35+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas
When you are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, the best place to start is the first meal of the day. That's why today we are sharing healthy breakfast ideas to help you start every day off on the right foot. Whether you like batch breakfasts or make-ahead meals, sweet or savory, we have ideas for everyone. These are also Noom Diet Friendly breakfast ideas. Partner affiliate links are used in this article.
I know a lot of people moan and groan when the alarm clock goes off. Another day, another breakfast to make.
But I propose another perspective: “Another Day! Another chance to start off by fueling myself with something healthy.”
Sure, junk foods and fast food are easier. And we have been taught by every ad out there that we WANT easy. We want cheap, we want fast.
But if you are on a path to lead a healthy lifestyle you are going to have to face a simple fact: You are worth MORE than that.
You are worth food that takes time to prepare. You are worth food that costs money. You are even worth the effort it takes to learn to cook it.
We all face obstacles. Long work hours, short pay check, maybe other mouths to feed. But you can do this. You can solve these problems and tackle these obstacles.
If you ever need a reminder, imagine that scene from Crazy Stupid Love when Ryan Gosling tells Steve Carell to “be better than the Gap.”
Be better than junk food. Be better than junk food.
Here is a great place to start.
Look through these healthy breakfast ideas and see if you can pick ONE to try. It's ok if you have never tried an ingredient before, or have never done a cooking technique before. All you have to do it try something.
Whether you believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day or not… I hope you can see that you are the most important YOU of the day and, you are worth of a healthy breakfast.
Now what is a healthy breakfast, anyway?
Yeah, about that all-popular buzz-word, healthy. It means different things to different people.
- If you have a food allergy, then a healthy meal avoids your particular allergen.
- If you are diabetic then a healthy meal minimizes a sugar spike among other things.
- If you follow the Noom Diet, then you may be looking for meals that are less calorie dense.
- Atkins? No carbs or low carbs.
- WW? Lower points foods.
You get the message. Your definition of a healthy breakfast may be different.
Overall my goal was to have a list of healthy breakfasts with whole food ingredients and tons of nutrients. I was looking for fruits, veggies, whole grains and if possible lower calories.
But please do check any recipes of interest to be sure they meet your criteria for the word healthy. By all means make substitutes where you need to.
Take the ones that inspire you, leave the ones that don't, and keep them handy for when you need ideas.
Okay let's check out these breakfast ideas.
For some of these, I share my “non-recipe” way of making the meal, and others I shared links to recipes. Click through link for the full healthy breakfast recipe.
Sweet Healthy Breakfast Ideas
Finding sweet treats for breakfast that fit your dietary goals might seem daunting but there are tons of ways to satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your calorie budget.
Read through these for new takes on old ideas too.
- Yogurt or Skyr– Nonfat vanilla yogurt or skyr (pronounced skeer) with berries is a quick and easy breakfast. Skyr is an Icelandic style yogurt that usually has more protein than sugar (unlike almost every other product in the yogurt section these days). It has become my go-to yogurt type item for this exact reason. I also may add a spoonful of pistachios or crunched up walnuts for a little crunch and extra protein.
- Oatmeal– If you hated the glue-textured oatmeal packets as a kid, you should give oatmeal another try as an adult. For an instant microwave variety I love the texture and flavor of Better Oats Thick and Hearty Blueberry Muffin Flavor. (They have several varieties and the Thick and Hearty ones are my favorite but you may prefer the Steel Cut or 100 calorie ones. The texture on each of those is different though.) I'll even add extra texture with berries and a spoon full of nuts. To make it into a grab-and-go breakfast, experiment with overnight oats. Check out SkinnyTaste's Overnight Oats in a Jar article, I love the story about her brother's cholesterol.
- Warm Fruit – There are so many possibilities here and it can be as easy as microwaving apple slices and drizzling them with a spoon full of peanut butter. We also love to slice a banana lengthwise and heat it in a skillet, then add a dollop of skyr or yogurt with berries. It's like a breakfast banana split but so warm and cozy.
