12 Easy Brunch Recipes You Can Make At-Home

Just because we're in another lockdown doesn't mean you have to give up your weekend ritual...

Bottomless mimosas, French toast, coffee and more: brunch is easily our favourite meal of the day. (After all, there's no other time you can stack bacon, eggs, and a burger on your plate all at once.) But right now, people across the country are having to press pause on their usual weekend routines, and staying home under social distancing measures.

Sadly, this means no weekend catchups with the girls over brunch. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in the pleasures of a lazy mid-morning meal. First of all, check if your go-to brunch spot is currently doing deliveries: there’s a strong chance your favourite local business could do with your support right now. Nothing doing? Whip up something almost as good at home. And why not host a virtual brunch while you're at it?

In many ways, at-home brunch trumps going out for brunch: no waiting in line, as many mimosas as your heart desires, and best of all, eating in your pyjamas. Convinced? Us too. The recipes below will help you tackle a leisurely weekend brunch in style.

Easy like Sunday morning, baby!

Cinnamon roll pancakes

Ingredients:

For the cinnamon toffee syrup:

60g butter
80g dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the pancakes:

180g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
200ml milk
2 to 3 tablespoons water, if batter is too thick
Oil, for frying

For the icing:

125g icing sugar
15ml water

Method:

To prepare the toffee syrup, melt the butter, dark brown sugar and water together with the ground cinnamon and simmer on low for about 8 minutes to thicken. Take off the heat, pour the mixture into a bowl or jug, this must be cold before you use it.
To make the pancakes, place the flour, salt, caster sugar into a bowl.
Whisk the egg and milk together in a jug and then pour it into the flour mix until a thin batter forms.
Pour this back into the jug as it will be easy to pour into the frying pan. Leave the batter to settle for two minutes.
To prepare the icing, put the icing sugar into a small bowl and add water. Mix together until the icing becomes thick enough to coat with a back of a spoon: you are looking for a nice pouring consistency, you don't want it too runny or it will spill over pancakes and onto the plate. If necessary, add more water (but just a drop at a time) until it is thick/thin enough to use, or alternatively if too thin add a teaspoon more icing sugar.
To cook the pancakes, heat a frying pan with a little oil. Pour batter into the pan. Pour the toffee syrup into a piping bag and then swirl some of the cinnamon toffee syrup onto the batter. Cook for about 1½ minutes until golden and then flip or lift over and cook for about another 30 seconds. You will need to clean your pan after each pancake.
Repeat until all the batter is finished, keeping the pancakes warm until you're ready to eat. To serve, stack three or four pancakes and drizzle over the icing, so that the pancakes resemble a cinnamon roll.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Siúcran, click here.

Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

For the guacamole

2 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon sea salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
10 cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
A small bunch of fresh coriander

For the mushrooms with spinach

2 cloves of garlic
150g oyster mushrooms, or other mushrooms
1–2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons tamari/soy sauce
A good handful of fresh baby spinach

To assemble

2 x 400g tins of baked beans
4 wholemeal tortilla wraps

Method:

Start by making the guacamole. Peel and de-stone the avocados and chop the flesh into small pieces. Put into a bowl with the lime juice, salt and black pepper. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and add, along with the cumin and chilli flakes. Mash with a fork until the avocado breaks up and comes together. Finely chop the coriander (including the stalks) and add. Mix, taste and adjust the seasoning if you think it needs it.
Peel and finely chop the garlic and roughly chop the mushrooms. Put the oil into a medium pan on a high heat and leave to heat up. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly. Add the tamari and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for a further minute, until it wilts right down. Remove from the heat.
Put the baked beans into a pan and heat up on a medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Now it’s time to roll up your breakfast burritos. Lay out one of your wraps, then, in line along the middle of the wrap, spoon on a few tablespoons of beans, some guacamole and some mushrooms, leaving lots of wrap on either side. To roll your burrito, start by folding both ends in, then roll lengthways. Fold the other end of the wrap over or under, while tucking in both ends as you do so. Eat as it is, or put back into the pan for a minute to crisp up the outside. Make the rest of your burritos the same way.

