12 Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas for a Crowd

Feeding a crowd on Thanksgiving? Tide everyone over until dinner with these Thanksgiving breakfast ideas! They include make-ahead egg casseroles, cozy fall brunch recipes, and more.

thanksgiving

These Thanksgiving breakfast ideas are perfect for feeding a crowd on Thanksgiving morning! You’ll find sweet dishes that celebrate cozy fall flavors like pumpkin pancakes and cranberry orange muffins. But there are plenty of savory brunch ideas here as well, including a make-ahead breakfast casserole and my go-to frittata. If you have a house full of guests, they’ll love starting the day with one of these recipes. Thanksgiving side dishes can steal the spotlight on the holiday, but I think a good Thanksgiving breakfast is worth planning too. It fuels everyone up for a day of cooking (or watching football…)…

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Cranberry Orange Muffins

These cranberry orange muffins are soft, moist, and flavorful, filled with tart, juicy cranberries and bright orange juice and zest. Add a quick orange glaze for an extra pop of citrus flavor!

holiday: / baking

These cranberry orange muffins are moist and tender, with juicy, ruby red cranberries in every bite. Fresh orange juice and zest fill the batter with citrus flavor, and an optional orange glaze gives them a zesty pop. I love these muffins for breakfast on any fall or winter morning, but they’re especially perfect for the holidays. They’d be a delicious way to kick off Thanksgiving or Christmas! I adapted this cranberry orange muffins recipe from my favorite cranberry orange bread. Just like that recipe, these are easy to make with basic ingredients and equipment (you can mix up the batter in…

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Au Gratin Potatoes

This au gratin potatoes recipe belongs on your holiday table! A delicious, decadent side dish, it features thinly sliced potatoes, onion, and cheese baked in a rich, garlicky cream sauce.

holiday: / side dishes

This first time I made this au gratin potatoes recipe, Jack and I polished off half the pan ourselves. The thinly sliced potatoes are baked in a rich, garlicky cream sauce with onion and plenty of cheese (cheddar, Gruyère, AND Parmesan for a tangy, nutty punch). I developed the recipe with the holidays in mind. These creamy au gratin potatoes would be an absolutely perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They taste decadent and flavorful, yet they’re simple to put together (and you can even make them ahead). If you’re looking for a show-stopping recipe for your table this…

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Hot Honey

This hot honey recipe is easy to make with 3 simple ingredients! Sweet, spicy, and a little tangy, it's perfect for whisking into sauces and drizzling over pizza, roasted veggies, and more.

dressings & sauces

This hot honey recipe has earned a permanent spot in my pantry. Quick and easy to make with 3 ingredients, it’s sweet and spicy, with a subtle tangy flavor. I love whisking it into salad dressings to give them a little kick, drizzling it over pizzas, and slathering it on baked goods like cornbread and biscuits. In case you’re not familiar, hot honey is honey infused with fresh or dried chile peppers, often with some vinegar mixed in too. I started cooking with it about 10 years ago, when the brand Mike’s Hot Honey turned me (and a lot of other…

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Apple Cider Margarita

This apple cider margarita recipe is a fun, festive fall cocktail! Easy to make with 4 ingredients, it's bright, refreshing, and full of sweet apple flavor.

fall / cocktail

This apple cider margarita recipe is a fun fall twist on the classic cocktail! It comes together with just four ingredients: apple cider, tequila, orange liqueur, and fresh lime juice. I love the sweet, bright flavor of the cider alongside the tangy lime and citrusy liqueur. Garnishes like star anise, cinnamon sticks, and a cinnamon sugar rim round out the cozy autumn flavors. Where I live in Austin, Texas, a classic margarita never feels out of season. But once October arrived this year, I started craving a festive fall drink. It’s still too hot here to make a hot toddy or…

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Pastina Soup

This pastina soup recipe is filled with tiny pasta and tender vegetables that get blended into the flavorful broth. Inspired by Italian penicillin soup, it's soothing, nourishing, and delicious.