- Smoothies- Oh man. The mother of all grab-and-go, super easy breakfast ideas. SO many possibilities but it really doesn't have to be labor intensive at all. Here is my non-recipe: I always start with a ripe banana for sweetness (I never need honey or sugar if I use a banana), then add frozen fruit, a spoonful of peanut butter or a container of greek yogurt and add some water. That's all I NEED. Then I use my stick blender right in the cup, blend it up and rinse off the blender, done. Now is that all I ever add? Heck no. It just depends on what we have. I might add spinach or kale (you don't taste it), uncooked oats (yes they get chopped up with everything else), maybe we have some fresh fruit that is getting over ripe, maybe chia seeds. Who knows! Whatever you have is fine too. Don't have ingredients on-hand? For a healthy variety of ready to blend smoothies delivered to your door, check out Daily Harvest (My readers get a great deal with Promo code LALYMOM)
- Flourless 2 Ingredient Pancakes– If you've never tried these, they are just ripe banana and an egg. You can add a dash of baking soda, vanilla, nuts or berries, whatever you like. Perfect breakfast. They come out more like crepes in my mind but if you want to avoid the normal flour pancakes, try this healthy swap. Of course you can add more than 2 ingredients…. cinnamon or vanilla maybe, blueberries, etc. Even a small amount of maple syrup or almond butter, but they're moist so you don't need much. Check out Hurry Up The Food's World's Simplest Pancakes Recipe if you don't believe how east they are.
- Sweet Potatoes – This may seem like an odd breakfast choice but hear me out. Poke a few fork holes in your sweet potato and use the baked potato setting on the microwave. When it's done set it to cool and slice it in half. Depending on the size you may have multiple days worth. Put a few pieces on a plate. While it cooks and cools, grab whatever toppings you have on hand. You can take this sweet or savory actually. Sweet: berries and a drizzle of almond butter (it is practically a dessert, but so many vitamins and nutrients!). Savory: drop an egg in a skillet and pair with a slice of avocado or whatever veggies you like. Check out Eat the Gains' Breakfast Sweet Potatoes 3 Ways.
- Fruit Taco or Burrito – Find a lower calorie or low card tortilla that fits your dietary needs, add a small smear of peanut butter or similar, and a banana or really any fruit you have on hand. Taco or burrito it, and eat!
Healthy Handheld Breakfast Options
If you have a habit of stopping by your favorite coffee shop or bakery on the way to work, you might be looking for something more like a pastry or handheld option. Try making and freezing a batch of something below for a quick grab-and-go healthy breakfast. Below are some recipes and prepackaged muffin mixes to try. Again confirm they match up with your dietary needs.
- Healthy Zucchini Muffin Recipes – Adding zucchini to muffins is a great way to boost the nutrients.
- Healthy Carrot Cake Muffin Recipes – Another veggie option to make a tasty morning meal is carrot.
- Krusteaz Oat Bran Muffin Mix – This is a box mix that has more than the empty calories in your standard muffin.
- Lankato Sugar Free Muffin Mix – Another option for a pre-made muffin mix with no sugar.
- Amazon has a wide variety of Healthy Muffin Mixes, depending on your nutritional needs.
- Healthy Egg Muffins – These are a great and versatile option to get more protein in a handheld package.
- Quinoa Omelette Bites – What a different take on the egg muffins.
- Easy Breakfast Roll Ups – Just like muffins, these can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. They use a flour tortilla but you can use which ever type suits your needs.
- Fruit Quesadilla – These would probably be best made fresh each day, but they are super speedy. I love all the substitutions she gives.
Savory Healthy Breakfast Ideas
If sweets are not your jam, and you're looking for something more savory you still have tons of options for a healthy morning meal. Again we find some classics mixed in with some new ideas.
- Eggs – Fried eggs, hard boiled, scrambled eggs or egg whites with or without veggies – We don't need to reinvent the wheel here, scrambled eggs are quick and easy. I used to think that any cooking in the morning was too much cooking, but now that I make eggs regularly it's crazy how I thought these few minutes a day were too many. Eggs are an easy, non-junk-food source of protein, they can be eaten plain or dressed up. I can turn on the burner under my skillet, get out the ingredients, then the pan is warm by the time I add the egg, and by the time the egg is done I have put away my ingredients. Add salsa, or your favorite veggie, even a taco sauce or hot sauce. I went through a kick of using Garden Gourmet pre-chopped herbs…my favorite is basil, gives me pesto flavor without the extra oil and nuts.
- Bagels – Think bagels can't be healthy? Sample some healthy bagel options like whole grain bagels, Bagel Thins, O'Dough's Thins or Dave's Killer Bread bagels. l like to top one with laughing cow and everything bagel seasoning. You can use a simple hack and customize your own healthy bagels with this weight watchers 2 ingredient bagel recipe.
