Healthy plant-based breakfast ideas. Every household could use a go-to list of nutritious vegan breakfast options that are easy to make on the busiest mornings. Here are some of our favorite healthy breakfasts for kids.
Feeding kids can be challenging, especially when their preferences change on a daily basis.
On top of that, we know that parents and caregivers are busy people! We all want to start our kids off with a nutritious morning meal, but time and other factors can make breakfast a restricted event.
We’ve got you! While we tend to stick to a handful of breakfast ideas – several of which are listed below – we make tweaks to them regularly so that the presentation and flavor is often different.
Plus, many of these healthy plant-based breakfasts are soft and pliable, and can work for new eaters who are practicing baby-led weaning.
10 Healthy Plant-Based Breakfasts
Here are some of the most frequently made breakfasts in our households. We encourage you to make adjustments to flavors and ingredients as you like!
1. Avocado toast
This really only requires two ingredients: a delicious seedy bread and a ripe avocado. Toast the bread, mash on the avocado… and voila!
If we’re feeling fancy, sometimes we’ll squeeze a little lemon juice on, sprinkle with hemp hearts, or add sliced cherry tomatoes to make a smiley face.
Avocado is a great source of healthy unsaturated fats, potassium, vitamin K, folate, and vision-promoting carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin.
2. Overnight oats
Oatmeal is a favorite in our households, and we switch up the presentation quite a bit.
Overnight oats are made by mixing 1/2 cup rolled oats with 1/2 cup liquid, like fortified soy milk, in a mason jar, stirring in some blueberries and maybe some seeds, and screwing on the lid.
Set in the fridge overnight and it will be soft and ready to enjoy in the morning.
We like to add a ton of seeds to our oats – like chia, flax, and hemp – and often stir in peanut or almond butter. Fruits like sliced bananas, strawberries, raspberries, or peaches, also work well.
3. Nut butter waffles
It doesn’t matter if you choose frozen waffles or homemade here – both make a perfect toasty vehicle for nut butter.
Slather a waffle with peanut, cashew, or almond butter, and sprinkle with seeds. Sometimes we like to top these with raspberries or bananas too.
4. Baked zucchini oatmeal
For a twist on regular oatmeal, here’s an easy casserole-esque approach for your kiddos. Alex made this for her son, who turns up his nose at zucchini presented any other way, and he ate it right up.
How to make it:
- Mix together 1 flax egg in a large bowl until gelled. Whisk in 1/3 cup peanut butter , 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup {omit for babes under 2}, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract & 1 1/2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk.
- Fold in 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt & 3/4 cup shredded zucchini {squeezed to remove as much water as possible}.
- Pour in a lightly greased baking pan and bake for 30 minutes, until baked through and lightly golden brown @ 350F.
- Remove and let cool, then scoop out into bowls. Enjoy on it’s own, or with extra cold milk and a drizzle of nut butter on top.
5. Cereal with fruit
While we don’t tend to keep a pantry full of boxed cereals, there are a few that we like for an easy, time-saving breakfast that our kids will always eat.
Our boys love plain O’s cereal, made by Cascadian Farms or the 365 Whole Foods brands, which goes well with fortified soy milk and berries on top.
You could also drizzle some nut butter on it.
6. Smoothies
We love smoothies because you can pack so much nutrition into them and they’re a fun way to get the kids involved in the kitchen.
Plus, if your kids aren’t big fans of plain fortified plant milk, making it into a smoothie can be an easy, tasty alternative.
Not to mention, they’re easy to travel with if you need breakfast on-the-go.
We enjoy blending berries or other fruit with greens as much as possible.
Try this basic recipe and adjust as you like:
- 1-1/2 cups fortified soy or pea milk
- 1-2 handfuls baby spinach or kale
- 1 cup fruit (fresh or frozen), e.g., berries, banana, mango
- 2 Tbsp hemp hearts, chia seeds, or ground flax seed
7. PB&J sandwich
That’s right – America’s favorite sandwich isn’t just for brown bag lunches.
PB&J is a nutrient-dense, tasty breakfast choice too! You can switch it up and use almond butter instead if you like.
Also, homemade chia jam is super easy.
How to make chia jam:
- Place 12 ounces thawed berries into the base of a blender and pulse a few times until broken down.
- Add the berries into a large bowl and add in 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup chia seeds and 1/2 t vanilla, then mix together until well combined.
- Place in the fridge for 15 minutes, then remove and stir again. Cover and place back in the fridge until gelled, about 2-3 hours.
- If you want a more smooth jam, then place back in the blender once gelled and blend again.
Nut butter can also be made at home, by simply placing 1 cup of raw unsalted peanuts, almonds, or cashews in a high speed blender, and using the tamper to pulse it until smooth.
8. Fruit/veggie muffins
What kid doesn’t love muffins? Might as well pack em with nutrients.
Note that this one takes a little planning ahead as you’ll probably want to make them the day or night before if you want to serve them for breakfast.
While we do enjoy a traditional banana walnut or oat bran muffin, we often try things like pumpkin or zucchini.
Try our recipe for Blueberry Walnut Muffin Tops or if you’re doing baby-led weaning, we have another recipe for perfect weaning muffins for littles.
9. Tofu scramble
Tofu scramble can become quite the veggie-packed plate if that’s your goal, but for kids’ breakfast we recommend keeping it fairly simple.
Tofu crumbled in a skillet and cooked with a little nutritional yeast, seasoning (e.g., paprika, turmeric, or cumin), and a couple of chopped veggies can go a long way.
Frozen broccoli, spinach, or cauliflower work well here, as do diced bell peppers. Top with some cubed avocado or a side of salsa.
10. Vegan French toast
You can make vegan French toast – sans eggs – a couple of different ways.
Dip bread in either a batter of:
- 1.5 cups fortified plant milk, 1.5 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp cinnamon, or
- 1 cup Just Egg, 1/2 cup fortified plant milk, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon
If you choose the first batter, activate the chia seeds by letting the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes before you use it.
If you use the Just Egg recipe, it’s recommended to let your bread soak in this batter for 10-15 minutes per side before cooking.
Top with nut butter!
We hope you find these healthy plant-based breakfast ideas helpful. Making vegan breakfast options can be easy even on the busiest of mornings. Enjoy some of our favorite healthy breakfasts for kids and make them your own!
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Chime In: What are some of your family’s favorite plant-based breakfasts? Share in the comments!
If you like this post, we think you’ll enjoy some of these others:
- Batch Cooking: What is it and why should you do it?
- Top 10 Plant-Based Foods for Toddlers
- Feeding the Rainbow
- 10 Healthy Plant-Based Travel Foods for Kids