To read the full recipe courtesy of The Happy Pear, click here.

cranberry mimosa

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup cranberry juice, chilled
Champagne or Prosecco
1 small strawberry, halved, for garnish

Method:

Divide liqueur, lemon juice, and cranberry juice equally between two Champagne flutes.
Fill glasses with Champagne and garnish with the strawberry, if desired.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Food and Wine, click here.

eggs benedict

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
8 eggs
16 smoked streaky bacon rashers, rinds removed
4 English breakfast muffins, split in half
25g (1oz) unsalted butter, softened
Fresh chervil sprigs, to garnish

For the butter sauce:

100ml (3 ½fl oz) cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
25g (1oz) butter, softened
1 teaspoon cornflour, sifted
A squeeze of lemon juice
1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat a large pan with 2.25 litres (4 pints) water. Add the white wine vinegar and bring to the boil. Break each egg into the water where it’s bubbling, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 3 minutes, until the eggs are just cooked through but the yolks are still soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of iced water.
Preheat the grill, then grill the bacon until it’s crispy and golden, turning regularly. Toast the muffins, cut side up, and spread with the butter.
Meanwhile, to make the butter sauce, place the cream and mustard in a small pan and simmer for 1 minute. Whisk in the butter, cornflour and lemon juice, then continue to whisk for 2–3 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the chives and season to taste. Keep warm.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the poached eggs and cook for 1 minute to warm through.
To serve, place 2 muffin halves on each warmed serving plate and put 2 slices of bacon on top of each one. Using a slotted spoon, remove the poached eggs from the pan and drain briefly on kitchen paper. Place an egg on the bacon and spoon over the butter sauce. Garnish with the chervil sprigs.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Nevan Maguire, click here.

breakfast Shakshuka

Ingredients:

For the shakshuka:

5 eggs
2 red peppers
1 jar passata
2 cloves of garlic
2 red onions
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon fennel powder
1 good pinch chilli flakes, plus extra to garnish
2 dessert spoons smoked paprika
A little diced preserved lemon, for garnish
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped
100g dukkah

To serve:

Toasted sourdough

Method:

Make the preserved lemon first. Place two sheets of kitchen paper or a clean kitchen towel into a sieve or colander. Add the yoghurt and allow to strain for two hours in the fridge.
To make the shakshuka, dice the red onion and sautée with the garlic and a decent drop of olive oil or rapeseed oil.
Slice the two red peppers and add to the red onion and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the peppers begin to soften a little.
Add the cumin seeds, ground coriander and fennel. Cook for one minute, then add smoked paprika, passata, chilli flakes and continue to cook.
Add the coriander and half of the chopped parsley. Cover with a lid, then cook for one minute. Remove the lid and make a well for each of the five eggs.
Crack the eggs and drop one egg into each well. Replace the lid back and cook for approximately for 4-5 minutes or until the eggs are just done.
Take off the heat and garnish with thinly sliced spring onions, finely diced preserved lemon, chopped parsley, chilli flakes, chopped coriander and a good sprinkling of dukkah.
To finish the preserved lemon yoghurt, remove the drained yoghurt from the kitchen towel and place into a bowl. Discard the liquid that has drained from the yoghurt. Mix in the preserved lemon, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
To serve the shakshuka, add a few dollops of the preserved lemon yoghurt on top and serve family-style with the toasted sourdough.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Avoca, click here.

Whipped coffee

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of ground coffee anywhere from medium to course
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
140mls of boiled water
1 egg
1 cup of milk – coconut, soy, almond etc

Method:

Pour roughly 140mls of boiled water onto the ground beans in your French press, stir then leave to steep until you are ready to mix the coffee
Whisk one egg white in a bowl until white and fluffy
Add in all the coffee, sugar and boiling water into the bowl and whisk until smooth
Add mixture to a tall glass of your favourite milk. If you’d like to try the iced version, add a few ice cubes into the milk before pouring the whipped coffee on top.
Using a spoon, stir the coffee mixture vigorously into the milk
Sit back and enjoy, share on Instagram to show off your barista skills

To read the full recipe courtesy of Eighty9 Coffee, click here.

acai bowl

Ingredients:

40g frozen banana
45g smooth peanut butter
450g frozen mixed berries
6g acai powder, available in health food shops
120ml cold water
Handful sugar-free granola
Small handful desiccated coconut shavings
1 passion fruit, cut in half
30g fresh berries
Sprinkle bee pollen, available in health food shops
Sprinkle cacao nibs, available in health food shops
3 edible flowers, optional

Method:

Using a blender or any smoothie maker, blitz the frozen banana until smooth. Add the peanut butter and blitz again.
Add the frozen berries, the acaí powder and the water and continue blending until smooth. You can add more water until the desired consistency is reached. It should have the appearance of thick Greek yoghurt.
Top with the granola (as much as you like), coconut, passion fruit and berries. Sprinkle over the bee pollen and cacao nibs. Garnish with the edible flowers if using, and serve.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Eathos, click here.

