13 Underrated Brunch Dishes Without Eggs

When you think of brunch foods, it's only natural that eggs are among the first to come to mind. Eggs have been enjoyed for breakfast as far back as Ancient Rome and have gone on to become a breakfast staple in many a household. They probably find their way onto your brunch menus as well, whether in the form of quiches, frittatas, scrambled eggs, or even French toast. Eggs are so central to the meal, in fact, that it might be hard to imagine enjoying a morning mealtime without them — so what should you make when eggs are excluded from the menu?

There's a number of reasons it might be a good idea to leave eggs off of your brunch menu. Maybe you're entertaining a guest who's allergic to them, or your friend is vegan, or the ever-increasing price of eggs has you looking elsewhere to satisfy your morning hunger. Lucky for you, there's a whole slew of brunch meals that don't require eggs (and no, I'm not just talking about fruit bowls). Examples include yogurt, oatmeal, and even baked goods made with an egg substitute, so you have plenty of options to feed a crowd without cracking any shells — here are 13 of our favorites.

Fruit and yogurt parfaits are a great way to get some protein in your brunch without needing to cook up a bunch of eggs. Greek yogurt is known for being high in protein and nutrients, and you don't even need to buy a flavored kind with added sugar to make a great-tasting brunch parfait.

There are a few ways to seamlessly incorporate parfaits into your brunch for a delightful dining experience: namely, you could pre-make them or set up a yogurt parfait bar. The option you choose will depend primarily on how much space you have and whether you want the dish to be customizable. If you want a cute, ready-to-eat aesthetic piece, it could be to your benefit to pre-make fruit and yogurt parfaits in cute jars or bowls.

But if you have a larger or pickier crowd, doing a parfait bar is probably in your best interest. Of course, you'll have to have some plain Greek yogurt on hand, and it would also be a good idea to set out small bowls of fruit like sliced strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, melon, raspberries, blackberries, or even grapes. Have a couple kinds of granola for your guests to pick from and give them some honey to squeeze on top (especially if you're using plain Greek yogurt). Finally, add some garnish options like mint, chia seeds, or flax seeds.

We know what you're thinking — doesn't coffee cake have eggs in it? It typically does, but it doesn't have to. A simple online search will turn up plenty of vegan coffee cake recipes — we have an absolutely delicious vegan blueberry coffee cake recipe — that would be great to have on hand in case you're hosting vegan guests at your brunch. But you don't have to make the whole coffee cake vegan to leave out the eggs, either. There are plenty of egg substitutes suitable for baking, many of which you probably already have in your pantry.

Which egg substitute you use depends on the texture and density of your final product. For a sweetbread like coffee cake that doesn't need a ton of leavening but also shouldn't be super dense, I'd recommend using either aquafaba or a combination of buttermilk and yogurt. If it comes out too dense, add some baking powder or baking soda to the recipe to give the cake more leavening powder. Once you hone in on the recipe, feel free to play around with flavors — make a cinnamon coffee cake with a lavender or an orange glaze, and garnish it with fresh herbs for aesthetic appeal.

Not all hearty breakfast dishes need to include eggs. In fact, there's plenty of popular breakfast foods that, though usually accompanied by eggs, taste great solo — think potatoes, bacon, or sausage. To that end, why not combine some other breakfast favorites to make a yummy, filling brunch dish? A potato hash is a great example; all you need to do is dice potatoes, chop whatever other ingredients you want to include, add some seasoning, sauté, and serve!

Options for your potato hash are seemingly endless. You can include onions, bacon, ground sausage, sautéed peppers, cheese, tomatoes, and any fresh herbs you might have on hand. Any of these would taste great in a skillet together, but if you want to elevate your hash a little, try theming it around a particular flavor palate.

For example, a pesto potato hash might include potatoes, pesto, Parmesan cheese, and tomatoes. If you want a warming hash for the winter, use sweet potatoes, kale, bacon, and paprika. Or you could go the Irish route and make a potato hash with corned beef and onions. This is your opportunity to get creative and impress your guests — chances are, none of them will even notice it doesn't include eggs.

Another build-your-own option is easy to prepare, stunningly gorgeous in its presentation, and especially refreshing if you're serving brunch on a hot summer day. Açaí bowls sound fancy enough to be on the most sophisticated brunch menu, and presenting them to your guests is a surefire way to impress the crowd. And no, you don't need to fret about making the açaí puree yourself — plenty of brands carry pouches of frozen açaí puree, so head to the freezer section of your local grocery store if you want to add this dish to your brunch menu.

