Our 50 Essential Brunch Recipes For 2016

We are all well aware of the magical, curative powers of brunch. A long, late morning or early afternoon meal, which comes as the result of a slow and delayed start to the day, is the best way to while away those lazy weekend hours. Brunch has to be everyone's favorite meal, as it's the one time we can all sit around a table where there are no rules and restrictions on what you can and can't eat or drink. The happiest of brunches will feature an eclectic mix of dishes and drinks, from mugs of strong black coffee to Champagne flutes filled with fruity cocktails, from stacks of blueberry pancakes to cheesy spinach frittatas.

Making your own granola may not sound like the route to a simple, fuss-free brunch, but this quick, stovetop granola recipe really is.

For the 10-Minute Coconut-Cranberry Skillet Granola recipe, click here.

Assemble this spiced French toast casserole the day before your brunch, and cook it in the morning. Everyone will be thrilled to be served this sweet dish fresh and warm from the oven.

For the Baked Cranberry French Toast recipe, click here.

These muffins are full of exploding blueberries, sweet banana, and whole-wheat flour. They contain so much fruit that they definitely fall under the healthy section of your brunch repertoire.

For the Banana Blueberry Muffins recipe, click here.

Two of our favorite things, banana bread and scones, come together in this simple brunch treat. Warm the scones through before you eat them, and make sure you serve them with plenty of salted butter and honey.

For the Banana Bread Scones recipe, click here.

These croissants are the perfect lazy brunch dish. They require almost no hands-on time, yet within half an hour you'll be pulling fresh croissants out of the oven: pure baking magic.

For the Blueberry Almond Croissants recipe, click here.

Prepare the blueberries and the crisp topping the day before your brunch, and just combine them and bake the crisp in the morning. This bubbling, bright dish is perfect for brunch all year round — but best when blueberries are in season.

For the Blueberry Crisp recipe, click here.

Kick off your brunch party with a warming bowl of cinnamon oatmeal. Your slow-cooker will do all the work for you, and will simultaneously fill your home with delicious, comforting, soothing smells.

For the Cinnamon Slow-Cooker Oatmeal recipe, click here.

Despite their popularity, pancakes aren't the easiest brunch dish to make as they require so much "to order" cooking. However, this pancake batter is so easy to pull together that it makes up for the time you have to spend standing at the stove.

For the Easy Blueberry Pancakes recipe, click here.

Improve on a standard fruit salad with this pretty, sweet herbal recipe. Chop the fruit and make the syrup the night before, and combine it all in the morning for an easy and impressive dish.

For the Fruit Salad With Herb Syrup recipe, click here.

If you've got kids at brunch, these Fruity Pebbles Belgian waffles need to be on the table. Every kid will be obsessed with these colorful waffles, and the adults will love them too.

For the Fruity Pebbles Belgian Waffles recipe, click here.

Pizza for breakfast is definitely a good thing, especially when the pizza is covered with Nutella. Use store-bought pizza dough, bake it, and cover it with Nutella and fresh fruit for a quick and easy brunch.

For the Nutella Breakfast Pizza recipe, click here.

Nutella pop-tarts are every child's favorite treat, and they bring back nostalgic memories for adults too. They are so easy to make at home — just make sure you reheat them in the oven rather than the toaster.

For the Nutella Pop-Tarts recipe, click here.

Baked French toast is your brunch savior. This French toast is prepared the night before, left to caramelize overnight, and simply cooked in the oven for 25 minutes in the morning.

For the Overnight Crème Brûlée French Toast recipe, click here.

Jazz up that plain pineapple with this simple recipe. Smash together the mint sugar and sprinkle it over the slices of pineapple for a tasty, easy, and impressive side.

For the Pineapple With Smashed Mint Sugar recipe, click here.

Ending brunch with a sweet dessert is definitely the way to become the best brunch host. For  this delicious chocolate bananas foster, ripe bananas, melted chocolate, and a splash of rum cook in your slow-cooker while you enjoy the savory part of your multi-course brunch.

For the Slow-Cooker Chocolate Bananas Foster recipe, click here.

The fact that you can make monkey bread in your slow-cooker is perhaps our favorite-ever baking secret. Layer up the dough with sugar, butter, and pecans, cook it on high heat, and finally drizzle melted chocolate over top.

