On most mornings, we’re lucky if we manage to grab a granola bar on our way out the door. That leaves a measly two days a week to actually enjoy our very favorite meal, breakfast. That's why our editors are big on brinner, aka breakfast for dinner. Many breakfast dishes are quick to prepare and healthy-ish (since they’re meant to fuel you for the day ahead), but TBH, we’re up for any plan that involves eating more bacon. Presenting 32 breakfast for dinner ideas that will kick your supper rut to the curb, from a slow cooker Mediterranean frittata to an asparagus and fontina quiche.
32 Breakfast for Dinner Ideas That Will Yank You Straight Out of Your Cooking Rut
From frittatas to sandwiches
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Published Apr 12, 2024
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
1. Slow Cooker Mediterranean Frittata
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, slow cooker recipe, vegetarian
Is there anything your Crockpot can't do?! This breakfast for dinner idea is already packed with plenty of veggies, but a crisp salad on the side wouldn’t hurt either.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
These come together in just 30 minutes. Plus, they're endlessly versatile, meaning all the picky eaters in your family can throw on their own favorite toppings. Basically, they’re a weeknight dinner godsend.
3. Sunday Morning French Toast
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
Straight carbs and sugar are not our usual dinner M.O., but some days (looking at you, Monday) simply demand it. Add a side of fruit and yogurt to reclaim a little virtue, if you must.
4. Chicken Ranch Breakfast Hash
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, high protein
This is already kind of a breakfast-dinner hybrid. With all that delicious bacon, chicken, spinach and creamy ranch dressing, we’d happily eat it any time of day. Bonus: It’s both Whole30- and Paleo-friendly.
5. Leek, Kale and Goat Cheese Strata
- Time Commitment: 8 hours and 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
Strata is basically just a fancy word for breakfast casserole. What makes this a great option for dinner is that it can be assembled before work, then popped in the oven once you get home. If you're not into goat cheese, you could swap it out for a mozzarella-Parm blend, or try feta.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, high protein, beginner-friendly
Soft-scrambled eggs are key to making the breakfast enchiladas of your dreams (otherwise, the extra baking can make 'em taste rubbery). These guys are also stuffed with ground turkey and roasted potatoes before being topped with tangy poblano sauce, and we’re here for all of it.
7. Joanna Gaines’s Asparagus and Fontina Quiche
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
This breakfast for dinner idea is as versatile as it gets. It’s fabulous with fruit salad for brunch or with green salad for dinner. It’s also elegant enough for company but easy enough to throw together on a weeknight (praise the store-bought pie crust).
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
We’re of the opinion that everything is better in miniature form—including sandwiches. These adorable little bites are piled high with eggs, sausage and cheddar cheese and guaranteed to make dinnertime a bit more fun (or kid-friendly, at least).
10. Apple Blinchiki (Russian Pancakes)
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Pancakes are delicious in their own right, but with the smart addition of grated apple in the batter, they become a hearty meal that’s too good to serve for breakfast alone. Top them with sour cream and sour cherry spread.
11. Waffle Breakfast Sandwich with Chorizo
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, make ahead
The McGriddle's got nothing on this breakfast sandwich. It uses uses savory cheese waffles, spicy chorizo and a runny egg. Prepare the waffles in advance for quicker assembly at dinnertime.
12. Red Shakshuka
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
Talk about an impressive centerpiece. This Tunisian dish is loaded with produce—like garlic, red bell pepper and crushed tomatoes—as well as fresh herbs. The star, though, is the runny eggs, begging to be dipped into with a hunk of crusty bread.
13. Breakfast Pizza
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
We’d be pretty psyched if every night was pizza night. But topping the dough with bacon, eggs and cherry tomatoes is a great way to mix things up just a little bit. Bye-bye, red sauce.
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Fun fact: Breakfast burritos are amazing for meal prep. Cook all the ingredients, assemble the handhelds and wrap them in foil, then reheat them whenever you’re ready to eat. It’s a major lifesaver for early mornings, but we recommend it for busy weeknights, too.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: one pan, beginner-friendly, high protein
This breakfast for dinner idea checks all of our boxes, no matter the time of day. It comes together in 30 minutes, uses only one skillet and is chock-full of all our favorite things (runny eggs, chorizo, spicy tomatoes and a sprinkle of feta cheese). Sign us up.
