15 Convenient Plant-Based Breakfast Choices to Start Your Day

For those of us with busy schedules and limited time, breakfast is already a hurdle, but for those who eat plant-based — especially when it comes to getting enough nutrients like fiber and protein to fuel your day — breakfast can be an extra unique challenge. 

Plant-based eating is becoming increasingly popular for those concerned with the exploitation of the environment’s resources, as well as the environmental impact of dairy production and animal welfare in commercial farming. As a result, many are transitioning to a vegetarian, dairy-free, or completely plant-based diet.

Whether you’re choosing to eat plant-based for environmental reasons or dietary ones, eating a nutritious plant-based breakfast doesn’t have to be difficult.

With our breakdown of some of the 15 most convenient plant-based breakfast items and tricks to find them, breakfast will go from a burden to the best part of your day.

There are 1,000s of food products that won’t be right for you

Let GreenChoice find the ones that are

Tell us your dietary needs & values and we’ll show you foods that match!

Choosing a nutritious plant-based breakfast

Since breakfast is the first meal of the day and breaks your post-sleep fast, it’s important to pack it full of nutrients that will support you all day long — or at least until your next meal.

When transitioning to a plant-based diet, the removal of dairy and animal protein may make it more challenging to meet particular nutrient needs — namely, protein, iron, and B12.

To make sure there are no nutrient gaps in your diet, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Fiber. Although plant-based diets are often packed with lots of fiber — many people skimp on their daily fiber needs when it comes to breakfast. Fiber keeps you fuller longer and is an excellent source of energy. In a 2,000 calorie per day diet, the USDA recommends eating 28 grams of fiber. (1).
• Protein. There are many misconceptions about protein when it comes to eating plant-based. Despite assumptions that it’s difficult or even impossible to get enough protein on a plant-based diet, all it takes is an extra bit of planning. The FDA’s daily recommended value for protein is 50 grams per day based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Building your breakfast around plant-based proteins will ensure you get enough protein in your diet. Plant-based proteins include beans, tofu, oatmeal, lentils, nut butter, and seeds (2, 3).
• Other essential vitamins & minerals. Many plant-based and vegan diets have plenty of access to essential vitamins, but a poorly constructed plant-based diet can lead to vitamin deficiencies in vitamins like iron, B12, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and more. These deficiencies usually occur when plant-based eaters don’t consider the nutrients they exclude by eating an exclusively plant-fueled diet. Satisfying those dietary requirements is as easy as doing your research. For example, fortified foods and beverages, like nutritional yeast, have added micronutrients and are a great and reliable source of B12, and ground flaxseed and walnuts are naturally rich in omega-3’s. All it takes is a bit of attentiveness to ensure your plant-based breakfast meets your everyday needs (4, 5).

GreenChoice Picks

1. Food For Life – Ezekiel 49 Cereal Crunchy

2. One Degree Organic – Foods Sprouted Steel Cut Oats

3. Hain Celestial – Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Bran Flakes

4. One Degree Organic Foods – Veganic Sprouted Oat O’s

5. Purely Elizabeth – Coconut Cashew Grainfree Granola

6. Nature’s Path Organic – Gluten Free Oatmeal Spiced Apple With Flax

7. Garden Of Light – Organic Oats & Happiness

8. Annie’s Homegrown – Pancake Waffle Mix Organic

9. Aron Streit Streit’s – Vegetable Potato Pancake Mix

10. Le Pain Des Fleur – 100% Organic Quinoa Crispbread

11. Tempt – Unsweetened Vanilla Hempmilk

15. Santa Cruz Organic – Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter

Key takeaways for choosing a plant-based breakfast

Breakfast can be an uphill battle for many people, and with the additional hurdle of making it plant-based, many people skip breakfast or opt for choices that don’t nourish their bodies the way they should. 

Although planning a plant-based breakfast may seem a bit difficult at first, choosing a nutritious and delicious plant-based breakfast that works for you and your schedule is as easy as planning ahead.

Take note of the vitamins and nutrients you lose by cutting out meat and dairy, and be mindful of what you eat in the course of your day to provide your body with enough protein, fiber, and essential vitamins like iron, B12, omega 3’s, etc., to prevent nutrition deficiencies.

Eating plant-based breakfasts can even be an extra bit of fun when you make it yourself. If you have a bit of extra time in the morning, test out one of our suggestions above or look up a recipe to create and customize your perfect plant-based breakfast.

There are 1,000s of food products that won’t be right for you

Let GreenChoice find the ones that are

Tell us your dietary needs & values and we’ll show you foods that match!

***

GreenChoice, PBC has evaluated and rated more than 340,000 food & beverage products across hundreds of attributes related to diet, health, and sustainability. Easily find the best products for you, the planet, & your budget. Download the free GreenChoice app for Apple iO or Android!

Katherine

View all posts by Katherine

Sydney W

View all posts by Sydney W

Merve

View all posts by Merve