10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas (Compilation #48)

 Ah, early spring. Winter signals its departure, and I start getting anxious for a change in available seasonal produce, which is, I think, why I suddenly wanted so much mango. Mangoes are available year-round, though I think technically they will be in season in a few months.

But I still celebrated the seasonal goodies, like broccoli and pineapple. And cabbage. I'm not sure if I've ever presented you with cabbage in my breakfast, but here we are. I hope you enjoy the journey with me!

1. Oatmeal with Peanut Butter, Bananas, and Homemade Grape Chia Jam (Gluten Free)

Here's a riff on PB&J oatmeal that I really loved! I had bought a pound of Jelly Berry grapes and knew I was not going to eat all of them in their raw state, so what better than to make a jam out of them? The recipe is found at Love Thy Carrot, which calls for Concord grapes, but Jelly Berry are definitely sweet enough so I went with it. I made some oatmeal with soy milk, then topped it with the jam, peanut butter, and banana slices. I highly recommend this version of a classic combination!

2. Mango Salsa Avocado Toast (Nut Free, Soy Free)

Sweet? Check. Spicy? Check. Savory? Check. Colorful? Check. And most importantly: Delicious! This is a wonderful bit of goodness to have in the morning. I'd serve it alongside some source of protein to balance it out (but not giving medical advice here!). In my case, I had some peanut butter and grape jam toast after this with a soy latte. Truly a wonderful breakfast.

3. Maple Pecan Latte (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

This one is more complicated than most recipes I try out, but so good! You'll find it at Be Plant Well. Yes, you'll have to make your own caramel sauce/syrup, as well as your own pecan milk, but it's a rich, sweet drink that is worth trying out on a weekend morning.

4. Cheesy Broccoli Muffins

If you're not into sweet things in the morning, you can still have muffins. Just make them savory. This recipe from Power Hungry goes as well veggie sausages and scrambles in the morning as it does with soup or salad for lunch. As a bonus, you'll get some veggies in, too!

5. Baked Apple French Toast Casserole with Streusel Topping

Recently, I had some odds and ends of bread to use up, as well as some JUST Egg and apples, so I decided to try veganizing this recipe from Live Well Bake Often. I didn't have enough JUST Egg for the recipe, even cut in half, so I made a few flax eggs for good measure. I subbed soy milk for the milk, too, and vegan butter for the butter. It all turned out pretty great! Although you have to be patient with this--mix it up the night before, preheat the oven, bake, and let cool a bit--it's pretty great for a morning you'll be busy with other things before needing to grab a quick breakfast. Is it French toast, bread pudding, or something in between? I don't know, but it's good and goes great with soy milk.

6. White Chocolate Macadamia Bites (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

I realize this is going to sound weird based on the diversity of somewhat atypical ingredients, but I made these because I had all the ingredients on hand. (Do I even know myself anymore? No, I do not.) But if you, too, are looking for ways to use up some vanilla protein powder because you discovered that protein powders aren't your thing, these are pretty great! The recipe is from One Upon a Pumpkin. I chose not to coat them in extra coconut because I was pretty tired on the night I made these, but I think they still look good anyway. They're good for meal prep, too--you can make a batch and eat them throughout the week.

7. Quinoa-Pear Breakfast Bake with Non-Dairy Greek Yogurt (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

This is an easily veganized recipe from Taste of Home; just use non-dairy yogurt and vegan butter and honey. If you have issues with your quinoa boiling over on the stove (which I do, sometimes), cooking it in the oven could be a good solution. Be prepared: The quinoa takes a little while to cook (you'll have breakfast about 90 minutes after you start on it), but it's very easy and goes super well with Greek yogurt and a latte. I did make a few variations here aside from just the veganizing. I had firm pears, so I just finely chopped half of one rather than mashing it, and it cooked down just fine. I also used slivered almonds rather than sliced because that's what I had on hand. They worked out just as well in my opinion.

8. Tropical Fruit Salad with Lime Poppyseed Dressing and Toasted Coconut (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

When pineapple season comes, I am so happy to eat all the fresh pineapple I can! Here I've adapted a recipe from Life Love Good Food. I scaled it down and did not make a pineapple bowl, left out the blueberries, and substituted agave for the honey. It was a fun take on a fruit salad! I had this with a bowl of farina made with soy milk to give my breakfast staying power.

9. Mango Zucchini Blondies (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)

Sometimes you run across a recipe that you have to try simply because the combination of ingredients is so intriguing. How would it turn out if you mixed oats, mango, dates, tahini, and zucchini? The recipe is from From My Bowl, and it turns out very well. The texture is very much like a blondie and the flavor is a delightful, sweet but not-too-sweet one. It will cover a lot of bases, too; if you want to avoid refined sugar and oil, this will do that, while it also is free of all major allergens, and lets you sneak some veggies into your morning. Have a couple of blondies with a cup of tea and some fruit and head out to start your day.

10. Colcannon Cakes with Mushrooms and Spinach Scramble (Nut Free)

I had some leftover colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage), so naturally that meant breakfast to me! This is a classic, and so good. I mixed about 1 1/2 cups leftover colcannon, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons JUST Egg, and 2 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk, formed them into 1/4 cup cakes (I got 7 out of the mix), and pan fried them slowly until golden. Alongside this, I had some sauteed mushrooms and JUST Egg scrambled with spinach and onions. I wish I'd had sour cream, because I think they'd be so good with that, but I used what I had and it was one of the best breakfasts I've had in ages.

What should I try out as the fresh spring things become available?