Creative Breakfast for Dinner Ideas and Recipes (2024)

Which is to say: Now is the time to fully embrace the concept of breakfast for dinner. Because these days everything is upside down, time is a mere construct, and let’s be clear, anything that puts a meal on the table any time of day is a pretty good thing.

Breakfast for dinner can take many forms. It can be as simple as serving up your favorite breakfast or brunch treats at dinnertime, or it can involve making some changes to some classic breakfast items to make them feel more dinner friendly. Whichever way you go is up to you, but the one thing that remains true is that fast and easy is the name of the game.

Why breakfast for dinner is such a good idea

Breakfast in general tends to involve quick cooking: You are just getting your day started and few people have the mental capacity for early morning kitchen calisthenics. Often the various pieces of breakfast foods can cook easily simultaneously, bacon or sausage sizzling in the oven while the eggs get handled stovetop and the bread is toasting in the toaster and everything hits the plate hot and fresh at the same time. Adopting this principle when serving breakfast for dinner is going to be one of the best reasons to add it to your rotation.

So sure, waffles for dinner is awesome (and I approve of this message), but here are 6 creative ways to turn breakfast classics into new dinner favorites. Same ease, more options!

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1. You can fold dinner leftovers into omelets

Leftover kung pao chicken, half a cup of Bolognese sauce, fajita fillings… If you have leftovers, you can slap them in the middle of an omelet and enjoy! If the leftovers lend themselves to a cheese, add it in. Did your family order in and everyone has half a dish hanging about? Custom mix-and-match omelets for everyone.

2. You can add stews and soups to shakshuka

Chili, curry, stew, baked beans, mole, and even thicker heartier soups like lentil can all get the shakshuka treatment! Simply put your stewy base into a skillet, reheat to a simmer, then crack some eggs into it and pop it under the broiler to your preferred doneness. Some crusty bread for dunking and you have a dinner with major oomph and minimal fuss.

3. You can try out breakfasts from other cultures

4. You can go full diner breakfast

Let’s be honest: A classic diner breakfast is delicious any time of day, so don’t be afraid to embrace your inner Mel. Eggs, hash browns, breakfast meats, toast, pancakes, all feel like a treat when eaten for dinner. Steak and eggs might just be your new favorite Sunday supper.

5. You can have fun with drinks as well

If you can’t have breakfast food without coffee or tea, but worry about caffeine at dinnertime, check out the caffeine-free and herbal options from Teeccino. Their chicory coffee alternatives have the robust taste you want without keeping you awake, and their mushroom teas have a wonderful umami quality that stands up to any dish. They also have a full range of herbal teas to enjoy.

And while beer in the morning is not a terrific idea, beer is a wonderful pairing with breakfast foods: The bitterness balances sweets and cuts through richness. If you are exploring one of the global breakfasts, see if you can find a beer from that country!

6. You can have dessert at dinnertime!

The best bonus of breakfast for dinner is that while dessert after morning breakfast is frowned upon, dessert after dinner is practically a moral imperative. You can continue the breakfast theme with things like cereal treat bars, crepes or dessert-style pancakes, or something lighter like fresh fruit and sorbet or a frozen yogurt.

Bonus: 10 great breakfast recipes to whip up for dinner

Here are some of our favorite breakfast recipes, any of which would be fabulous after 5pm!