10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas (Compilation #56)

 Fall is here! And with it, all the coziness and cool-weather spices my little heart can desire. This is a fruity compilation with just a bit of savory thrown in for variety's sake. But by now I think I've got a lot of credibility with variety in general, so I don't think anyone can accuse me of only hitting one note!

1. Cinnamon Pancakes with Spiced Plums (Soy Free)

I'm such a pancake person--so many flavors and toppings to choose from. Early fall is still a plummy time for me, and I love plums best when they're spiced and stewed a bit. This recipe from Lazy Cat Kitchen makes perfectly delightful pancakes topped with spiced plums, those wonderful warming spices that signal the beginning of the cozy times and the end of the misery (for me) of trying relentlessly to stay cool in the heat of summer.

2. Watermelon Mango Salad (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)

There are seemingly endless ways to have a fruit salad. This one is a very different sort of flavor profile and it goes so well with avocado toast. In late summer, one could still find watermelon easily enough, and I had one in my fridge I had been slowly making my way through. The allergy-friendly recipe is from Spoons of Flavor. I had it with the aforementioned avocado toast, some sliced tomato, and a soy latte (for the protein).

3. Beet Juice Latte (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

I've made lattes with whole roasted beets, and they're wonderful, but here's a far lazier version. I just substituted 1/2 cup bottled beet juice for the 1/2 cup water + one beet in this recipe from Unbound Wellness. I used soy milk for the milk and agave for the sweetener. This made a bigger latte than I would usually have--hence the serving in a glass--but I happily drank it all, because it was delicious. A piece of toast rounded out this breakfast nicely.

4. Chocolate Clementine Yogurt Bowl with Pecans (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

I can't claim to have originated this idea; it was adapted from something I saw at All Nutritious. I mixed some vanilla almond yogurt with a bit of orange juice, then topped it with clementine segments, chopped pecans, and mini chocolate chips. If you're tired of the classic yogurt-and-granola bowl, this might hit the spot. I really loved how the crunch of the pecans and the chocolate contrasted with the juicy fruit and creamy yogurt. A soy latte kept me from getting too cold eating this, and added a bit more protein.

5. Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bake (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

I wasn't in the mood for baked oatmeal, but I was in the mood for something hot from my oven, so I made this recipe from That Vegan Babe using soy milk and some frozen blueberries. I had this with some non-dairy yogurt and loved every bite, plus my kitchen smelled amazing!

6. Chickpea Flour-Cashew Scramble with Mushrooms and Spinach (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

It had been a ridiculously long time since I'd run across a new-to-me scramble recipe, so of course when I ran across this one from Holy Cow Vegan, I was going to make it! It had all the things I love in it! Rather than a basic chickpea flour scramble (which is also delicious), this one makes a batter with raw cashews, too. The usual seasonings get added and it's cooked up in a pretty typical fashion for a chickpea flour scramble, plus it has mushrooms and spinach in it for good measure. It turns out with a different, softer texture, not at all like eggs but still utterly delicious. It was perfect with some sliced tomato and buttered (margarined) toast and some sliced tomato. I note the scramble is gluten free, but the toast I have isn't; if you avoid gluten, make sure you get gluten-free bread.

7. Peanut Butter Chickpea Energy Balls (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

I had some leftover chickpeas, and the only part of my meal plan that needed something was breakfast, so this recipe from Pulses.org fit the bill perfectly, substituting maple syrup for honey and cutting the quantity down by about a third. I know many people think sweet applications of chickpeas are weird, and if that's you, you can skip this, but I bet you won't notice that they're made from chickpeas. They have a wonderful, cookie dough texture and I think they go perfectly with a soy latte (made with grain coffee in my case).

8. Polish Apple Yeast Pancakes (Racuchy) (Nut Free)

Two pancake styles in one compilation? Yes, but these are a bit more like fritters than pancakes--and because they have yeast, the texture is totally different. This is a recipe from Zucker & Jagdwurst, and it introduced me to a whole new category of breakfast bready things. I found this so satisfying with a cup of cocoa made with soy milk (for the protein) on a fall morning. Apparently, these can also be made with other things, like berries or poppy seeds, and I will be trying that out. As long as I've lived in this heavily-Polish area, I can't believe I've never encountered these before. It just goes to show you there is always more to explore out there.

9. Baked Japanese Sweet Potatoes with Miso Tahini Butter (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

This was probably not the absolute best idea for breakfast, because it takes about two hours to cook. But if you're like me and need a lot of puttering time to wake up, and are drinking some herbal tea and doing some yoga on a weekend morning, it's fine to pop sweet potatoes in the oven to be ready for you when you're ready for them. Otherwise, you can also prep your potatoes ahead of time! This recipe is from Rainbow Plant Life. This is my first foray into the world of Japanese sweet potatoes, and they are truly delightful as they are, but they're amazing with this miso tahini butter. I had my sweet potato with a soy-based latte for a boost of protein, although the miso and tahini also contribute some of that to the meal. I'd have them any time of day.

10. Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter and Apple Toast (Soy Free)

This one felt a strange kind of rebellious, because I combined nuts with nut-free seed butter, but you know what? Sunflower seed butter isn't just for allergy-friendly purposes. It's also yummy. So: I spread chocolate sunflower seed butter on toasted multigrain bread, then topped that with thinly sliced Honeycrisp apple, finely chopped pecans, and a drizzle of maple syrup. This was a perfect combination for me, but if you can't have nuts, you can also substitute granola to get a similar texture.

What kind of breakfasts do you have in the fall?