- Avocado Toast – This is one of those funny dishes that got trendy in restaurants, even though it is super simple to make at home. If good avocados are hard to come by, you could try pre-made guacamole. I found one by Yucatan that comes in a squeeze pouch which minimizes browning. Leave it plain or add toppings. Some ideas are an egg, ricotta or a spoon full of crushed nuts.
- Breakfast Bowls – There are SO many easy, precooked ingredients you can add. My super simple version is as follows. I turn on the burner under a small skillet, grab my eggs, a bowl, a can of black beans and some cheese. When my skillet is warm I crack an egg in it, and salt and pepper that puppy. While the first side cooks, I open the can of beans, grab a handful and rinse them off, plop them in the bowl, microwave them if you want them warm. (I have a lid that fits cans, so the can goes into the fridge for tomorrow.) Flip the egg, let the second side set to your preferred yolk level. Put the egg into the bowl, and sprinkle a pinch (a pinch not a handful) of cheese on top…. and boom. Filling breakfast with fiber and protein. I might mix it up with grape tomatoes, leftover vegetables, etc. Use what you like.
- Breakfast Sandwiches – Try a whole grain english muffin, egg and slice of avocado or small bit of cheese. I didn't add this in the handheld section because if you leave the yolk soft it is kinda messy.
- Mexican Breakfast – Makeover the standard breakfast tacos or breakfast burritos with either smaller tortillas or whole grain/carb control tortillas. Again, I love Yukatan's squeeze pouch of guacamole for a quick flavor hack. Scramble up an egg, add salsa and a squirt of guac. Done.
Packaged Healthy Breakfast Ideas
So, I still maintain that you are worth the time and effort it takes to make breakfast, and it often doesn't take as long as you think it will.
BUT sometimes we all need to just grab something and go. Once in a while, a store bought option has to do. Again, check out the nutritional facts and ingredients if you have specific dietary needs.
Several of these are yellow foods on Noom, but the database changes from time to time, so always check.
I'm linking to the foods below, with affiliate partner links where available, but even if you don't buy them online at least you can see what they look like.
- Fruit – Dude. 🤷♀️ If you are grabbing and going, you better be grabbing a piece of fresh fruit. Can't beat nature's original grab and go food! If you are out of the habit of eating fruit, try it for a week. Grapes, apples, oranges, which ever strikes your fancy.
- Daily Harvest Smoothies – Delivered to your door, all whole ingredients. Most of them are green and yellow on Noom. I fill it up with water, dump in the cup for my stick blender, and then buzz it up with my stick blender. Quick clean the stick blender, then it goes back in the drawer, breakfast is ready.
- Oats Overnight Brand Breakfasts – These end up more like a drinkable breakfast, made in a shaker cup, than your standard oatmeal. I like they they are mostly yellow on Noom.
- Garden Lites Frittatas and Garden Lites Muffins – These are super quick and my kids like them too. I hear a lot of people buying them at Costco but our local grocery store carries them too.
- Sandwich Bro's Breakfast Pockets – We find different varieties from this brand at different stores in our area. Some have just egg and cheese, some have turkey sausage and egg, etc. Some are Noom Red Foods and others are Yellow.
- Evol Breakfast Foods – They have breakfast sandwiches and burritos that are yellow on Noom.
- Jimmy Dean Delights – These are lightened up versions of your popular fast food breakfast sandwiches.
Kitchen Gadgets for Quick and Easy, Healthy Breakfasts
If you like to solve problems with a precise tool, then consider getting a kitchen gadget or appliance to simplify your healthy breakfast routine.
Dash Rapid Egg Cooker – This little gadget makes several different styles of eggs. I first heard about it from a friend whose son uses it to make his own breakfast every morning, so it is obviously easy and kid-approved.
Immersion Blender – AKA the Stick Blender, this gadget stores easily in a drawer and cleans up so much quicker than a normal blender. It is probably my most-used kitchen gadget as a frequent smoothie maker.
Breakfast Sandwich Maker – If you'd rather make a healthy version of your favorite fast-food breakfast sandwich, this is like one stop shopping. Lots of recipe ideas in the reviews.
Omelette and Frittata Maker – Another egg gadget. If you want to make healthy versions and cut a few corners, this is a quick and easy way.
Electric Sandwich Maker – I know everyone's first thought is grilled cheese but sealed breakfast sandwiches made with lighter bread are a breeze for grab-and-go, out the door breakfasts.
What are your favorite easy, healthy breakfasts? Did I miss some? Let's hear about it in the comments below.
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