Hi friends!
I know that breakfasts can sometimes be a pain-point for parents. I know because we will often get into a slump! And when you don’t serve eggs or dairy to your kids, it may seem even more impossible. BUT that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are a wide variety of vegan breakfasts for your kids, no eggs or dairy necessary. Today, I wanted to share 15 of our favorite breakfasts. None of these are complicated – I don’t do complicated. I think the most time consuming might be pancakes and tofu scramble, but even those can be done within 20 min (or even made ahead of time). For instance, every Sunday is pancakes in our house and I will double the batch so I can freeze a bunch for the week. Easy peasy.
I hope that you find a few new ideas on here to add to your breakfast rotation.
Oatmeal
Possibly the easiest on this list because you can use the microwave and add whatever you have on hand. Just prepare according to package. I like to use soy milk instead of water for extra nutrition/protein/fat and I always stir in a tbsp of ground flaxseed. Some of our favorite combinations: peanut butter and banana, maple cinnamon with raisins, strawberries and cashew cream, chocolate (using unsweetened cocoa powder) and berries, chocolate peanut butter and banana, peaches and cashew cream, carrot cake, chocolate cherry and almond butter, apple cinnamon, warm berry syrup topping. You can also make oats in a mason jar the night before to have overnight oats ready to go.
If you have time and want to make something ahead, this is my favorite recipe for baked brownie oatmeal.
Breakfast Burritos
If we have tofu scramble or Just Egg, I’ll throw them in a tortilla with some vegan cheese, salsa, and beans. Easy breakfast burritos. You can also wrap these in foil and freeze!
Cheesy “Eggs”
Instead of eggs, we like the Just Egg scramble with some vegan cheese. Side and fruit on the side.
I also shared this Just Egg hack a while ago, which works great if you want to make ahead and use for breakfast sandwiches (or as is!)
Toast Sticks
My kids like toast cut into strips. I like to buy sprouted bread so they are getting an extra boost in nutrition, but not necessary. I’ll top with things like almond butter, peanut butter, hummus, vegan cream cheese, avocado, jam, or vegan butter. Whatever your kid enjoys! Serve with fruit.
Bagels
Breakfast can be as simple as a bagel with vegan cream cheese. We like Tofutti cream cheese the best. Get fancy and top with slices tomatoes or cucumbers. We also like peanut butter, hummus, or vegan butter on bagels.
Tofu Scramble
Find your favorite tofu scramble recipe and make it ahead of time. We keep ours simple (I crumble, add a bit of olive oil, nutritional yeast, turmeric, salt, and pepper and scramble over medium heat for about 10-15 min). You can add in veggies your kids like (spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, or red peppers are great options).
Milk & Cereal
Groundbreaking, I know. But in a pinch, there’s nothing wrong with a healthy cereal. My kids like Cheerios, Life, Special K Berries, and Panda Peanut Butter Puffs. The great thing about cereals that do not have a whole lot of sugar is that they are often enriched with vitamins and minerals. Paired with Ripple milk or soy milk, you have a balanced breakfast. You can also serve some fruit on the side. Or blueberries and bananas in the cereal!
Pancakes
Like I mentioned above, pancakes are a Sunday tradition in our house so I always double the recipe and freeze a bunch for the week. Thaw and serve with syrup, nut butter, and fruit. Here’s my go-to recipe for iron-rich chickpea/oat pancakes. We also love green dinosaur pancakes.
Vegan Yogurt
Keep your favorite vegan yogurt brand on hand and serve with some granola (or dried cheerios if your kids are too young for granola) and berries. Drizzle with nut butter. Keep it as simple or get as fancy as you want. We like coconut or soy yogurt best.
Muffins
Muffins are great to make ahead of time and then freeze leftovers for later.
Chia Pudding
Make chia pudding the night before and serve in the morning. There are endless ways to make this (a quick Google search will prove it) but here is our favorite recipe.
Pumpkin, Squash, or Banana Bread
Another one you can make ahead of time for the week. If you have time on the weekend, you’ll be able to serve at least once during the week (if it makes it, lol!) We are all crazy about this butternut squash loaf.
Banana Nice Cream
Banana nice cream topped with nut butter, granola, dry cereal, fruit, nuts/seeds… can’t go wrong. My kids literally think they are having ice cream for breakfast.
Chickpea Egg Sandwiches
A chickpea egg made with garbanzo bean flour is so quick! Serve on toast or english muffin with some vegan cheese and ketchup or avocado. My kids love this.
Breakfast Cookies
If you really wanna excite your kids, breakfast cookies are the best. I often use mini chocolate chips in mind but you can omit and use raisins, dried cranberries, or add crushed nuts… whatever you have on hand! Here’s the recipe.
That chickpea egg sandwich looks sooo good!