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10 Brunch Dishes Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Brunch is one of those meals where almost anything goes. Eggs can be served at noon, fried chicken can legitimately arrive with waffles, and nobody questions a cocktail before you’ve even considered lunch.
That freedom is what makes brunch so good.
You don’t need to recreate an elaborate restaurant menu at home, either. Some of the best brunch dishes are built from fairly ordinary ingredients — eggs, good bread, potatoes, cheese and a few well-chosen extras — turned into something you’d actually look forward to eating at the weekend.
Whether you’re feeding friends, planning a lazy Sunday or simply want something better than another bowl of cereal, these ten easy brunch recipes cover everything from smoked salmon and scrambled eggs to hot honey chicken waffles and proper French toast.
1. Smoked Salmon, Scrambled Eggs & Sourdough
A classic for good reason. Creamy scrambled eggs, salty smoked salmon and crisp sourdough make an easy brunch that feels considerably more luxurious than the effort involved.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 20g butter
- 2 thick slices sourdough
- 100g smoked salmon
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- ½ lemon
- Black pepper
Method
Toast the sourdough. Beat the eggs and cook gently with the butter over a low heat, stirring until softly scrambled. Spoon onto the toast and top with smoked salmon, chives, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
Make it better: Add capers, dill or a spoonful of crème fraîche.
2. Crispy Chicken & Hot Honey Waffles
Sweet, salty, spicy and crispy, this is brunch when you’re not remotely interested in being sensible. Using ready-made waffles keeps it achievable.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- 50g plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 75g panko breadcrumbs
- 4 waffles
- 3 tbsp honey
- ½–1 tsp chilli flakes
- Oil, for frying
- Salt and black pepper
- Pickles, to serve
Method
Slice the chicken into strips and season. Coat in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs. Shallow-fry until crisp, golden and completely cooked through. Warm the waffles. Heat the honey with the chilli flakes for a minute, then pile the chicken onto the waffles and drizzle generously with hot honey.
Make it better: Add a fried egg and a few sharp pickles.
3. Turkish Eggs with Garlic Yoghurt & Chilli Butter
Also known as çılbır, Turkish eggs combine cool garlic yoghurt, runny poached eggs and warm chilli butter. It’s simple, but once everything is scooped up with warm bread, it’s ridiculously good.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 250g Greek yoghurt
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 4 eggs
- 40g butter
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- Fresh dill
- Salt
- Sourdough or flatbread, to serve
Method
Mix the yoghurt with the garlic and a pinch of salt and divide between two bowls. Poach the eggs until the whites are set and yolks remain runny. Melt the butter with the chilli flakes and paprika. Place two eggs over each bowl of yoghurt, spoon over the chilli butter and finish with dill.
Make it better: Warm the yoghurt towards room temperature before serving.
4. Steak, Fried Eggs & Crispy Potatoes
Steak for brunch makes perfect sense when it’s served with crispy potatoes and a runny fried egg. This is the one to make when breakfast needs to see you through most of the day.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 small rump, sirloin or bavette steaks
- 400g baby potatoes
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- Handful of rocket
- Salt and black pepper
Method
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and lightly crush. Fry or roast with olive oil until crisp and golden. Season the steaks and cook in a very hot pan to your liking, adding the butter towards the end. Rest for five minutes. Fry the eggs, slice the steak and serve with the crispy potatoes and rocket.
Make it better: Spoon chimichurri over the steak.
5. Croque Madame
Essentially the French answer to wondering how a ham and cheese toastie could possibly be improved: add béchamel, more cheese and a fried egg.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices white or sourdough bread
- 4 slices good ham
- 100g Gruyère, grated
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 20g butter
- 20g plain flour
- 200ml milk
- 2 eggs
- Salt and black pepper
Method
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and gradually whisk in the milk. Cook until thickened and season. Spread the bread with Dijon, add ham and half the Gruyère and close the sandwiches. Toast until golden. Spoon over the béchamel, scatter with the remaining cheese and grill until bubbling. Top each with a fried egg.
