10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas (Compilation #30)

Breakfast time again! This one seems more bready than is typical. I guess I was in the mood for carbs! But there are a few less carb-heavy, more savory options here, too. If anything, I think this compilation might reflect my love affair with cranberry season, although there are plenty of other things I've found to share with you, if you aren't a cranberry person. (But how can you not be a cranberry person!?)

1. Cranberry Orange Mini Loaves (Nut Free, Soy Free)

Look at these cute little mini loaves! I used the recipe for vegan cranberry orange muffins at The Simple Veganista but cut it in half and divided the batter among four ultra mini loaf pans. I forgot to sprinkle sugar on top before baking them, but that's probably a better idea for breakfast anyway. These had a wonderful flavor and were so easy to make! Just another joy of cranberry season.

2. Loaded Mashed Potato Waffle with JUST Egg Scramble, Spinach, and Avocado (Nut Free)

I gave you a recipe for this savory waffle a little while ago, but you can try different toppings, too. It's a great use of leftover mashed potatoes, and good for a morning you want something substantial and savory.

3. Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Coconut Whipped Cream

As I've increased my potassium intake (as I've told you many times), I am on a perpetual quest to find new ways to use bananas. This recipe is from Orchids and Sweet Tea. Make sure you keep your stove set low; if you cook these too fast they burn pretty easily. A garnish of extra bananas and chocolate chips makes the whole thing look as good as it tastes. Because of the coconut whipped cream, it's not quite so sugary as it would be with syrup, though you can obviously also add syrup if you like things to be sweeter. 

5. Spiced Butternut Squash Blended Chia Pudding with Coconut Whipped Cream (Gluten Free)

There is more than one way to get potassium in the morning, no matter my love affairs with potatoes, bananas, and avocado: Butternut squash also packs quite a bit. (I am not a medical doctor; this is not medical advice.) It's also another way to have an excuse to eat whipped cream, which you know I'll always go for! This spiced blended chia pudding is a nice seasonal treat in the morning. Here's my recipe. I had it with option #5 to round out the meal and get something hot in the morning.

5. Cafix Latte (Nut Free)

I have never been a coffee person. But grain coffee is another story. Those 19th-century people who drank the magical stuff were geniuses; we just forgot about them. Grain coffee skirts some of the ethical concerns surrounding coffee production, which is something of a bonus, but it's not the only reason I like this latte.

This is an easy hot drink for some added protein when I don't want plain soy milk: Hot soy milk with a few teaspoons of instant Cafix mixed in! Because Cafix is a grain coffee, it naturally contains no caffeine. It has many of the flavor notes of coffee without the bitterness of caffeine (and without the side effects my doctors don't want me to have). It's made from a mixture of chicory, roasted barley, figs, and beets. That may sound really weird but I find it quite nice! A warning, if you avoid gluten: Barley is not wheat, but it does contain gluten, so this is not gluten free. If you need a gluten-free grain coffee, though, there may be options, so stay tuned to see what I try out as I explore. The world is wide, remember.

6. "Mexican" Breakfast Casserole (Soy Free, Gluten Free Option)

I've long been intrigued by this recipe for a Mexican-inspired breakfast casserole at Midwestern Healthy Girl, and I finally made it! I put Mexican in scare quotes because it didn't feel right to call it Mexican, somehow. But it has a lot of what we think of as Mexican food in it, nonetheless.

It has layers of enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, shredded hash brown potatoes mixed with peppers (and onions, in my case), a delicious cashew cheese sauce, and scallions. I cut it in half to make four servings rather than eight, so I could get through the leftovers before it went bad. Although I think the quality of this will vary significantly based on the quality of your refried beans (and I'm kicking myself for not doctoring up my own can of refried beans), this was a great change of pace. I think you have to let it cool if you don't want it to spoon out as a gloopy mess, but since I was planning on leftovers anyway that was fine with me. Just the first serving was a huge gloopy mess. A drawback--if you can call it that--is that you'll have extra cashew cheese, but I have plans for that liquid gold.

If you want this to be gluten free, substitute a prepared gluten free enchilada sauce, rather than following the recipe--although if you can have gluten, I highly recommend that oil free enchilada sauce! It reminded me distinctly of the Tex Mex food I grew up eating.

7. Cranberry Oatmeal (Gluten Free, Soy Free, Nut Free Option)

I still had some fresh cranberries (and loving them!) so I made this recipe for cranberry oatmeal from TheVegLife. I cut the recipe in half to just make one bowl. I think I'd put less sugar in next time, because this was very sweet, but otherwise it was a perfect way to start a cold day--gently spiced cranberries in a homemade syrup folded into basic oatmeal. The color it takes on is really enticing! If you need it to be nut free, just leave off the walnut garnish. It would probably be prettier if I'd garnished it with some raw cranberries (as the original recipe developer seems to have done), but I will warn you against ever eating a raw cranberry straight up. I have learned my lesson long ago, so please learn from my experience!

8. Spinach and Mushroom JUST Egg Quiches (Nut Free)

Served here with some peppered hash browns, a Beyond Meat sausage patty, halves of grape tomato, and mini avocado slices, this was a pretty near perfect breakfast (albeit in kind of a messy plate!). It's pretty straightforward to make vegan quiches with JUST Egg. Let me know if you want a recipe; I do have one written down for this.

9. Almond Butter Banana Bread with Non-Dairy Cream Cheese and Strawberry Jam (Soy Free)

I found this recipe for almond butter banana bread at Making Thyme for Health around the same time as I had the right amount of bananas demanding to be used, so it was perfect! This doesn't taste quite like any banana bread I'd ever eaten, and it accommodates additional flavors easily. I had it several different ways, but one of my favorites was with some non-dairy cream cheese and strawberry jam--such a perfect way to begin a day. This combination is also delicious with some finely chopped walnuts mixed into the cream cheese.

10. Cranberry Orange Smoothie (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free Option)

Where would a breakfast compilation be without a smoothie? Of course I didn't forget the smoothie! Sometimes I want them even in the depths of winter. But that doesn't mean one always has to reach for out-of-season frozen things; one can still enjoy fresh fruit this time of year. (Have I mentioned that I like cranberries yet? Just checking.) I found a recipe at Delish Knowledge that inspired this, but I took it in my own direction. Here, I used 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, 1 fresh orange, a frozen banana, and 1/2 cup of soy milk. (Use a different milk if you're avoiding soy.) It was creamy and just sweet enough, and the perfect accompaniment to my boring staple of whole grain toast with a smear of peanut butter.

This year, I've definitely fulfilled my commitment to eating a varied, substantial breakfast. Sometimes new year's resolutions stick. This was one of the better parts of 2021 for me. What have you been eating in the morning lately?