Save money and enjoy a lovely morning with friends when you host a brunch instead of going out. These easy brunch ideas and recipes will set you for success on a budget.
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Brunch is such a great meal to serve to company. It sounds fancy, but it’s really like breakfast that you don’t have to wake up really early to serve. Ha!
We’ve hosted brunch many times over the years, usually during a wedding weekend, but these easy brunch ideas are perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, or any lazy weekend with friends and family over.
It’s so much cheaper than going out for brunch and can be just as tasty. When you serve brunch at home, you can meal plan for different diets without the hassle.
These easy brunch ideas and budget recipes will help.
Why Serve Brunch?
It’s delicious. Who can say no to a breakfast-lunch mashup? You can serve both sweet and savory dishes that are suitable for breakfast as well as lunch. Homemade Cinnamon Rolls AND a charcuterie board? Sign me up!
It’s easy. So many of these easy brunch ideas are make-ahead, making your prep work super simple. There’s no end to the easy brunch recipes to choose from: breakfast casseroles, fruit salad, Dutch Baby pancakes, and more!
It’s convenient. No one wants to fuss with cooking early in the morning, but brunch can be served mid-morning, giving you time to wake up and putter in the kitchen without a rush. It also doesn’t conflict with baby’s naps or kids’ bedtimes. These easy brunch ideas will get you going in the right direction.
It feels a little bit fancy but on a budget. Brunch is an easy meal to level up without spending a lot of money so it’s easy to meal plan on a budget.
Ways to Save on Brunch
When you serve brunch at home to friends and family, you want the abundance of a restaurant buffet without the expense. Consider these easy brunch ideas to save money and serve brunch on a budget.
As always, use the Good Cheap Eats System to save you money. Here’s how to PLAN, SHOP, COOK for brunch:
Plan to use budget ingredients. Build your menu around the foods on our budget grocery list. You’ll keep costs down and have a little extra for a prioritized splurge.
Sweet Cream Cheese is really easy to make with few ingredients. My Eggless Pancakes are amazingly delicious!
Plan for leftovers. Make sure you know what you’ll do with leftovers from your brunch. Keep an eye on the clock and get perishables refrigerated before the 2-hour mark. That way, you can enjoy the leftovers later!
Shop your kitchen. Before you choose which brunch recipes to add to your menu, take a peak into the pantry and freezer.
What do you have on hand already? This will help you save money, not having to buy everything. Got lots of flour? Then choose a pancake or French toast recipe; there are so many baked goods you can make with flour. Lots of English muffins in the freezer? Make an eggs benedict casserole.
Shop the right store. Chances are good that you’ll save money on brunch ideas and ingredients when you shop at Costco or ALDI. They tend to offer very competitive pricing, but be sure to check the different stores in your area to find the right grocery store for you.
Shop the sales. Shopping the grocery store sales is a great way to save money. Watch for seasonal items as well as regular grocery staples.
A sale on sour cream is a great clue to make a sour cream coffee cake recipe. Find everything bagel seasoning and scallion cream cheese on clearance? Let it inspire a bagel buffet with fun bagel toppings!
Cook what you love. When you cook meals that you know people love, everyone enjoys it and you stop wasting food. You don’t have to pretend to like the cheapest things on the menu. Instead, make the things you like cheaper to make.
Cook extra to freeze. An easy brunch is one you can make in advance. So consider some freezer meal prep a week or two before your event. That way you can save time for other party prep.
Alternatively, you can make a double batch of things you prep for brunch and then plan to freeze the extra right away. Then next weekend, you can enjoy some easy brunch goodies without any work.
Tips for Success
Keep it simple. You don’t need to plan a dozen different dishes. Focus on a protein, a few carbs, and some fresh fruit and vegetables. Coffee and tea as well as some juice or hot chocolate will be more than enough.
Prep as much as you can in advance. Anytime you can prep your food before guests arrive, the better it will be for everyone. No one will get hangry, and you’ll keep your cool.
Set up warming stations. Whether it’s a slow cooker or two to keep things warm or a sheet pan or two to slide into the oven at a moment’s notice, plan for ways to keep warm things warm.
Keep cool things cold. Depending on the season and location of your brunch party, there may be things that need to be kept cold, for food safety reasons. Consider tubs or small baby pools of ice as a way to chill cold foods.
Add seasonal touches. Customize your brunch to suit the seasons, including sweet treats that match, such as Easter Oreos or Rainbow Cinnamon Rolls in spring, Cinnamon Roll Turkeys at Thanksgiving, and Christmas Scones at Christmas.
Want it even simpler? Be sure to check out our Budget Brunch Party Menu, where we’ve done all the planning for you!
Easy Brunch Ideas
Whether you’re serving an array of Quiche Florentine, Bostock, and Yogurt Berry Parfaits or going simple with a buffet of bagels and flavored cream cheese, you’re bound to find some killer brunch ideas that taste delicious and are easy on the wallet. You can finally stop eating out.
We’ve provided dozens of easy brunch ideas and recipes that are both savory and sweet. Choose a few from each category and you’re set for success.
Savory Brunch Recipes
Brunch is made to be hearty, to serve for both breakfast and lunch, so plan some good savory proteins.
Sweet Brunch Ideas
The sky’s the limit on sweet and easy brunch ideas. Remember it can be as simple as a bowl of chopped fruit! Choose 2 to 3 and make it ahead of time if you can.
Brunch Beverages
Setting up a beverage bar makes for an easy brunch. Have 1 to 2 hot and cold options each so that everyone can choose what he likes.
Tell us what you think!
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This post was originally published December 15, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Marisa
Hi these look great! What recipe is pictured in the very first picture? Looks like some sort of egg dish made in mini cupcake tins? Thanks & Merry Christmas!
Sally
It’s explained under the Sausage Vegetable Frittata.