When you’re rushed in the morning, you may be tempted to skip breakfast or grab something unhealthful. Don’t! You can pull together a delicious, healthy, vegan breakfast in minutes. Here are three great options.
Overnight Oats
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
- 1 cup vegan milk (soy, almond, coconut, hemp)
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds (optional)
- 1 handful fresh fruit sliced into bite-sized pieces
- Drizzle of maple syrup or agave nectar
Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. You can eat it cold straight from the fridge, pack it with you for eating at room temperature, or heat it up.
Green Smoothie
- 1 handful fresh spinach
- 1 sliced frozen banana (freeze when banana is very ripe, when brown spots begin to form on the peel)
- 1 handful frozen mango
- 1 handful frozen pineapple
- 2 cups vanilla almond milk (add more or less depending on how thick you like your smoothies)
Using a high powered blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix, blend the spinach and almond milk. Doing this step first helps prevent green spinach flakes in your smoothie. Next, add the mango and pineapple and blend well.
You can easily modify this recipe by swapping in your favorite fruits—but avoid any red or purple fruits which, when combined with spinach, will turn your smoothie an unappetizing brown color.
Vegan Yogurt Parfait
- Vegan yogurt (soy, coconut, almond)
- Granola (check to make sure there is no honey)
- Fresh fruit, cut into bite-sized chunks
- Raisins or other dried fruits or nuts
Pour the yogurt into your favorite tall glass, interspersing a layer or two of granola, fruit, and raisins. Top with fruit, raisins, or nuts.
These are simple and healthy breakfast options, but when you’re craving something more hearty, you can always turn to tofu scramble, potatoes, hash browns, vegan sausage, bagels with vegan cream cheese, toast, cereal, and so much more.
