30 Best Recipes For A Restaurant-Worthy Sunday Brunch At Home

Can't choose between breakfast and lunch? Don't worry; there is a simple and tasty compromise: brunch. This late-morning meal is a staple on the weekend since most dishes in attendance require a little more care and love than a running-out-the-the-door, toasted-but-not-really bagel or a half-frozen egg sandwich. There's a great synergy between savory and sweet that will appeal to every eater at your table. We particularly love the homey and personal feel of preparing an extensive brunch spread for good company.

Whether you're a brunch newbie or a seasoned veteran, tons of recipes are worth exploring the next time you're DIYing your own spread. While some of our favorites push the envelope of culinary and flavor innovation, others are tried-and-true favorites that any brunch-goer can appreciate. And the best part about it? You won't need to travel to a restaurant to indulge in the best brunch offers; you can whip everything in your home kitchen. 

Is it really a proper Sunday brunch without a Bloody Mary? Probably not. Our recipe keeps it simple and sticks to the good stuff, like tomato juice, Tabasco sauce, vodka, and Worcestershire sauce. While you can always upgrade your cocktail using a fun and inventive garnish, it might be better to stick to the basics and let your homemade Bloody Mary mix shine. A simple celery stick will allow you to sip in style while leaving enough room for you to finish your favorite brunch fare. 

Recipe: Tried and True Bloody Mary

Brunch recipes are all about going a step further than what you would normally make for breakfast. This ratatouille shakshuka certainly fits the bill. Layers of eggplant, zucchini, and red pepper come together in a tomatoey base studded with poached eggs. It seems complex, but it's one of the easiest egg dishes to whip up. Shakshuka, including this veggie-forward addition, is best served with a side of pita or sourdough for dipping. Our rendition is hearty, fresh, and ideal for when summer veggies are in season.

Recipe: Breakfast Ratatouille Shakshuka

The ideal brunch spread has a bit of savory and sweet going on. You can check off the latter with milk bread French toast. Milk bread is a perfect base for the custard, as it has a fluffy consistency and great flavor. It will also soak the batter with ease. Garnish it with fresh berries, whipped cream, and maple syrup for an Instagram-worthy brunch plate. 

Recipe: Milk Bread French Toast

Don't get bogged down with ho-hum egg dishes. This spicy menemen is made with a flavorful blend of eggs, onion, peppers, tomatoes, and spices. It's like a more veg-forward take on scrambled eggs, which makes it a super approachable yet deeply flavorful meal. You can serve this dish with pita bread and with a parsley garnish. It's simple yet super savory, which makes it worthy of any brunch table.

Recipe: Spicy Menemen (Turkish Scrambled Eggs And Tomatoes)

Southern food meets the Midwest with this cheese grits casserole. The recipe is much easier to eat than a pot of grits since you can cut into pieces to serve; the addition of shredded cheddar gives the recipe a savory twist. This would be an excellent side dish to pair with bacon, eggs, or even seasoned shrimp (it is a Southern dish, after all). Just be sure to allow the casserole to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing so the grits can set. 

Recipe: Cheese Grits Casserole

A regular batch of pancakes coated in maple syrup? Yeah, that's alright. But this short stack of lemon ricotta pancakes elevates things just a little bit. The addition of ricotta cheese in the pancake batter helps keep them extra soft and fluffy, while the lemon adds a bright contrast to the fruit garnish. They're best served with cherries, but you could also top them with a raspberry or strawberry compote for something sweeter. 

Recipe: Bright and Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Sunday brunch is the perfect excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast. These cocoa crepes are stuffed with a coffee-infused filling and topped with a drizzle of chocolate sauce for an absolutely decadent bite. Ideally, you'll want to have a crepe pan on hand to make your thin pancakes, though, in a pinch, you can also use a wide-bottomed, shallow frying pan. If you have extra crepes after brunch (no promises, they are that delicious!), try adding a swipe of Nutella and thinly sliced strawberries to them. 

Recipe: Caffe Mocha Crepes

If you plan on having plant-based eaters at your brunch table, you may be racking your brain about what to make. This chickpea scramble recipe is the perfect vegan option. All you need to do is combine the cooked, mashed chickpeas with fresh vegetables and serve it with avocado, jalapeños, and fresh herbs. Just don't be surprised if the carnivores take a hearty helping of it, too.

Recipe: Fluffy, Almost-Eggy Chickpea Scramble

Quiche is a wonderful brunch dish, as it requires just a little more effort than eggs but still has all the familiar flavors you love. If you want to take a step outside of your comfort zone, though, try this roasted beetroot and Emmental quiche recipe. The roasted root vegetable offers the perfect pop of color, while the cheese adds a luxurious mouthfeel. Like all quiches, be sure to let it cool for a bit before garnishing it with fresh herbs and serving. 

