15 Recipes That Prove You Should Be Making Thanksgiving Brunch Instead of Dinner (2024)

Whether you like it or not, this holiday season is approaching quickly with Thanksgiving not too far in the future. This year, I thought it would be interesting to combine my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving (how could a holiday centered around food not be your favorite?), with my favorite meal, brunch.

At first, I wasn’t too sure how I would pull that off since the traditional way of celebrating Thanksgiving is with a turkey dinner. But then, I realized how groundbreaking it would be to start having Thanksgiving brunch instead.

You always read articles around Thanksgiving that tell you why eating your festive meal earlier in the day is better for digestion, so Thanksgiving brunch would actually be healthier for you. Plus, with almost every major retailer starting their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving night nowadays, who has time to be eating green bean casserole for the millionth year in a row when they could be stocking up on every Christmas scented candle from Bath and Body Works?

After collecting all 15 of these recipes and thinking about the reasons I listed above, I am in total support of having Thanksgiving brunch be the new norm. Hopefully after scrolling through this list, you’ll be just as much of a convert as I am.

1. Pumpkin Spice Cookie Butter Waffles

Of course, I had to kick things off with a pumpkin recipe. I mean it is Thanksgiving.Thesepumpkin waffles are a little unconventional, but in a good way, since they’re made with Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookie Butter. Need I say more?

27. Breakfast Casserole

No brunch is complete without some sort of breakfast casserole and this one is pretty traditional, but it definitely won’t disappoint.

28. Caramel Apple Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie

If you’re looking for a bit of a healthier (I say that lightly) option for your brunch menu, try serving this delicious looking oatmeal smoothie.

29. Monkey Bread

For me, Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t have monkey bread. My mom makes it every single year, so of course I had to include it on this list. This monkey bread recipeis perfect if you have a large group coming over since it’s super easy to make and is loved by many.

30. Hot Ham and Swiss Croissants

These are also the perfect breakfast item to serve if you have a lot of family or friends in town since you can make them ahead of time and pop them in the oven whenever someone is hungry. Learn how to make some of your own with this savory recipe.

31. Baked Apple Cider Donut Bites

This is a recipe that sounds like it would be really difficult to make, but isn’t. If you’re an apple cider donut freak like I am, you seriously need to try this out.

32. Iced Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Although I tried not to have too many pumpkin dishes on this list, this is one that I just couldn’t leave out. Freshly baked, warm pumpkin coffee cake sounds like the perfect breakfast item on a crisp Thanksgiving morning.

33.Ham, Apple, and Sweet Potato Scramble

I don’t know if I’ve ever pinned a recipe faster than I did when I saw this. If you have to have the perfect balance of sweet and savory in every meal like I do, I highly recommend checking out this scramble recipe.

34. Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts

If you’re up for a bit of a challenge, I think that making homemade Pop-Tarts would be a definite crowd pleaser at your brunch table, especially if there will be some younger guests at your shindig (or adults that still eat pop tarts regularly, like me).

35. Apple Cider Mimosas

What brunch would be complete without a little alcohol? Nothing sounds better than drunkenly watching the parade while sipping on some apple cider mimosas with your grandma on Thanksgiving Day.

36. Cranberry Orange Muffins

Cranberry fans rejoice because I found the perfect cranberry orange muffin recipe for you. I love ordering these muffins when I go out to brunch and if you do too, why not try to make some yourself?

37. Apple Cinnamon French Toast

Since apple pie is such a staple for any Thanksgiving dinner, obviously apple cinnamon French toast would be the perfect sweet addition to your brunch menu. If you’re not totally convinced that this is an acceptable replacement for real apple pie, take a look at the picture again. Have you ever seen apple pie that looked that good? Didn’t think so.

38. Pumpkin Bread French Toast

If apple cinnamon French toast doesn’t really sound like your thing, how aboutFrench toast that uses pumpkin bread? I’m a sucker for a good slice of pumpkin bread, so this recipe sounds super enticing to me.

39. Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

I couldn’t imagine a brunch without some sort of potato, and this sounds like the greasy, cheesy, heart attack inducing hash brown dish we’ve all been known to load up on at the brunch buffet every now and then. Cheese and potatoes are a dynamic duo that should be present at your Thanksgiving brunch this year in the form of this casserole recipe.

40. Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Stuffing Muffins

To incorporate stuffing into your Thanksgiving brunch, try making these bacon, egg, and cheese muffins that use stuffing as their base in order to have your brunchstay as true to a real Thanksgiving dinner as possible.

I think that this holiday season I’m going to make it my mission to do some good in the world and redefine what should be the standard meal on Thanksgiving. We’re all tired of eating the same turkey breast and side dishes year after year, so why not refresh your Thanksgiving table this holiday season and serve a decadent brunch instead.