You’ve got a fantastic family vacation rental booked and now you’ve got to plan out all the meals. We’re sharing the best quick and easy breakfast ideas that the whole family will love. This breakfast guide is great for big families and families with children.
Key to Success #1 – Variety is the Spice of Life
The key to a great breakfast spread is offering a variety of foods to satisfy everyone’s personal preferences and dietary needs.
If you have a little bit of several items, it increases the likelihood that every person will find something that they can eat.
Obviously, you may need to adjust if your family has some special health needs but this roundup is a good place to start.
You do not need to cook up a huge gourmet morning meal every day while you are on vacation.
Plan to have some pastries, a few fruit options, and some meats and cheeses most days.
While not included in this list, morning drink options are also very important.
If your family includes coffee drinkers, it may make sense to bring along a small Keurig coffee machine with an assortment of K-cups or a small coffee maker.
You can also pick up a carton of milk and juice to supplement your breakfast selections.
Key to Success #2 – Work With What You Have
None of the recipes and breakfast options on our list require special appliances.
They can all be made in disposable pans.
Most vacation rentals have a decent selection of pots and pans, utensils, and serving dishes.
We always bring our own paper plates, plastic silverware, disposable cups, and plenty of paper napkins.
If you are planning to grab disposable cups, put a Sharpie market in your bag so that people can label their drinks.
This will prevent everyone from grabbing a new cup every time they need a sip.
If using disposable cups, bring a Sharpie marker so that you can put names on cups to reduce waste.
Jennifer Smith, Grace Like Rain Blog
Plan on bringing and salt and pepper shaker in case your vacation home does not have one available.
You can find some very practical airtight plastic salt shaker sets that will make them very easy to travel without spilling.
Or look for picnic-sized salt and pepper shakers in the spice aisle of many supermarkets.
Key to Success #3 – Grocery Pick Up And Delivery Is Your Friend (And so is Amazon Prime)
Grocery pick up and delivery has become a game-changer for vacation meal planning.
It Is smart to plan all of your vacation meals in advance so that you know what you need to buy.
Set up a grocery pickup for as soon as you get to your travel destination.
Many grocery and big box stores around touristy areas are super packed during busy travel times when people are arriving at their vacation homes.
It will save you a lot of time and frustration if you order your groceries in advance.
If you need some ideas for vacation lunches for your family, be sure to check out our list of 18 Family Vacation Lunch Ideas.
You can usually find a Walmart store near your destination, but many other grocery stores are now offering pick-up services.
Place your order 1-2 days in advance so that you can get a pickup time that is convenient for your travel schedule.
Schedule your grocery pick-up order 1-2 days in advance to ensure a convenient pick up time.
Jennifer Smith, Grace Like Rain Blog
And you don’t have to pick up everything at once.
If the grocery store is relatively close to your vacation rental, you can make additional pickups during the week.
You can also get Amazon deliveries to your vacation house. Many items will be delivered within 1-2 days if you are an Amazon Prime member.
Amazon is offering a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime right now.
You can sign up right before your vacation and use the service for free for up to 30 days.
And bonus – you can Instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes and borrow Kindle books during your free trial!
If you’ve forgotten something that you need, having it to delivered to your vacation rental with Amazon Prime is a huge benefit.
Let Us Help You Plan Your Vacation Menu
Having trouble coming up with a menu for your family vacation?
We can help!
Our blog posts about vacation meal planning are a great place to start.
- Vacation Breakfast Ideas for Families
- Vacation Lunch Ideas for Families
- Vacation Dinner Ideas for Families
- Vacation Dessert Ideas for Families
If you have more questions, leave us a comment and we will help you out!
If you are headed to the beach with your family, don’t miss our list of Beach Essentials for Families.
We have a lot of great ideas for making the beach fun for the entire family, from toddlers to grandparents and everyone in between.
For families with small children, don’t miss our list of clever beach toys that will keep kids entertained for hours.
Save this Family Vacation Breakfast Roundup to your Easy Breakfast Ideas board or your Family Vacation board.
Family Vacation Breakfast Ideas
When you are on vacation, breakfast is an easy meal to serve at your vacation rental house.
Serving breakfast at home will allow people to wake up and start the day on their own schedule without having to rush.
This list will give you lots of options for easy and healthy breakfast options that your family will love.
