10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas (Compilation #28)

I love fall. I love that the weather cools off, and the colors change, and I can turn the oven on again sometimes. And I absolutely love apple season! Apples are one of the best parts of living in the northeast. Other parts of the U.S. may have their claims to other things, but this is the best place for apples I've ever lived. This may be an apple-heavy compilation, but since I so rarely give you that many apples at once, I hope you'll give that a pass, especially since I have included some veggies, too.

1. Rye Pancakes with Apple Maple Compote (Nut Free)

Pancakes are easy to veganize, though you do have to be ready for adjustments other than just replacing an egg sometimes--I had to nearly double the (soy) milk in this recipe to get a good consistency to the batter. But they were good! The apple-maple compote is really good, too. I've gradually given up on syrup as a pancake topping, because I like so many other things so much better (and do better physically with something less sugary than straight syrup), but this has the traditional maple flavor and the buttery deliciousness (from Earth Balance) so all is well! Rye is a great flavor to go with apples.

2. Banana Grape Smoothie (Gluten Free, Nut Free; Soy Free Option)

I never get bored of smoothies when there are so many to try! This one from Food Viva is easily veganized. I used soy yogurt and soy milk, but you could make this soy free by using alternative plant-based yogurt and milk. This tastes a little like a Purple Cow, and goes great with peanut butter on toast.

3. Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Quinoa (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

I had some leftover quinoa, pecans, and dried cherries, so of course when I saw this recipe from Cookie and Kate I had to try it. I definitely recommend having this with some soy milk, and I don't think it tastes as much like cinnamon toast as claimed. But it is its own, tasty thing and a nice hot breakfast for a chilly morning.

4. English Muffin French Toast with Berries and Peanut Butter (Soy Free)

I got this idea from an omnivore blog, but you don't really need a recipe. I used JUST Egg thinned with some non-dairy creamer and cinnamon for the soaking liquid and cooked the French toast in a pan greased with some Earth Balance. I added stewed raspberries and a drizzle of warm peanut butter, but next time I'll make peanut butter syrup because it needed a bit more sweetness. But this time I just added a drizzle of maple syrup after I took the photo it worked out great!

5. Vegan Chocolate Peanut Brownies (Soy Free)

I'll be the first to acknowledge that this sounds just wrong for breakfast. But these minimally-sweetened, peanut butter-packed brownies (recipe from the Healthy Hunter) actually made for a great morning meal on a few mornings recently alongside a glass of soy milk (obviously if you're avoiding soy try some other plant-based milk or a cup of tea). These are deep, dense, fudgy brownies reminiscent of a flourless chocolate cake. I wouldn't eat them for breakfast every day but there are days that truly just demand something profoundly comforting. If chocolate comforts you, this could be an option for one of those days.

6. Tofu-English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich (Nut Free)

There are, of course, all sorts of ready-made, just heat-and-eat things you can buy to put on an English muffin or a biscuit for breakfast sandwiches. I love JUST Egg and/or a nice veggie sausage patty on an English muffin. But sometimes, keeping it more old school vegan is nice, and it's genuinely not that much more trouble. I found this recipe for a tofu breakfast patty at Plant.Well. I didn't have a bagel but I cut my tofu to fit an English muffin (sort of--it's still a bit huge!) and made my sandwich on it with some tomato, spinach, and a slice of Follow Your Heart smoked gouda. This was really lovely as a savory breakfast option. I marinated my tofu overnight so I all I had to do was cook it in the morning. You could do this for meal prep for several days, if you wanted.

7. Maple Apple Butter Oatmeal (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

This recipe at Two Spoons is perfect for a lazy weekend morning, although it's also accessible for a weekday if you like a bit of leisure (it doesn't take all that long, but it may be too complex if you're in a rush). I used a vanilla cinnamon non-dairy yogurt here and it was absolutely perfect. Don't skip the toasted almonds--they make everything come together! I did add an extra sprinkling of chia seeds for a bit more texture and because I think they're pretty, but that may be overkill since there are already chia seeds cooked with the oats. I also only used one teaspoon of maple syrup because my apple butter was already sweet enough, but when I manage to get unsweetened apple butter I'd definitely use two teaspoons as the recipe suggests.

8. Carrot Cake Pudding with Vanilla Cinnamon Yogurt (Gluten Free)

I found a recipe for a "carrot cake shake" on YouTube. Mina Rome had a glorious idea as usual. But her shake was kind of gigantic, so I only had half of it the first day. I put the other half in a jar in the fridge and the next day it was a nice, thick pudding and I thought it would go well with the vanilla cinnamon non-dairy yogurt I still had on hand. It was delicious! So of course I had to tell you about it. This was only half of the half I had left, so 1/4 of the recipe; if you make Mina's recipe just as pudding you'll get four puddings like this. I had my pudding with an English muffin and hot tea to round out the meal. Not only is this a good way to get morning veggies (from the carrots in the pudding/shake), but it also uses my favorite fall fruit: apples! It's thickened with oatmeal, which is probably why it sets like this in the fridge, along with the pectin in the apples. Also: No bananas here, or tofu, or chia seeds. If those aren't your jam, maybe this breakfast pudding will be.

9. Spinach Muffins with Chocolate Chips (Nut Free, Soy Free)

If you can hide kale and spinach in smoothies and pancakes, why not in some sweet muffins? This recipe is from The Natural Nurturer, though I used regular spinach rather than baby spinach and I totally forgot to add any plant-based milk at all, so I suppose I haven't fully evaluated it! But as I made them, they were still nice and moist and soft, so maybe you don't need plant milk. I had a glass of soy milk with my muffin breakfast anyway, as is my usual pattern. Next time, I would add more chocolate chips, because I forgot to fold them into the batter and ended up just having them as a topping, and I think that would take them to the next level. Not to worry; you can always add a smear of chocolate spread or something. I have tried the Nutivia dark chocolate hazelnut spread with these and they're absolutely delicious that way.

What I like about these is not just the hidden spinach that adds some veggies to my morning, but also the fact that these have a good amount of banana in them, too, so it helps me to meet my potassium goals. (Please consult with your own doctor about how much potassium you should eat; I am not giving medical advice here, and am not that kind of doctor anyway.)

10. Mixed Berry Nice Cream with Granola (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

I don't know what distinction there is in my head between nice cream and a smoothie bowl, except that smoothie bowls tend to be more complex, and are less banana-heavy. But you could probably also call this a smoothie bowl.

In the weird transition to fall, we have some warm days. For these, nice cream is still a good option. Take one frozen banana, 1/4 cup non-dairy milk, and about 3/4 cup frozen mixed berries and blend them until they're smooth and thick. Top with about 2 tablespoons of granola and 1/2 teaspoon each of hemp seeds and chia seeds. This is a pretty light breakfast, so if you want something more substantial, some nut butter on toast is a great addition. 

I can't wait to see what new things in store for next time! It's such a fun season for cooking. It may be the season of darkness and unpleasant precipitation but getting to bake things might just make up for it. Maybe. A little? In any case, if you have any ideas for what should come next on my list, please do let me know.