Once you have your açaí packets, stock up on other ingredients for the bowls. Some items can be dual-purpose and used in these bowls or in the aforementioned fruit and yogurt parfaits. Slice up some bananas and strawberries, include blueberries or raspberries, and have some granola, chia seeds, honey, flax seeds, nuts, and even some protein powder for your guests to add. If you want to go the extra mile, have a blender out next to your açaí bowl station in case anyone would prefer to consume their bowl in smoothie form. If you're short on time, counter space, or dishes, feel free to pre-make açaí smoothies and portion them into jars for brunch guests to sip as you chat.

Want a savory, Southern breakfast staple that feels like a hug on a plate? Look no further than the classic biscuits and gravy for your next eggless brunch meal. One of the best things about this popular food duo is that, though it's meant to be eaten together, each element can be enjoyed on its own — guests who want plain biscuits don't have to coat them in gravy, while gravy lovers might soak their whole brunch in it. Plus, biscuits and gravy aren't at all hard to make from scratch. A sausage gravy can be made in as little as 15 minutes, and biscuit dough can be prepped in advance and baked the morning of your soiree.

We know what you may be thinking — don't biscuits typically contain eggs? Surprisingly, they don't! You won't find eggs in most traditional biscuit recipes, making this an easy egg-free breakfast bread to opt for if you don't feel like finding egg substitutions for a recipe like coffee cake. Of course, if you're low on prep time or simply want to take a shortcut, you can always opt for pre-made biscuit dough as well. If you know your crowd's preferences and need a dish that's easy enough to spoon on a plate in a rush, bypass the self-assembly of biscuits and gravy and bake a biscuits and gravy casserole instead.

On the other hand, our next dish does usually contain eggs — however, a quick online search will turn up quite a few eggless waffle recipes, and the batter for your fried chicken doesn't have to contain eggs, either. Chicken and waffles are another classic brunch combo that most people probably save for their restaurant brunch visits, making it an instant dazzling statement dish when you serve your friends a homemade version. And, like the aforementioned biscuits and gravy, the dish doesn't even have to be served as a pair (though we don't know who wouldn't want to try it). If guests prefer, they can always eat waffles without chicken, or vice versa.

Maybe chicken and waffles alone are still too simple for you — you're cooking to impress, and you need to go the extra mile with every dish you prepare. When that's the case, garnishes are your friend. Simple herbal sprigs or a dusting of powdered sugar can elevate the visual appeal of this dish, or you can try topping it with small salad nests of arugula, sprouts, and a vinaigrette. Alternatively, add another savory element and serve a couple slices of bacon on top; the only thing limiting you is your imagination.

If you haven't already considered serving bagels at your eggless brunch, you're about to. Fortunately for those of you who are short on prep time, though you certainly could make bagels at home, they'll taste just as good (if not better) when you grab them fresh from your local bagel bakery. Snag a variety of bagels and swing by the store for some toppings, and you'll be on your way to a fabulous brunch dish that your friends won't forget anytime soon — especially if you treat them to quality lox.

Bagels and lox go together like peanut butter and jelly, and they might be one of the most sophisticated dishes you could serve at a brunch. Pre-make lox bagels by slicing a bagel in half, slathering cream cheese on it, and topping it with a few delicate slices of lox — then, garnish it as you see fit. Dill sprigs, capers, red onions, and arugula would be delightful garnishes that taste just as good as they look.

If you're feeding a pickier crowd, you might want to leave the assembly to them. Just make sure you slice the bagels first so your guests don't have to. And finally, if you want to make sure your lox tastes as rich and decadent as possible, you can always sauté the lox for a smokier flavor.

We've covered a lot of savory dishes, but what if you have a sweet tooth and need a delicious, eggless pastry offering for your guests? Typical fruit tarts you'd have for breakfast would contain eggs in the pastry cream, but who says you have to serve "typical" tarts at your brunch? For an eggless option that incorporates other ingredients you might be using for your event, turn to a classy fruit and yogurt tart with a granola crust — or, if you want something served in individual portions, make smaller fruit and yogurt tartlets.

One of our favorite things about a fruit and yogurt tart with a granola crust is that no elements of this pastry have to be baked, freeing up the oven to prepare other brunch dishes you may have on the menu. You can find recipes online, but the crust will probably consist of a granola mixture, sweetener, and a liquid, like oil or honey, to hold it all together. Then, you'll just press the mixture into a tart tin (or tartlet molds) and refrigerate it overnight so it can harden. Mix some Greek yogurt with honey and top the tartlets with berries. Or, you could go all out and prepare a variety of tartlet toppings — think baked apples, crushed up cookies (like animal crackers or Oreos), kiwi, or some simple citrus zest.