Banana Crêpes

Ingredients:

For the batter:

3 eggs
1 cup high-grade flour
2 cups milk
2 teaspoon butter

For the banana spread:

3 fresh ripe bananas
1 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
Ground cinnamon to taste, optional
Vanilla extract to taste, optional
1 tablespoon rum, optional

Method:

In a big bowl, whisk up the eggs, then add the milk, and mix thoroughly.
Slowly add the flour, keeping whisking to avoid any lumps, until you get a fluid, smooth, even batter. Put the bowl to one side.
While the batter rests for a few minutes, use a fork to mash the bananas in another bowl- you'll want a rough paste. Then drizzle them with the lemon juice, sugar and spices, then thoroughly mash them all together to finish off your spread. If you're going for it, now's the time to boost the bananas with a jigger of rum.
Heat a skillet and grease it lightly with a butter. When the butter is melted pour in 1/4 cup of the crepe batter and gently swirl it around the pan so that it thinly covers the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute on a low flame. Take a peek, and when the bottom side of the crepe is golden brown, flip it, and cook the other side for another minute or so. Put your crepe on a plate and repeat the process until you've used up all the batter.
To finish up your crepes, spread 1 tbsp of banana mixture on one side of each crepe, then roll them into tubes or fold them in half to make triangle shapes.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Sara Mutande and Andrea Lo Vetere, click here.

Raspberry Frosé

Ingredients:

5 parts Sparkling Rosé or Prosecco
¾ parts lemon juice
1 part simple syrup
5-6 raspberries
1 cup ice

Method

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Pour into a coupe and garnish with a fresh raspberry skewer!

To read the full recipe courtesy of Ruffino Wines, click here.

scrambled tofu AND CAULIFLOWER HASH BROWNS

Ingredients:

4 STRONG ROOTS Cauliflower Hash Browns
Homemade Beans
240g tomato passata
1 tin cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1 tbsp. tamari or soya
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp. tomato paste

For the tofu scramble:

1 tbsp. oil
250g tofu
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp cumin
handful chopped spring onion

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C
Place the Cauliflower Hash Browns onto a lined baking tray and bake for 15-17 minutes.
In a small saucepan over high heat add all the bean ingredients and combine well. Bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set to one side until ready to use.
For the tofu Scramble, in a deep frying pan add the oil and tofu, using a fork break up the tofu into a scramble.
Add all the other ingredients and combine into a vibrant yellow colour, cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the spring onion.
Serve the Cauliflower Hash Browns with the scramble, beans and a sliced avocado for the ultimate plant-based feed.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Natural Born Feeder, click here.

Sweet Potato Rosti, Grilled Halloumi And Poached Eggs

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Ingredients:

400g sweet potato, peeled
1 red onion
2 red chillies
1⁄2 thumb-sized piece ginger
10g parsley
1 lime
1 pinch Maldon sea salt
300g plain flour
2 eggs
100g panko breadcrumbs
6 red peppers
2 red onions
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 pinch Maldon sea salt
100g sugar
120ml white wine vinegar
300g dried chickpeas
50-100ml olive oil
1 lemon
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic purée
1⁄2 tablespoon tahini
1 pinch Maldon sea salt
1⁄2-1 tablespoon harissa paste
5 litres water
500ml white wine vinegar
8 free-range eggs
250g block of halloumi
1 stalk cavolo nero, prepped and chopped
1 tablespoon garlic purée
20g nigella seeds

Method:

Grate the sweet potato and squeeze out any excess water. Finely dice the onions, chilli, ginger and parsley and add to the sweet potato. Zest the lime into the mix, season with the salt and mix well.
Add flour to the mix, beat the eggs and mix it all together. Weigh each rosti at 130g and pané in panko breadcrumbs. Keep in the fridge until needed.
To make the salsa, finely slice the peppers, onions and garlic. Heat the oil in a pot and sweat down the onions and garlic for 10 minutes until so . Add the peppers, salt, sugar and vinegar. Cook down until the peppers are so and in their own sauce.
To make the hummus, soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water. Strain the chickpeas and place in a pot with fresh water and bring to the boil. Cook for an hour until soft.
Blend the cooked chickpeas with the oil, lemon juice, garlic purée and tahini together, adding more oil if necessary to loosen it up. Add between half and a full tablespoon of harissa paste, depending on how spicy you want it. Season. Cover with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
To poach the eggs, fill a deep saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Once the water starts to boil, add the white wine vinegar. Bring back to the boil, once the water is a consistent roll, drop in the eggs. Set a timer for three minutes. Remove, drain and serve immediately. You will probably have to do this in batches so keep warm as you go.
Drop the rosti into a hot fryer and cook until golden brown. Place in the oven at 170C/gas mark 3 to finish them off for a few minutes.
While the rosti is in the oven, slice the halloumi into eight slices. Heat a griddle pan and grill the halloumi on both sides until golden brown. Place one heaped tablespoon of harissa hummus in the bowl and drag towards the edge of the bowl.
Heat some oil in a pan, add the garlic purée and cavolo nero and wilt down. Place this on the bottom of the bowl, on top of the hummus. Place the rosti on top of the cavolo nero, then the grilled halloumi and top with the red pepper salsa.
Place one poached egg on top of the red pepper salsa and one on the side, sprinkle with nigella seeds and serve.