn't know, pizza for breakfast is definitely a thing. With sunny-side-up eggs and homemade spicy garlic honey, these pizzas are officially brunch- or breakfast-ready.
Get the recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
31. Maple Candied Bacon
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, gluten free, nut free
We can almost guarantee that no one will think to bring bacon to a potluck. You're sure to surprise with this sweet recipe that’s way easier to make than you might think, promise.
Get the recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
32. Sunday Morning French Toast
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: Easy, nut free, vegetarian
Cut the loaf of Italian bread hasselback-style (meaning not all the way to the bottom), so the slices stay attached and the cinnamon-laced custard doesn't pool at the bottom of the dish.
Get the recipe
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Alexandra Hough
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Taryn Pire
Food Editor
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...
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