41 Make-Ahead Breakfasts for Busy Mornings
These make-ahead breakfast ideas are more effective at getting you out of bed than an alarm clock. Once you’ve emerged from whatever dream you were having (maybe about fluffy cinnamon rolls? Or the perfect waffles?), you’ll rub your eyes and reach for your phone—but then you’ll remember there’s a cheesy frittata in the fridge. There will be no doomscrolling and re-snoozing this morning. Your feet are already on the ground, and you’re ready to enjoy the fruits of yesterday’s labor. From sweet to savory, here are our favorite make-ahead breakfast recipes so you can eat well in the morning—without having to do much more than walk to the kitchen.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro1/41Cornbread Breakfast Casserole
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro3/41Horchata Overnight Oats
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca4/41Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro5/41Matcha-Mango Chia Pudding
This chia pudding can bring a lot to a weekday morning routine. It packs in caffeine from the matcha, a bright tang and dose of vitamin C from the mango, and it’s one of our favorite high-fiber breakfast recipes. (Looking for more ways to use these tiny seeds? Check out our full list of chia seed recipes.)
Photograph by Travis Rainey, food styling by Drew Aichele, prop styling by Christina Allen6/41Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Pull out your biggest dish for this big-hitter recipe. The breakfast casserole can be baked one month before you plan to eat it. To store, cut it into pieces, wrap each one individually, and freeze. When it’s time to eat, unwrap and reheat them on a sheet pan in a 350° oven for about 15 minutes.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley7/41Baked Mushroom-Rice Porridge
If you thought you needed a rice cooker to make congee, think again. This method, which can be executed a day in advance, comes together entirely in a baking dish.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich10/41Power Butter
For extra-busy mornings that still require time for fueling up, keep this on hand and spread it on rice cakes, toast, or a banana. All you do is sizzle pumpkin, sesame, and chia seeds in some coconut oil; then mix them into store-bought almond butter along with some maple syrup, salt, and chile pepper.
Alex Lau11/41Salad for Breakfast
If you want to pack in veggies first thing, this one’s for you. Jammy eggs can be boiled and the vegetables can be pickled four days ahead, and the feta can be marinated one week ahead. When the day comes, you’re just assembling.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova12/41Breakfast Burrito to Go
The layer of fluffy egg inside will change your burrito expectations forever. This make-ahead breakfast idea is perfect for your commute or a road trip. Don’t forget to pack your hot sauce.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Drew Aichele, Prop Styling by Christina Allen13/41Old-Fashioned Blueberry Coffee Cake
This classic—the whole family will love it—works with both fresh and frozen blueberries. If you prefer your coffee cake with chocolate chips, there’s a make-ahead breakfast recipe for that.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susan Ottaviano, prop styling by Sophie Strangio14/41Blistered Asparagus Frittata
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht15/41Sour-Cream-and-Onion Tortilla Española
Go for the classic Spanish tortilla if you wish, but this version swaps in store-bought potato chips for raw potatoes. You may lose some crisp factor once you chill it, but if the Spanish eat their national dish warm, room temperature, or straight from the fridge, so can we.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li16/41Eggs in Purgatory
You could premake this cherry tomato sauce a few days in advance—or you could pull any jarred Italian tomato sauce from the cupboard. It only takes a few minutes to reheat and plop in the eggs, which will cook while you finish getting ready.
Alex Lau19/41Overnight Oats
We tend to turn to overnight oats when we want a nourishing, healthy breakfast—that, yes, we can make ahead. If you want toppings, there are endless options: Try Soft-Cooked Egg and Miso-Braised Kale; Cashews, Seeds, and Turmeric; Banana, Maple Syrup, and Tahini; or Coconut, Dates, Almonds, and Honey.
Photographs by Jenny Huang, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio24/41Granola Scones
These scones are rich in fiber, omega-3s, antioxidants, and protein, with a sweet kick from dried fruit and a sprinkle of raw sugar. In other words, they’re healthyish.
Alex Lau25/41BA’s Best English Muffins
Once you’ve made these English muffins, you can take them in whatever direction suits you throughout the week. Go savory with a fried egg and melted cheddar cheese, or a schmear of cream cheese and some lox. Or go sweet with peanut butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Matt Duckor26/41Brown Butter–Pecan Granola
Make a big batch of granola (any granola) because it’s great on Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. To keep it fresh throughout the week, make sure to store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards27/41BA’s Best Breakfast Sausage
These breakfast sausage patties are perfect for freezing (and offer a little extra insurance toward future hangovers). Keep a stockpile on ice, and you’ll never be far from a breakfast sandwich.
Photographs by Jenny Huang, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio28/41Blueberry Spelt Muffins
If you want to give your blueberry muffins a makeover, try these spelt ones that can be baked two days ahead. And if you need other options, we have you covered. There’s our Blueberry Muffin Cake, our Best Blueberry Muffins, and these Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins With Oat Crumble.
Photo by Ted Cavanaugh, Styling by Sue Li29/41Barley Porridge with Honeyed Plums
If you cook off the barley and make the honeyed plums ahead, all you have to do in the morning is combine them with almond milk and cardamom in a saucepan to warm the mixture. Boom: a cozy breakfast porridge.
Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon30/41BA’s Best Banana Bread
Danny Kim31/41Chia Pudding With Dried Apricots and Pineapple
Get this in the fridge the night before for the best texture. And if it’s a really cold day, try this warm chia seed pudding.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Eliza Mozer32/41Mango and Greens Smoothie
To make this smoothie a true time-saver, prep a freezer kit in advance. Measure out a cup of frozen mango and a cup of frozen banana, put it in a sealed bag and pop it in the freezer. All that’s left to do in the morning is add some spinach, coconut water, and blend away.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li35/41Quinoa-Banana Muffins
It’s time to break out your muffin tin because these muffins are what’s for breakfast tomorrow morning, the morning after that, and the next morning too.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Molly Baz38/41Use-It-Up Frittata
This easy egg-plus-leftovers dish can be a breakfast option, brunch, or dinner. It also works well as the filling for a take-it-to-work sandwich (just add some spicy mayo and a handful of lettuce).
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li39/41Butternut Squash, Coconut, and Ginger Muffins
Like morning glory muffins, but with grated butternut squash instead of carrot. They keep well at room temperature for a few days and they’re freezer-friendly for months.
Photo by Alex Lau40/41Tropical Energy Bars
If you can’t find no-sugar-added pineapple in your grocery store, you can order it online. Or swap it: This easily portable breakfast or snack works with pretty much any dried fruit of your choice.
