It’s a well-established fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Some would argue that it’s also the tastiest. But many would also agree that it’s the toughest one to get on the table and actually enjoy before the demands of the day kick in. With the aid of your slow cooker and a little outside-the-box thinking a healthy make-ahead breakfast can be more than a possibility. Today I’m sharing enough slow cooker breakfasts for a month of weekdays. That’s an entire month’s worth of prepped the night before and simply scooped out and enjoyed in each morning.
Breakfast Casseroles
- This Breakfast Casserole from Karen at 365 Days of Crockpot includes all the basics – sausage, eggs, hash browns and cheese. And you really can’t go wrong throwing in a few veggies too, like spinach or mushrooms.
- This Easy Breakfast Casserole is perfect for a late morning brunch or cooking all night for an early breakfast. It’s a classic comfort food at it’s best
- I’ve added a little trick to my slow cooker Hashbrown Casserole that allows you to enjoy some breakfast ham or smoked sausage with your hashbrown casserole and very little extra effort.
- This Loaded Cheesy Potato Casserole is not your basic cheesy potato dish. It’s been kicked up a notch or three compliments of my sister and her crowd-pleasing comfort-food recipe.
- Frittatas are such a filling option for breakfast or brunch, and this Ham and Swiss Frittata is no exception. It’s loaded with wonderful flavors and it just looks pretty sitting on a plate, though it won’t last long there at all!
Grains & Sweets
- Grits are a staple here in the south, but they do take a chunk of time in the morning. Unless you have this recipe for Slow Cooker Grits from Add a Pinch, that is. Then you can put your grits in the night before and they’re all ready for a hearty southern breakfast come morning.
- This Cinnamon Swirl Pancake Bake from Dawn at Cutefetti only takes about an hour in the morning and it bakes while you get the rest of your day started. As opposed to stopping your routine to fix breakfast. How wonderful is that?!
- Peanut butter and chocolate chips and granola and a slow cooker? There’s really no need to convince you to try this Chocolate Chip Granola from Mary at Barefeet in the Kitchen now is there? Yum!
Oatmeal 6 Different Ways
- If you’ve ever wanted a big slice of apple pie for breakfast, but just didn’t see it as a healthy option, then this Slow Cooked Apple Oatmeal recipe is for you. In an attempt to keep it healthy, I would recommend adding milk as opposed to ice cream as a side.
- If hot spiced apple cider is more to your liking, then you’ll want to toss this Hot Spiced Apple Cider Oatmeal into the slow cooker before you head to bed tonight. Waking up in the morning shouldn’t be a problem with the lovely scent that will greet you!
- The citrus flavor with the sweet-tart cranberry taste is a great way to start the day. Especially when it comes in the form of a bowl of Cranberry Orange Oatmeal as opposed to say a sugar-topped muffin.
- It’s a good thing when your husband texts you mid-morning to tell you that breakfast was awesome. When he does that two different morning, then you know you have a winner of a recipe. You can find out what all the fuss is about this Gingerbread Oatmeal!
- Peaches and cream for breakfast? Yes, please! You can add this Peaches and Cream Oatmeal to your slow cooker and set it to be ready in the morning. You’ll find the recipe and a sweet little tip to make your slow cooker programmable, just in case you didn’t purchase a programmable one.
- Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal is full of all the pumpkin pie spices we know and love, and you don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving, or October to enjoy it. It’s perfectly cozy and tasty all year round!
Fruits & Such
- Scalloped Peaches would make for a wonderful weekend breakfast paired with a favorite protein and a tableful or family. There’s something about fresh fruit that makes you just want to slow down and enjoy a bit. It’s such a great tone to set for the day, don’t you think?
- Steph’s Poached Stuffed Pears, from her blog 52 Kitchen Adventures, would make a fine dessert. But why not breakfast with their fruit, nut and sweet spice ingredient list. It’s definitely a sweet way to start your day!
- This Blueberry Butter is similar to an apple butter, but obviously with blueberries. Steph shared this on her blog 52 Kitchen Adventures and it’s such a great way to savor the flavor of blueberries all year round, on toast or pancakes or mixed in with yogurt. Yum!
- Homemade Apple Sauce is super easy to make if you have an apple corer/peeler. And once you have the homemade apple sauce, you’ll be hard pressed to go back to the store-bought variety. Ever.
Photo credits to Kimberly at Daring Gourmet
- Did you know that you can make Yogurt in your slow cooker using this recipe from Kimberly at The Daring Gourmet? It does take time for the yogurt to process, but the hands-on time is minimal and the result is a creamy Greek yogurt that you can top enjoy with pretty much all of the other breakfast recipes I’ve shared here.
Clearly, slow cookers are for much more than just dinner!
Try a few of these recipes this week and tell me if your morning coffee doesn’t taste just a little better when it’s accompanied with a hearty breakfast that you didn’t have to stress over as soon as your feet hit the floor! Which one will you start with?
