I didn’t grow up in a breakfast household — not in any traditional sense, anyway. It was both a requirement and an afterthought: a stop at the gas station for some packaged muffins or the Cuban bakery for a ham croqueta in a roll, often eaten in my dad’s car on the way to school. But breakfast still managed to present its own kind of thrill, a moment to bond with my dad when he was most pressed for time.

Now, as an adult, I’m a full-fledged breakfast person, someone who makes a warming bowl of oatmeal at the scandalous time of 2 p.m. — and loves it. All that to say, being a breakfast person has no rhyme, time or reason: It’s a spirit, a feeling.

These 24 recipes are meant to make you the best kind of breakfast person, someone who does it effortlessly and without a lot of thought, not someone who rises with the sun and spends hours in the kitchen. The dishes that follow are broken up into categories, with options for harried mornings and leisurely ones alike. All are simple as can be. Because getting out of bed is hard. Breakfast shouldn’t be.

15 Minutes or Less | Under 35 Minutes
Brunches | Make-Ahead Marvels

Fast and Flavorful

15 Minutes or Less

Microwave-Steamed Eggs

Microwave cooking of the 1980s, this is most definitely not. Recalling Chinese zheng shui dan, Japanese chawanmushi and Korean gyeran jjim, these custardy eggs, with their joyful gentle wobble, come together in minutes as they steam in the machine’s lower setting. Their elegance befits a brunch spread, but they’re also fabulous slurped at the counter — the ideal breakfast for one from Eric Kim.