Breakfast is often touted as the most important meal of the day, and for us atEatingWell,that sentiment rings true. We know a balanced meal can kick-start your morning, providing you with key nutrients that help you stay energized throughout the day. It’s not only a time to create memories with loved ones, but also a way to enjoy some of our favorite foods.
Now, I eat breakfast knowing it nourishes both mind and body. Whether it’sfiberfromovernight oats,proteinfrom acrustless quicheorantioxidantsfrom afruit-and-veggie smoothie, these nutrients can help keep you full for longer, support digestion and reduce inflammation in the body, respectively.Eating breakfastalso supports your overall metabolic and cardiovascular health. And while it can be easy to skip your morning meal on busy days—in fact, almost 25% of U.S. adults skip breakfast on a daily basis—we want to help you prioritize breakfast so you can enjoy it on any given day.
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
Get the Recipe:Crustless Spinach & Goat Cheese Quiche
Enter: 20 delicious, healthy breakfast recipes perfect for any occasion. The recipes in our meal-prep category are perfect for those who find that having something ready to grab from the fridge is the key to success. Are you the kind of person who isn’t hungry when you wake up but know you should eat a littlesomething?Our breakfast snacks are just for you!
Of course, no breakfast spread would be complete without some special recipes to make for brunch. These recipes are not only tasty, but also totally Instagram-worthy. Finally, we tapped theEatingWellteam for some of their favorite breakfast recipes, dishes that are tried-and-true that we know you’ll enjoy, too.
We want everyone to start their day with a healthy, tasty bite so you have all the energy you need for the morning ahead. However—and wherever—you eat breakfast, these recipes are worth waking up for.
For a Small Bite on the Run
Whether you wake up with a smaller appetite or tend to skip breakfast but are trying to be better about eating something in the morning, consider thesebreakfast snacksinstead. These recipes can be enjoyed in a couple of bites, from a slice ofHigh-Protein Pumpkin BreadtoMini Banana Pancake Bites. Enjoy these packable snacks on your drive to work or pop a few in your kids’ lunchboxes.
Mini Banana Pancake BitesCarrot Cake Breakfast CookiesSausage, Spinach & Mushroom Egg BitesMango-Turmeric SmoothieHigh-Protein Pumpkin BreadAlmond Joy–Inspired Energy Balls1of2
Mini Banana Pancake BitesCarrot Cake Breakfast CookiesSausage, Spinach & Mushroom Egg BitesMango-Turmeric SmoothieHigh-Protein Pumpkin BreadAlmond Joy–Inspired Energy Balls
Mini Banana Pancake Bites
Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
Sausage, Spinach & Mushroom Egg Bites
Mango-Turmeric Smoothie
High-Protein Pumpkin Bread
Almond Joy–Inspired Energy Balls
1of2
For Weekend Brunch
Invite your friends and family over and impress them with our deliciousbrunch recipes. Our Crustless Spinach & Goat Cheese Quiche is the epitome of brunch vibes, while our Sheet-Pan Lemon-Blueberry French Toast is the easiest way to serve a hungry crowd.
Cauliflower Steaks with Poached Eggs & Pesto HollandaiseSheet-Pan Lemon-Blueberry French ToastSmoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagel BitesSticky-Bun Baked OatsBreakfast Stuffed PeppersCrustless Spinach & Goat Cheese Quiche1of2
Cauliflower Steaks with Poached Eggs & Pesto HollandaiseSheet-Pan Lemon-Blueberry French ToastSmoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagel BitesSticky-Bun Baked OatsBreakfast Stuffed PeppersCrustless Spinach & Goat Cheese Quiche
Cauliflower Steaks with Poached Eggs & Pesto Hollandaise
Sheet-Pan Lemon-Blueberry French Toast
Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagel Bites
Sticky-Bun Baked Oats
Breakfast Stuffed Peppers
Crustless Spinach & Goat Cheese Quiche
Favorite Breakfast Recipes from Our Own Kitchens
Peanut-Ginger Tofu ScrambleEatingWell’sassistant general manager Penelope Wall re-created her go-to breakfast order at home after her favorite diner closed. “It’s really unique,” she says.
Peanut-Ginger Tofu Scramble
EatingWell’sassistant general manager Penelope Wall re-created her go-to breakfast order at home after her favorite diner closed. “It’s really unique,” she says.
Get the Recipe
Chole Puri (Chickpea Curry with Fried Bread)Learning to make Chole Puri from her neighbor was the spark that started recipe developer Renu Anshie Dhar’s culinary journey.
Chole Puri (Chickpea Curry with Fried Bread)
Learning to make Chole Puri from her neighbor was the spark that started recipe developer Renu Anshie Dhar’s culinary journey.