Who doesn't love hash browns? Nobody we know. Whether you prefer them hot from McDonald's or you always have a stack in the freezer ready to go, this is probably one of the easiest breakfast staples to enjoy with or without eggs. Best of all, you don't have to make them from scratch. Instead, grab a package of frozen hash browns from Trader Joe's. When the morning of your brunch rolls around, toss them in your toaster oven if you have one, heat them up, and they'll be good to go.

Of course, we have to mention elevated options for this dish, too. While hash browns are obviously incredible on their own, they're easily amped up a notch with the addition of simple accoutrements, like dipping sauces. An easy yet impressive accompaniment for hash brows would be a homemade aioli, for example. Serve it on a nest of greens or display them a la carte for guests to add to waffles, bagels, or just enjoy solo. There's no wrong way to do hash browns, and given how easy they are to prepare, there's no reason not to add this underrated eggless brunch dish to your menu.

Maybe you have an egg scramble recipe that's famous among your friends and family, or one you're dying to serve at your next brunch. The only problem is you have too many guests for whom serving eggs would pose a problem. Before you scratch your recipe from the menu altogether, consider altering it just slightly by using tofu in place of the eggs you'd normally make it with. Tofu is a great substitute for eggs, and while the dish won't taste exactly like the original, we don't think any of your guests will mind too much.

Tofu is especially easy to substitute for eggs in a scramble because they're texturally very similar. Squeeze the water from your tofu block, crumble it, and cook it in a pan with some plant milk (for moisture) and whatever other ingredients you'd usually have in your scramble. Serve the scramble on its own or, if you'd like, have some toast ready in case your guests want to use it as a hearty toast topping. They could also spoon it onto bagels or over some fresh greens.

If you thought we were done suggesting Southern breakfast staples, you were wrong. How could we leave grits off the menu? Grits are a seriously underrated brunch delight, and seeing as they're so easy to prepare, there's no excuse not to have a big vat of grits ready to go the next time you host brunch. Go the extra mile and skip instant grits in favor of giving high-quality, stone-ground grits an overnight soak for the ultimate creamy texture and rich flavor.

Grits can absolutely be enjoyed with just a bit of butter, salt, and pepper, but here's your opportunity to deck out a grits bar. We'd be remiss not to mention the obvious pairing — shrimp and grits  — that's sure to delight your guests, but if shrimp's out of the budget (or if you just want more options) there are plenty of other toppings you can prepare for your grits. Fry and chop up some bacon, chop green onions or chives, have some shredded cheese on hand or crumbled cooked sausage, and you have a ready-to-go grits buffet at your guests' disposal. Bonus points if you go all-in on the shrimp and grits theme by supplying plenty of the best additions to shrimp and grits.

Speaking of self-assembled brunch dishes, how have we not mentioned oatmeal yet? Though some may consider it one of the less exciting brunch options, we think it's anything but — especially when you include a ton of toppings on a DIY oatmeal bar. And, as with many of the other do-it-yourself brunch dishes on this list, toppings can be cross-utilized with your loaded oatmeal bowls, so it's a great way to have a variety of brunch options while still sticking to a budget.

By now, the list of suggested toppings is probably obvious. Berries, chopped nuts and seeds, honey, and maple syrup are enough to make anybody a delightful bowl of oatmeal. However, you can also consider adding some ingredients that may not otherwise be used at your brunch table. Shredded coconut is a yummy oatmeal addition, for example. If you're serving exclusively adults, feel free to go a little boozy with your offering — offer your guests some bourbon to stir into their oatmeal for a brunch buzz.

Last but not least, a seriously overlooked dish that can be enjoyed as a snack, dessert, breakfast, or even lunch. Chia seed pudding is endlessly customizable, packed with fiber, carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, and is incredibly delicious. Unlike some other dishes on this list, chia seed pudding will need to be made in advance — fortunately, it's easy enough to assemble that it won't eat up too much of your time. All you need to do is combine chia seeds, your milk of choice, cocoa powder (if you want to make it chocolate) and a sweetener, and let it rest in the fridge overnight to thicken.

Pull out your pudding the next morning and it's time for the fun part — topping your puddings. At this point, you probably already have several bowls of versatile toppings that guests can add to their pudding, but don't neglect other ingredients that can elevate chia seed pudding, such as jam, matcha, vanilla, nut butter, protein powder, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips. We'd encourage you not to assemble this for your guests; Instead, encourage them to get creative with their chia seed pudding. To make serving the puddings easier, however, you can always pre-portion some in jars.