Easy Breakfast in Bed Ideas {Recipes}

These quick and easy breakfast in bed ideas for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day or Anniversaries are romantic, fun and require simple food items and supplies.

*Thank you Dunkin' Donuts for sponsoring today's post so that I can share these tips and recipes with all of you. As always, all opinions are mine.*

I think the first time I had this type of breakfast was on my 21st birthday when my sister woke up early, cooked everything, set it all up in a pretty tray and came into my room to surprise me. We had the best time ever and it's still one of my fondest memories! Since Valentine's day is only a day away, I thought I would share these simple ideas that are sure to win you some brownie points. Please scroll near the bottom of the post to see a list of easy breakfast recipes that you can make to fill your trays.

Components of a Good Breakfast in Bed Tray

A balanced breakfast tray should include the following:

1. Beverage- One only.
2. Two food items- One should be sweet and one should be savory
3. Edible safe flowers- Can use whole flowers or just the petals.
4. Something to read- Such as a personalized card/note or magazine or newspaper or favorite book.
5. Small candies- These are optional and are a great space filler.
6. Utensils and napkins- Depending on what you are serving.

Breakfast in Bed Ideas and Tips

• Make sure to coordinate colors of your tray, plates, napkins, utensils properly. The colors should all compliment each other. If you have theme, stick to it closely.
• You don't have to make everything from scratch. You can buy a lot of food and drinks from the grocery store or your favorite bakery and coffee shops.
• Don't over-fill your tray. It should be kept simple and clean and must include your partner's favorite breakfast items.
• Make sure to use a sturdy tray so that everything is stable and nothing is rolling around when you place it on the bed or the side table.
• How to present all the food items? Use a tray that's big enough to hold all the breakfast items and make sure all those items are spaced out and not cluttered on the tray to look messy.
• Make sure to buy, cook or bake his/her favorite treats. You may not like something that's on the tray but it's his or her favorite and at the end of the day, only their favorite matters- not yours.
• If you are traveling, you can arrange a surprise breakfast for your partner in a hotel room but you will have to make arrangements with the management beforehand.
• Where to buy trays? There are different sizes available at Walmart, Target, online.
• Romantic theme- Focus on lots of pink and red colors along with fresh flowers, especially roses.
• Birthday theme- Include lots of sprinkles, chocolates, candles and maybe even a sparkler.
• Father's day theme- Focus on neutral colors and wood. Perhaps decorate with various greens rather than flowers.
• Mother's day theme- Make it sophisticated with pastel colors and light colored flowers.

Valentine's Day Romantic Pink Tray for Her/ Wife/ Girlfriend

This is so beautiful and dreamy and includes:

• Pink strawberry milk. You can also replace with Strawberry Smoothie or Banana Raspberry Smoothie.
• Triple chocolate granola bars. Try my Homemade Granola Bars.
• Heart shaped donuts. I love how Dunkin' Donuts released these Chocolate-Covered Raspberry and Brownie Batter Crumble heart donuts just in time for Valentine's day. They are adorable and delicious plus it's a wonderful way for two people to share their love for sweet treats!
• Fresh pink flowers

Sophisticated Mother's Day Breakfast Tray for Mom

This one reminds me of Spring and Summer and sunshine and brings a big smile to my face. It includes:

• Tea. You can try Green Tea Matcha Latte or Turmeric Latte (Golden Milk) or even Masala Chai Tea (Karak Chai).
• Pears
• Dunkin' Donuts croissant
• Fresh white/ yellow flowers

Birthday Breakfast Tray

My son helped me set up this next tray and I love how bright and colorful it turned out. It includes:

• Heart shaped Nutella sandwiches (Open faced)
• Fresh strawberries and frozen blueberries. You can also include Chocolate Covered Cherries or Chocolate Covered Raspberries or Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas or Chocolate Covered Strawberries or even Chocolate Covered Blueberries.
• Vanilla Cupcake Swirl Coffee. Guys! This new Dunkin' Donuts coffee in incredible! You can taste the wonderful vanilla cupcake flavor in each sip and smell the phenomenal sweet aroma. It is a strong flavor but not over-whelming which is fantastic.

