Who says Thanksgiving celebrations need to wait until dinnertime? Not us! Kick off the holiday celebrations with a Thanksgiving brunch menu you can enjoy while you’re still in your PJs! These Thanksgiving brunch recipes will make you forget all about roast turkey and gravy.
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There’s never a bad day for brunch, especially during the holidays! Serve brunch instead of dinner and you can nibble on Thanksgiving leftovers all day. Whether you want more time to play flag football or you’re visiting a different group of friends in the afternoon, brunch frees up the rest of your day for more holiday fun. Can’t quite give up the traditional fare on Thanksgiving day? Consider serving this meal any day of the long weekend! It’s the tastiest way to fuel up and enjoy the flavors of autumn. Thanksgiving breakfast or Thanksgiving lunch—this menu is both!
Thanksgiving Brunch Recipes
Take a break from Thanksgiving dinner and focus your energy on these brunch recipes this year:
- Side Dish: Sweet Potato Hash
- Side Dish: Sprouts and Cherry Toasties
- Side Dish: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Main Dish: Maple Corn Muffin and Sausage Sandwiches
- Main Dish: Turkey-Pepper Brunch Strata
- Dessert: Mini Apple Crisp Bites
- Non-Alcoholic Drink: Harvest Spice Smoothies
- Cocktail: Orange-Spiced Coffee
See photos and learn more about these Thanksgiving brunch recipes below.
You can still serve potatoes at your Thanksgiving brunch, but they take on a different form from traditional mashed potatoes in this sweet potato and black bean hash.
Vegetable Side Dish: Sweet Potato Hash
Yep, you can add potatoes to your list of Thanksgiving brunch ideas. Thanksgiving sweet potatoes don’t all come in candied or marshmallow-topped packages. You’ll be ready to dig into this 25-minute skillet hash before you’ve even finished your first cup of coffee! Featuring beans, corn, avocado, and more, this savory sweet potato hash is a hearty yet healthy way to start your day. Top with fresh cilantro and chili powder for extra Southwest flair.
Time-saving tip: Rather than baking potatoes in the oven before adding them to a hash, microwave for 5 to 8 minutes (depending on size) until tender. Chop into bite-size pieces and continue with the recipe.
Get the recipe: Sweet Potato Hash
Toast: Sprouts and Cherry Toasties
If you have trouble convincing your kids to eat Brussels sprouts, try this dish. Toast, ricotta cheese, cherry jam, and bacon do a good job of taking the spotlight off the green (though we have a sneaking suspicion they’ll like the sautéed sprouts). And what’s almost as good as the taste? The way this done-in-a-flash recipe infuses your whole house with the smell of smoked bacon. Since this recipe is so speedy, you can serve it as a Thanksgiving brunch appetizer if any of your guests show up starving.
No-waste tip: Since this recipe calls for 6 ounces of bacon, and most packages contain 16, here are a few more delicious ideas to use up the remaining slices:
- Crumble up the bacon and toss it into the Sweet Potato Hash
- Dice and sprinkle on a salad of leafy greens, tomatoes, and croutons for a twist on the classic BLT
- Use as an edible stir stick in a bloody mary
- Crumble and sprinkle on top of a baked pizza
Get the recipe: Sprouts and Cherry Toasties
Bread: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
The words “pumpkin” and “cinnamon” were enough to sell us on this recipe, but spread on cream cheese icing, and we’re rushing to plug in our slow cookers already. Yep, that’s right—these yummy rolls can be made in your slow cooker. That means just 30 minutes of prep, and then you can let the set-and-forget appliance do its thing while you enjoy more time with your company (or, you know, more time back in bed)! These holiday cinnamon rolls will be the first to disappear when you host Thanksgiving brunch. And if you’re not hosting brunch, you can still put this recipe to work as an easy breakfast for Thanksgiving morning.
Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Turkey can still make an appearance at Thanksgiving brunch, but instead of an entire roasted bird, use turkey sausage for the patties on these adorable brunch sliders.
Entree: Maple Corn Muffin and Sausage Sandwiches
If you’re the person who likes to dunk sausage in syrup, you’re going to go crazy for these slider sandwiches. A corn muffin goes from good to great with the addition of apple slices, sausage, and a generous drizzle of syrup. Yes, all those great flavors in a muffin sandwich! This sandwich may be transforming breakfast (and Thanksgiving) as we know it, and we’re not complaining. File this recipe away with your other fall brunch ideas, because it’s just as delicious even when it’s not Thanksgiving morning.
Time-saving tip: Start with store-bought corn muffins to make this recipe in about 15 minutes flat. Go ahead, hit the snooze button.
Get the recipe: Maple Corn Muffin and Sausage Sandwiches
Make-Ahead Entrée: Turkey-Pepper Brunch Strata
It’s Thanksgiving. Of course, we didn’t forget about the turkey! This easy make-ahead casserole calls for ground turkey breast and other breakfast favorites like English muffins, eggs, and omelet fixings galore. Stir it together the night before, refrigerate, then bake for 50 minutes and serve. If there’s one thing we love even more than great food for this holiday, it’s make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes!
Tip: Allow the baked casserole to stand for 10 minutes before slicing for the best consistency.
Get the recipe: Turkey-Pepper Brunch Strata
Instead of Thanksgiving apple pie, serve these yummy apple crisp bites if you’re having Thanksgiving brunch instead of dinner. After starting your day with a big meal, this pint-sized dessert recipe will hit the spot.
Dessert: Mini Apple Crisp Bites
Enjoy apple crisp in the cutest way possible with these itty-bitty bites. Don’t let their small size fool you, though. With apples, apple juice, and apple pie spice, each and every bite packs a lot of fruity flavor. After snagging a scoop of our other Thanksgiving brunch ideas, these cute apple crisp treat will slide right into the last bit of extra space on your plate.
If you’re looking for a little extra sweetness (and who isn’t come holiday season?), add whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top!
How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream:
- Chill a mixing bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Fill the chilled mixing bowl with 1/2 cup whipping cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.
- Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Get the recipe: Mini Apple Crisp Bites
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Harvest Spice Smoothies
Have you ever walked outside on a crisp autumn day with the leaves falling around you and wished you could just drink it all up? This smoothie, a combo of pumpkin, winter squash, apricots, honey, and pumpkin pie spice, will make you feel like you’re doing just that. Only you will know there’s a secret protein-packed ingredient hiding inside: tofu! You’ll never actually taste it, but including this smoothie on your Thanksgiving brunch menu is a great way to help vegetarian guests get a full serving of protein (but meat-eaters will also finish every last drop).
Get the recipe: Harvest Spice Smoothies
Cocktail: Orange-Spiced Coffee
If you can’t face Thanksgiving breakfast without your coffee, celebrate the holiday by serving up a cup of coffee with some kick! This spiced coffee drink is spiked with orange liqueur and can be served iced or hot. Whatever temp you serve it, don’t forget the orange slice to give a nod to the citrus flavors hiding inside. Once the meal is over, you can use this Thanksgiving cocktail to toast the end of another successful holiday meal.
Get the recipe: Orange-Spiced Coffee