For the Slow-Cooker Turtle Monkey Bread recipe, click here.

These muffins use a puddle of jam to make a sticky, fruity center, rather than fresh strawberries, which can be a challenge to cook with. This also means that you can enjoy these muffins all year round, without waiting for the strawberry season to arrive.

For the Summer Strawberry Muffins recipe, click here.

This overnight oatmeal is perfect for all those fall brunch parties. The oats are combined with mashed pumpkin, warming spices, and cocoa powder, creating a healthy, autumnal breakfast.

For the Sweet Pumpkin Overnight Oats recipe, click here.

If you're vegan, this bread is your new brunch staple, and if you're not, we promise you'll love it too. This healthy, superfood- and vegetable-packed bread is masquerading as a sweet, moist, loaf cake, perfect for every brunch.

For the Vegan Coconut Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread recipe, click here.

These waffles make the most decadent brunch, with melted nuggets of nougat dotted throughout the batter. Make them a little early and keep them warm in the oven, before serving them with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

For the Waffles With Nougat recipe, click here.

Although this recipe can't be made ahead of time, it's definitely the best way to serve hollandaise — without making hollandaise. This cheat's recipe requires you to steam the asparagus, soft-boil the eggs, and make a dippy 'hollandaise' sauce by adding butter and vinegar to the egg yolk.

For the Asparagus Soldiers With Soft-Boiled Egg Hollandaise recipe, click here.

This simple dish has received so much attention this year, and with good reason: Crunchy, healthy, creamy, and fresh, a slice of avocado toast adds a splash of sunshine to every meal.

For the Avocado Toast recipe, click here.

Enjoy your bagels in a more unusual format by baking them in this casserole. This rich, indulgent dish has to be made ahead of time, refrigerated overnight, and then baked the next morning: All you could ask of a fuss-free brunch.                                                                                       

For the Bagel and Chorizo Egg Casserole recipe, click here.

Serving perfectly cooked eggs at your brunch party isn't impossible: You just need to bake them instead of frying, poaching, or boiling them. These eggs are nestled into an aromatic sauce, which begs to be mopped up with a chunk of crusty bread.

For the Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce recipe, click here.

Whether served with fried eggs, bacon, baked eggs, or alongside a frittata, cornbread is always popular. It's especially well-loved when it's laced with Cheddar and crispy bacon, and is served warm.

For the Cheddar-Scallion Bacon Cornbread recipe, click here.

Bake these biscuits the night before your brunch. In the morning, warm them through, slice them open, and fill them with slices of ham and a generous drizzle of the extremely addictive maple-syrup mayonnaise.

For the Ham Biscuits With Maple Mayonnaise recipe, click here.

The easiest, most hands-off way to serve eggs at brunch is to bake them. Set up a baked eggs bar, with different ingredients and a ramekin for each person, so that everyone can create his or her own, before baking them until the white is set.

For the Individual Baked Eggs recipe, click here.

Bake these mini quiches in your muffin pan for an adorable, quick brunch dish. Packed full of nutritious broccoli and kale, these crustless eggy quiches are the perfect balance of healthy and indulgent.

For the Mini Crustless Kale and Broccoli Quiches recipe, click here.

Don't waste those leftover mashed potatoes; transform them into brunch! Mix the potatoes with bacon and cheese and put them in your waffle grill for the perfect crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside, savory brunch.

For the Potato Waffles recipe, click here.

This hash brown casserole is super cheesy, and really, really easy. It simply needs to cook in the slow-cooker for three hours, leaving you free to get on with whatever else you need to do.

For the Slow-Cooker Hash Brown Casserole recipe, click here.

A frittata is an incredibly easy brunch dish, but when prepared in a slow-cooker, it's even easier. The result of this recipe is a frittata with an incredibly soft filling, and beautifully crisped edges.

For the Slow-Cooker Spinach and Ham Frittata recipe, click here.

This rich, salty casserole is the most decadent of baked breakfast dishes. Filled with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and red potatoes, this tasty casserole is perfect for an early breakfast or a late lunch.

For the Smoked Salmon and Potato Breakfast Casserole recipe, click here.

