10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas (Compilation #40)

Summer is, fortunately for those of us tired of being hot, drawing to a close. Still, true to recent form, this compilation is fruit-heavy. I do have a couple of savory things here, too, though, and I can feel my tastes swinging back in that direction as the Earth gradually tilts my hemisphere away from the sun.

This post represents 400 different breakfast ideas shared in this fashion, although there have been some more shared in other ways, like my recent toast compilation. I'm tempted to make a breakfast calendar or something.

1. Turmeric Oats with Stewed Plums, Yogurt, and Pumpkin Seeds (Gluten Free)

Though I used this recipe from Foodaciously for the oats, I wanted more flavor in my plums, so I used the Veggie Desserts recipe for the stewed plums. It also added a bit more sweetness, since the oats and yogurt didn't have much, if any. (The yogurt was unsweetened almond milk yogurt, and the almond butter I used in the oats wasn't sweetened, but I did use sweetened soy milk to cook the oats). I love how colorful this is, and how it's a different take on plums than I usually see. I did find that the plum skins started to slide off, so be careful stewing your plums--either cook them to the point they come all the way off, or take them off the heat faster than I did. If you need this to be soy free, that's doable, too--just use a different plant milk.

2. Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup

I already knew that strawberry banana pancakes went well with my peanut butter syrup. But what about putting the peanut butter in the pancakes, too? And then topping the pancakes with more strawberries and more bananas? Now that's a breakfast of champions. The pancake recipe is found at Running on Real Food. They're delicious pancakes, and my toppings made them even better! I have never given you a formal recipe for my peanut butter syrup, but it consists of about 2 parts peanut butter, 2 parts maple syrup, and 1 part vegan butter warmed in a small saucepan until everything comes together in one smooth sauce. You could just put maple syrup on your pancakes, too, but where's the fun--or the protein--in that? This is a breakfast that stands alone for me, or maybe just needs a bit of grain coffee, because it's got a great punch of protein.

3. Cherry Nectarine Crisp (Nut Free)

I don't know why my baking dish is so messy here, but I think I was just in a big hurry to get this in my toaster oven! (This is small enough to fit in there.) I just substituted nectarines, peel and all, for the peaches in a cherry peach crisp recipe I had, and it did not disappoint. This was delicious.

4. Banana Zucchini Smoothie (Gluten Free)

Zucchini is pretty great in smoothies. Spinach is, too. You can't taste either one in this smoothie, which is primarily flavored of bananas and peanut butter, but there is plenty of veggie goodness here anyway! This is roughly this recipe, but using soy milk rather than water. It was great with a blueberry zucchini pancake in the morning.

5. Almond Butter, Blueberry Chia Jam, and Banana Toast with Hemp Seeds

I don't need to really tell you what I did here because the heading made it so obvious, but eh, we'll go with it anyway. This is whole wheat toast spread with almond butter and blueberry chia jam, topped with sliced banana and a sprinkle of hemp seeds. I had it with soy milk, and really enjoyed my breakfast.

6. Blackberry Orange Grits (Gluten Free, Nut Free; Soy Free Option)

Quaker has a recipe for this on their website, which I veganized by using soy milk and adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end rather than using buttermilk. It's not only pretty, but a nice, sweet porridge to have alongside a sausage patty and/or some sort of vegan scramble in the morning. Need it to be soy free? Just use a different plant-based milk.

7. Cream Cheese and Chives Bagel

This one is a classic for non-vegans, but we can easily have a vegan version. I just spread a plain bagel with some Miyoko's cream cheese mixed with chives, then sprinkled on more chives. There's a reason this is a classic: It's delicious! I had my bagel with sliced tomatoes and a veggie sausage on the side to round out the meal.

8. Blackberry-Blueberry Quinoa Porridge (Gluten Free)

This recipe at Through the Fibro Fog is actually called Blackberry Quinoa Porridge, but since it has just as many blueberries, I thought I'd give it an accurate name. I followed the recipe to the letter, right down to the macadamia nut and pumpkin seed topping. It was good! I really enjoy quinoa-based breakfasts.

9. Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie Bowl (Gluten Free, Soy Free)

Oatmeal in a smoothie is, to me, much better than overnight oatmeal. I just can't get into overnight oats. But that doesn't mean I don't like to have cold oats on a hot day sometimes. Enter smoothie bowls! This one is from the recipe at Plant and Soul. I cut the recipe in half and used minimal liquids to make it thick enough to be a smoothie bowl rather than a drink. I topped it with granola, chia seeds, banana stars, and cashew butter. (I don't know why I'm so into banana stars lately, but if something makes me happy and doesn't hurt anything, these days I just go for it without questioning it too much. But you could definitely just have some regular old sliced bananas on top.)

10. Veggie Sausage, JUST Egg, and Non-Dairy Cheese Bialy Sandwich

A bialy is a relative of the bagel and the English muffin, being something like both and something like neither. It has a depression rather than a hole, and that depression (which is invisible here, because the slice of this bialy without the hole is underneath) is usually filled with onions. The texture is more akin to an English muffin than anything, without quite being an English muffin. They make great sandwiches. Here, I filled it with some Wegmans Don't Be Piggy sausage, a folded JUST Egg, and a slice of Violife American cheese. To round out the meal, I had sliced banana with some homemade blueberry syrup and a cup of herbal tea. This is deeply satisfying; if you can't find bialys near you, recipes abound online.

As fall approaches, I'm looking forward to apples, pears, and winter squashes. Let me know if you have a favorite fall breakfast for me to try.