15 Delicious Breakfast Pastries That Will Give You Life

updated Jul 3, 2023

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How to Make Kouign Amann at Home (Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Do you smell that? That sweet smell of caramelized sugar and bread in the oven? That’s your future calling. Whether you need to make something special for brunch in the next couple weeks — including Easter — or you want something sweet in order to get out of bed on Monday morning, these 15 treats are here to delight every part of your soul.

From the ultimate butter and sugar pastry, Kouign Amann, to berry and jasmine scones (perfect for spring!), to pretzel cinnamon rolls, here’s your excuse to dust off your stand mixer and get serious about butter and sugar.

Mixed Berry & Jasmine Tea Scones (Image credit: Naomi Robinson)

I don’t know how cinnamon rolls and Nutella puffs came to pass as breakfast items, but I’d prefer to not ask too many questions. Eating a great croissant — flaky, airy, buttery — is one of the best things that can happen to a person. Embrace this fact and don’t hesitate to make something outrageously good for your friends and family.

What are your favorite pastries for brunch and everyday eating?

15 Delicious Breakfast Pastries

1 / 15

Baked Berry Breakfast Pastries with Whipped Crème Fraîche

Everyone loves a combo of buttery pastry and jammy filling, so here is an easy baked breakfast pastry that can almost qualify as dessert for breakfast.

2 / 15

These warm, golden Nutella-stuffed puffs are an easy treat for after dinner, or a sweet indulgence for weekend brunch.

3 / 15

Cheater Nutella Sticky Buns

You can have those sweet, ooey-goey sticky buns any time you want, all with the magic of puff pastry.

4 / 15

Making them at home is not only doable, but just as buttery and flakey as anything coming from a bakery.

5 / 15

Kugelhopf Breakfast Rolls

Fresh from the oven on a weekend morning, these kugelhopf rolls are absolute show-stoppers. And that’s even before you dip them in melted butter and roll them in cinnamon and sugar.

6 / 15

Pretzel Cinnamon Rolls

A sticky swirl of cinnamon-layered dough with a dark, pretzely crust and sprinkle of chunky salt.

7 / 15

Mixed Berry & Jasmine Tea Scones

You almost have no excuse not to make something home-baked, especially when you can consider these mixed berry scones laced with delicate jasmine come together in just twenty minutes with the help of a food processor.

8 / 15

Strawberry-Sour Cream Scones with Brown Sugar Crumble

These scones are a riff on one of my favorite combos: fresh strawberries dipped in sour cream and coated with brown sugar. They’re just the thing for a lazy weekend brunch with the windows open and bottomless cups of coffee close by.

9 / 15

Blueberry Bran Muffins

This is a a mound of blueberries, fresh lemon zest, and coconut oil folded into a delicate whole-grain batter.

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Mango Coconut Oat Muffins

They really are the best of many worlds baked into one pretty spring muffin.

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Homemade Croissants

You will never have better croissants than the ones you make yourself and eat fresh from the oven while standing over the kitchen counter. And here’s how to do it.

12 / 15

Spicy Sticky Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

This recipe makes two dozen rolls, you can make a full batch but freeze half of them for impromptu brunches.

13 / 15

Earl Grey Hot Cross Buns

They’re slightly sweet, soft and scented with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

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Cream Cheese Danish Bread

These are made from a simple overnight dough that gets folded around a sweet cream cheese filling — essentially, cheese danishes in the form of a sliceable, shareable breakfast bread.

15 / 15

Banana Nut Muffins

Banana nut muffins are one of the greatest pleasures of the breakfast table.

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