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Healthy Breakfast Ideas

https://www.loveandlemons.com/healthy-breakfast-ideas/

And just like that, it’s back-to-school time! I’m lining up the fall recipe calendar, getting ready to test, shoot, and share a slew of new ideas. For us, this season will be busy, and I know that it will be for many of you too. Today, I’m sharing my favorite healthy breakfast ideas to get these jam-packed days off to a great start. You’ll find ones that are perfect for making ahead and taking on the go, ones that are quick & easy to whip up in the morning, and even a few for days when you have a bit more time to linger over breakfast.

Below, I share over 60 healthy breakfast recipes, divided into 11 (yes, 11!) categories: oats, eggs, smoothies, bowls, quick breads, pancakes & waffles, breakfast tacos, breakfast cookies, toast, muffins & scones, and bars & balls. Whether you’re someone who craves something savory or sweet first thing in the morning, or whether you like to enjoy breakfast at home or grab it & go, you’re sure to find some healthy breakfast ideas you love.

Healthy Breakfast Oats

Oats are loaded with fiber, so they’re a great healthy breakfast! If you’re like me, though, you might run the risk of getting stuck in an oat rut. In college, I ate plain oatmeal every day. After four years, I couldn’t stand the stuff. To avoid oat burnout, make sure to vary your toppings! Any nut butter, fruit, dried fruit, yogurt, nut, seed, or jam is fair game. Change up how you prepare your oats too. Make baked oatmeal or homemade granola, or prep a big batch of overnight oats for quick breakfasts throughout the week.

Egg Breakfast Recipes

If you’re someone who wants to prioritize protein in your breakfast, egg recipes are a great choice. Breakfast scrambles, omelets, and plain fried eggs can get repetitive, so try one of the recipes below to change things up. Make individual frittatas in muffins tins for a portable breakfast option. On days when you have more time, sit down to a big breakfast casserole or shakshuka with your partner or family.

Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

Smoothies are some of the best breakfast recipes, as they pack a big serving of fruits and veggies into your first meal of the day. Through years of making smoothies, I’ve found that a handful of spinach is almost undetectable, so toss some in to boost the nutrients in a fruit smoothie! Alternatively, blend in a superfood like hemp seeds, nut butter, matcha, or maca powder for an extra healthy kick.

Make your smoothie the night before and store it in the fridge for a grab & go breakfast, or prep individual smoothie packs. Portion out the fruit, veggie, and superfood ingredients for a single smoothie into a container, prepping for as many days as you like at once. Store containers in the freezer, and in the morning, blend a frozen pack with almond milk or juice. Enjoy!

Healthy Breakfast Bowls

If you’re looking for some new, out-of-the-box breakfast ideas, a breakfast bowl might be the thing for you. In this category, almost anything goes. When I’m making a savory bowl, I top a grain or veggie “rice” with a soft-boiled egg, vegetables, and a flavorful sauce. My sweet bowls vary widely. Sometimes I’m in the mood for chia pudding or a smoothie bowl. On other days, I’ll top quinoa with almond milk, cinnamon, and fresh fruit and call it a meal.

Quick Bread Breakfast Recipes

Moist, comforting, and lightly sweet, quick bread is a delectable breakfast option. In the summer, I almost always have individual slices of zucchini bread in my freezer. In the fall and winter, pumpkin and banana bread take its place. Enjoy a thick slice of your favorite quick bread on its own, or top it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and seasonal fruit for extra staying power.

Pancake & Waffle Breakfast Ideas

Pancakes and waffles may not be something you can whip up every morning of the week, but unlike their cousin French toast, these breakfast recipes keep well if you make them ahead and freeze them. So double your weekend batch of pancakes or waffles, and freeze the leftovers for busy mornings! When you’re ready to eat, pop them in the toaster or microwave to thaw.

Healthy Breakfast Tacos

After years of living in Austin, breakfast tacos are my favorite healthy breakfast. Most often, I scramble eggs with spinach and top them with avocado, tomatillo salsa, and pico de gallo, if I have it on hand. Otherwise, I add roasted veggies like sweet potatoes, shiitakes, or cherry tomatoes to my egg filling. I like to prep these ahead of time, so all I have to do in the morning is scramble up a couple of eggs and load everything into tortillas.

