20 Ideas for a Fresh and Fancy Summer Brunch

updated Jul 3, 2023

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(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

Lazy weekend brunches at home are just one of the many joys of summer. It’s the season for brunch spreads with a lighter twist that embrace all the ripe produce that’s piled high at the farmers market. If you’re hosting a brunch this summer, we’ve got you covered with some great seasonal drinks to sip on, plus sweet and savory mains that will win over the whole table. From caprese quiche and strawberry swirly buns, to mini pancake tacos and watermelon mimosas, here are 20 easy-to-pull-off recipes for a fresh and fancy summer brunch.

Ideas for a Fresh and Fancy Summer Brunch

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Easy Caprese Quiche

If you’re looking for more ways to enjoy the flavors of caprese salad, make this quiche your next stop.

2 / 19

Mini Bagels and Lox

This simple rendition is indulgent, but more snackable and party-ready.

3 / 19

Crustless Vegetable Quiche

This quiche is all about the transformation of humble ingredients into a beautiful meal.

4 / 19

Sausage and Eggplant Summer Frittata

This isn’t the kind of thin frittata that’s a sad substitution for a buttery quiche or an overfilled omelet.

5 / 19

Spinach & Sweet Potato Chickpea Crustless Quiche

Think vegan quiche isn’t possible? Thanks to the power of chickpeas, it is — and it’s delicious. Without the milk and eggs, this sweet potato- and spinach-flecked quiche still manages to be custardy and rich — and because there is no crust to worry about it, it couldn’t be easier to throw together.

6 / 19

Easy Hatch Chile Egg Casserole

The distinct smoky flavor of New Mexico Hatch Chiles in a cheesy baked egg casserole.

7 / 19

Orange and Strawberry Muffins

The real highlight of these hearty, orange-scented muffins is the fresh, chopped strawberries studded throughout the center and over the top of each one.

8 / 19

Bananas Foster French Toast Kebabs

You get all the flavors and textures you love in French toast, and you still have a free hand to hold a mimosa.

9 / 19

Strawberry Cream Cheese Swirly Buns

Think of them as a cross between a cheese danish, strawberries and cream, and the dough from your favorite cinnamon roll, all in one irresistible package.

10 / 19

The Most Lemony of Lemon Muffins

My mother's award-winning recipe for lemon bread in muffin form soaked in a simple syrup, sunny and bright. So easy, no mixer required!

11 / 19

Mini Pancake Tacos

Technically, they’re probably a lot closer to crêpes, but to me these are pancakes.

12 / 19

Orange-Maple French Toast Casserole

Lean on the season’s abundance of sweet, ripe oranges to make this French toast casserole the hero of your holiday brunch.

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Rainbow Fruit Salad

Fruit salad should be something you actually want to eat, rather than something that’s pushed to the side of a brunch spread or looked upon sadly when carried out for dessert. This one, featuring every color of the rainbow, is that and more.

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A Hearty Breakfast Fruit Salad

This fruity tabouli is a formula, a recipe blueprint, that is so versatile you’ll be having a different breakfast every day for weeks with ease.

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Mango and Papaya Fruit Salad

This is a minimalist fruit salad of papaya and mango tossed in a honey-lime dressing with a hint of mint.

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Breakfast Grain Salad with Blueberries, Hazelnuts & Lemon

A fluffy, tender grain salad with oats, quinoa, and millet, nutty with hazelnuts and bursting with blueberries.

17 / 19

Red Fruit Salad with Lemon-Vanilla Bean Syrup

This fruit salad filled with peaches, raspberries, and cherries is drenched in a light lemon-vanilla syrup.

18 / 19

Watermelon Mimosas

Watermelon mimosas are just the thing you need for summer brunches. They are light, sweet, and bubbly to drink and beyond easy to make.

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Breakfast Sangria

This is a gorgeously simple sangria that isn’t much more work than a pitcher of mimosas, but much prettier.

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