Vegetarian Breakfast Ideas: 11 Plant-Based and Meatless Meals

There are many traditional brunch and breakfast recipes that vegetarians also enjoy, such as waffles, pancakes, and French toast or peanut butter toast. To make vegetarian breakfast dishes, omit the bacon, sausage, and other meat products from breakfast sandwiches and other savory breakfasts. Some vegetarian diets include eggs and cheese (and other dairy products), while others do not.

Vegan breakfast recipes differ from vegetarian ones since vegan diets forgo animal products of all kinds—for example, even dairy products, honey, and eggs. Tofu scrambles or dairy-free yogurt parfaits with fresh berries are good vegan breakfast options.

Whether you want to cook with less meat, expand your cooking know-how, or follow a completely vegetarian diet, you can learn to make many simple vegetarian breakfast dishes at home. Here are eleven vegetarian breakfast recipes to enjoy:

1. 1. Asparagus frittata: This high-protein vegetarian breakfast contains fresh spring asparagus and a frittata base of eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. The mixture bakes in the oven, resulting in a fluffy breakfast casserole with crispy edges. Learn how to make an asparagus frittata, or try adding different vegetables and flavorings to suit your preferences.
2. 2. Avocado toast: Slice and toast sourdough bread, whole wheat bread, or another whole-grain bread before spreading a mashed avocado over it. Top your avocado toast with cherry tomato halves, a fried egg, coarse sea salt, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Follow this guide to preparing avocado toast.
3. 3. Bagels: Use bagels to make breakfast sandwiches; enhance them with cream cheese, fresh tomatoes, and hard-boiled eggs. Alternatively, spread a toasted bagel with butter or almond butter. Try this easy homemade bagel recipe to make a batch you can keep in the freezer for quick, vegetarian breakfasts throughout the week.
4. 4. Banana pancakes: A banana pancake recipe can have as few as three ingredients or as many as a classic pancake recipe. Enhance yours with mashed or sliced bananas, or incorporate chocolate chips or a smoky maple syrup. Follow this banana pancake recipe.
5. 5. Breakfast burrito: Fill a flour tortilla with scrambled eggs, cheese, hash browns or home fries, black beans, cilantro, and other Mexican ingredients to make a loaded vegetarian breakfast burrito. Learn how to make a homemade breakfast burrito, which you can easily adjust to accommodate a vegetarian diet.
6. 6. Chia seed pudding: Make this creamy dish by combining dry chia seeds and milk or nondairy milk (like cashew milk or almond milk). The chia seeds absorb the milk, developing a gel-like coating that gives the mixture a texture similar to tapioca pudding, rice pudding, or oatmeal. Try this simple chia seed pudding recipe that you can top with homemade granola and raspberries, blueberries, or another fresh fruit.
7. 7. Granola cookies: Breakfast cookies resemble a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a granola bar. Enjoy these as on-the-go breakfasts or alongside a bigger meal. Learn how to prepare a granola cookie recipe with homemade or storebought granola.
8. 8. Kale smoothie: While kale is an ingredient in a kale smoothie, it doesn’t have to be the main ingredient. Feel free to add whatever other fruit, vegetables, and flavorings you like in your smoothies. For example, shredded coconut, toasted pecans, honey, granola, chia seeds, flaxseed, and berries are all options. Try this refreshing kale smoothie recipe, which you can make thin enough to sip or thick enough to enjoy as a smoothie bowl.
9. 9. Overnight oats: The main difference between overnight oats and oatmeal is that overnight oats are cold. A simple recipe might contain milk, Greek yogurt, warm spices, and a sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup. Mix in frozen fruit, or top the oats with fresh fruit the next morning. Learn how to make classic overnight oats, which you can mix frozen fruit into or top with fresh fruit in the morning.
10. 10. Quinoa breakfast bowl: This breakfast bowl is similar to oatmeal; however, quinoa takes longer to cook. Serve a quinoa breakfast bowl cold, warm, or hot. Try this recipe for a quinoa breakfast bowl, which you can sweeten with fresh fruit and honey or make savory by adding eggs and cheese.
11. 11. Shakshuka: A harissa-spiced tomato sauce serves as the base for shakshuka, an eggy North African dish. The eggs cook in the sauce on the stovetop, absorbing the savory flavors. Try adding chickpeas, potatoes, bell peppers, or onions to the dish, depending on your preferences. Learn how to make a shakshuka you can serve with crusty bread for soaking up any remaining sauce.

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