15 High Protein Breakfast Ideas for an Energy Packed Start of the Day
It’s never fun when you get hungry well before lunchtime, right? Well, eating a high-protein breakfast can help you stay nourished until lunch break. More importantly, it can be instrumental in maintaining your muscle mass and promoting healthy weight loss.
If you’re feeling unenergetic after you eat in the mornings, these high protein breakfast ideas will transform the way you start your day!
Key Takeaway
- A high-protein breakfast will boost your muscle mass, help you lose weight, and keep you feeling full for a longer time.
- High-protein breakfast recipes typically include eggs, dairy, meat or fish, beans, and other protein-rich vegetables.
- You need about 20g of protein at breakfast; it can be plant-based or animal protein, depending on your preferences.
Benefits of a High Protein Breakfast
Eating a protein rich breakfast is great for your health. Here are some of the most important benefits of starting your day with a good dose of protein:
- Builds muscle mass
A high-protein breakfast helps your body build muscle mass because protein is vital for building muscle and repairing tissues.
- Promotes weight loss
Recent studies show that eating a protein rich breakfast helps decrease your weight by boosting muscle mass, making you feel full for a longer time, and regulating blood sugar levels.
- Burns Calories
When you eat sufficient protein, your body burns calories quicker, which also contributes to weight loss.
What Is the Best High Protein Breakfast?
High protein breakfast contains foods that are rich in protein. Such food isn’t limited to meat, fish, seafood, or dairy products, but also includes protein-rich vegetables and some high-protein fruit. Seeds, nuts, and whole grains are another important source of protein. Here are some examples of excellent high-protein breakfasts:
- Eggs and tomato dishes like shakshuka and huevos rancheros
- Omelets with sliced chicken or ground beef
- Fish and avocado toasts
- Cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with honey or fruit
- Scrambled eggs and bacon
- Smoothies from protein-rich vegetables, leafy greens, and fruit
How Much Protein Do I Need in a Healthy Breakfast?
A person of average weight and size should get a minimum of 50g of protein per day according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means that around 15-20g should come from breakfast if you eat thrice a day. Starting the day with a protein-rich breakfast is a great way to make sure that you’re receiving enough daily protein.
Whether you're on a low-carb diet, such as keto or vegan keto, or you simply prefer protein-rich food to build your muscles, Cookunity offers a wide range of healthy and delicious high-protein dishes for your individual needs. Prepared thoughtfully by award-winning chefs near you, our tasty meals are always fresh and come to your door in sustainable packaging. Order Cookunity's meal delivery services today to save time and effort!
15 High Protein Breakfast Ideas
Whether you prefer animal protein or plant-based protein, it’s best to eat quality, unprocessed foods. Because plant-based protein and animal protein are formed from different amino acids, it’s important to vary your protein sources. We cover all of these protein-rich foods in 15 awesome breakfast suggestions you will love.
High Protein Breakfast Recipes for Muscle Growth
In addition to movement, muscles need protein to develop and grow. Starting your day with a protein-rich meal is an excellent way to support your muscles’ growth and health.
1. Smoked Salmon and Avocado Toast
Image by Mediterranean Living
Protein: 7g per serving
If you’re used to eating toast for breakfast, one great way to include more protein in your meal is to whip up a high-protein topping. Fish like salmon contains a large amount of protein, and combining it with avocado, which is rich in plant-based protein, just makes it better.
2. Green Bean Shakshuka
Image by Melinda Strauss
Protein: 24.3g per serving
When it’s cold outside, sometimes all you want is a warm breakfast before you’re ready to face the day. Shakshuka, a traditional North African and Middle Eastern dish, is the perfect filling, warm breakfast as it combines poached eggs, vegetables, and sometimes cheese. A great combination would be green beans, eggs, and mozzarella. Beans are known for their high levels of protein, and you’ll get additional protein from the eggs and cheese.
3. Bacon and Cheese Omelet
Image Closet Cooking
Protein: 30g per serving
The ultimate filling breakfast for many, a bacon and cheese omelet will make sure that you won’t get hungry before lunchtime. You can try a variety of cheeses with this tasty classic, like mozzarella, brie, or ricotta. Softer types of cheese will work best when combined with the crispy bacon. You can also choose to substitute the bacon with ham or lean beef if you want your breakfast to be lower in fat.
4. Cottage Cheese and Fruit
Image by Muscle and Strength
Protein: 30g per 1 cup
Cottage cheese contains 11.1g of protein per 100g. This is more than most types of yogurt! Combine it with your favorite berries and fruit, and you’ll get an amazing breakfast that will also provide your body with the necessary amount of protein.
5. Grilled Steak and Egg Breakfast Burrito
Image by Cookunity
Protein: 39g per serving
A high-protein breakfast burrito filled with soft scrambled eggs, marinated and grilled flank steak, shredded cheddar cheese, and crisp roasted potatoes - perfect for an energy-packed start of the day. Prepared with love and expertise by one of Cookunity's experienced chefs.
High Protein Breakfast Recipes for Vegans
Plenty of vegan recipes provide sufficient amounts of protein to eat for breakfast, and many of them are as delicious as traditional egg-based breakfasts. Here’s our selection of the best vegan meals to start your day:
6. Tofu Scramble
Image by Olive
Protein: 17.5g per serving
A vegan alternative to scrambled eggs, tofu scramble makes a wonderful protein-rich breakfast. Combine smoked tofu with finely chopped onions, peppers, courgette, spinach, avocado, or other favorite veggies. You can make it spicy or not, according to your preferences. This amazing healthy breakfast will keep you nourished until lunchtime.
