Planning a brunch buffet at home for Easter, Mother’s Day, or a bridal or baby shower? Over 200,000 people have used this guide to create a make-ahead brunch menu that keeps hosting as stress-free as possible!

A brunch menu featuring a quiche, berry casserole, smoked salmon and other breakfast foods on a white background.

Plan The Perfect Brunch Menu

We love a brunch buffet hosted at home. It can be as easy or involved as you want it to be. You can go all out and make a ton of fancy brunch recipes, or just make some bacon, eggs, and a pot of coffee and call it good.

One of my classes in culinary school was literally just a class where we put on a massive breakfast buffet every single morning. Today, we’re sharing some of the tips and tricks I learned that will you help you serve the best brunch buffet at home (which probably won’t be quite as massive).

There’s also a big list of the best brunch menu ideas (all verified easy and buffet-ready) at the bottom of this post.

Bookmark this guide for brunch ideas at home for Easter, Mother’s Day, a baby or bridal shower, or simply any time you’re in the mood to host a brunch!

Why You Will Love These Brunch Buffet Ideas

  • They keep hosting easy and stress-free with lots of make-ahead options.
  • They answer the age-old question: “What can I bring?”
  • Drinks included!
Brunch foods including small bowls of yogurt and berries.

Brunch Foods: Narrowing Your Options

We all know that there are a lot of food options when it comes to brunch buffet ideas, with a wide range of sweet and savory foods.

The best way to host a great buffet and keep your sanity at the same time is by narrowing down your brunch menu ideas. You’re not a culinary school class with 18 students attending to the buffet line, it’s just you!

And since you’re the host, choose which brunch foods you like best. At it’s simplest, your menu could look like this:

  • One savory entree – egg casserole, Veggie Quiche, etc.
  • One sweet entree – a French toast casserole or Malted Waffles made earlier and kept warm in a low oven.
  • Fruit (more on this below).
  • Bread or pastry – store bought is great.
A pan of roasted potatoes and bacon.

Brunch Buffet: Planning And Prepping Ahead

If you want to keep things easy and stress-free, now is just not the time for sunny side up eggs, Benedicts or Lemon Pancakes made to order while your guests are standing around watching you sweat (although you can make the pancakes ahead of time and keep them warm in a low oven).

But, lots of different types of brunch food, especially egg dishes, can be made in advance.

You can assemble and fully cook an egg casserole the day before, keep it in the fridge, and rewarm it right before guests arrive. One of our favorite brunch dishes, quiche, is just fine served warm or at room temperature.

A brunch buffet scene focusing on a smoked salmon platter.

Brunch Menu Items That Require No Cooking

Some of our favorite brunch ideas, like our Smoked Salmon Platter and Yogurt Bar, don’t actually require any cooking, it’s more of an assembly situation.

Even something a simple as english muffins can be served DIY style. Buy some salted butter and three or four fancy store-bought jams and scoop them into pretty bowls with serving spoons. Scatter them around the brunch buffet table and hand people a toasted muffin. They will love it.

A bowl of grapes overflowing onto a platter of mixed berries.

Brunch Party Food Ideas: Easy Fruit

For the classic hotel buffet-style fruit platter, you’d either have to buy a pre-cut fruit platter from a grocery store (which is usually super expensive and the quality is generally not good), or buy a bunch of different kinds of fruit (melons, pineapple, etc.) yourself and cut it all up (which can be time consuming).

Instead, just pick a few fruits that are in season and don’t even need to be cut up. Grapes and berries of all kinds are among the best brunch ideas for fruit.

All you need to do is wash the fruit and set it out in pretty serving dishes. You’re done, and it’s one of the easiest brunch menu items at home!

Brunch buffet ideas, including muffins and croissants.

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Brunch Drink Ideas For A Crowd

You can Google “how to stock a bar cart” another time – right now you only need to choose a few options:

  • champagne and orange juice for mimosas. Everybody has their own idea of the proper ratio for a mimosa anyway, so might as well let them pour it themselves!
  • vodka + bloody mary mix, and maybe some bloody mary skewers if you’re feeling fancy.
  • a pot of coffee (or a Nespresso or Keurig machine and pods), with cream and sugar for those who partake.

“What Can I Bring?”

Don’t be a brunch buffet hero! If a friend offers to bring something, give them one of these easy brunch foods that they can pick up on their way to your house:

  • Bagels and some cream cheese are always a hit.
  • A loaf of great bakery bread, like brioche or sourdough, for making toast. Or even buttermilk biscuits, if you have a place nearby that makes good ones.
  • A box of the good donuts. Every town has a place with the good donuts, right? They’re a perfect addition to your quick and easy brunch menu.
  • How about one of those big cartons of coffee, so you don’t have to make it? I think that Panera, Starbucks and Dunkin’ all sell cartons of coffee or cold brew.

Whatever it is, one thing that somebody brings to your brunch buffet is one less thing you have to make!

A plate of hard boiled eggs and bacon.