Recipe: Roasted Beetroot and Emmental Quiche

It can be fall all year round with this pumpkin pie waffle recipe. Crumbled Biscoff cookies are added to pumpkin puree-infused batter, making for a flavorful waffle with an unexpected crunch. You can cook the batter on a mini-waffle iron for a bite-sized version or stick to a standard waffle maker. Don't forget the cinnamon butter garnish and perhaps a spread of cookie butter, too. 

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Waffles with Cinnamon Butter

A Dutch baby during the week? Yeah, right! But a Dutch baby for brunch ... now you may be on to something. This recipe has all of the summery caprese flavors you love, from the pesto and the mozzarella to the tomatoes, cooked into a Dutch baby. These fluffy pancakes are so fun to eat, and once you get the hang of making them, you may try them with a whole host of toppings and add-ins. Just make sure not to wait too long to eat your Dutch baby, as they're best served hot. 

Recipe: Savory Caprese Pesto Dutch Baby

This apple fritter breakfast casserole is perfect for serving a crowd. It takes all the things you love about apple fritters — the fruity flavor, decadent batter, and vanilla glaze — and turns them into an easy-to-serve recipe that can be made in a casserole dish. What's better is that you can use store-bought croissants to make the base of the recipe. It's so simple and comes together in just under an hour. 

Recipe: Apple Fritter Breakfast Casserole

A good brunch has a balance of big plates and small bites. These danishes fit into the latter category. Fear not; you won't have to make your own puff pastry, as this Danish recipe utilizes a pack from the freezer aisle at the grocery store. Once the bites are assembled, bake them away and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan and basil before you're ready to serve. They would make a great appetizer for your brunch table or as an addition to a snacking board. 

Recipe: Cheese and Italian Herb Tomato Danish

You won't miss meat when it comes to this plant-based twist on a classic. It combines marinated and pan-fried tofu with a decadent vegan waffle and a spicy sriracha-infused maple syrup topping. You'll get every flavor in each bite, and the tofu is so well-disguised that people who don't even like the soy product can still appreciate its flavor and texture. While it requires a little more prep than other recipes on the list, it's perfect for a special occasion brunch when you're serving vegetarians or vegans — or just want something meatless. 

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Tofu and Waffles

Sometimes, you have to get a little unconventional with your brunch. Take this Italian twist on a frittata, for example. It includes all of the things you love about carbonara — including the pancetta, heavy cream, and pasta — and bakes them into an eggy base. It's best cooked in a cast iron skillet, and you can serve directly from it when you're ready to eat. Garnish it with a sprinkle of fresh herbs or chopped green onions for a pop of color. 

Recipe: Spaghetti Carbonara Frittata

Contrary to popular belief, French toast doesn't always have to be sweet — and this recipe is proof of that. It takes inspiration from the iconic Italian dish, cacio e pepe, and gives it a brunchy twist. The bread slices are dipped into a savory custard before being cooked and topped with grated cheese, basil, and a summery tomato spread. You can use either grape or cherry tomatoes for it — bonus points if you're making use of the surplus of fruits from your garden. It's a simple recipe that's guaranteed to wow your brunch guests. 

Recipe: Savory Cacio e Pepe French Toast with Jammy Tomatoes

If you're looking for a dish that walks a thin line between breakfast and lunch, you've come to the right place. This frittata has a slightly nutty profile, thanks to the addition of fried polenta rounds. You can also air fry your rounds for a low-oil rendition, though it is quite convenient to fry them in the same pan you'd bake the frittata in. It's best served with pesto and finely grated cheese, along with the cherry tomato sauce recipe included with it.

Recipe: Fried Polenta Frittata with Cherry Tomato Sauce 

Move over mimosas; there's a new sheriff in town. This Bellini gets its flavor from fresh white peach puree and a bubbly effervescence from prosecco, though you could just as easily add your favorite Champagne or sparkling wine to it, too. Peach Bellinis are super refreshing and ideal for serving at any brunch affair. Serve them in a flute glass with a thinly sliced peach garnish for a simple but elevated cocktail. 

Recipe: Fresh Peach Bellini Cocktail

You don't have to be an expert baker to try your hand at these savory bear claws. If you know how to pop open a can of crescent dough, you'll be just fine. Once you've unfurled the croissant dough, you'll want to pinch the edges so it stays in a single sheet. Slather on the mustard, layer on the ham and Gruyére, and twist it into little shapes. This recipe also includes several vegetarian variations for super easy-to-make bear claws that will appease all eaters.