16. Pancake Tacos with Cheese and Bacon
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, make ahead
To anyone who can never choose between sweet and savory for breakfast, this one's for you. Feel free to prepare the pancakes ahead of time (or better yet, use a store-bought mix or the frozen, premade kind) to get dinner on the table even faster.
17. Savory Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Crispy Bacon
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, gluten free, beginner-friendly
Forget the brown sugar, chocolate chips and fresh fruit—have you tried savory oatmeal? This breakfast for dinner idea is closer to risotto than the sweet stuff you're used to, thanks to garlic, herbs and all the Parmesan. We'll take extra bacon and avocado on top, please.
18. Breakfast Caprese with Soft-Boiled Eggs
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
It doesn't get simpler than this 15-minute, five-ingredient breakfast for dinner idea. If you need help peeling the soft-boiled eggs, add a tablespoon of baking soda to the pot while they cook to make the task easier on yourself.
19. Huevos Rancheros
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Refried beans may feel like an ingredient reserved for taco night, but they're actually a stellar way to start (or end) the day. Their high protein and fiber content, plus the protein of the egg, are sure to keep you full for hours.
20. Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
Dump the frozen hash browns and cheese into the Crockpot to make a base for the casserole. Then, just add the rest of the ingredients, set it and forget it until dinner time. Voilà.
21. Overnight Waffles with Whipped Meyer Lemon Cream and Strawberries
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Whip up the yeast batter in the morning and let it sit until you get home at night. Then, make the four-ingredient whipped cream while the waffle iron preheats. It's so tasty, you might never look at syrup the same way again.
22. Egg and Veggie Breakfast Bowl
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, vegetarian, <10 ingredients
Runny eggs make *everything* better, including fresh arugula, roasted Brussels sprouts and tender sweet potatoes. You'll also fall hard for the two-ingredient harissa vinaigrette. (Be warned, you'll want to put it on everything.)
23. Mini Spanish Tortilla with Zucchini
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
This breakfast for dinner idea is a job for your mini cast iron skillet. Think of this single-serve beauty as a giant omelet loaded with potatoes, zucchini and Manchego cheese. (Prosciutto or Spanish-style chorizo would be great additions, too.)
24. Quiche with Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Crust
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, vegetarian
No flour, no problem. Ditch the store-bought pie crust for thin-sliced sweet potatoes, which are gluten free and make for a chic, delicious final product.
25. Sheet Tray Pancakes with Peaches and Strawberries
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, sheet pan recipe
Aren't they pretty? These baking sheet pancakes will look even better once you realize you won't have to do any flipping to pull them off (and you'll only have one dirty pan to clean after dinner to boot).
26. English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
We have a feeling your kids will be more than willing to help assemble this breakfast for dinner idea. The recipe suggests topping the pizzas with bacon and scallions, but the fridge is truly your oyster.
27. One-Pan Eggs with Asparagus and Tomatoes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Six ingredients + 30 minutes + your trusty baking sheet = the simplest, most nutritious dinner you've ever made. One serving boasts only 158 calories and a whopping 11 grams of protein. Make it heartier with a side of white rice, bread, potatoes or pasta.
28. Green Shakshuka
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, one pan, vegetarian
If you love the O.G., you need this spicy rendition on your table ASAP. This breakfast for dinner idea swaps the traditional tomato-based sauce for a verdant mix of spinach, jalapeño and plenty of herbs.
29. Southwestern Tofu Scramble and Breakfast Sweet Potatoes
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegan, gluten free, beginner-friendly
Eggs are a no-brainer...unless you're vegan. Substitute this simple tofu scramble that's cooked with red onion, bell peppers, asparagus and lots of seasoning for a plant-based protein boost.
30. Sheet Pan Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese and Dill
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients
Just assemble, bake and devour—any questions? Serve the eggs with a slice with toast and dressed greens, or go full breakfast mode instead by sandwiching a slab on an everything bagel with an extra dose of cream cheese.
31. Breakfast Nachos
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Frozen waffles never looked so next-level. (Bacon and avocado have that effect.) Did we mention this Insta-worthy main comes together in just 25 minutes?
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
Oh, so it was that kind of day? We have just the fix. Keep this soul-soothing recipe (and a few tubes of Crescent Roll dough) in your back pocket to whip out on evenings when you just can't even.
