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Overnight Baked Blueberry French Toast: Christmas Day Breakfast You can Make Ahead and Your Christmas Food Traditions

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We’re sharing delicious make-ahead Christmas day breakfast options including French toast, omelets, waffles & strattas, as well as sharing different Christmas food traditions. 

Overnight Baked Blueberry French Toast

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Breakfast on Christmas Morning

I know many of you will be waking up on Christmas Day with children who are much more eager to see what Santa left them than to eat breakfast (and you’ll likely be too busy to cook much that morning)! So I put together a few suggestions for an easy and delicious Christmas Day breakfast.

I know many of you have your own Christmas day breakfast traditions, but for those of you who don’t already have your menus set, I hope these will help make the day more joyful and relaxing for you and your family.

kid peeling apple

Involving Kids in the Cooking: A New Tradition?

One of the best ways to get your growing eaters to try some new foods is to get them involved in choosing and making the meals. These delicious make-ahead breakfast recipes for Christmas morning (or any morning) are a great way to get your kids excited about cooking with you and could even become a lovely new holiday tradition. 

For more ideas and recipes for inspiring your kids to try new foods, check out this fabulous book from Jennifer Tyler Lee, The 52 New Foods Challenge: A Family Cooking Adventure for Each Week of the Year.

Christmas Food Traditions

One of my passions is the power of food to bring us together and one of the best ways for that to happen is through food traditions – many of which are often centered around holidays.

In my own family, the food traditions on Christmas are highly valued. The most beloved on them all is our Christmas breakfast: Eggs Benedict and fresh squeezed orange juice.

I love learning about the diverse and delicious food traditions of you Scramblers, so on Facebook we asked you to share some of your favorite Christmas food traditions and here is what you shared.

Fresh Tomato and Basil Quiche

Some Keep it Simple

Christmas is one morning that I do not do anything. We usually have donuts or cake and milk/juice/coffee. A relaxed, happy morning!
Sarah L.

You posted a recipe a few years ago for an overnight baked blueberry French toast made with challah. It is our Christmas breakfast now many years running!
Colleen R. (Recipe below!)

We do breakfast casseroles the day before that can be popped in the oven Christmas morning and then have a big late lunch.
Emmy G.

I make caramel apple challah day-ahead French toast that I just put in the oven while the kids open the presents. Makes the house smell so good and I can focus on the family instead of breakfast.
Virginie A.

Christmas Eve was always at my parents’ house growing up. They moved into a condo a few years back and I took over the tradition. The tradition includes eating the leftover desserts for breakfast Christmas morning.
Sandy V.

We do what we want, for breakfast this year I am making cheese Danish, with ham on the side, and a fruit, veggie, and cheese tray for all day snacking, making a buffet of cookies and candies, and for dinner steaks on the grill with salad and French fries… Really it is a lot of stuff that can be made in advance, and a day of easy cooking… It’s about family, not stress.
Alexis E.

Chinese food is big for Jewish people on Christmas, along with movies!! That is unless we get invited to a friend that celebrates Christmas which does happen often.
Stacey S.

Cheesy Pepper Jack Spinach and Egg Bake

There Are a lot of Eggs

Christmas day breakfast is big for us: scrambled eggs, sausage, cooked apples, and Moravian sugar cake (I miss NC just thinking about it!). Christmas lunch is low-key: Christmas Eve leftovers (homemade pizza and salad).
Kathryn D.

We have a sailor stationed overseas who comes home after Christmas so our holidays are random. Whenever we decide to celebrate Christmas, we have mini quiches, coffee, and a baked good of some sort after presents.
Bree H.

We do a simple brunch of egg casserole, potato casserole, fruit, and either a batch of cinnamon rolls/muffins/coffee cake or even Christmas cookies.
Kristin H.

We carry on my husband’s traditional family Christmas Eve dinner. Scotch eggs and crudités with garlic aoli for dipping.
Jenny A-M.

Scotch eggs, cinnamon rolls, and tangerines. Decadent!
Kristen M.

Carrot Cake Waffles

Cinnamon Rolls and Waffles Are Also Favorites

Cinnamon buns, coffee, and orange juice after presents are opened 🙂
Cindy L-H.

The tradition when I was growing up was to open our stockings and gift from Santa, then have a big breakfast before opening the rest of our gifts. We do that with our kids now and the breakfast foods change year to year. This year we’ll have waffles, bacon, eggs, and hot cocoa (we always have cocoa).  And we do a big turkey dinner.
Heather L-B.

My mom makes waffles on Christmas morning. Usually ham for Christmas dinner, but Italian relatives often have lasagna. Christmas Eve is often something easily kept warm like soup or chili because of varying schedules and church services.
Lillace B.

