10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas (Compilation #45)

It's deep winter now. That often means I turn to savory breakfasts, but for some reason, this hasn't been my experience as often this time. Don't ask me why. I just roll with it. But you will find some savory representation here alongside the sweet things, as well as some interesting ways to sneak in some veggies. And even though it is winter, when the world around me loses its color and gets oddly monochromatic outside, my breakfasts have stayed pretty colorful while still staying (mostly) seasonal.

1. Gingered Minty Clementine, Pomegranate, and Grapefruit Salad (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)

If you feel like making abstract art, this recipe from Tesco might be fun to try! Just swap agave for the honey. It's very pretty, of course, but it's also really delicious and an excellent use of winter fruits. Although I'm less interested in fruit in the winter for whatever reason, and I strongly recommend you have this chilly salad with something hot, there is something about this that really cheers up a frosty morning. Fortunately, a hot drink option is the next item on this list.

2. Snickers Latte (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

This recipe from Will Frolic for Food intrigued me because it has a recipe for herbal coffee along with it; I just used Cafix, though, because it's pretty much the same concept. It's one of those unusual recipes that involves no milk whatsoever (non-dairy or otherwise). This one instead gets its creaminess from a combination of hemp seeds, peanut butter, and cashew butter. The flavor is remarkably like a Snickers bar, although it's made from whole foods like dates and cocoa powder, not chocolate and caramel. I also really liked this with some hot soy milk mixed in.

3. Beet Hummus Avocado Toast (Soy Free, Nut Free)

If you like vibrantly colored food, beet hummus is a lot of fun. Here, I have it on whole wheat bread, and I added sliced avocado, some flaky salt, and freshly ground black pepper. It's simple, beautiful, and delicious--a perfect start to the day. It's also a pleasant reminder that not all the sturdy winter produce is orange!

4. Cornmeal Pancakes with Gingered Apple Cranberry Compote (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

Would you believe this was a use-it-up breakfast? It's so pretty and it was absolutely delicious, mostly due to the fruity topping. I used a recipe at Kroll's Korner as a guide to the compote, though I only had a bit of fruit left so I cut it way down and I think the ratios were off a bit. It didn't matter; it was really delicious. It was perfect to top these gluten free cornmeal pancakes (recipe from Minimalist Baker, using soy milk rather than almond).

5. Tropical Broccoli Smoothie (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

I'm always looking for ways to use up my broccoli stems, so when I saw this recipe from Eat with Clarity, of course I had to make it! Using broccoli stems is taking liberties, of course, because the recipe calls for florets (and I'm sure that's why mine has a more subdued color), but otherwise I made it as written, cutting the recipe in half because I tend to want to have other things with smoothies rather than making them a meal in themselves. Although you probably wouldn't immediately say, "this is broccoli," the flavor is quite distinct from your typical green smoothie in an intriguing, vaguely spicy way. It's still sweet, though, and definitely not immediately vegetal in taste. If you want to sneak more veggies into breakfast, this could be great to try--it has spinach as well as broccoli alongside fruits, non-dairy milk and yogurt (I used soy-based versions of both), and hemp seeds. Plus, broccoli is seasonal for winter.

6. Leftover Rice Pudding with Bananas, Pomegranate, and Hemp Seeds (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free Option)

I had originally planned to make breakfast fried rice with a bit of rice I had left over, but in the morning I just wasn't feeling it. So I ran a quick Google search and decided to make this versatile leftover rice pudding recipe from Weelicious. I used agave and soy milk, but you could easily use another liquid sweetener or another plant milk. I topped my rice pudding with sliced banana, pomegranate arils, and hemp seeds. I'm glad I went in this direction; it really hit the spot on this morning. While you're letting your pudding cool to room temperature, you can use the time to make yourself a special latte and/or some toast, too.

7. Sweet Potato Biscuit with Ham (Nut Free)

Though I love biscuits, I rarely make them from scratch. But then I ran across a sweet potato biscuit recipe from A Virtual Vegan and on one cold morning when having the oven on while I did my morning routine seemed like a good idea, I decided it was time for baking. One thing I appreciated about the recipe was that you use a food processor to make the dough, which makes the whole thing so much quicker. Work smarter, not harder, right? I steamed my sweet potato the night before so I'd have it nice and cold in the morning, and the whole thing took very little hands-on time.

One of the apparently more popular ways to serve sweet potato biscuits is as a breakfast sandwich with ham, and I had some Tofurky ham roast left over, so why not? Spread with a little margarine and served with a side of fruit, this was a perfectly delightful morning meal. Bonus points for the hidden veggies.

8. Maple Orange Breakfast Couscous with Bananas and Cinnamon (Nut Free)

I had some couscous to use up, so I decided to find a breakfast recipe, and this one from Nutty Behavior was perfect. I used soy milk, but you could use any plant milk. It's a sweet, creamy porridge that goes well with fruit. My bananas aren't radioactive; it was just how they turned out in the morning light.

9. Carrot Zucchini Apple Banana Walnut Muffins (Soy Free)

Okay, I know that title is a mouthful, but sometimes, we want all the things. For these, I followed the recipe from Vegan Heaven. For extra walnutty goodness, I used walnut milk instead of almond or oat. These are especially good for breakfast because in addition to the veggies, fruit, and nuts, they have whole wheat and oats, too. They're perfect with a morning soy latte.

10. Clementine Rice Cakes Three Ways (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)

Finally, don't forget this recipe I recently shared with you for clementine rice cakes! Seed butters are an allergy-friendly alternative to nut butters, and rice cakes are an easy stand in for toast. Spread your seed butter (here, pumpkin seed butter, chocolate tahini, and vanilla sunflower seed butter), top with clementines and other goodies, and go forth and start your day.

Are you enjoying this season, are are you over it? I find January a difficult month, but I'm doing my best. If you're like me and struggling, hang in there. Winter does end eventually. And then we get stone fruit!