Christmas breakfast casserole is a bacon-egg-and-cheese strata proportioned to feed the whole family. The holiday morning is busy enough and our recipe is designed to be mixed up ahead of time and baked without babysitting on the big day. Add red and green bell peppers for some festive color!
Christmas Breakfast Casserole
Updated Jun. 26, 2024
Christmas morning is joyful, but it can also be hectic. It’s helpful to have a high-protein breakfast prepared ahead of time to keep everyone on an even keel once the candy cane sugar crash hits. Our favorite Christmas morning breakfast casserole is a bacon, egg and cheese strata designed to serve a group. It can be mixed up in just 10 minutes and stashed in the fridge the day before, requiring almost no attention on the big day beyond baking. You can also customize the recipe with your preferred breakfast meat, cheese, or vegetables.
Ingredients for Christmas Breakfast Casserole
- White bread: The foundation of this Christmas morning breakfast casserole is sliced white sandwich bread with the crusts trimmed off. Diced into cubes, it soaks up the custard mixture and bakes like a strata. You can easily substitute bread sliced from a homemade loaf or store-bought wheat, rye or seeded bread.
- Cheese: Grated Cheddar cheese binds this breakfast casserole together and burnishes to a golden color on top. Use medium, sharp or extra sharp, whatever your preference.
- Eggs: Beaten eggs mixed with the milk form a savory custard that puffs up pleasantly once baked and holds the structure of each casserole slice together. The other ingredients in this casserole stretch six eggs into eight servings but make sure to use large eggs for the correct ratio of eggs to milk.
- Milk: We call for 2% milk to make the savory custard base of this casserole, but you can definitely swap in whole milk or half-and-half if you want to make a more indulgent holiday meal.
- Ground mustard: A dry spice made by grinding mustard seeds into a fine powder, a little ground mustard adds a pleasant sharpness to the base of this casserole and compliments the flavor of the cheddar cheese beautifully. If you don’t have it (or don’t care for it) use cayenne, thyme or rubbed sage.
- Salt and pepper: Though the cheese contributes some saltiness, adding small amounts of salt and freshly ground black pepper are important seasoning elements that give this casserole life.
- Bacon: Chopped or crumbled bacon adds a pleasant smoky chew to this otherwise very soft casserole. Make sure that the bacon is cooked before you begin.
Directions
Step 1: Assemble the casserole
In a greased 11×7-inch baking dish, combine the bread and cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper and pour over the bread and cheese. Sprinkle with bacon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 2: Bake the casserole
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, for 50 to 55 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Christmas Breakfast Casserole Recipe Variations
- Swap the bread: Dice up frozen hash brown patties into bite-size pieces and use them in place of the cubed bread. Plan on using one to 1-1/2 patties per slice of bread.
- Change up the meat or cheese: Substitute cubed ham, cooked sausage crumbles or sliced plant-based sausage for the bacon. Swiss, mozzarella or pepper jack can substitute for the Cheddar.
- Add festive vegetables: Stir in some diced and sauteed onion and red and green bell peppers to the bread mixture to add festive color! Cooked mushrooms would be tasty, too, but perhaps not as Christmasy. Do make sure to cook any vegetables you add ahead of time to draw off moisture. Adding raw vegetables may throw off the liquid ratio in your egg custard and yield a runny result.
How to Store Christmas Breakfast Casserole
To store leftover Christmas breakfast casserole, let it cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.
Can you freeze Christmas Breakfast Casserole?
Yes, you can freeze the Christmas morning breakfast casserole, before or after baking. To freeze it before baking, place the filled casserole dish on a level surface in the freezer and freeze it until it’s completely solid before wrapping and labeling it. Bake it from frozen at 350° (covered with foil) for 60 to 90 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. To freeze it after baking, wait until it is completely cooled, then wrap and freeze it. Alternatively, pack individual servings in microwave-safe containers and microwave them to reheat them as needed.
Christmas Breakfast Casserole Tips
Can you mix the Christmas breakfast casserole right before serving it?
The step of refrigerating the casserole overnight allows the bread to really soak up the savory custard mixture so it bakes into a cohesive texture. You can skip chilling the casserole overnight and bake it straight away but the resulting casserole might have a slightly less uniform texture. Try and let it soak for at least 15 minutes after mixing before baking it.
How can you avoid making runny Christmas breakfast casserole?
You can avoid making a runny Christmas breakfast casserole by using the proper ratio of bread, milk and eggs. If your sandwich bread is very squishy, consider toasting it before cubing it. Starting with dry, crouton-like bread will ensure it absorbs the egg-milk mixture well. You can also use day-old bread. If you plan to add vegetables be sure to saute them first to drive off some of their moisture.
What can you serve with Christmas breakfast casserole?
Almost any brunch item would be lovely with Christmas breakfast casserole but because it’s a savory dish it would benefit from a sweet accompaniment. Consider making our best cinnamon rolls or blueberry turnovers. Here are some more Christmas brunch ideas!
Watch How to Make Christmas Breakfast Casserole
Christmas Breakfast Casserole
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
50 min
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
- 7 slices white bread, crusts removed and cubed
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Directions
- In a greased 11x7-in. baking dish, combine the bread and cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper; pour over bread and cheese. Sprinkle with bacon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
1 piece: 291 calories, 17g fat (9g saturated fat), 202mg cholesterol, 677mg sodium, 17g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 1g fiber), 18g protein.
After church on Christmas morning, our family enjoys this easy, make-ahead casserole. I’d also recommend this Christmas morning breakfast casserole for a special brunch any time of the year. —Maryellen Hays, Wolcottville, Indiana
Recipe Creator
