10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas (Compilation #58)

 After my last compilation revealed my parade of colorless food, I was determined to get some more color in my morning meals, even if it was bleak out there and in here in more ways than one. Sometimes that helps, maybe! So here's a much more colorful winter adventure, which takes me through the darkest part of the year. There are sweet and savory possibilities here, both predictable and unpredictable.

1. Citrus Salad (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)

If you want a slightly more savory fruit salad, this one might work out really well for you! Plus, it's gorgeous. This recipe is from Spoonful of Flavor. In mine, I used pink grapefruit, Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges, and clementines with mint and pomegranate arils. This plate of fruit goes great with some basic oatmeal.

2. Chickpea Blueberry Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl (Gluten Free)

Putting bits of extra chickpeas in smoothies is one of my new favorite things. It boosts the protein without being weird and chalky like a protein powder--you'll never notice the chickpeas if you balance it out properly. Here, I have a smoothie bowl base of 1/4 cup chickpeas, 1/2 a frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter, and 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup. After I blended that up, I topped it with fresh banana and kiwi, chia seeds, hemp seeds, quinoa puffs, dried goji berries, and a drizzle of more peanut butter. Although this was a very cold breakfast for a chilly morning, a hot latte helped with that so I didn't get brain freeze or the shivers. This is delicious and also beautiful; a definite win.

3. Creamy Cranberry Banana Oats (Gluten Free, Nut Free Option, Soy Free Option)

I love making cranberry sauce, even when I am not eating it with the usual roasts and such. It's great in so many things. Here, it gives a vibrant pop of color to some oatmeal, made from inspiration I took from a recipe at Veggie Inspired. I did mash a bit of banana into the soy milk I used to cook the oats, and added a dash of cinnamon like in the original recipe, but I usually cook my oats in soy milk for added protein and creamy deliciousness, so that's what I did here. I topped the oats with the rest of my banana, about 1/4 cup of my homemade cranberry-orange sauce, a few tablespoons of vanilla almond milk yogurt, and a sprinkling of chia seeds. It was perfectly delightful!

4. Chickpea Artichoke Basil Toasts (Nut Free, Soy Free)

Should one eat artichokes in winter? If it comes in a can, do seasons matter? Burning questions of our times. In any event, I was intrigued by this recipe from Pinch of Yum, and it seemed like a good winter recipe for me, given that I have a basil plant still living (barely) in my window. I put the spread on Wegmans garlic Tuscan bread I'd toasted, then sprinkled it with flaky sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil. If you're looking for savory options, give this a whirl--it's lemony, bright, and easy.

5. Double Blue Peppermint Moon Milk (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free Option)

This recipe from Moon and Spoon and Yum was definitely going to get me out of my colorless rut, so of course I tried it, but it turned out to also be utterly delicious. You start with a mixture of plant milk (I used soy), blueberries, sunflower seeds, blue butterfly pea flower powder, a bit of coconut oil, a splash of peppermint extract, and a dash of salt. You then warm it up and add some maple syrup. It's sweet, minty, and rich. I'm not even sure how to describe the flavors, only know that I will be making it again, and I highly recommend it!

6. Spinach Pancakes with Homemade Apple Topping (Nut Free)

This one may be a little silly, but I wanted pancakes with apples and needed a way for it not to be beige, so I decided to make the pancakes colorful. The key to getting the spinach pancakes green like this is to cook them low and slow. The recipe is from Cooking Up Vegan and it's a pretty simple one, so long as you're patient with your pancake cooking. I took the time to make myself a latte while the pancakes cooked and it was fine. As for the apple topping, it was a way to use up some apple juice I had on hand, which I substituted for the apple cider in this recipe from Eating Well. I tossed in a cinnamon stick while it simmered for extra flavor. It was a delightful breakfast with a latte, if perhaps an unconventional presentation.

7. Tempeh BLT on an English Muffin (Nut Free)

I was having a craving for English muffins, so for the first time in ages I bought a package. I had some tempeh bacon on hand, so of course I ended up combining the goodies! Here I have a BLT, but more breakfast-like because of the English muffin (although I would totally have a BLT for breakfast anyway, wouldn't you?). So the English muffin has vegan mayo, tempeh bacon, romaine lettuce, and some sliced roma tomato: Perfection.

8. Cranberry Banana Breakfast Mini Loaves

I had one banana that had gotten way too ripe for anything other than bread, so I found a recipe I could adapt for it. I cut this one from Filled with Flavor in half and made the resultant batter into four mini loaves. I served my mini loaf with some non-dairy yogurt and a clementine. These are not very sweet--just mildly so--and the combination of fruits and grains in them make them feel like a wholesome breakfast option (although I am definitely not that kind of doctor, so check with yours for medical advice). The recipe combines banana, mandarin oranges, and cranberries with oats, flax, flour, and a few other things. It's not going to be the decadent banana bread that really should be cake, but it works out well on days that decadence isn't what you're going for.

9. Spicy Chickpea Salad, Arugula, and Red Onion Tortilla Wedges (Nut Free, Soy Free)

Here's one for the savory breakfast fans out there! This is toasted tortillas with some easy spicy chickpea salad (recipe from Pinch of Yum), thin sliced red onion, and some arugula. Everything bagel seasoning is great with these--so is dipping the wedges in vegan ranch! (Just trust me. Ranch for breakfast is sometimes just the thing.) The salad is really easy--just chickpeas, vegan mayo, sriracha, salt, pepper, and lemon juice--which is great when you aren't wanting to make a production out of breakfast. (I...usually want to make a production out of breakfast. But not always.) This was absolutely delicious!

10. Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl with Caramelized Pears, Cranberry Sauce, and Almond Milk Yogurt (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

Start with a base of roasted sweet potato whipped with flax seed, almond milk, almond butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Top that with vanilla almond milk yogurt, cranberry sauce, and caramelized pears. (You can find a recipe for the pears at Sweet and Savory, substituting vegan butter to veganize it.) This is such a lovely combination of flavors, and such a perfect wintery bowl of goodness. If you need something more, add some granola!

Take care of yourselves, everyone! Winter can be hard.