How To Strategically Plan Your Brunch Menu

We all know that brunch is the perfect blend of breakfast and lunch, but one common concern plagues almost every brunch host’s mind – striking the right balance between serving enough food and not going overboard and being stuck with leftovers for days.

Here are some tips to help you avoid this conundrum:

  • Consider a smaller gathering, so that you can focus on quality rather than quantity of food. A larger group requires a wider variety of dishes, making it more challenging to not go overboard.
  • Offering a variety of flavors is key. Including both savory and sweet options ensures that everyone finds something they love, and you won’t need as much of each item.
  • Consider the size of your portion dishes. You may not need your biggest casserole dish for breakfast casserole if you’re also serving cinnamon rolls. Consider smaller dishes or even individual servings like breakfast egg muffins to keep portions in check.
A brunch menu featuring a quiche, berry casserole, smoked salmon and other breakfast foods on a white background.

Quick And Easy Brunch Menu Example

Let’s put all of these tips into practice with an easy but impressive menu (pictured in this post) that strikes the perfect balance between variety and make-ahead convenience:

  • Savory Entree – our Easy Ham And Cheese Quiche that can be made ahead and is good warm OR at at room temp.
  • Sweet Entree Croissant Breakfast Casserole is loaded with berries, and HAS to be assembled and refrigerated overnight before baking.
  • Smoked Salmon Platter – this as simple as knowing which ingredients to shop for, and arranging them on a pretty tray.
  • Yogurt – we assembled a scaled-down version of our Yogurt Bar with yogurt, berries, honey, granola, shredded coconut and walnuts and pecans.
  • Meat – choose between Bacon In Oven (pictured here), Turkey Bacon In Oven or Sausage In Oven.
  • Potatoes – our Breakfast Potato Recipe pair great with anything!
  • Hard Boiled Eggs – these are probably not necessary if you’re serving an egg casserole. So maybe we went a bit overboard after telling you not to.
  • Pastry – blueberry muffins & croissants from a local bakery, served with fig and sour cherry jams.
  • Fruit – grapes and assorted berries are one of our favorite brunch food ideas.
  • DrinksMimosas and tea.

The Best Brunch Food Ideas

Savory Entree and Egg Ideas For a Brunch Menu

1
A slice of vegetarian quiche being lifted out of a full quiche in a metal pie plate.

Vegetarian Quiche (Easy Quiche with Vegetables)

This Easy Vegetarian Quiche Recipe is a simple and customizable addition to your brunch table. Veggies and cheese are folded into a silky egg custard and baked in a flaky pastry shell. Make ahead and reheat!
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2

Recipe For Ham And Cheese Quiche

This Ham And Cheese Quiche Recipe is a fancy brunch dish with a pretty short list of ingredients. Keeps in the fridge for almost a week!
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3
A white rectangular baking dish filled with breakfast casserole with sausage, with a few pieces removed or in the process of being removed.

Egg and Sausage Breakfast Casserole Recipe

This Breakfast Sausage Casserole has a sturdy foundation of tater tots, with eggy, cheesy goodness studded with breakfast sausage layered on top (and a few vegetables for color, of course). This recipe uses up whole packages of ingredients so you're not stuck with leftover odds and ends languishing in the fridge.
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4
Sweet potato breakfast casserole made with eggs, sausage, spinach and goat cheese, in rectangular white baking dish, with a serving spatula lifting a piece out.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

This Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole is a great meal prep recipe. Make it with whatever meat, cheese and veggies you have on hand. Easy to reheat for breakfast and lunch throughout the week!
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5
Egg casserole on small white plate. Crumbled cornbread next to plate.

Cornbread Breakfast Casserole

Not sure what to do with leftover cornbread? This Cornbread Breakfast Casserole recipe is a hearty egg bake with sausage and black beans.
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6
A white plate topped with breakfast muffins made with eggs, bacon, veggies, cheese and herbs.

Breakfast Egg Muffins

These savory Breakfast Muffins can be made with the vegetables, cheese and meat you like best. Serve these little egg muffin cups on a brunch buffet, or freeze to reheat for a convenient weekday breakfast.
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7
Rustic plate with a croissant filled with pickled egg salad.

Pickled Egg Salad

Egg Salad with Pickles is a versatile, irresistible recipe, great for meal prepped lunches throughout the week or as part of a brunch buffet. Serve on croissants, bread, or just with a fork!
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8
A stack of the best breakfast burritos in front of a light tile background.

Best Breakfast Burrito Recipe (Great for Freezing)

This Best Breakfast Burritos recipe is customizable and can be refrigerated or frozen for future busy mornings. Reheat these savory egg, meat and cheese wraps in the microwave, air fryer or oven!
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9
Shrimp deviled eggs garnish with chives and dill on a light gray plate.

Shrimp Deviled Eggs

Shrimp Deviled Eggs are a decadent but easy twist on a classic. With just mayo, mustard, Old Bay seasoning and shrimp, hard boiled eggs are transformed into a finger food perfect for brunch, Easter or Mother's Day.
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Meat Ideas For A Brunch Buffet

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Crispy bacon lined up on a parchment paper lined baking pan.