Make it better: Keep the yolks runny so they become part of the sauce.
6. Shakshuka with Feta & Warm Flatbreads
One pan, plenty of flavour and minimal washing up. Shakshuka is particularly good for a relaxed brunch where everyone can help themselves straight from the table.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 4 eggs
- 100g feta
- Fresh coriander or parsley
- Olive oil
- Flatbreads, to serve
Method
Soften the onion and pepper in olive oil. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a minute. Pour in the tomatoes and simmer for around 15 minutes until thick. Make four wells in the sauce and crack in the eggs. Cover and cook until the whites are set but the yolks remain soft. Crumble over the feta and herbs.
Make it better: Stir a spoonful of harissa into the tomato sauce.
7. French Toast with Berries & Mascarpone
Every brunch list needs something sweet. Thick brioche, fresh berries and mascarpone give French toast just enough indulgence without turning it into dessert.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices brioche
- 2 eggs
- 100ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 20g butter
- 150g mixed berries
- 100g mascarpone
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- Maple syrup
Method
Whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Dip the brioche into the mixture, allowing it to soak briefly on each side. Fry in butter over a medium heat until deeply golden. Mix the mascarpone with the lemon zest and serve with the French toast, berries and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Make it better: Slightly stale brioche absorbs the custard mixture particularly well.
8. Chorizo, Potato & Fried Egg Hash
This is exactly what you want from a weekend brunch: crispy potatoes, spicy chorizo and runny eggs, all cooked in one pan.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 400g cooked potatoes, diced
- 100g cooking chorizo, sliced
- ½ red pepper, diced
- ½ onion, sliced
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Fresh parsley
- Black pepper
Method
Fry the chorizo until it begins releasing its oil. Add the potatoes, pepper and onion and cook until the vegetables soften and the potatoes become crisp around the edges. Season with smoked paprika and pepper. Fry the eggs separately or crack them directly into the hash and cover until set. Finish with parsley.
Make it better: Leftover roast potatoes are perfect for this.
9. Mushroom, Spinach & Gruyère Sourdough
A proper savoury vegetarian brunch with buttery mushrooms, wilted spinach and bubbling Gruyère piled onto crisp sourdough.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 250g mushrooms, sliced
- 100g baby spinach
- 2 thick slices sourdough
- 80g Gruyère, grated
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 20g butter
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Salt and black pepper
Method
Melt the butter in a hot frying pan and cook the mushrooms until well browned. Add the garlic and thyme, followed by the spinach, and cook until just wilted. Season well. Toast the sourdough, pile over the mushroom mixture and scatter with Gruyère. Grill until melted and bubbling.
Make it better: Add a poached egg on top.
10. Bacon, Egg & Chilli Jam Brioche Buns
Some brunch dishes require cutlery. This isn’t one of them. Crisp bacon, melted Cheddar, chilli jam and a runny fried egg make a very good argument for eating brunch with both hands.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 brioche buns
- 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 2 eggs
- 60g mature Cheddar
- 2 tbsp chilli jam
- 1 tsp butter
Method
Fry the bacon until crisp and set aside. Cut the brioche buns in half and toast the cut sides in the bacon pan with a little butter. Fry the eggs, keeping the yolks soft. Spread the buns with chilli jam and fill with bacon, Cheddar and fried egg.
Make it better: Put a crispy hash brown inside. At this point, you may as well commit.
What Makes a Good Brunch?
The best thing about brunch is that it doesn’t need to follow breakfast rules.
A good brunch can be sweet or savoury, light or ridiculously indulgent. What matters more is having a combination of textures and flavours — something crisp, something rich and usually something sharp, spicy or fresh to balance it.
If you’re making brunch for friends, don’t attempt all ten dishes. Choose one substantial savoury recipe, add something sweet that can be prepared quickly and put fruit, good coffee and juice on the table.
Shakshuka alongside French toast, for example, gives you a brilliant sharing brunch without spending the entire morning cooking.
And if it’s just the two of you? Pick whichever dish you actually fancy.
That’s rather the point of brunch.
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