15 Make-Ahead Breakfasts for Stress-Free Mornings

Perfect for busy weekday mornings.

By
John Becker
John Becker
John Becker
Editor
John Becker is an editor with over a decade of experience researching and writing about food. He revised and updated the latest edition of The Joy of Cooking.
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Published August 20, 2025
Muffin tin with cooked bacon and egg bites, hand using knife to remove one

Serious Eats / Shri Repp

For those of us who wake up early, having a small repertoire of breakfasts you can make on autopilot is essential. Store-bought granola bars, pastries, or a box of your favorite cereal are handy for early-morning emergencies, but it's nice to sit down to a homemade meal now and then. While most people don't have enough time to flip pancakes on a weekday, many options can be made ahead for a delicious, nourishing breakfast. Below, you'll find our favorite make-ahead breakfasts—including plush cinnamon rolls, tender biscuits, and quiches—that are perfect for days when all you have time for is making coffee.

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  • Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

    Serving of baked casserole square from the side on a plate with a gold fork. Coffee and basket of bigger casserole are in the background.

    Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

    This savory egg casserole with vegetables, cheese, and sausage is simple to prepare and can be made up to 24 hours ahead, which means there's no need to wake up at the crack of dawn to get breakfast on the table.

  • Quick and Easy Drop Biscuits

    20210325_QuickEasyDropBiscuit_LizClayman-23

    Serious Eats / Liz Clayman

    Drop biscuits are perfect for mornings when your head isn’t in the game yet. You don’t need a food processor, and there’s no need to laminate the dough to create flaky layers. Just grab a bowl, a fork, and a parchment-lined sheet pan, and spend five minutes on prep. Make a batch ahead of time, and you’ll be enjoying a piping-hot biscuit while checking the weather.

  • Easy Ham and Cheese Scones

    20170303-gruyere-cheese-ham-scones-vicky-wasik-22.jpg

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    These savory scones make a perfect portable breakfast and come together in just 40 minutes. Shredded cheddar or Gruyère is mixed into the dough and melted on top for extra cheesy goodness. A generous 3/4 cup of cream in the dough helps them brown nicely in the oven.

  • One-Bowl, Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

    Cinnamon rolls in pan with a roll served on a plate peeking into frame

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    Sometimes you just need a morning treat, and there’s no reason to wait until the weekend. Prep these cinnamon rolls after dinner, let them proof overnight in the refrigerator, and pop them in the oven when you wake up. They’ll be ready to frost by the time you finish getting ready for the day.

    Continue to 5 of 15 below

  • Overnight Brown-Butter Yeast-Raised Waffles

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    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    If you have 10 minutes in the evening to brown butter and mix up some batter, these waffles come together quickly. Slice some strawberries and whip cream while the waffle iron preheats, and you’re golden.

  • Besan Chilla (Chickpea Flour Pancakes)

    A plate of savory pancakes served with condiments on a table

    Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

    Made from besan, a finely milled chickpea flour, chillas are thin, crepe-like pancakes that take just a few minutes to whip up. Like an omelette or scramble, chillas are protein-rich, versatile, and an excellent vehicle for whatever fresh herbs and vegetables you have on hand.

  • Lemon Poppy–Seed Muffins

    Lemon poppy seed muffins stacked on a wooden surface, with a partially sliced muffin showing the interior

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Tender, tangy, and wonderfully zesty, these muffins are sweet and tart, and make a great grab and go breakfast.

  • Easy Overnight Oats

    Overhead view of overnight oats

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    These spectacularly creamy overnight oats take all of five minutes to prep, and are lightly sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla.

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  • 5-Minute Microwave Granola

    Overhead view a of spoon lifting up granola and yogurt

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    This ingenious small-batch granola recipe from senior culinary editor, Leah Colins, is the most convenient alternative to store-bought we’ve ever seen. In the microwave, the oats become toasty and crunchy in under five minutes. Just add melted butter, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and your choice of nuts and dried fruit.

  • Easy Banana Bread

    Overhead view of banana bread slice

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    This bread is mostly banana: Four bananas are halved and browned in butter, and two more are mashed and added to the batter. The result is a deeply flavored banana bread that strikes a balance between rich and fruity, with hints of browned butter and caramelized sugar.

  • Make-Ahead Baked Bacon and Cheese Egg Bites

    Muffin tin with cooked bacon and egg bites, hand using knife to remove one

    Serious Eats / Shri Repp

    These flavor-packed egg bites can fuel you through the week and beyond. Plus: They keep for a month in the freezer and take seconds to reheat in the microwave. Want a vegetable-packed version? Consider making our variation with mushrooms, kale, and Swiss cheese.

  • Breakfast Bars

    Granola bars cute into rectangles on parchment paper on top of a cutting board.

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

    It’s hard to beat the grab-and-go convenience of bars. These not-too-sweet ones are made with a delicious mix of toasted oats, seeds, nut butter, dried fruit, and a touch of salt. Plus: You can store a container in the back of your fridge for up to three weeks.

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  • Morning Glory Muffins

    Overhead view of muffins

    Serious Eats / Jen Causey

    Packed with nuts, dried fruit, carrots, apples, and coconut, these hearty morning glory muffins are moist and tender, with spiced notes of cinnamon and ginger.

  • Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole

    Gif of syrup pouring ontop of french toast casserole with berries, on a pink plate, with topping and casserole in the background

    Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

    The beauty of a baked French toast casserole is that you can soak the bread in the custard the night before, and in the morning, all that’s left to do is pop it in the oven.

  • Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche

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    Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer

    Have cheese scraps in your fridge? Turn them into an easy, elegant quiche.

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