soups / dinner

This pastina soup recipe is the best kind of comfort food. Filled with tiny pasta (pastina, in Italian) and tender vegetables, it’s cozy and flavorful, but nourishing too. Some of the vegetables stay whole for texture, while the rest get blended into the broth, thickening it slightly and giving it a stunning golden color. On a chilly fall or winter day, it’s a delicious way to warm up. Pastina soup is sometimes called Italian penicillin. You can think of it like chicken noodle soup’s Italian cousin, a perfect soothing meal for days when you’re under the weather. Most versions call for chicken…

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Butternut Squash Gnocchi

This butternut squash gnocchi recipe is a delicious fall dinner, filled with sage, thyme, an apple cider vinegar dressing, and creamy dollops of ricotta. It's easy to make on a sheet pan!

fall / weeknight

I make this butternut squash gnocchi recipe every single fall. It’s like autumn on a baking sheet, thanks to the hearty potato gnocchi, butternut squash, earthy sage, red onion, and kale leaves that crisp up beautifully in the oven. I toss it all in a sweet and tangy apple cider vinegar dressing and finish it with creamy dollops of ricotta cheese before serving. Easy to make and packed with the best flavors of the season, it’s everything I want on a fall weeknight. I hope you love this butternut squash gnocchi too! How to Make Butternut Squash Gnocchi When I was…

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French Onion Pasta

This French onion pasta recipe is easy to make in one pot with simple ingredients. It's like French onion soup in pasta form—rich, comforting, and packed with umami flavor!

pasta / weeknight

This French onion pasta recipe is a perfect cozy dinner for a chilly night. Inspired by French onion soup, it stars rich, savory caramelized onions, tangy white wine, and plenty of Gruyère cheese. The cheese melts into the broth-based sauce, creating a lightly creamy, deeply flavorful coating for the pasta. Easy to make in one pot with simple ingredients, this French onion pasta is on repeat in my kitchen every fall. I hope you love it as much as I do! French Onion Pasta Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this French onion pasta recipe: Pasta, of course! Mezzi rigatoni…

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Pumpkin Overnight Oats

These pumpkin overnight oats are my favorite fall breakfast! They're creamy, warmly spiced, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Mix up a jar in just 5 minutes!

fall / breakfast

I make this pumpkin overnight oats recipe on repeat for breakfast every fall. The oats are creamy, warmly spiced, and lightly sweet, thanks to a teaspoon of maple syrup. They’re practically pumpkin pie in a jar. The ingredients in this recipe are simple—just oats, pumpkin puree, chia seeds, maple syrup, almond milk, and a few cozy spices. I love that I can mix them up in just 5 minutes and then let the fridge do the rest of the work overnight. In the morning, I top them off with coconut whipped cream and toasted pecans for the ultimate fall breakfast…

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Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Cottage cheese pancakes? You betcha! They're thick, fluffy, and packed with 7 grams of protein each. They have a delicious sweet vanilla flavor—you can't taste the cottage cheese!

breakfast / easy

This cottage cheese pancakes recipe is a delicious high-protein breakfast. Thanks to the cottage cheese and eggs, each pancake packs in 7 grams of protein! Better yet, the pancakes don’t actually taste like cottage cheese. Instead, they’re perfectly fluffy, moist, and filled with a lightly sweet vanilla flavor. Pass the maple syrup, please! I’ve been hesitant to use cottage cheese in sweet recipes ever since I tried cottage cheese cookie dough a few years ago (it was…not for me). But recently, I realized I’ve been adding cheese to pancakes for years in my lemon ricotta pancakes recipe. If I blended the…

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Turkish Eggs

In this Turkish eggs recipe, poached eggs are served over garlicky yogurt with a spiced Aleppo pepper sauce on top. It's a delicious savory breakfast!

breakfast / easy

I’ve made this Turkish eggs recipe more times than I can count in the last few months. It’s become a breakfast staple in our house, on repeat on busy weekdays and lazy weekends alike. It starts with a base of garlicky yogurt that I top with poached eggs and a richly spiced Aleppo pepper oil (butter works too). I round it out with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and pita bread for scooping everything up. Ready in 20 minutes, it’s such a quick yet satisfying breakfast. The eggs and yogurt pack it with protein (we’re talking 22 grams per serving!),…

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Jeanine Donofrio in her kitchen

I'm Jeanine, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and founder of Love & Lemons, a trusted recipe resource for millions of home cooks. I create fresh, easy, and delicious vegetarian recipes that celebrate seasonal ingredients and flavors.

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