11 Healthy Breakfast Ideas That Aren’t Eggs
Updated: Feb. 09, 2023
You don’t have to resort to a sad bowl of bran cereal to start your day off right.
Whip up a green smoothie
Start your day right by packing in tons of nutrient-rich produce into a simple smoothie. Load your blender with a half-cup each of yogurt and low-fat milk for energizing protein, then top it with a cup or two of your favorite fruits. For an even bigger health punch, go green by adding a cup of vitamin-rich spinach or kale. Don’t worry—spinach doesn’t have a strong taste, so you won’t be able to taste it over the fruit. Or try this healthy fruit smoothie recipe.
Get on board with avocado toast
There’s a reason avocado toast has blown up on social media. Not only is the creamy green fruit photogenic, but it’s packed with healthy monounsaturated fats and fiber to keep you full until lunch, along with almost 20 vitamins and minerals. Layer avocado thick on a piece of whole-wheat toast to get its benefits. To make things interesting, try topping it with tomato and basil, corn salsa, fresh crab, or feta cheese. (Related: Don’t miss these healthy breakfast mistakes you didn’t realize you were making.)
Get the lox you love
Lox has just as many heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids as fresh salmon. But you’ll usually find it on top of a high-calorie bagel, which has fast-digesting carbs without much fiber, fat, or protein. This means you’ll end up with a blood sugar spike that leaves you sluggish later. Swap it out for an 8-inch whole wheat tortilla, then top it off with two tablespoons of light cream cheese, an ounce of smoked salmon, and as much cucumber, arugula, and sprouts as you’d like before rolling it up.
Swap eggs for tofu
If you need a vegan recipe but still like eggs, tofu will give you the texture you’re looking for. Drain extra firm tofu and pat it dry, then crumble it up a bit with a spatula so it looks like scrambled eggs before you season it. Sauté whatever veggies you normally like in an omelet—try red peppers, onions, and kale— then add the tofu, and cook until your scramble is slightly browned.
Make sweet potato the star
Sweet potatoes are loaded with eye-boosting vitamin A, bone-healthy calcium and magnesium, and blood pressure-balancing potassium. Cut one in half, roast it in the oven, then top it with yogurt, banana, and cinnamon. Drizzle on honey if you want an even sweeter start to your day. Find the full recipe at Floating Kitchen. Get cultured with the best healthy breakfast ideas from around the world.
Create a yogurt parfait
Greek yogurt has twice as much protein as regular yogurt with the same gut-healthy bacteria, but don’t just settle on a prepackaged container, which can be loaded with added sugar. Get a big tub of low-fat Greek yogurt—which will actually keep you full longer than nonfat—and create a parfait. In a glass, layer your yogurt with fresh fruit, plus crunchy toppings like flaxseed, nuts, unsweetened coconut, and uncooked rolled oats. You’ll have a breakfast almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
Try chickpea pancakes
Subbing out white flour for chickpea flour makes vegan pancakes a savory treat. Whisk ½ cup chickpea flour with garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon baking powder, then add ½ cup of water and keep whisking until the clumps are gone. Add ¼ cup each diced red pepper and green onion, then transfer the mixture to a skillet with olive oil on medium heat. Cook about five minutes, or until lightly golden, before flipping. Serve with savory toppings like hummus, salsa, or avocado. Check out the full instructions at Oh She Glows.
Customize your breakfast burrito
Who says a breakfast wrap requires eggs? Get that stick-to-your ribs feeling from black beans instead, which have more protein than eggs, plus fiber to make them extra filling. Stuff a whole-wheat tortilla with black beans, roasted red peppers, a bit of Mexican blend cheese, and salsa. Roll it up and pop it in the microwave for a satisfying meal. Here’s our list of breakfast ideas without eggs.
Have a healthy hash
Cook up a couple types of potatoes to reap all the nutrition benefits. They’re notorious for being starchy, but one russet potato packs in 64 percent of your daily vitamin C needs, and a sweet potato serves up almost seven times your recommended vitamin A. Dice and boil ¾ pounds of russet with 1 ¼ pounds of sweet potatoes, then cook in a skillet with olive oil, garlic, salt, cilantro, and black beans. Top each serving with guacamole. Get the full recipe from Cookin’ Canuck. Here are the 8 best breakfast ideas for energy and appetite control.
Try a Southern take
A serving of plain grits—no butter or cheese, please—has just 103 calories and 15 percent of your daily iron. Load yours up with shrimp for protein, spinach for a hearty dose of vitamin A, and hot sauce with just a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan for flavor.
Cook up oatmeal
Skip the sugar-filled packets and get a can of old fashioned oats for a healthy breakfast that will lower your blood sugar and bring down bad LDL cholesterol. Stir in fresh fruit, or make it savory by cooking with vegetable broth, mushrooms, and onions.