Paula Deen's Butterscotch Pull-Apart Bread is one of my favorite make-ahead breakfast recipes.
It takes just a few minutes to throw together the night before then rises all night into a fluffy sweet bread that is loaded with a thick butterscotch sauce and pecans.
Couldn't be easier - or more delicious.
Make-ahead breakfast items are great for vacations.
The first person up in the morning just needs to pop this beauty into the oven.
Impressive breakfast in minutes!
Pre-packaged pastries are an easy option for breakfast while on vacation.
Individually packaged breakfast items will stay fresh for longer than family packs.
We are partial to honey buns. They remind me of my childhood!
Bananas can be eaten any time and are a favorite for both kids and adults.
You can cut them up or leave them whole or even cut them in half.
Fresh danishes from the local grocery store are a great way to start off your vacation breakfast spread.
They require no cooking or preparation on your part and your guests can eat them fresh from the market.
There are lots of options to choose from like cream cheese danishes or apple and cherry danishes.
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole is chock full of ham, cheese, tater tots, and eggs.
It's just like eating a ham and cheese omelet only better.
This recipe is made with only a few ingredients so this cuts down on what you will need to buy.
Most vacation rentals have a 9x13-inch pan for you to use, but you can bring a disposable pan.
It stores and reheats very well, too.
Powdered Donuts stay fresh for a long time and that makes them a great option for breakfast while you are on vacation.
Also great to have on hand for snacking.
Muffin mixes are great if you want to freshly bake a few breakfast items throughout the week.
Pick up a pack of disposable muffin tins to bake your muffins in so that you don't have to worry about clean up.
This is a great option if you are concerned about running out of breakfast foods.
If you don't end up needing it on vacation, you can just take the box back home with you and bake them another day.
Apple Cinnamon Bake is a super simple recipe that combines refrigerated cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling to make a delicious breakfast casserole.
The cream cheese icing on this apple pie cinnamon roll breakfast lasagna makes it a standout star on the breakfast table.
It's easy to make and takes only a few ingredients so it's ideal for a vacation breakfast.
Strawberries are a great breakfast option and can be eaten any time.
Just wash them and serve them directly from the package.
They will stay fresh for several days.
Precooked bacon is a great keto option for your guests.
The bacon is already fully cooked and all you have to do is heat it up in the microwave.
It's great for vacation breakfasts because you can only heat up the amount that is needed each day and save the rest for another day.
Blueberries are an easy choice for breakfast.
Kids love this one.
Be sure to wash them before serving.
Mini cinnamon rolls are great because they are smaller in size and people can try a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Bite-sized pastries are also a great option for kids because you won't be wasting a lot of food if they decide that cinnamon rolls are not their favorite today.
Grapes are a great addition to your breakfast buffet.
They are easy to serve and very filling.
You can get purple, red, or green varieties or a mixture of all three.
Cheese cubes are a great way to get some calcium and protein into your breakfast.
Eating foods like cheese will help you and your family stay full longer so this is a great option for your vacation breakfast.
If at all possible, find watermelon spears that are already cut up for you.
This will save you time and you won't have to hunt for a container to store your watermelon at your vacation rental.
Mini muffins come in many different flavor combinations and that makes it a perfect breakfast option for your family vacation.
Chocolate chip muffins or blueberry muffins are popular choices for many people.
Croissants are a fantastic option for those who like a less-sweet breakfast items.
The tender and flaky pastry will provide a different texture to your breakfast table.
Mini chocolate frosted donuts can bring a little bit of chocolate to your breakfast spread.
Just like powdered donuts, they can be served any time of day. They make a great snack.
Cinnamon rolls are another easy option if you want to freshly bake breakfast treats on certain days.
Most vacation rentals have a pan that you can use to bake cinnamon rolls.
You can use any shaped cake pan or even a rimmed cookie sheet.
If you are concerned about pan availability, you can bring a pack of disposable cake pans with you.
Cantaloupe chunks are a great for breakfast and can also compliment other meals on your vacation.
Look for fruit that is already cut up for convenience.
Overnight French Toast Bake is a perfect make-ahead breakfast that will feed a crowd.
With its delicious cinnamon flavor and crunchy French Bread, this is sure to be a fan-favorite.
Pineapple chunks are great for breakfast, especially if you are at the beach or in a tropical climate.
You can often find pre-cut pineapple chunks in the produce section of your local grocery store.