Blistered Cherry Tomato & Fried Egg Toast"Tomatoes are the best," says Craig Ruff, recipe developer. This is the breakfast he always makes to highlight one of his favorite veggies.
Blistered Cherry Tomato & Fried Egg Toast
“Tomatoes are the best,” says Craig Ruff, recipe developer. This is the breakfast he always makes to highlight one of his favorite veggies.
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling
Huevos Divorciados (Divorced Eggs)Maria Laura Haddad-Garcia,EatingWell’ssenior nutrition and news editor, loves sharing her Mexican heritage with people, particularly her favorite breakfast recipe, Huevos Divorciados.
Huevos Divorciados (Divorced Eggs)
Maria Laura Haddad-Garcia,EatingWell’ssenior nutrition and news editor, loves sharing her Mexican heritage with people, particularly her favorite breakfast recipe, Huevos Divorciados.
Make-Ahead for Busy Mornings
Calling all meal preppers:these recipesdeserve a spot in your next meal plan. Make them on a Sunday when you have a little more time and have grab-and-go breakfasts at the ready all week long.Pumpkin-Spice Latte Overnight Oatswill remind you of your favorite fall beverage, while our quickSpinach & Feta Mug Scrambled Eggsare so easy to make, there’s really no excuse for not trying it.
Pumpkin-Spice Latte Overnight OatsLemon-Blueberry GranolaPeanut Butter PancakesBreakfast Dal BowlSpinach & Feta Mug Scrambled Eggs1of2
Pumpkin-Spice Latte Overnight OatsLemon-Blueberry GranolaPeanut Butter PancakesBreakfast Dal BowlSpinach & Feta Mug Scrambled Eggs
Pumpkin-Spice Latte Overnight Oats
Lemon-Blueberry Granola
Peanut Butter Pancakes
Breakfast Dal Bowl
Spinach & Feta Mug Scrambled Eggs
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Our Recipe Development Process
For instance,Craig Ruff, a developer in our Test Kitchen, suggested his favorite breakfast recipe. “TheBlistered Cherry Tomato & Fried Egg Toastis a breakfast that I keep in heavy rotation. I almost always have the ingredients on hand,” he says. We then narrowed down a list of more than 1,000 recipe ideas to the 20 recipes you see here (which included some lively discussions and voting!).
The development process had its ups and downs. Some recipes, like ourCrustless Spinach & Goat Cheese QuicheandHuevos Divorciados (Divorced Eggs), were easy and straightforward to develop whereas others, like ourPeanut Butter Pancakes, were a little trickier. For the pancakes, we initially wanted to include jam in the batter to mimic a PB&J sandwich.
“I tried several different ways to incorporate the jam, from swirling some on the wet batter to sandwiching it between layers of batter, but it was a big fat no,” saysJulia Levy, who developed this recipe. “Ultimately, I landed on fresh strawberries folded into the batter to still give it a PB&J feel but without the added sugars!”
The final result is a fluffy pancake studded with berries, so it’s a win in our book! Plus, we were able to reduce added sugars in the recipe, which aligns with EatingWell’snutrition guidelines.
Food stylist Jennifer Wendorf brushing some extra shine on the Sticky Bun Baked Oats.Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
Once the recipes were developed, our food editors closely reviewed them. Did theSticky Bun Baked Oatsseem dry? (We added more glaze to achieve the classic sticky bun look and provide moisture.) Could theSmoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagel Bitesbe baked in the oven for those without an air fryer? (Yes, it worked after we made some adjustments to the dough.)
Recipe development, testing and nutrition analysis is a lengthy process, but it guarantees we’re publishing the best recipes possible. We hope these breakfast recipes help you start your days nutritiously and deliciously!
Credits
Recipes & Photography:Maria Laura Haddad-Garcia; Liz Mervosh; Renu Anshie Dhar; Craig Ruff; Amanda Stanfield; Julia Levy; Liv Dansky; Catherine Jessee; Amanda Holstein; Jen Causey; Jennifer Wendorf; Priscilla Montiel
Visuals & Design:Maria Emmighausen; Cassie Basford; Sabrina Tan; Janet Maples
Special Thanks:Penelope Wall; Victoria Seaver, M.S., RD; Megan Ginsberg; Hilary Meyer; Sophie Johnson; Alysia Bebel; Allison Little; Taylor Boeser; Anne Treadwell; Beth Stewart; Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD; Cam Wimberly; and the entire staff of EatingWell.
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Buckner SL, Loprinzi PD, Loenneke JP.Why don’t people eat more breakfast? A biological perspective. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2016;6. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.132837
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Buckner SL, Loprinzi PD, Loenneke JP.Why don’t people eat more breakfast? A biological perspective. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2016;6. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.132837
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
Buckner SL, Loprinzi PD, Loenneke JP.Why don’t people eat more breakfast? A biological perspective. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2016;6. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.132837
