26 Delicious Breakfast Recipes for Your Next Work Brunch
Brunch is arguably the best made-up meal of the day. It’s all the breakfast foods you love, plus some fancy renditions of others, plus a later eating time. It’s become a glorious event for lazy Saturday mornings across the country — an excuse to get dressed up to drink at 11 a.m. and eat avocado toast.
So, when you see the words “work brunch” in your department-wide email, you may not think of the glamor and glitz of a typical weekend brunch. But just because you’re not drinking mimosas doesn’t mean your brunch won’t be just as delicious. A work brunch offers the opportunity for variety. Because everyone brings a different dish, you’ll have a chance to nibble on a bunch of different foods, not just your single order of blueberry-maple waffles. You can have a frittata and a scone and some fruit and a muffin and your blueberry-maple waffles.
Of course, going to a work brunch means you’re also responsible for pitching in. But don’t fret! Because there are so many brunch options, you can get picky with the type of food you want to make. Want something savory? Try fun egg dishes like quiche or galette. Thinking of trying your hand at something sweet? Go for chocolate chip muffins or cinnamon rolls. The world — and the table — is your oyster.
Egg recipes.
1. Basic Cheese Quiche
Time Requirement: 40 minutes
Daunted by the task of making quiche? You don’t have to be with this simple cheese quiche recipe. With only six ingredients, you’ll be whipping up this fine French dish with ease.
2. Spinach and Bacon Quiche
Time Requirement: 1 hour
Kick your quiche up a notch by adding meat and veggies for flavor. Like the basic cheese quiche, most of this dish’s cooking time is in the oven; you’ll only need about 10-15 minutes to prepare before baking.
3. Easy Frittata
Time Requirement: 40 minutes
This simple frittata may have an egg and mozzarella base, but it certainly won’t disappoint once you add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms and spinach. If you’re a cheese lover, you’ll especially enjoy this recipe — you top it off with ricotta.
4. Jalapeño Popper Frittata
Time Requirement: 40 minutes
Spice it up by adding jalapeño to your dish and cream cheese, bacon and cheddar to round out your flavor palette. If you’re not an avid spice fan, using fewer jalapeños will help cool things down.
5. Spicy Tomato, Spinach & Egg Galette
Time Requirement: About 1 hour
Bring together an incredible mix of flavors and textures with a galette that’s sure to wow your coworkers. While there's a lot that goes into this recipe, it's definitely worth it; imagine the pride you'll feel when you combine the spicy tomatoes, salty feta, flaky crust and a creamy egg yolk to top it all off.
6. Caprese Eggs Benedict with Healthier Hollandaise
Time Requirement: About 35 minutes
You can’t really go wrong with eggs Benedict at brunch — unless you’re sticking to regular old eggs Benedict. Dress up this classic with Italian flare and add some mozzarella, tomato and basil.
7. Baked Eggs in Avocado with Bacon
If you’re an avocado toast fan looking for something a little more daring, this unique treat may be your ideal brunch fix. With dripping egg yolk and crunchy bacon bits, it’s worth sacrificing your precious(ly expensive) avocados.
8. Breakfast Pizza with Kale Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Time Requirement: 25 Minutes
Who said pizza was only for lunch and dinner (or a sad, cold breakfast)? This made-for-breakfast pizza combines all the crunchy, cheesy goodness of pizza with morning favorites egg and sausage. You won't want to go back to your regular cheese slice.
9. Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole
Time Requirement: 1 hour 10 minutes
Looking to make an egg dish specifically for the vegetable-inclined? This recipe doesn’t just avoid meat, but actively throws in tons of different vegetables to make a hearty and healthy meal.
Sweet Recipes
1. Easy Cinnamon Rolls
Time Requirement: 20 minutes
If there’s ever a time to have glorified dessert in the morning, it’s at brunch, with cinnamon rolls. This simple recipe will take you less than 30 minutes. The secret to such easy success? Using pizza dough for your base.
2. Quick and Easy French Toast
Time Requirement: 10 minutes
10 minutes, 5 ingredients, and 95 calories? Count you and your coworkers in. Just make sure to bring some syrup and fresh fruit for the perfect toppings.
3. Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
Time Requirement: 25 minutes
If you’ve got simple French toast down pat, take the next sugary step by whipping up some stuffed French toast. This recipe takes a brunch classic to the next level by adding layers of sweet cream cheese in between the egg-soaked fluffy bread.
4. Churro Waffles
Time Requirement: 20 minutes
Waffles are more than just delicious pockets for butter and sugar. In this recipe, they’re delicious pockets for cinnamon sugar and caramel sauce too. If the bizarre case you have any leftovers, you can keep this around for a post-dinner dessert.
5. Fluffy Whole-Wheat Banana Pancakes
Time Requirement: 20 minutes
A whole-wheat recipe may not seem fitting in a “sweet recipes” section, but the bananas add just a little natural sugar to this deliciously easy dish. Top these off with strawberries, blueberries, or any other fruit you like.
6. Super Crumb Coffee Cake
Time Requirement: 3 hours
Although this coffee cake looks daunting in its total time requirement, this dish only takes 20 minutes of prep time—and it’s worth it. With a cinnamon-heavy soft base and sugary crumbs, the term “coffee” might be the only thing saving this recipe from being put straight into the dessert section.
7. Homemade Pop Tarts
Time Requirement: 1 hour 5 minutes
Pop tarts aren’t just for kids. This homemade take on the popular treat combines simple household ingredients for a flaky, sugary finish.
8. Classic French Crepes
Time Requirement: 25 minutes
Crepes are the perfect versatile brunch dish for the regular people-pleaser. Once you’ve whipped up a batch, gather a bunch of toppings—from Nutella to raspberries to powdered sugar—and let your coworkers decide how to dress up the treat.
9. Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Time Requirement: 50 minutes
While the final result is sweet, this recipe is full of wholesome ingredients like nuts, maple syrup, and blueberries. If you want to get some extra filling, add a dollop of plain or vanilla yogurt on top.
10. Fruity Pebble Donuts
Time Requirement: 2 hours 45 minutes
If you’re really looking to stand out at the work brunch, these donuts will do the trick. This rainbow treat combines a classic cereal with the familiar, lovable taste of donuts. You’ll never settle for a plain chocolate sprinkle again.
Breads, Muffins and Scones
1. Banana Bread
Time Requirement: 1 hour 5 minutes
You’ve bought too many bananas again and now they’re too mushy to eat with your favorite chunky peanut butter. All is not lost! You can easily turn those bananas into a scrumptious classic brunch treat. Plus, you can get out any pre-work frustration as you mash the bananas into little bits.
2. Zucchini Bread
Time Requirement: 1 hour 10 minutes
You may be familiar with conventional banana bread, but not its coy cousin. Zucchini bread offers a more savory alternative to the breads of the brunch crowd. If you’re looking for an extra crunch, add chopped walnuts or pecans to the mix.
3. Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
Time Requirement: 35 minutes
Fluffy, flaky, freakin’ awesome. While these delicious biscuits won’t take you much more than half an hour, the praise and respect you’ll get from your coworkers who eat them will last a lifetime.
4. Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
Time Requirement: 1 hour
Everyone loves blueberry muffins, right? Why not bring a crowd-pleaser with an even more pleasing twist: a crumb topping. If you’re one of the few non-blueberry muffin fans in the world, you can easily substitute a fruit of your liking.
5. Apple Oatmeal Muffins
Time Requirement: 22 minutes
This recipe offers a unique alternative to classic muffins (looking at you, blueberry) while remaining true to the breakfast brand. If you’re inclined toward sugary pastries, you’ll be satisfied with the apples covered in brown sugar and butter.
6. English Style Scones
Time Requirement: 25 minutes
The English may be known for their tea, but what’s tea time without the snacks? You’ll feel like the queen biting into these light and fluffy scones and even more of an anglophile if you add jam and clotted cream.
7. Apricot Orange Scones
Time Requirement: 45 minutes
The apricot may be the most underrated fruits — especially when you’re looking for something sweet. When combined with the tangy orange flavor, you’ve got a unique twist on this tasty morning treat.
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Zoë Kaplan is an English major at Wesleyan University in the class of 2020. She writes about women, theater, sports, and everything in between. Read more of Zoë’s work at www.zoeakaplan.com.
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