"Manly" Breakfast Tray for Him/ Boyfriend/ Husband

This one has a rustic charm, thanks to the wooden tray and blue color scheme. It includes:

• Dark coffee. You can also try Iced Vanilla Latte or Mocha Latte or even Homemade Caramel Latte.
• Chocolate dipped cookies. You can also try Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies or Easy Cereal Cookies (With Froot Loops).
• Croissant donuts- These have the flavor and texture of a donut and croissant all wrapped into one incredible treat!
• Small candies. You can even make your own Homemade Chocolate Bars or Homemade Chocolate Truffles (3 Ingredients).
• Single red rose

Breakfast Tray for Father's Day/ Dad

Here is another idea with more neutral color tones. It includes:

• Freshly brewed coffee. You can also try Coffee Smoothie.
• Apples. Consider including these Apple Nachos.
• Walnuts or add these Candied Nuts (Glazed Nuts).
• Poppy seed bagel with cream cheese filling

Breakfast in Bed Recipes

• Croissant- Keep it basic or slice in half and add fillings like eggs, cheeses, jams e.t.c.
• Bagels- You can buy these or make them at home. Pair with plain or flavored cream cheese.
• Biscotti- My absolute favorite is this Chocolate Banana Almond Biscotti.
• Fresh fruits- Such as fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apples, bananas, pears, grapes. You can also make this Easy Fruit Salad.
• Sandwiches- Sky is the limit here. Toast it, fill it, top it, butter it.
• Eggs- Can be in the form of omelette or scrambled eggs or sunny side up or even hard boiled.
• Smoothies- Try this Pineapple Smoothie, or Green Kiwi Smoothie or Blueberry Smoothie or Blackberry Smoothie or Orange Banana Mango Smoothie or this tasty Chocolate Banana Smoothie.
• Milk- You can include plain milk or take it up a notch with this Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate or White Hot Chocolate or Crockpot Hot Chocolate.
• Other beverages- Like coffee, tea, Indian Mango Lassi and even champagne.
• Scones- These Cranberry Orange Scones are mind-blowing!
• Pastries- This includes strudels (like these Strawberry Strudels or Apple Strudel), turnovers (like these Cherry Turnovers or Apple Turnover) and even Cream Horns.
• Donuts- Such as Jelly Filled Donuts (Sufganiyot) or Baked Apple Cider Donuts or Apple Fritters (Fried Apple Donuts) or Easy Baked Pumpkin Donuts.
• Oatmeal- Keep it plain with just sugar and milk or add toppings like fruits, nuts, berries.
• Cereal- There are so many options to choose from these days. For something super fun, make these Rainbow Cereal Bars or these Rainbow Cereal Balls.
• Pancakes- So fluffy and a classic for mornings. Consider these Chocolate Pancakes or Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes or Coffee Pancakes (With Mocha Sauce) or Chocolate Chip Pancakes or Lemon Blueberry Pancakes. For something more unique, give these Pancake Muffins a shot.
• Waffles- Keep them simple or toss some fun add-ins like berries and chocolate chips. Include these Chocolate Waffles or Lemon Blueberry Waffles or this elegant Waffle Cake.
• Crepes- Try Chocolate Crepes or these Best Homemade Crepes (Blender).
• Muffins- Make them mini sized or regular sized. Try these Chocolate Chip Muffins or Chocolate Muffins or Lemon Blueberry Muffins or Soft and Moist Banana Muffins or these No Bake Breakfast Muffins. For Fall, I highly recommend these Applesauce Muffins.
• Nuts- Such as almond, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, cashews.
• Sweet breads- Such as Easy Banana Bread With Cake Mix or Chocolate Banana Bread or Pumpkin Bread (With Cake Mix) or Sweet Potato Bread.
• Rolls- Like these Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls or Upside Down Pecan Sticky Buns.
• Cookies- Consider these Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies or Avocado Cookies.
• French Toast- My favorites are this East French Toast or Cinnamon French Toast Sticks or Eggnog French Toast.
• Energy balls or bars- Such as these No bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls or Chocolate Date Balls or Date Bars/ Squares or Chocolate Coconut Bars (Macaroon Bars).

My Favorite Simple Breakfast Recipe- Heart Nutella Sandwich

That has to be an open faced heart sandwich with chocolate hazelnut spread and sprinkles. It's so simple to make that even kids can pull it off with minimal supervision. If you are not fond of Nutella, then replace with jam or honey or Biscoff another nut butter like sunflower seed butter or cashew butter. You can even spread flavored sweetened cream cheese, which is delightful.

In terms of storage, keep these in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 hours. If you leave it uncovered for too long, the bread will dry out. 

Recipe