7 Christmas Breakfast Ideas With Sweet and Savory Choices

Christmas breakfast can be a pan of eggs and potatoes, a cinnamon-scented bake carried to the table, or a cool glass layered with berries and yogurt. Start with what people want to eat that morning, then choose the recipe.

These seven choices take different routes through the kitchen. The notes below help you pick one; each linked creator recipe supplies its ingredients, method and timing.

Julia Pinney brings diced potatoes, peppers and onion together with softly scrambled eggs. Gouda melts lightly over the top, with parsley adding a fresh finish. The egg curds and vegetables stay distinct in the serving pan.

The recipe includes a brief broiler finish for the Gouda, so make room for that final step. Set the hearty pan in the center of the table when a hot savory breakfast is the main event.

John Kanell's quiche sets ham, Gruyère and green onion in an egg, cream and milk filling. The fluted pie crust gives each wedge its own edge, with small pieces of ham and green onion visible inside the pale custard.

Choose it when individual savory slices suit the Christmas table. The pastry edge holds each portion together on a plate, leaving room for fruit or another breakfast choice alongside.

John Kanell uses cubes of French bread coated in an egg-and-milk custard with vanilla and cinnamon. Brown sugar, cinnamon and butter make a browned top while the bread underneath stays soft.

The cubed bread turns one rectangular baking dish into a shared serving. Put the pan on the table for a warm sweet breakfast, with powdered sugar or maple syrup if you want the source recipe's optional finish.

Michael Wurm Jr. puts molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves into the yeast dough and filling. The baked spirals sit close together, with a spiced brown-butter cream-cheese frosting across their tops.

Choose these when the rolls can be the morning's baking project. Their yeast dough rises before baking, and the close-set spirals make a spiced centerpiece for the table.

Michael Wurm Jr.'s vanilla-and-almond batter bakes in a doughnut pan. His recipe offers white or chocolate glaze, with optional food coloring and sprinkles. A restrained white glaze with red and green sprinkles makes the Christmas connection visible.

The baked rings give each person a small decorated portion. Set out the glazed doughnuts when a plated sweet bite fits better than serving from a large casserole.

Julia Pinney mixes chopped dried cranberries into a dough of flour, cold butter, milk and baking powder. She cuts small rounds and brushes their tops with egg, giving them golden tops and pale, layered sides.

Dried cranberry pieces bring a little dark-red color through the crumb. The small round shape makes these easy to pass at breakfast when you want a fruited bake alongside other dishes.

Michael Wurm Jr. cooks mixed berries briefly with lemon juice and maple syrup, then cools the compote. Yogurt and granola form distinct white and golden layers around the deep berry-red fruit.

Let the compote cool before layering the glasses. The chilled yogurt and fruit bring a spoonable choice to the table beside the hot skillet or baked dishes.