There are certainly no shortage of breakfast options for vegans. Most breakfast foods are either naturally vegan or easy to make vegan with a few easy ingredient replacements. With a bit of creativity and experimentation, you will quickly find that there are so many great vegan breakfast ideas. It’s up to you to decide what variety of foods work best for your personal taste preferences and diet.
Vegan breakfast ideas range from sweet foods like oats, granola, and French toast, to savory foods like tofu, bagels, and soup. The abundance of plant proteins in these meals will energize you and keep your brain sharp and focused. To start you off on your discovery of great vegan breakfast ideas, here are 35 such breakfast foods to try out at your leisure. I have grouped these meals into different categories, so that it’s easier for you to find your favorite foods.
Sweet vegan breakfast ideas-oats, granola, and porridge
Oats are cheap, reliable, and provide a good source of plant-based proteins and carbohydrates. They are highly customizable, since you can add whatever ingredients you want in standard oatmeal. You can also soak, bake, microwave, or simmer them to change their flavor and texture.
Peanut butter overnight oats
Oats already have some protein, but adding a nut butter like peanut butter puts in even more. Overnight oats and peanut butter offer the perfect combination of nutrition that staves off hunger like no other food can!
Granola cereal with raisins
This hearty dish goes great with oat or almond milk. Along with raisins, try adding other dried fruits like apples, apricot, or mango for a flavor kick.
Chia seed pudding
Chia pudding is best to eat after chilling it overnight in the fridge. Adding fruits like raspberries and nuts like pecans makes it taste really good. You can store it in a lunchbox to eat it on the go.
Plant- based Yogurt granola parfait
Some people swear by having a parfait in the morning, and it is a great vegan breakfast idea. Coconut milk yogurt parfait, when combined with fruits, nuts, and granola, is an unmatchable protein breakfast that tastes like dessert. Making it homemade is not only extremely easy, it’s also far healthier to have than most premade grocery store parfaits.
Homemade granola
There is nothing quite like the taste of syrupy granola straight out of the oven. Vanilla, hazelnut butter, and dried fruit make the flavors blend together better. Homemade granola can be formed into square granola bars during baking by using a bonding agent like honey, if that suits your fancy.
Quinoa breakfast bowl
Quinoa is an interesting alternative to oats if you are looking for plant-based fiber. Similar to chia seed pudding, you can top it with fruits like raspberries and spices like cinnamon to make it taste great.
Sweet vegan breakfast ideas-pancakes, waffles, and more
You can make pancakes and waffles vegan by swapping eggs for other ingredients like flax eggs, fruit purees, or oils. They taste great and are healthy if you use the right flours.
Fruit filled crepes with non-dairy cream
Crepes taste great when filled with bananas and non-dairy cream. If you have a healthy fruit puree or fruit syrup, drizzle them on top of your crepes to make them irresistible.
Oat flour pancakes
One of the simplest vegan pancake ideas you can make involves using oat flour as a base instead of AP flour. Oat has more fiber than traditional flours.
Carrot waffles
Carrots give waffles and pancakes a subtle orange color. Carrots work as a natural sweetener, so you don’t even have to bother adding granulated or powdered sugar. In most cases, you can simply put carrots in a blender with some water, and use that as the water base for your pancake batter.
Vegan French toast
Surprisingly, French toast without eggs tastes almost the same as normal French toast. It is a tried-and-true breakfast, great for dipping in syrup or honey.
Oatmeal cookies
Oatmeal adds much-needed nutrition to normal cookies, perfect for those that need a cookie fix. All you need to do is mix rolled oats in with normal cookie batter.
Coconut flour banana muffins
Muffins are an underrated vegan breakfast idea. There are a ton of muffin mix-ins, and these kinds of muffins are only one such example. Muffins are great for storing in ziplock bags, so you can eat them wherever and whenever you want. Always make sure you can store your muffins in an area that helps it retain as much moisture as possible, like a fridge cabinet.
Pumpkin pancakes
Pumpkin pancakes are usually eaten as an unconventional family recipe during the fall season. They are a good vegan breakfast idea any time of the year, though, because pumpkin puree is a smooth and healthy mix-in. For even more seasonal flavor and aesthetic, try adding cinnamon spice as a topping or mix-in. You can also easily create pumpkin waffles or French toast if you aren’t particularly fond of pancakes.
Savory vegan breakfast ideas
If you are not a fan of the overabundance of sweet breakfast foods, there are plenty of savory vegan foods as well. In fact, I personally prefer savory over sweet the majority of the time! Make them with the right ingredients, and they will provide a perfect balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. If possible, create them from scratch at home so you can take control of the portion sizes and types of oil that you use.
Avocado toast
Avocado toast is a reliable vegan meal since it is so easy to make, and it is absolutely delicious. Aside from smearing avocado over some hot toast, try adding fresh sea salt and red pepper hummus for an even tastier breakfast.
Whole oat porridge (heated)
The combination of heated oats and ingredients like green onions, squash, and tamari make this a super savory meal. They are nice, filling, and sure to keep you warm during the cold winter months.
Tofu scramble
This is a classic vegan breakfast idea that takes the place of egg scramble. It is the ultimate vegan savory dish and you can customize it in many ways. Try adding ingredients like green onions, chopped pepper, diced tomato, and guacamole to it, along with eating them alongside tortilla chips.