Bacon in the Oven

Wondering how to cook bacon in the oven? Follow this easy culinary school method to start cooking bacon that is perfectly crisp every time, without any splatters of grease on your stovetop!
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11
A photo demonstrating cooking sausage in the oven.

Sausage In The Oven

Follow our straight-from-culinary school method for Cooking Sausage in the Oven, and it'll turn out perfectly browned every single time, without any splatters of grease on your stovetop!
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12
Oven baked turkey bacon slices sitting on top of a rimmed baking pan.

How to Cook Turkey Bacon in the Oven

Making turkey bacon in the oven is the easiest, best way to cook it! Get crispy turkey bacon with no more splatters on your stovetop.
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13
Five slices of turkey bacon in an air fryer basket.

Air Fryer Turkey Bacon

Less oil, grease and mess, and great for small batches. This tutorial will walk you through how to cook turkey bacon in an air fryer so that it turns out perfectly every single time.
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Brunch Food Ideas – Sweet Entrees

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A white baking dish filled with croissant breakfast casserole with berries.

Sweet Breakfast Casserole

Croissant Breakfast Casserole is a special occasion breakfast that feels like a true indulgence, thanks to a lightly sweetened custard with vanilla and orange zest, and ALL THE BERRIES we could possibly pack into it.
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15
A stack of three apple pancakes topped with sauteed apples and maple syrup on a textured white plate.

Pancakes with Apples

Apple Pancakes are tender and fluffy, spiced with cinnamon and ginger, and studded with grated apple. Big slices of juicy sautéed apple is the irresistible finishing touch.
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16
A stack of chocolate chip pancakes with a pat of butter on top and syrup being poured over them.

Best Chocolate Chip Pancakes Recipe

The best Chocolate Chip Pancakes bring a fancy restaurant brunch to your home kitchen with ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and big chunks of rich chocolate.
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17
A tall stack of lemon pancakes on a gray plate, garnished with berries and whipped cream, being drizzled with maple syrup.

Lemon Zest Pancakes

These Lemon Pancakes are thin and delicate yet bursting with fresh lemon flavor. If you have 1 lemon + basic pantry ingredients, you’re ready to make them!
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18
Stack of golden brown, square Belgian waffles.

Malted Waffles

For a fun, decadent breakfast (or breakfast for dinner), try these Malted Waffles and Ice Cream. Golden brown malted Belgian waffles are topped with rich ice cream and hot fudge.
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19

Vanilla Overnight Oats

Get rid of breakfast stress by making a batch of Vanilla Overnight Oats with Yogurt for grab-and-go ease all week. Add a bit of espresso powder for a kick of caffeine!
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Brunch Buffet Ideas – Drinks

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Two glasses of the best mimosa recipe, garnished with orange peel curls.

Mimosa Drink

Everybody knows How to Make Mimosas, but a few simple steps like fresh squeezed orange juice, glasses rinsed with Grand Marnier, and easy orange peel curls make this round truly special and celebratory.
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21
Quart sized mason jar half filled with brown syrup, with spoon in it. Chemex coffee maker is in background, caramel candies and coffee beans are in foreground.

Caramel Syrup for Coffee

Everybody loves a fancy iced coffee with a green straw, but who wants to spend $5 for a drink each time? This easy Caramel Syrup for Coffee will have you making delicious coffee house style drinks at home in no time!
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22
Three tall glasses filled with red juice, garnished with Bloody Mary skewers made with shrimp, bacon, cheese, pickles, artichokes and olives.

Bloody Mary Skewers

Use easy-to-find grocery store ingredients to make Bloody Mary Skewers worthy of a trendy brunch restaurant. You'll want to take a picture of this beautifully garnished cocktail!
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Brunch Party Food Ideas – DIY-Style Assembly Bars and Boards

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A smoked salmon platter on a white surface.

Smoked Salmon Platter

Wondering how to serve smoked salmon? It's as simple as knowing which ingredients to shop for, and arranging them on a pretty tray. Assemble this elegant Smoked Salmon Platter in just 20 minutes for your next brunch or cocktail party.
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24
A breakfast charcuterie board on a patterned background.

Breakfast Charcuterie Board (European Breakfast Cheese)

Enjoy a European breakfast platter for a change with this Breakfast Charcuterie Board. A perfect combination of sweet and savory, there’s something for everybody on this breakfast board.
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25

Best Yogurt Toppings for a Parfait Bar

A build-your-own yogurt bar is a fun addition to a brunch gathering. Customize yogurt toppings to suit different tastes, preferences and dietary restrictio
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Make-Ahead Muffins

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Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

These Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins are bakery-style muffins filled with juicy berries, lemon zest and vanilla, and topped with crunchy sugar!
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27
Five blackberry muffins in purple paper liners on a bed of blackberries.

Blackberry Muffins

Blackberry Muffins are an easy and scrumptious treat that can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. These bakery-quality muffins are filled with jammy berries and orange zest and topped with sparkling sugar!
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