Personal Finance Resources: Financial Education & Literacy

Affordable & Delicious Brunch Ideas

Written by PSECU | May 1, 2023 12:00:00 PM

A farm-to-table brunch at your favorite local restaurant is hard to turn down. But, when you’re trying to save a few pennies, hosting brunch at home is an affordable alternative. With these brunch ideas, we make sure you’re not skimping on flavor and fun, when you need to skimp on spending.

Fancy Toast

Avocado toast launched the fancy toast movement. Since then, it’s seen as many iterations as you can imagine. But, the reality is, it’s popular for a reason: it’s cheap, easy, and delicious.

A blank slate, fancy toast is as easy as toasting up your favorite kind of bread and getting creative with ingredients and flavor combos. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Avo Toast. Sliced or mashed avocado, your favorite seasonings, maybe an over-easy egg, or some cheese. A few dashes of hot sauce top this off.

Eggs. Over-easy eggs with chili crisp or pesto get your brunch off to a good start.

Ricotta. Whip ricotta with garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and chili flakes. Spread on the toast and top with chopped tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Croissants

No, we’re not suggesting you labor for hours making a perfectly laminated croissant dough. Who has time for that? Leave it to the pros! But we are suggesting you grab a tube of good old crescent rolls at the grocery store. With a few small tweaks you can dress that dough up into something delicious.

It could be as simple as adding a dollop of Nutella, jam, or cream cheese to the dough before rolling it into the famous crescent shape. Once baked, drizzle with a glaze made from powdered sugar and milk. Voila! You’ve got a delicious, sweet treat for your brunch table.

One Pan Wonders

One pan dishes not only make clean up a breeze but are a one-stop shop for all your favorite brunch ingredients.

Strata. An eggy bread pudding, usually made with savory flavors, this dish is baked until golden brown on top. A classic strata is one made with bacon, caramelized onions, spinach, and your favorite cheese.

Frittatas. Frittatas are essentially the Italian version of a quiche but without a crust. The egg base is fortified with meats, herbs, veggies, and/or cheese and baked. You can sauté your ingredients in a large skillet, add the eggs, and pop the whole thing into the oven for this one pan wonder.

Shakshuka. A dish native to north Africa, shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in a tomato, pepper, and onion sauce seasoned with Harissa, a spicy red pepper paste. Cooked start to finish in one pan, if you like a little zing with your brunch, this is the dish for you!

Brunch Board

Instead of a charcuterie board, try making a brunch board! Load up a tray or large wooden cutting board with your favorite breakfast treats: sausages, bagels, Danishes, jams and other spreads, fruits, veggies, nuts. The possibilities are endless. And, what’s more stunning than a gorgeous tray of food arranged beautifully, as the centerpiece to your brunch table?

Coffee Cake

We've covered a lot of savory brunch items in this blog, so let’s dive into something on the sweeter end of the spectrum – coffee cake.

With humble and affordable ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs, and milk, the base of the coffee cake is formed and becomes a canvas upon which you can paint with any flavors or sweet additions you like. Typically, there’s a cinnamony streusel middle layer, and a crumbled topping. Popular versions of coffee cake include blueberry lemon, classic sour cream, and apple. Regardless of what flavor profiles you end up with, this is sure to hit the sweet spot.

Earn Rewards on All Your Brunches

Whether you’re meeting up with friends for brunch at a neighborhood spot, or hosting brunch at your home, you’ll earn rewards on every purchase*, every time with our Founder’s Rewards Card. Make the most of your purchases with a card whose rewards never expire and has no category restrictions on the rewards you can earn. Apply today!

*You can earn 1.5% cash rewards on purchases. You can earn 2% cash rewards on purchases if you maintain a PSECU checking account and qualifying monthly direct deposit(s) of at least $500. See the Visa® Founder's Card and Visa® Alumni Rewards Card Rewards Program Terms and Conditions for full details.