Recipe: Savory Ham and Cheese Bear Claws

Nothing says "brunch" quite like bacon, and nothing says "shareables" like a pull-apart bread. This recipe combines the best of both worlds and includes a ton of cheese. This twice-baked bacon and cheddar bread starts with a homemade yeasted dough cut into squares and layered in a Bundt or tube-shaped pan. Once the bread is baked and cooled, you can gently pull the pieces apart, add the cooked bacon and cheese, and re-bake until the cheese is melty and the bread is golden brown. 

Recipe: Twice-Baked Bacon and Cheddar Bread

Your waffles don't have to be sweet, either. This recipe is made with leftover (or fresh) mashed potatoes and cheddar. Once it hits the greased iron, the edges will crisp up quite well. You can eat these savory waffles as a side dish to a frittata or use them as the base for a DIY breakfast sandwich bar. They would also make a great substitute for hash browns. Mashed potato waffles are versatile and a must-have for a savory brunch spread. 

Recipe: Loaded Mashed Potato Waffles

Strata is a great breakfast dish to make for a crowd. It's kind of like a savory French toast bake that went on a date with a bread pudding. This one pairs cubed Italian or French bread with cooked sausage, Gruyère, cheddar, and a bit of mustard for a spicy and complementary edge. The strata will need to soak for eight hours, though you could leave it in the fridge overnight and bake it before your guests arrive. With a little foresight, you, too, can have an easy-to-bake and tasty dish to serve at your Sunday brunch. 

Recipe: Brunch-Perfect Sausage Strata

Pancakes aren't always great for crowds. But this sheet pan pancake recipe turns the classic fry-pan flapjacks on their head. Once you've poured the prepared batter into a sheet pan, it can be swirled with your favorite fruit jam and baked until golden brown. You don't have to babysit your pancakes as they cook or make batches at a time. In the end, you still get a sweet, easy-to-serve dish. What's not to love? 

Recipe: Sheet Pan Buttermilk Jammy Pancakes

There's something super homey about a plate of homemade biscuits topped with a decadent sausage gravy. Our recipe takes no shortcuts; the biscuits are made from scratch, and so is the gravy. But all that work is very much worth it. Once the biscuits are plated, they can be smothered with gravy and a sprinkle of chives or scallions. It's a hearty plate, so you may want to opt for smaller biscuits if you plan on serving it with something else.

Recipe: Biscuits and Herbed Sausage Gravy

While there are certainly tons of creative ways to incorporate bacon into your brunch dishes, you could always just serve it on a plate and allow your guests to have at it. You don't even need to pull out a frying pan and worry about splattering grease since our recipe uses the oven instead of the stovetop. Just pop your bacon strips on a baking sheet and bake until perfectly crisp. You can also step things up by adding your favorite seasoning to your strips, whether that's brown sugar or freshly cracked pepper.

Recipe: Crispy Oven-Baked Bacon

Homemade cinnamon rolls are a great brunch dish, but they take so much time. This recipe takes the classic cinnamon roll and transforms it into something unique and shareable. Simply cut up canned cinnamon rolls, roll them in a little cinnamon-sugar mixture, and stick them into a Bundt pan. Before serving, drizzle your Bundt with the icing and serve to your guests. It will appease eaters of all ages, making it nothing short of a brunch win. 

Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

What goes better with eggs than hash browns? This breakfast hash comprises brunch essentials, from the bacon to the standard hash additions like peppers, onions, and garlic. Once the bacon has finished cooking, you'll want to add your peeled and diced potatoes so that they can soak up all that fat and flavor. It's certainly one of the heavier brunch options on this list, but it's still delicious and would be great served alongside your favorite egg dish. 

Recipe: Bacon Fat Hash Browns

Shrimp and grits is a seafood-forward take on brunch fare — and a classic one at that. The cheddar is an essential ingredient in the grits, as it adds the perfect savory complement to the garlic butter shrimp. You can lean into the savory flavor of this dish by adding chopped scallions and trying a sharper cheese. It's flavorful, filling, and truly embodies a typical Southern brunch. 

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Shrimp and Grits

Brunch is all about being just a little extra. And these red velvet cinnamon rolls are the definition of that. The cinnamon rolls get their unique color and flavor from a box of red velvet cake mix, though the cinnamon-sugar filling keeps things classic. The cream cheese icing is the cherry (read: frosting) on top of this decadent brunch recipe. While it may not immediately win over the hearts of savory breakfast lovers, they're good enough to convince even the staunchest savory stan to convert to the sweet side. 

Recipe: Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

Eggs Benedict is a must-order at a restaurant brunch, though you can make it at home with this simple yet effective recipe. Toasted English muffins are topped with salty, savory Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce. Since there is a lot of sauce here, we recommend assembling it right before serving to prevent things from getting soggy. A sprinkle of cayenne on top can be a great garnish that will add color and a subtle smoky flavor to your recipe. 

Recipe: Traditional Eggs Benedict