How to Host a Friendsgiving Brunch

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We made it through most of the fall festivities. The chill in the air is getting a bit crisper and I find myself preferring to sit on the couch and binge TV dramas (currently Outlander) over meeting my friends for a classic brunch meal. That said, there is one more truly fall activity that foodies and non-foodies obsess over year after year – THANKSGIVING.

Over the years, Friendsgiving has become a staple almost on par with our family-oriented Thanksgiving traditions, but in 2013, Friendsgiving was barely a blip in the universe according to The Atlantic. Six years later, and here I am telling y’all about my absolute favorite type of Friendsgiving – brunch of course!

Why You Should Host a Friendsgiving Brunch

The beauty of hosting a brunch is that you don’t need to cook turkey. Roasting a turkey can take hours, and it kind of steals the show from your family’s Thanksgiving dinner. If you host a brunch, you can still share in all kinds of fall flavors and have something more unique to share with your friends.

Another great reason to have brunch, besides the endless mimosas, is that you can decide if you want it to be a pajama party. One year, my friends and I went to the store to buy cute new jammies and took all kinds of cute pics with our mimosas.

The last obvious reason is that brunch has endless options for people to bring whatever kind of food they want. As the host, maybe you can provide drinks and decorations while your friends bring the main foods.

What to Bring to a Friendsgiving Brunch

To make sure that you have several options, create a spreadsheet and ask people what they can bring. You don’t want a whole table of bagels and eggs. Or, maybe you do, but there should be several options. Last year, my friends and I prepared an entire brunch feast.

Below are a few of the amazing dishes we devoured.

Appetizers and sides

Appetizers and sides should be easy! My absolute favorite easy baked brie recipe is the cranberry pecan baked brie.

• Cranberry Pecan Baked Brie with Crackers
• Roasted Vegetables – I’m a fan of parsnips, Brussel Sprouts, and mushrooms!
• Bagels and Cream Cheese – This might be the easiest thing for guests to bring.
• Sweet Potato Hash

Main Dishes

• Cornbread with Maple Syrup
• Mushroom and Spinach Quiche
• Cream Cheese Sausage Peppers

Desserts

• Make Ahead Pumpkin Breakfast Casserole
• Martha Stewart’s Maple Cheesecake topped with Baked Pears

Fall drinks!

Mimosa options

It’s fall! Spice up your mimosa options with apple cider, cranberry juice, and even pumpkin. I absolutely love making these Apple Cider Mimosas with the caramel rim. It’s practically dessert!

Bloody Mary Bar

Choose your fifth and set up a toppings bar. Depending on your preferences, it doesn’t have to be as big as the toppings bar at Muddy Waters Oyster bar, but you can set up a simple bar with sriracha, cayenne, tobasco sauce, olives, pickles, cucumbers, bacon, salt and pepper, lemons, limes, a Worchchester sauce, etc. Honestly, if you just buy a Bloody Mary mix, that would be perfect, too.