We celebrate Christmas with gusto but our big meal is Christmas Eve with the whole family. My little family has a tradition of a morning of homemade cinnamon rolls and bacon, gift unwrapping, and then we go see a movie in the afternoon followed by dinner at our favorite Chinese Food restaurant. I am not sure how or why we started this but all five of us love it!
Cyndi B.

I make a quiche the day before (half ham or turkey/half vegetarian) and cinnamon rolls.
Melinda B.

After we open gifts I make Classic Belgian waffles for breakfast. Christmas night we get together with the rest of my family and everyone brings finger foods to share.
Nicole K-F.

Those Land of Nod Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast (yup, drenched in butter and sugar!). Christmas Eve can be tamales or posole depending on what is going on. Chile is important!
Joann W. 

We have cinnamon rolls and chocolate croissants with coffee and cocoa for early breakfast. Then we open our stockings, which Santa fills with tangerines, nuts, and chocolate coins. Afterwards we have a big brunch with Virginia ham, biscuits, an egg dish, scalloped or hashed potatoes, or fruit.
Yvie R-K.

We usually have ham and scalloped potatoes on Christmas Eve and (oh I hate to admit it but it has become a tradition) – Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls while opening gifts from Santa on Christmas morning.
Kristina F.

Turkey or Beef and Vegetable Stew

Christmas Eve dinner is beef and seafood (shrimp and scallops) fondue.
Karen H-S.

I love my childhood totally 70s Christmas Eve tradition: cheese fondue by the Christmas tree! My mom used to make a fantastic coffee cake (involving yeast and several risings) for Christmas morning, but I’m still tinkering with what we’ll do: something special and festive, but easier. My husband’s family does the huge Italian Christmas Eve dinner, but not of 7 fishes due to allergies. Difficult trying to reconcile all the wonderful traditions, sometimes.
Elizabeth M.

Cheese souffle, fruit salad, and bacon on Christmas morning…tamales and chili on Christmas Eve (yep, we get active to balance out the intake)!
Jewellyn F.

I make Oyster Stew on Christmas morning.
Bobbi W.

Garden Quichelettes

And Then There’s Turkey

Sadler Christmas “lunch” sometime between noon and 3, or whenever the turkey is ready.
Angela Renee B.

Christmas Day Breakfast Recipes

Now, for the recipes! All of these can be made ahead of time in order to make your morning easier.

Garden Quichelettes. Serve with sliced oranges, clementines or strawberries.

Spanish Oven Omelet with Diced Potatoes. Serve with fruit

Light and Fluffy Spinach and Cheese Strata. Serve with hash browns and fruit.

Carrot Cake Waffles. Serve with fresh fruit and hot chocolate submarinos.

Overnight Baked Blueberry French Toast

Baked Blueberry French Toast

Jessica Braider
The beauty of this baked French toast is that you can get it all ready the night before, so you just need to assemble and bake it in the morning.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 9 hours 20 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 233 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 small loaf day-old challah or French bread
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cup milk any variety
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 6 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine
  • 2 cup blueberries frozen or fresh

Instructions
 

  • Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices and lay the slices in the baking dish to cover the bottom.
  • In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla. Stir in the milk and mix well.
  • Pour the mixture over the bread in the baking dish, turning the slices to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with two forks or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Cover and refrigerate.
  • In the morning, heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Turn the bread slices over in the baking dish, scatter the blueberries over the bread, and sprinkle it with the reserved crumb mixture.
  • Bake it for 50 minutes to 1 hour until it is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes and cut it into squares to serve.

Notes

Like this recipe? Check out The Scramble’s family-friendly meal plans to see just how simple getting dinner on the table can be!

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 8gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 171mgFiber: 2gSugar: 14g
Keyword All, Baked Goods, Breakfast, Breakfast/Brunch, Company/Entertaining, Dessert, Fall, Freezer-Friendly, Holidays/Special Events, Kid-Friendly, Kosher, Main Dish, Make-Ahead, Nut-Free, Spring, Summer, Vegetarian, Winter
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Recipe Rating




Tracey

Wednesday 9th of December 2020

I am looking for a breakfast recipe that I can cook and ship so our long distance family can have Christmas breakfast through a Zoom meeting! Any ideas

Jessica Braider

Wednesday 9th of December 2020

Hi Tracey! What a lovely thing for your family to be doing! Some breakfast items that would ship well include: Zucchini Muffins, Bunny's Delight Muffins, Lemon Blueberry or chai-spiced granola, or whole wheat cranberry walnut scones. My family will be making the same recipe in our different houses to eat at the same time, so you could also do something like that with this french toast recipe, if you wanted. Good luck with this lovely project and Happy Holidays!

Tips to maintain your child’s oral health routine at Christmas – Quest Innovations & Research

Thursday 22nd of December 2016

[…] recommended at The Scramble, offer one present before breakfast, a non-edible one, and then eat well. An omelet or whole-wheat […]

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