7. Chickpea Omelet
Image by The Hidden Veggies
Protein: 11g per serving
If you think that an omelet is a nice but definitely non-vegan breakfast, don’t worry – chickpea flour omelet is just as tasty and contains lots of protein, just like the egg version. Add vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, peppers, or tomatoes, and enjoy!
8. Kale Smoothie
Image by Plant-Based on a Budget
Protein: 15g per serving
Smoothies are a perfect way to get your daily dose of fruit, vegetables, and seeds. Using kale as the main leafy green, you can combine it with high-protein fruit like peaches, apricots, and raspberries, as well as avocado or bananas. Mixing in some chia or quinoa will make sure that you get the maximum amount of protein, all in one delicious drink.
9. Vegan Almond Flour Pancakes
Image by Shane & Simple
Protein: 3.9g per pancake
Sometimes you miss pancakes for breakfast. Well, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have some! Vegan almond flour pancakes have the additional benefit of containing much more protein than usual pancakes. This is because almonds are among the top ten high-protein nuts. Eat your pancakes with fruit or berries for the perfect start of the day.
10. Broccoli-Cheddar Breakfast Frittata
Image by Cookunity
Protein: 15.6g per serving
Getting your day started off on the right foot is easy when you know you have this tasty high-protein breakfast frittata to look forward to! This frittata, prepared by one of Cookunity's top chefs features a rich egg mixture, white cheddar cheese, and roasted broccoli.
High Protein Low Calorie Breakfast Ideas for Weight Loss
A balanced high-protein diet can help with weight loss. Instead of eating the habitual toast or sweetened muesli, you could get creative and make breakfast your ally in achieving your desired comfortable body weight.
11. Berry-based Breakfast Smoothie
Image by EatingWell
Protein: 17g per serving
For a delicious liquid breakfast, try combining cherries or blueberries with high-protein vegetables like avocado, spinach, or kale. Mix in some yogurt or kefir. To boost protein levels, you can add almond butter or peanut butter, as well as seeds like chia or quinoa. Sip this delicious drink on the go, if you haven’t got much time for breakfast.
12. Egg-in-a-Hole with Peppers
Image by Delish
Protein: 40g per serving
If you want to avoid always eating toast for breakfast, why not try healthy alternatives to traditional breakfasts? Egg-in-a-hole can only benefit from being made with peppers – they look awesome and allow you to benefit from the protein in the eggs without gaining calories from the bread.
13. Poached Egg Avocado Breakfast Salad
Image by Jar of Lemons
Protein: 14g per serving
Eating salad for breakfast can be the perfect way to get enough protein and lose weight. Poached eggs, leafy greens, tomatoes, and avocado are a wonderful breakfast combination. If you want to, add some walnuts, lemon dressing, or quinoa to make the meal even more satisfying.
14. Spring Green Frittata
Image by EatingWell
Protein: 15g per serving
While frittatas make a great lunch, don’t ignore them as a healthy and nourishing breakfast option either. Made with seasonal vegetables or with greens like chives, green onions, asparagus, and spinach leaves, frittata can be a refreshing substitute for an omelet.
15. Scrambled Tofu Breakfast Plate
Image by Cookunity
Protein: 15g per serving
The scrambled tofu is cooked with a little bit of olive oil, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and black pepper, plus a hint of black salt to give it that eggy flavor in the end. Roasted beets come together with chickpeas, walnuts and spices to form breakfast 'sausage' patties. A creamy cashew-sriracha aioli and some steamed kale on the side complete this healthy, satisfying breakfast, offered by Cookunity.
Related: 30 Vegan Breakfast Ideas: Start the Day with a Nutritious Vegan-friendly Meal
High Protein Breakfast Ideas: FAQs
Q: How do I calculate how much protein I need?
A: It is recommended to eat at least 0.36g per 1 pound of body weight (0.8g of protein per 1 kilogram). To get your minimum daily recommended amount, multiply your weight (in pounds) by 0.36. You can also use an online protein calculator.
Q: Are oats high in protein?
A: Yes, oats are a good source of quality plant-based protein.
Q: Is 2 eggs a high-protein breakfast?
A: Two eggs contain around 12g of protein. While individual protein requirements differ depending on size, weight, and health specifics, usually two eggs aren’t enough to ensure sufficient protein amount for breakfast.
Q: Does a high protein breakfast give you energy?
A: Yes, when you eat a high protein breakfast, you stay energized for longer and get hungry less quickly.
Q: How much protein is too much for breakfast?
A: Eating over 2g of protein per 1 kg of body weight is considered unnecessary and even potentially harmful.
Related: 15 High Protein Meal Prep Ideas to Achieve Your Nutritional Goals
Conclusion
Eating a high protein breakfast not only keeps you energized, but it also can help you build muscles, stay healthy, and lose weight. Planning your meals so that you get a variety of quality proteins is the best way to support your body throughout the day.
Said to be the most important meal of the day, breakfast should include energizing high-protein dishes that will benefit your health whether you’re vegan or on a keto diet. A varied, high-protein menu tastes great and will lift your mood to help you tackle your day.
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