Breakfast is often thought of as the most important meal of the day. Why then, does it feel so boring?
If you start your mornings with standard American fare, maybe you’ve been eating the wrong breakfast! Bacon, eggs, and toast can get tiresome.
While we’re not bashing eggs, most people enjoy a little variety in the morning.
Let us inspire you with 10 breakfast ideas that don’t include eggs as the main menu item.
1. A Healthy Twist on Toast
Even with the recent price wars on avocados, you can still make a quick and economical breakfast with them. Avocados help you get your fiber in along with a whole host of vitamins and minerals.
First, choose your toast. If you prefer a bagel or English muffin, that works too!
After toasting the bread, rub a little fresh garlic on it and then spread the gently mashed avocado. For extra protein, spread a layer of refried pinto or black beans on the toast before you add your avocado.
2. Flip for Flapjacks
There’s nothing as soul-warming as the lovely aroma of pancakes cooking on the griddle. Pancakes work for quick before school breakfasts or leisurely Saturday mornings.
Dress them up with sliced bananas, nuts, and a dollop of whipped topping. Or serve them with nothing more than a pat of butter and sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Pancakes may seem like a time-consuming breakfast item but all you need are a few simple ingredients and a minute to whip up the batter.
You can certainly keep a box of pancake mix in the pantry, but in your heart, you know homemade pancakes taste better! The Kitchen Magpie thinks so too and has a wonderful recipe for flapjacks made from scratch!
3. Bring on the Berry Bowls
Who doesn’t like berries? They make the perfect breakfast because they’re not only tasty, they pack a nutritious punch with things like Vitamin C and antioxidants.
There’s no recipe for berry bowls. Pick your favorite or whatever is in season. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, paired with a sliced banana, mandarin orange sections, or kiwi.
For an extra shot of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, fiber, iron, and calcium, sprinkle a teaspoon of chia seeds over your berry bowl.
4. Breakfast Fit for a Hiker
If you consider trail mix good enough for a snack but not hearty enough for breakfast, think again! Here’s another breakfast idea disguised as a snack.
Take a few minutes to gather the following 5 ingredients and mix up a gluten-free, power-packed trail mix you can eat for breakfast:
- Corn Flakes or Bran Flakes
- Raisins
- Chocolate Chips
- Almonds
- Macadamia Nuts
Try this with semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. You can also substitute dried cranberries for the raisins for a different taste. If you have someone in the house who insists on cereal for breakfast, pour the trail mix in a bowl and add almond or coconut milk.
5. Smoothies Still Rock
Smoothies aren’t new on the breakfast scene, but you can get creative enough with them that you won’t bore your breakfast guests.
Start with a base of almond, soy, or coconut milk. If you can tolerate it and prefer dairy milk, that works too! Try blending one of these combinations:
- Milk of your choice with banana, blueberries, hazelnuts, and rolled oats.
- Coconut milk, frozen pineapple, banana, and a splash of pure vanilla extract.
- Frozen mango, fresh orange slices, banana, and a date.
If you love a green smoothie, start with coconut water and throw in kale or spinach, banana, and pineapple. Add a pop of flavor with a few mint leaves.
Smoothies prove you can still have a healthy breakfast without eggs.
6. Now Serving Oatmeal
Oatmeal and winter mornings bring back fond memories of childhood. Maybe you weren’t fond of oatmeal, or you’ve only tried the packets of dried oatmeal that end up tasting like mush.
Oatmeal done right makes a satisfying, healthy breakfast.
It’s a whole grain. It’s high in soluble fiber. And it packs a healthy amount of protein.
Eat oatmeal for breakfast and you’ll stay satisfied until lunch. Choose quick-cooking, steel-cut, or rolled oats. They all provide healthy nutrition.
Make oatmeal unique by adding fruit, applesauce, or nuts. For extra fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, mix in ground flaxseed. If you like even more decadence, you can buy ground flaxseed mixed with chia, cocoa, and coconut powder.
Won’t you give oatmeal another chance?
7. Quinoa for Breakfast?
People eat pizza for breakfast, so why not quinoa? Most people serve it as a side dish next but we think it makes the perfect substitute for oatmeal.
Quinoa packs a mean protein punch. Pretend it’s oatmeal—the cooking time is similar and you can buy it in quick-cooking packets. Most grocery stores stock quinoa in the aisle where you find rice.
Add peanut, almond, or cashew butter for extra protein. Top with a sliced banana.
8. The Breakfast Kebab
When you see the word kebab you probably think about the grill. Shish kebabs are tasty, but have you considered the sweet version?
Grab your skewers and your favorite fruits because we’re making fruit kebobs.
Fruit kebobs work best with fresh fruits such as melon, apples, berries, and pineapple. Mango chunks, kiwi, grapes, and citrus fruits work great too.
What makes a fruit kebab a meal? Yogurt and honey dipping sauce, of course!
9. Not Your Ordinary Cereal
If you yawn at the thought of eating another bowl of cereal, this breakfast idea is for you.
You can use whatever flaky cereal you choose—raisin bran, bran, or corn.
Put the cereal in a bowl. Add plump fresh raspberries or another fruit of your choice. Pour in milk and top with creamy cashew butter.
How’s that for a different kind of breakfast?
You get your fiber, protein, calcium, and antioxidants all in the same bowl.
10. Can I Have Pudding for Breakfast?
Instead of looking aghast at the child (or adult) who requests dessert for breakfast, now you can say, “why not?”
If you love tapioca or rice pudding, try chia pudding! It’s quick and since chia seeds are high in fiber, protein, and omega-3s, you combine healthy with fun.
You’ll find a recipe for chia pudding on the back of your chia seed package but here’s another one you can try:
- ½ cup milk of your choice (almond milk tastes great)
- 2 TBS chia seeds
- Honey to taste
Mix the chia seeds and milk well in a mason jar. Mix again, then add honey. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
You can add a bit more excitement by topping with berries, banana, or other chopped fruit.
Inspired by Our Breakfast Ideas?
Welcome to a whole new breakfast experience!
Whether it’s oatmeal, cereal with fruit, a bowlful of berries, or a satisfying serving of breakfast pudding, we hope we’ve inspired you to try a few new breakfast ideas.
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