41 Make-Ahead Breakfasts for Busy Mornings
These make-ahead breakfast ideas are more effective at getting you out of bed than an alarm clock. Once you’ve emerged from whatever dream you were having (maybe about fluffy cinnamon rolls? Or the perfect waffles?), you’ll rub your eyes and reach for your phone—but then you’ll remember there’s a cheesy frittata in the fridge. There will be no doomscrolling and re-snoozing this morning. Your feet are already on the ground, and you’re ready to enjoy the fruits of yesterday’s labor. From sweet to savory, here are our favorite make-ahead breakfast recipes so you can eat well in the morning—without having to do much more than walk to the kitchen.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro1/41Cornbread Breakfast Casserole
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro3/41Horchata Overnight Oats
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca4/41Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro5/41Matcha-Mango Chia Pudding
This chia pudding can bring a lot to a weekday morning routine. It packs in caffeine from the matcha, a bright tang and dose of vitamin C from the mango, and it’s one of our favorite high-fiber breakfast recipes. (Looking for more ways to use these tiny seeds? Check out our full list of chia seed recipes.)
Photograph by Travis Rainey, food styling by Drew Aichele, prop styling by Christina Allen6/41Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Pull out your biggest dish for this big-hitter recipe. The breakfast casserole can be baked one month before you plan to eat it. To store, cut it into pieces, wrap each one individually, and freeze. When it’s time to eat, unwrap and reheat them on a sheet pan in a 350° oven for about 15 minutes.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley7/41Baked Mushroom-Rice Porridge
If you thought you needed a rice cooker to make congee, think again. This method, which can be executed a day in advance, comes together entirely in a baking dish.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich10/41Power Butter
For extra-busy mornings that still require time for fueling up, keep this on hand and spread it on rice cakes, toast, or a banana. All you do is sizzle pumpkin, sesame, and chia seeds in some coconut oil; then mix them into store-bought almond butter along with some maple syrup, salt, and chile pepper.
Alex Lau11/41Salad for Breakfast
If you want to pack in veggies first thing, this one’s for you. Jammy eggs can be boiled and the vegetables can be pickled four days ahead, and the feta can be marinated one week ahead. When the day comes, you’re just assembling.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova12/41Breakfast Burrito to Go
The layer of fluffy egg inside will change your burrito expectations forever. This make-ahead breakfast idea is perfect for your commute or a road trip. Don’t forget to pack your hot sauce.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Drew Aichele, Prop Styling by Christina Allen13/41Old-Fashioned Blueberry Coffee Cake
This classic—the whole family will love it—works with both fresh and frozen blueberries. If you prefer your coffee cake with chocolate chips, there’s a make-ahead breakfast recipe for that.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susan Ottaviano, prop styling by Sophie Strangio14/41Blistered Asparagus Frittata
