10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas (Compilation #60)

Winter gives way to spring. What you see here reflects that, as well as my current "use what you've got without reducing the budget" approach to cooking. Is it a pantry challenge? Maybe not quite, but it does have me doing things like pulling out canned beans in the morning.

What I like most about this compilation is just how much joy it brought me to explore having meals made from what I had around, and still somehow having something new and exciting regularly despite avoiding buying the new stuff. There are savory and sweet options here, so whatever your preference, I hope you find something you want to try, too!

1. Black Bean Breakfast Bowl (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)

If you're just over traditional sweet porridge, beans can be a fun alternative. I made this recipe for breakfast black beans from The Pesky Vegan, and served it alongside my favorite cauliflower hash browns (recipe from Healthier Steps), half of a mini avocado, and some roasted grape tomatoes. This all went beautifully together and made for a lovely breakfast one lazy weekend morning.

2. Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Breakfast Pudding with Berries (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free Option)

I didn't necessarily plan for this, but it was amazing. I will seriously make this again! I started by making this breakfast shake recipe from Feasting on Fruit, but it made too much for me so I put half in a jar in the fridge, knowing that the chia seeds and oats were likely to make it set like a mousse or a very thick pudding; that was exactly what happened. It was a using things up kind of meal, because I really want to get through a jar of sunflower seed butter I had bought on a whim, but because I'm not in low spend mode, I splurged on berries the week I had it. The berries were the perfect thing with this, and I even added some coconut whipped cream after taking the photo and it seemed so decadent. I loved every bite! This is a similar thing to tofu chocolate pudding, but if you can't have soy, this would probably be a great option for you. I used soy milk in mine, but oat milk or rice milk would work, too, and you'd still get protein from the chia seeds, oats, and sunflower seed butter.

3. Avocado Bialy (Nut Free, Soy Free)

Have you forgotten about bialys? Grab one for your avocado toast and you will not regret it. This was absolutely delicious. I added salt and pepper to the avocado, but you don't really need me to tell you how to make avocado toast--just do what seems good to you!

4. Sundae-Style Banana (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

I love whipped cream. Possibly a little too much. You know how whipped cream can be part of breakfast? Well, lots of ways, really, but this one is likely better for me than some options (please see your own doctor for medical advice, as I am not your doctor). Start with sliced bananas, then top with a generous drizzle of chocolate tahini. Finish it off with coconut whipped cream. Feel free to add whatever else you'd want on a sundae--chopped nuts, a maraschino cherry, marshmallows...the sky's the limit, I think!

5. Apple Pancake Dippers (Nut Free, Soy Free)

This is a fun way to have apples in the morning! This recipe is from Kale Junkie. It's a really easy one, too--the hardest part is cutting the apples. You essentially just dip cored slices of apples (I didn't even peel them) in pancake batter (I used a mix), cook them until browned on each side, dust them with cinnamon sugar, and serve with some maple syrup on the side. To make this a more balanced, full meal, I had this with some vegan breakfast sausage.

6. Banana Mochi Cake (Nut Free)

Cake for breakfast? Sure, if it's got good stuff like bananas in it and I serve it with other things for balance!  This is a recipe from Sweet Potato Soul. I made it the night before so it would be fully cool by morning, cutting the recipe in half as per my usual pattern. I used Sanka instead of instant espresso and soy milk instead of almond; I prefer grain coffees to the real thing, but for some reason I bought Sanka, and so this was one way to use it up! (I'd have to make so many cakes to run out of Sanka...which probably wouldn't be a problem, honestly.) I had this cake with a cup of fruit (mandarin oranges and blueberries) with a citrus poppy seed dressing and a soy moringa latte. In my use-stuff-up mode, this helped make a dent in my sweet rice and spelt flours, as well as dealing with overripe banana and the aforementioned Sanka.

The texture of this cake is very unusual, sort of a cross between mochi and quick bread. It's hard to explain, so please, just try it out for yourself.

7. Cranberry Oatmeal (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

Winter, my friends, can be glorious. Mornings can begin with sweet-tart bowls of fruity oatmeal, broiled a bit with a brown sugar topping and garnished with chopped walnuts. This recipe is from Mother Thyme. I would usually cook my oatmeal in soy milk, but this time, I went with cooking it in what is essentially cranberry sauce and water. This was so good. If like me you can't get enough cranberry sauce, you may want to give this a whirl. If (also like me) you have squirreled some cranberries into your freezer, now may be the time to use them up, before heat makes having the oven on too unappealing. To round out the meal and ensure I got more protein, I had a soy latte with this.

8. Raspberry Banana Chocolate Overnight Shredded Wheat

Sometimes, you want something decadent. Or at least, something that pretends to be! I have been having such a great time substituting shredded wheat for overnight Weetabix recipes. This one is based on a recipe I saw in a video, which consists of mixing the shredded wheat with mashed banana and soy milk, then, in separate layers, mashed raspberries, vanilla soy yogurt, and dark chocolate melted with a bit of coconut oil. Leave that to set in the fridge overnight, then garnish with whole raspberries and a drizzle of peanut butter. When you have good raspberries--and these were amazing--you'll savor every bite. Plus, it's fun to crack up the thin layer of chocolate with a spoon.

9. Blueberry Cream Cheese Banana Toast

You may recall that in my last no spend month, I discovered Okonomi Kitchen's recipe for vegan cream cheese, made from tofu, cashews, miso, lemon juice, and vinegar. I made that again during my pantry challenge, as I'm trying to focus more on what I have, and even though I always have those things (and would thus replace them), minimizing what I bring in is always a help. I wanted something different, though, so I used the cream cheese I made in this recipe for blueberry cream cheese at Sugar Free Londoner. I didn't add any sweetener, and my blueberries were plenty sweet. I spread that vibrant purple cream cheese over some multigrain and seed toast, then added sliced banana, hemp seeds, and finely chopped walnuts. I really outdid myself here, I think!

10. Cinnamon Spirulina Steamer (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

This is a take on a recipe I found at Foodaciously. It calls itself a latte over there but has no coffee, and I used soy milk rather than almond. To me, this is a steamer, more than a latte, but call it whatever you want. It's a simple drink with a fun green color. Don't worry: It doesn't taste vegetal. This is a slightly sweet, warm way to start a morning you are looking to get some color in your drink. Plus, it uses spirulina, which I have on hand at the moment.

Do you ever find yourself needing to clear out your pantry? What's your favorite pantry clear out breakfast?