One of the biggest challenges with a vegan diet is finding good protein rich vegan breakfasts.
These are my 12 favorite recipes, which mostly come from my collection of over 150 high protein vegan recipes.
You should be able to find at least a few recipes that you like no matter if you’re looking for something quick, soy free, gluten free, or whatever else.
1. The Perfect Tofu Scramble
Per Serving: 200 Calories, 20 grams Protein, 11 grams Fat, 8 grams Carbohydrates (4 g Fiber)
The better I get at cooking tofu scrambles, the more they resemble actual eggs. It’s obviously not a perfect substitute, but it’s pretty good.
This is a quick basic low carb tofu scramble recipe that I make when I don’t have much time. You crumble up some firm tofu, toss on some spices and non-dairy milk, and in 10 minutes or so your breakfast is ready.
The author also has a recipe for some nice breakfast potatoes on the page that pairs well with the tofu scramble, but that will hurt the macros of this meal considerably.
2. Spicy Vegan Chickpea Breakfast Burrito Bowls
Per Serving: 393 Calories, 14 grams Protein, 13 grams Fat, 53 grams Carbohydrates (13 g Fiber)
Despite including grains in this recipe (I use rice), it’s still relatively protein packed.
Most of the protein comes from chickpeas, but even cabbage and avocado adds a bit.
What I like most about breakfast bowls is that they are great for meal prepping. You can cook a large batch of chickpeas and rice at the start of the week, and then assemble this bowl relatively quickly each morning.
3. Gluten-Free Vegan Protein Pancakes
Per Serving: 358 Calories, 20 grams Protein, 4 grams Fat, 60 grams Carbohydrates (9 g Fiber)
Pancakes are arguably the best breakfast food.
There are 2 main ways that you can go about making vegan pancakes that are high in protein:
- Use flour, but substitute some for vegan protein powder (what I do for this recipe)
- Use a high protein flour like chickpea flour
Both can produce some awesome pancakes with good macros, and this recipe can accommodate either approach.
4. Keto Vegan Overnight Oats
Per Serving: 408 Calories, 15 grams Protein, 35 grams Fat, 9 grams Carbohydrates (6 g Fiber)
Overnight oats are the ultimate easy keto vegan breakfast. They’re high in healthy fats, low carb, and have a solid amount of protein.
You can add in some protein powder or peanut butter to get even more protein.
This is my favorite overnight oat recipe, it has a few different variations that build upon the base of coconut milk, hemp hearts, and chia seeds.
In order to keep the carbohydrates down, it also calls for stevia or erythritol. Personally, I like the taste of erythritol a lot more than stevia.
5. Chickpea Scramble Breakfast Bowl
Per Serving: 474 Calories, 18 grams Protein, 24 grams Fat, 55 grams Carbohydrates (19 g Fiber)
While tofu scrambles are the most common vegan alternative to eggs, chickpea scrambles are the best soy free alternative.
This recipe is fairly similar to the earlier tofu-based scramble, but also recommends mixed greens. Many people aren’t aware that most leafy greens are decent sources of plant based protein. Foods like spinach don’t have a lot of calories, but a high percent of those calories come from protein.
6. High Protein Vegan Breakfast Burritos
Per Serving: 328 Calories, 16 grams Protein, 12 grams Fat, 39 grams Carbohydrates (10 g Fiber)
When I’m really busy, it’s nice to make these breakfast burritos ahead of time and freeze some extras to be reheated later.
The protein mainly comes from the tofu and black beans in the burritos. It’s also possible to find keto-friendly tortillas to use if you’re trying to lower your carbohydrate intake.
7. Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
Per Serving: 304 Calories, 10 grams Protein, 13 grams Fat, 36 grams Carbohydrates
Bread and english muffins may be relatively high in carbohydrates, but still include a decent amount of protein.
Pairing them with tofu, nutritional yeast, and some sort of vegan ham (usually soy or seitan-based) results in this vegan breakfast sandwich. You can always only use half a muffin in order to lower the carbohydrate content.
This recipe calls for a vegan cheese that melts well. You might be interested in my experiment into which vegan cheeses melt.
8. Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Breakfast Bites
Per Serving: 78 Calories, 3 grams Protein, 3 grams Fat, 11 grams Carbohydrates (1 g Fiber)
This is another breakfast idea with no soy that you can make at the start of the week and pull out as needed.
These low calorie no-bake protein bites are perfect when you’re trying to lose weight, as long as you don’t eat too many. They’re mainly made from:
- Rolled oats
- Vegan protein powder
- Almond flour
- Nut butter (peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.)
- Maple syrup
Each ball is low in calories, and while the macros may not look amazing, you can also just ease up on the oats and maple syrup and still end up with a good tasting breakfast.
9. Tofu Breakfast Tacos
Per Serving: 243 Calories, 16 grams Protein, 6 grams Fat, 31 grams Carbohydrates (6 g Fiber)
Tacos can be eaten for any meal, including breakfast.
The filling is similar to a tofu scramble, but a bit different. Similar to the burritos, you can make the filling a few days ahead and just reheat it in the microwave each morning quickly.
10. Best Dang BBQ Baked Beans
Per Serving: 455 Calories, 28 grams Protein, 1 grams Fat, 110 grams Carbohydrates (26 g Fiber)
A classic English breakfast is centered around baked beans and toast.
While you don’t need to add toast, it’s a perfect complement to these beans if you’re looking for something high in calories while bulking up.
Baked beans are typically made from great northern beans or navy beans, both of which are fairly high in protein. This recipe does take a while to make, but again you can make a huge batch that will last you for most of the week.
11. Next-Level Chocolate Green Smoothie
Per Serving: 547 Calories, 24 grams Protein, 26 grams Fat, 59 grams Carbohydrates (20 g Fiber)
This is not your ordinary easy smoothie.
It’s a well balanced meal replacement smoothie with a solid amount of protein. This recipe has several ingredients and takes some time to prepare.
You’ll need protein powder, frozen bananas, cacao powder, non-dairy milk, and many more ingredients like almond butter, cauliflower, and dates. In the end, you get a highly nutritious and delicious breakfast smoothie.
12. Vegan Curried Tofu Scramble with Spinach
Per Serving: 270 Calories, 24 grams Protein, 11 grams Fat, 19 grams Carbohydrates (8 g Fiber)
I have one final Indian-inspired tofu scramble variation that I like to make once in a while.
You can add a ton of spinach to add more protein on top of the tofu. It’s low in calories and about as high in protein as a vegan breakfast can get.
The curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and tomatoes add an interesting taste that’s a bit different than the traditional nutritional yeast in other tofu scramble recipes.
