This blog is about cheap and easy brunch ideas for a crowd.
Whether you are hosting brunch after a church ceremony before the big game or even for the Fourth of July, you can never go wrong with these breakfast ideas for a crowd!
You don’t want to be spending HOURS in the kitchen while your guests are enjoying their time at your house!
So, make it easy for yourself and whip up something quick and easy to do.
You can’t go wrong with a “brunch bar” or breakfast charcuterie boards.
That way, guests can help themselves with whatever you have to offer.
You can also not go wrong with “one-pot dishes” like oven-baked pancakes.
People like a light brunch, so don’t serve them anything too heavy.
Fresh fruit, a few sweet pastries, and maybe some bacon and eggs,
If you want to go “fancy” you can add some more expensive ingredients like salmon and cream cheese bagels.
Quick and easy doesn’t have to be expensive.
Most of these ideas can be quite cheap to do.
Here’s a List of Cheap and Easy Brunch Ideas for a Crowd
1. No mess, no fuss
The fewer pots and pans you use, the easier the brunch.
Why not make a one-pan bake and serve that to your many guests?
This way you just mix it up, throw it in the oven, and serve it up when it’s ready!
This blueberry bake lets you socialize more with your guests so that you too are enjoying the brunch.
It’s a win-win situation.
2. Toast and spreads
Buy some spreads and fruit.
Chop up the fruit.
Toast the bread.
Lay it out and let your guests help themselves!
I love how this idea allows everyone to make their own creations.
This way you don’t have to keep everyone’s dietary restrictions in mind.
Just leave it up to them!
3. Pancake station
Yes, pancakes may take a while.
But when they are done they are scrumptious and please everyone.
This easy brunch idea allows you to pre-make the pancakes and warm them up once your guests have arrived.
Again, all you need to do is lay out some spreads and fruit and let your guests help themselves.
This way if you have a guest with a sweet tooth they are satisfied as well as if you have a guest that prefers savory items.
4. Hashbrown scramble
This easy brunch idea takes the normal breakfast and turns it into an easy one-pan meal.
Fry up some bacon and scrambled eggs, place it all over some hash browns, and throw the whole thing in the oven.
And you’re done!
It’s as easy as that.
For your vegan or non-egg-eating guests, you could make a tofu hash brown scramble for them.
5. A slice of quiche
This is a classic.
An easy quiche that satisfies most people is an easy thing to whip up for the brunch of a large crowd.
Again, you can pre-make this and then enjoy the company of your guests.
Just keep allergens and dietary restrictions in mind.
6. Fruit cups
Fresh and flavorful.
This dish is colorful and easy.
Buy a few fruits from the market, place them in a pretty glass, and call it a day.
If you want to take the glass to the next fancy level, first dip the rim in water and then in sugar.
Here you can see this has been done.
If you have a color theme for the brunch then buy fruits of that specific color.
7. We’re making waffles!
Here’s another idea that you can pre-make to make it quick and easy for yourself.
Who doesn’t like waffles?
And if your guests don’t like waffles, add a bowl of granola, yogurt, and honey so they can make themselves a fresh granola bowl.
8. Sourdough chocolate chip bake
Everything is better when it is made from sourdough.
This is an easy brunch idea that you can pop in the oven when your guests arrive and serve it nice and warm.
Add some butter and you are good to go.
Who can resist this delicious dish?
9. Bagel station
Here’s another easy brunch idea for you.
If you like bagels, then this is the way to go.
I like how they have made a spread of everything that could possibly go on a bagel so that guests can help themselves.
Bagels without cream cheese and salmon are not bagels, but that’s just my opinion.
In this spread, everyone has something that they like and can eat.
10. Just enough
This easy spread has just enough.
Make some sandwiches, cut up some fruit, and serve.
And of course, no brunch is complete without the fruit juice.
11. Cheese and crackers
There is nothing easier than cheese and crackers.
This easy brunch idea is perfect for hosts who don’t like spending hours in the kitchen.
This set-up also allows everyone to have a choice on what they’d like to eat.
Head to the store, buy a few boxes of crackers, some cheese, and cold meat and you are good to go.
12. Fancy brunch
Brunch, but make it fancy.
This idea would take a little more time than the others because of the scrambled eggs.
You could just leave them out if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
This puff pastry and asparagus dish is savory and yummy, as well as classy.
This idea is perfect if you’d like to do something a bit fancier.
13. Something for everyone
This spread has everything!
If you are like me, then spending hours in the kitchen is not in the cards.
But that is ok.
These days your local store has almost everything that you looking for, including ingredients for your grazing table.
So, just head there, buy what you need that is pre-made, and cut it into slices at home.
It’s as easy as that.
14. Order in
Here’s another idea that you can order in.
If you have a local caterer, then this will be a breeze for you.
However, if you live somewhere that this isn’t as accessible then this might be a problem.
Making mini sliders with what you have is a good idea for a quick and easy brunch idea.
You could also have a burger-making station where guests need to build their own burgers.
15. All-in-one
If you like biscuits, bacon, and gravy then this is the easy brunch idea for you.
Instead of making all of these components separately, just add them all together into one dish.
Less mess, less fuss, and more time to spend with your guests.
16. Help yourself!
Here’s another buffet-style brunch idea.
Just buy this all at the store and lay it out well.
You could make the waffles fresh in the morning but if I were you I’d order everything else.
17. For the sweet-tooth
Here’s another one pan quick and easy brunch idea.
This is a huge pancake with added strawberries, blueberries, honey, and chocolate chips.
This way guests can cut themselves a piece like cutting a cake.
This makes preparation a lot easier for you, so you can enjoy the brunch too.
18. Ultimate brunch buffet
Now this is an ultimate brunch buffet.
Help yourself style!
You can even add side dishes if you want.
I like how they have added so much variety to this buffet table.
All of your guests are guaranteed something that they like to eat at this buffet.
Again, do what you can and order the rest.
Lay it out in a pretty way and there you have it!
19. Another waffle station
Here is a fancier, bigger waffle station brunch idea.
I like how they have added granola cups and other brunch things to this station.
The added fruit is also good.
20. Just add toast
Another really easy dish you could do for a quick brunch for a lot of people is shakshuka.
This is a tomato-based sauce with poached eggs, all you need to add is a few slices of toast.
At the brunch, you could have sliced bread that your guests pop into the toaster so their toast is fresh.
21. Your own platter
Mini platters are also a good way to keep a crowd happy in a quick way.
This way you can hand out pre-made platters to cut down on the time it takes to serve your guests.
You could add anything you want to these mini platters.
Make them sweet or savory the choice is yours!
22. Mini pancakes
Here’s another easy way of making pancakes.
Making a lot of mini pancakes is quicker and easier than making a whole lot of normal-sized pancakes.
Also, they look adorable!
23. On-the-go brunch box
This is also an easy way of making a crowd happy when serving your brunch.
These pre-packed boxes that you could easily hand out to your guests.
You could put whatever you like into these boxes and have them ready the night before.
Well, there you have it.
I hope that next time you need to host a brunch for a crowd you will come back to this blog and get some ideas.
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