Vegetarian Christmas Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast casseroles can streamline a morning routine like none other. Since most can be prepared in advance, day-of prep time is minimal, and the end result is a hearty, nutrient-rich dish everyone will adore. Grated sweet potatoes create a sturdy base that mimics traditional hash browns. Bell peppers, spinach, and a dash of cayenne pepper level out the sweetness of the potatoes and add wonderful flavor. The addition of cottage cheese amps up the fluffiness of the eggs, while a blanket of gooey, melted mozzarella locks in moisture. We like to think of it as a stuffed omelet with a side of hash browns, all baked into one delicious package.

The simple, scalloped shell made from thinly sliced rounds of sweet potatoes makes this version of a popular brunch (or supper) dish gluten-free. Choose potatoes with comparable diameters to create uniform slices for the easy-to-make crust. A mandoline makes slicing quick and precise, but a sharp chef's knife will work too. You can also slice the potatoes in the food processor using the slicing blade.

Moist yet crusty bread and nutty Gruyère cheese set this French toast recipe apart from more traditional varieties. A vegetable peeler works great for getting thin slices out of the cheese. For the apples, Rome or Fuji varieties would also work.

Warm berries are poured over steel cut oats to create a sweet treat in a healthy breakfast bowl with 41g of whole grains per serving. Make sure to use organic butter and honey.

We're not entirely certain about the history of this classic recipe's name, but perhaps it has something to do with the spicy kick of the sauce. Our version is a shakshuka-like dish in which fiery harissa paste and heady spices slowly infused a rich tomato sauce where eggs gently poach. Look for jars of harissa with the Middle Eastern foods in your supermarket; you can substitute a half to full teaspoon of crushed red pepper in a pinch. The cook time for the eggs depends on the specific heat of your slow cooker. We offer a range of 15 to 20 minutes, so start checking at 15 minutes (or a couple minutes earlier) to ensure the eggs get done to your liking. Serve with warm whole-wheat pita.

This prep-ahead casserole, which turns extra dinner rolls and cranberry sauce into a brunch or dessert treat, is especially welcome if you are entertaining houseguests for the long holiday weekend. While we enjoyed the tartness of the Granny Smith apples, any baking apple will do. Serve with apple wedges.

Sunday-morning-in-your-jammies breakfast. Allowing the batter to sit before cooking gives the leaveners a chance to work, creating light, fluffy pancakes.

This breakfast bowl brings about a level of decadence from the goat cheese and almond butter topping. With plenty of protein and whole grains, this balanced and lightly sweetened bowl is a perfect way to start the day.

Stuffed with our favorite cinnamon-apple filling, these slices of French bread encase an autumn-inspired breakfast that will put your morning bowl of oatmeal to shame. The butter and brown sugar cook with the apples to create a delicious syrup for drizzling over the French toast. Sub French bread for ciabatta, challah, or whatever loaf of bread you have on hand. Get the family together for a lazy weekend brunch, and start the day off sweet and satisfied.

We swap sugary pancake syrup for a poached egg and use chickpea flour in place of refined for an extra punch of protein. Enjoy for a quick breakfast or dinner.

Our whole-grain biscuits are lightened with nonfat buttermilk and ready in 20 minutes. When the warm butter meets the cold buttermilk, it will begin to form clumps—little droplets of fat throughout the liquid—a sign of success. The pockets ensure even distribution of fat throughout the batter, creating a lighter biscuit with less butter.

OURS 133 calories, 2.6g sat fat
CLASSIC 279 calories, 8g sat fat
SAVES 146 calories, 5.4g sat fat

For hard-to-please kids, try serving breakfast for dinner. Pair this dish with a mixed fruit cup to round out the meal.

If pizza or pasta is your go-to solution for meatless meals, switch it up and try a vegetable hash instead. Here, a beautiful poached egg tops a bowl of hearty, fibrous vegetables to create a balanced vegetarian meal in a flash.

This recipe isn’t just for breakfast, as carolfitz discovered. “We make these for Sunday breakfast, and we also have served is as dessert, topped with vanilla yogurt and drizzled with warm sugar-free caramel sauce. Always sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts on the batter.”

When punching out dough rounds, avoid twisting the biscuit cutter, which will seal the edges and interfere with rising.

When they taste this recipe, no one will think twice about having waffles beyond breakfast again. You'll want these for dinner, lunch, and a late-night snack. The batter is simple—oats, cooked sweet potato, and almond milk. Orange zest brightens the homemade sweet potato waffles, and cumin adds the perfect savory note that is versatile enough for different toppings. Each waffle is under 80 calories, so we suggest topping the sweet potato waffles with a runny egg, sliced avocado, and crushed red pepper flakes.

The buttermilk and orange add a tangy citrusy flavor to these lightly sweetened biscuits. Serve them warm for breakfast.

Shakshuka is an Israeli dish that is becoming increasingly popular across America. Serve spoonfuls of the spicy tomato-and-pepper sauce over rice.

Here, we've remade the typical syrup-doused waffle breakfast into a lower-sugar, fruit-forward, gluten-free, whole-grain plate with 273 fewer calories. In place of refined all-purpose flour, we use gluten-free buckwheat flour, which adds 2.4g filling fiber per serving; strawberries add another 2.4g. Barely sweetened berries and yogurt replace maple syrup, slashing 18g added sugar per serving.

Sunny-side up eggs, fresh sprouts, and salsa amp up avocado toast for a fast, no-fuss meal. It's a sure winner at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

A layer of sweet, baked apples and crunchy pecan topping helps this breakfast bread pudding shine. Last-minute prep couldn't be simpler: Just add a dusting of sugar and nuts.

Substitute apricots or raisins for chopped pitted dates in this recipe if you like. The dried fruits, nuts, oatmeal, wheat bran, and whole wheat flour contribute plenty of fiber to each muffin. Complete your breakfast with fat-free yogurt and fruit.

Ginger, cinnamon, and allspice make a welcomed appearance in these golden cakes, and whole-grain corn flour gives them a cakier texture and added fiber. Serve with warmed apples and fresh cream for a comforting morning meal.

When you have a house full of guests who'd enjoy a wholesome, hearty breakfast at their own pace, the slow cooker can come to your rescue. Get it going first thing, and let folks serve themselves when they're ready to eat.

The less you knead the dough, the lighter and more tender your biscuits will be. Fat-free buttermilk adds a lovely tang and encourages a moist texture. This method of folding the dough creates irresistible flaky layers. To maximize the number of biscuits you get from the recipe, gather the dough scraps left after cutting, and gently pat or reroll them to a ¾-inch thickness.