Savory oatmeal is going to be the brunch trend of 2016. It may sound strange, but once you try it you won't look back. Make the oatmeal overnight and stir in the tasty toppings when you heat up the oats in the morning.

For the Steel-Cut Oatmeal With Sweet Corn, Tomato, and Pancetta recipe, click here.

These mini muffins are the perfect appetizer to serve at the beginning of your brunch. Warm them up so that the cheese is slightly melted, making them even more addictive than they already were.

For the Sweet and Savory Cheddar Cheese Mini Muffins recipe, click here.

For those of you who like a bit of spice, this green shakshuka is your dream brunch. Make the herby shakshuka base ahead of time, and simply heat it up and cook the eggs in it as soon as brunch time rolls around.

For the Tunisian Green Shakshuka recipe, click here.

This strata is loaded with hearty, healthy vegetables and has two make-ahead options. If you want your brunch to lean more toward lunch than breakfast, this cheesy, vegetarian strata is the dish for you.

For the Vegetable Strata recipe, click here.

Kids always absolutely love the magic trick that is making Ziploc omelettes. Lay out all the ingredients, allow your guests to add what they want in their omelette to their Ziploc bag, and drop it in boiling water for an instant, personalized breakfast.

For the Ziploc Omelettes recipe, click here.

This light, fluffy tart is the perfect dish for a springtime brunch. Make sure you use a store-bought puff pastry crust to save yourself hours of work.

For the Zucchini and Ricotta Tart recipe, click here.

If you're crazy about berries, this frozen smoothie is going to be your new favorite non-alcoholic brunch drink. Increase the portions as needed, and make sure you serve it as cold as possible.

For the Berry Grape Smoothie recipe, click here.

You can't have a real brunch without a Bloody Mary (or two). Rather than faffing around making the cocktails yourself, create a Bloody Mary bar with several options, and let your guests mix their own, adding whatever garnishes they please.

For the Bloody Mary recipe, click here.

This refreshing, fruity, floral sangria can be made in advance in a pitcher, before being poured over ice and garnished with fresh fruit for a sweet and strong start to the day.

For the Elder-Peary Sangria recipe, click here.

This healthy smoothie is packed full of fruits and vegetables. Somehow, apples, spinach, lemon, mango, avocado, ginger, mint, and honey come together to make the tastiest, most nutritious of breakfast juices.

For the Lemon-Mango-Ginger Smoothie recipe, click here.

PB&J is one of our favorite-ever food combinations. Here, we've transformed it into liquid form for a surprisingly healthy, super tasty, and definitely kid-friendly smoothie.

For the PB&J Smoothie recipe, click here.

Making punch is the easiest way to entertain a boozy crowd for brunch. The tropical flavors of pineapple and lemon combine with warming winter chai to make a cocktail that we're keen to drink all year round.

For the Pineapple Pisco Punch recipe, click here.

This sparkling cocktail is actually alcohol-free, but, served in Champagne flutes, it feels like such a treat. Sweet and bubbly it'll make everyone smile, without making everyone slightly more tipsy than is acceptable at 11 in the morning.

For the Pomegranate Mimosa recipe, click here.

Transform your classic lemonade into an elegant drink that both kids and grown-ups will love by combining fresh lemon juice with rosemary syrup. Mix everything with sparkling water for a delicious, bubbling drink.

For the Rosemary Lemonade recipe, click here.

When apple season arrives and apple cider is present at every farmers market, make sure you serve it at your brunch party. Simply mix it with some sparkling water and crushed ice for a healthy, bubbly, non-alcoholic cocktail.

For the Sparkling Apple Cider recipe, click here.

Add a touch of naughtiness to pretty pink lemonade by spiking it with a generous serving of vodka. Make it the day before in a pitcher, to be poured into glasses over ice the next morning.

For the Spiked Pink Lemonade recipe, click here.

Add a touch of nutritious goodness to your brunch table with these tropical kale smoothies. The tropical fruit in this drink disguises the taste of the kale, so everyone will be slurping away glasses full of nutrients without even realizing it.

For the Tropical Kale Smoothie recipe, click here.

This simple, blended watermelon drink is the perfect ice-cold cooler to sip on in the hot summer months. Make a pitcher full of this pretty pink juice, and try to keep it as cold as you possibly can.

For the Watermelon Cooler recipe, click here.