Quinoa and lentil soup
Lentils have some of the highest protein count in the plant kingdom, especially red lentils. I recommend having a nice piece of toast with it, it works great for dipping in the soup. Diced tomato and cooked spinach make this dish even better. When heated, this dish is also very helpful in fighting off a cold if you are sick.
Carrot lox on bagels
At its most basic, carrot lox bagels are bagels topped with thin carrot strips. Carrot is a good alternative to the salmon strips that are commonly seen on bagels. Cucumber and tzatziki work great as toppings. Try these ingredients on top of “everything bagels” for the most savory meal.
Vegan breakfast burrito
An easy-to-make tortilla wrap breakfast, filled with tofu scramble, plant-based ground be’f, and diced veggies.
Chickpea flour omelet
Chickpea flour omelet is an eggless omelet recipe, perfect for a protein vegan breakfast. No flax eggs are required, all you need is chickpea flour and nutritional yeast.
Vegan quiche
Tofu works amazingly well as an egg replacement in this recipe. Tofu-based quiche looks, feels, and tastes just like regular quiche. It tastes even better when you infuse it with roasted red pepper, salt, spinach and onions. Customize your vegan breakfast quiche with spices, herbs, and seasonings.
Tofu fried rice
Tofu scramble is similar in consistency to scrambled eggs, so it only makes sense they pair nicely with fried rice. If you prefer, you can also add in some plant-based chik’n for additional protein. Top it off with a nice drizzle of peanut oil or soy sauce.
Breakfast smoothies
Smoothies contain lots of healthy plant sugars, and they give you a jolt of morning energy better than coffee does. You can either have a big smoothie as a meal replacement or a smaller smoothie as a beverage for any vegan breakfast food. Either way, you will reap the benefits of having your daily fruit and vegetable intake condensed into one delicious drink.
Protein Hawaiian Mango smoothie
This is a uniquely tropical smoothie idea that incorporates plant-based protein. Pineapple and mango go great together thanks to their acidic taste.
Strawberry banana smoothie
A basic smoothie that works well as a side beverage to any vegan breakfast food.
Oatmeal smoothies
Oats give smoothies better texture, creaminess, and taste. In any smoothie recipe, grind oats with other fruits in a blender until it is a mashed-up powder, and you have yourself a much thicker and fiber-packed smoothie.
Healthy green smoothies
Spinach, kale, and avocado turn your smoothie green and all three are great for detox and general nutrition. Spinach and kale both contain lots of iron, magnesium and antioxidants, while avocado makes your smoothie higher in monounsaturated fat and very thick. If you find the taste unappealing, try adding stevia or turbinado sugar, and use a banana to make it creamier.
Nut butter smoothies
Like a protein shake, you can mix peanut butter or almond butter in with fruits and veggies. What you get out of it is a thick, delicious, and filling meal replacement smoothie. Try adding pea protein powder for even more protein.
Carrot mango smoothie
Carrots are some of the most hydrating fruits along with banana and strawberry. When you put carrots with mangoes in a blender, it may come out more like a juice rather than a smoothie, so I recommend adding either Greek yogurt, avocado, or oats to make your smoothie thicker. Cinnamon and banana are great mix-ins as well.
Non-dairy milk yogurt smoothies
Other than peanut butter, adding in plant-based yogurt to your smoothie is the easiest way to get in more protein and probiotics.
Berry smoothie acai bowl
Acai bowls are known for being expensive, but if you make it homemade, it won’t cost nearly as much for the ingredients. Acai berry powder, kiwi, blueberry, raspberry, chia seeds, and granola are fantastic mix-ins to acai bowls that make you want to come back for seconds.
International vegan breakfast ideas
To end off the list, here are a few creative vegan foods served in other countries around the globe. I have always been a fan of trying out foods from other countries, because they play an important role in their unique cultures and lifestyles.
Japanese-inspired miso soup with tofu and vegetables
This Japanese miso soup combines tofu with loads of healthy greens like green onions, peas, and soaked seaweed. The seaweed brings a unique savory flavor to the soup that puts its taste in a league of its own.
Middle Eastern falafel breakfast wraps
This delicious wrap is similar to a vegan breakfast burrito but comes with entirely different ingredients. It uses pita bread as a base, and veggies, tahini sauce and falafel as the mix-ins. Even with just these three ingredients, it tastes really good.
Greek Vegan gyro
A traditional gyro uses meats such as lamb, but a vegan gyro uses certain mushrooms like portobello and stroganoff. Additionally, you can also make plant-based shawarma, which uses jackfruit. Either way you go, these meat replacements make for a tasty umami-rich meatless meal.
Mexican chilaquiles with salsa and guacamole
Chilaquiles are simply lightly fried corn tortillas tossed in salsa verde. Make your own vegan chilaquiles at home by topping them off with tofu scramble and/or grilled onions and peppers. This authentic Mexican chilaquiles rojos recipe from Muydelish is one of a kind and serves as a great starting ground for your own recipe.
Indian-inspired tofu bhurji with spices
Tofu bhurji is a protein-rich tofu scramble variety that is quick and easy to make. It is made with cumin seeds and oil, so it comes out wetter than traditional tofu scramble. You can add many toppings like onions, peppers, shallots, tomatoes, and spices.
