35 Easy, Overnight Breakfasts for the Holidays {Eat Well, Spend Less}

This month’s Eat Well, Spend Less theme is food for the holidays!

While overnight dishes are my favorite ones to serve on Christmas because they allow me to focus on my family while still serving a delicious meal, they’re not just for Christmas morning! Overnight breakfasts are perfect for the entire holiday season, with its extra hustle and bustle, especially travel days and those days with holiday functions (whether you’re attending or hosting).

Some of these breakfast dishes are assembled the night before and baked in the morning. Some are baked ahead of time. And many can be frozen and then thawed and baked when you’re ready for them!

Egg Dishes

Making eggs, bacon and toast for our whole clan can be time prohibitive on early mornings, so I am a fan of egg breakfasts that can be made ahead of time. The first casserole below is a family favorite, but I also love filling the freezer with egg sandwiches and burritos that we can pull out, reheat and enjoy as needed!

• Sausage- or Bacon-and-Egg Casserole
• Egg Muffins
• Make-Ahead Egg McMuffins
• Breakfast Burritos
• Crock Pot Egg Casserole
• Baked Egg Cups

Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is almost like having breakfast cake or granola bars for breakfast! Prepare the oatmeal the night before and then transfer from the fridge to oven in the morning for a quick and easy breakfast.

• Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal
• Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
• Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal
• Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats in a Slow Cooker

Our family really likes the texture of steel cut oats, and these easy slow cooker recipes cook all night so that you wake up to a delicious aroma and a warm breakfast!

• Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
• Cherry Almond Steel Cut Oats
• Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oats
• Banana & Coconut Milk Steel Cut Oats

Refrigerator Oatmeal

I recently discovered refrigerator oatmeal, also known as muesli, through Monica at The Yummy Life and let me tell you: this truly does deserve a category of its own. With a combination of yogurt, oats and various flavorings, muesli makes a filling and delicious breakfast or snack!

• Muesli or Refrigerator Oatmeal (part 1) and (part 2)
• Vegan Overnight Oat Parfaits
• Vegan Overnight Quinoa Cereal

My favorite version is a slight variation on Monica’s peanut butter banana refrigerator oatmeal, made in a larger batch for all of us to share:

Peanut Butter-Banana Muesli

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1-1/2 cup plain yogurt-
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1-1/2 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
• 3 small bananas

Directions:

In a large jar or bowl, combine milk, yogurt, peanut butter and honey. Stir vigorously until well combined. Add oats and mix well. Dice bananas and mix into yogurt mixture. Refrigerate overnight and serve cold.

Note: The muesli will last for at least two days with fresh fruit mixed in, but if you wait and add the bananas when you’re serving it, it should last a couple days longer.

More Oats

Here are a few more make-ahead breakfasts from versatile oats!

• Instant Oatmeal Packets
• Overnight Granola
• Peanut Butter Granola
• Carrot Cherry Breakfast Cookies

Overnight French Toast Casseroles

Baked french toast has a bread pudding-like texture and is the perfect use for bread that’s going stale. Assemble these casseroles the night before and then pop in the oven in the morning for a hot and flavorful breakfast!

• Cranberry-Apple French Toast
• Baked Pull-Apart Pumpkin French Toast
• Cranberry-Almond Stuffed French Toast
• Orange Blossom & Almond French Toast

Baked Goods

Prepare scones, coffee cakes, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods the day before and serve them either cold or warmed up in the morning, or freeze an extra batch to enjoy later.

Hint: For easy, fresh muffins, prepare your favorite muffin batter, scoop it into cupcake liners and freeze uncooked. Move the cups directly from the freezer to the oven and cook for just a little bit longer than usual for hot muffins without the prep work!

• Vegan Cacao Nib and Chocolate Chunk Scones
• Pumpkin Cranberry Scones
• Pumpkin Pie Coffee Cake with Crumbled Pecan Topping
• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Apple Pie Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Apple Bacon Breakfast Cake

Fruit & Yogurt

And finally, here are a few more recipes featuring fresh fruit and tasty yogurt for a healthy, refreshing start to the day:

• Make-Ahead Smoothie Packets
• Refrigerator Smoothies
• Fruity Breakfast Burritos

Eat Well, Spend Less

For more holiday kitchen tips and recipes, be sure to visit the other Eat Well, Spend Less bloggers:

• Aimee from Simple Bites
• Amy from Kingdom First Mom
• Carrie from Denver Bargains
• Jessica from Life as Mom
• Katie from Good Life Eats
• Katie from Kitchen Stewardship
• Shaina from Food for My Family
• Tammy from Tammy’s Recipes

What’s your favorite overnight breakfast dish?