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast cookies are the perfect on-the-go morning treat. Ingredients like flax, oats, nuts, seeds, and even quinoa fill them with protein, healthy fats, and fiber. In addition to the fruit and veggie variations listed below, I love the Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies on page 35 of Love and Lemons Every Day. These breakfast recipes are great ones to make ahead of time and freeze for busy mornings. To thaw, pop them in the microwave for 8-10 seconds, and head out the door!

Toast Breakfast Ideas

If you’re looking for tried & true easy breakfast ideas, toast is the thing for you! Pop a slice of whole grain bread in the toaster, and load it up with your favorite seasonal toppings. I like to start with a creamy spread and then add a layer of roasted or raw veggies, fruit, and/or fresh herbs. I’m a diehard fan of avocado toast, but hummus, ricotta, and nut butter are good starting points for making delicious toast too.

Healthy Breakfast Muffins and Scones

When I was growing up, chocolate chip muffins were a breakfast staple in our house. Muffins are still one of my favorite ways to start the day, but now, I make my morning muffins a bit healthier, using whole grain flour, fruit mix-ins, and natural sweeteners like maple syrup whenever possible. Like other healthy breakfast baked goods, muffins and scones freeze well. I like to keep a frozen stash on hand at all times!

Bars & Balls Breakfast Ideas

If you’re someone who loves to start your day with a granola bar, try swapping out the packaged kind for ones you make at home. All of these recipes are simple, made with good-for-you ingredients that combine to make delicious, nutritious morning treats. Like baked goods, these bars & balls keep well in the freezer, so prep a batch to have on hand for easy healthy breakfasts and snacks!

Looking for more healthy breakfast ideas?

Check out this list of my favorite brunch recipes, or head to the breakfast section of our recipe index. Then, try my favorite strategies for prepping dinner and packing lunch, and check out this post for some great healthy lunch recipes!

Healthy Breakfast Ideas: Veggie Breakfast Tacos

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: breakfast

  • 1 large yellow tomato, diced
  • 3 tablespoons diced red onion
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • ½ to 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • juice from ½ lime
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 green pepper, cored, stem removed, and diced
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups arugula or spinach, chopped
  • extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 tortillas (corn, flour, wheat – whatever you like)
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro, more for garnish
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • lime wedges
  1. Make the Salsa: In a small bowl, combine the tomato, onion, cilantro, serrano, garlic, lime juice and salt. Chill until ready to use.
  2. In a small nonstick skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the green pepper, scallions and a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Scoop a large spoonful of the salsa into the pepper mixture and stir. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. Brush a large nonstick stick skillet lightly with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add the eggs, let them cook for a few seconds and then stir. Add the green pepper mixture to the eggs. Continue to stir and scramble the eggs until just set. Remove from the pan from the heat while the eggs are slightly runny and stir in the arugula and half of the extra cilantro.
  4. Assemble the tacos with the egg mixture, a scoop of salsa, the remaining cilantro and a few slices of avocado. Finish with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

 

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Vegetarian Recipes

Homemade Pop Tarts

Nothing screams nostalgia more than a Pop Tart. In reality, it’s a dessert disguised as breakfast, but I’m here for it. These easy Homemade Pop Tarts are free of all those mysterious, hard-to-pronounce ingredients (and no high fructose corn syrup!) and utilize pantry staples you probably already have on hand! For me, it required zero trips to the store and resulted in a super cute, budget-friendly treat my family loves. I couldn’t decide on just one flavor, so I made two different fillings, and I’m sharing both here with you today!

Overhead view of homemade pop tarts next to a bowl of sprinkles.

Easy Recipe for Homemade Pop Tarts

I threw this recipe together one weekend morning when I was craving something special but didn’t want to leave the house. I discovered a box of pie crusts left over from the holidays in my freezer. Then, I raided the refrigerator and found blueberry jam at the back…and this copycat homemade Pop Tart recipe was born! Let me tell you, my daughter was thrilled with these! We also ended up making a batch for her babysitter’s family. Huge hit.

Budget Saving Tip

In retrospect, you could easily keep the circular pie shape and cut it into pie-like slices or cut your rectangular dough shapes into smaller squares to get more servings for your money. However, I was going for maximum nostalgia and wanted to make it look as close to the real thing as possible. But, you do you! (And share your favorite flavors and shapes in the comments below!)

A homemade blueberry pop tart on a plate.

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Homemade Pop Tarts

These easy Homemade Pop Tarts are made with pie crust and simple pantry ingredients (no corn syrup or preservatives). Includes two nostalgic filling flavors!
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Total Cost $5.98 recipe / $1.49 serving
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 tarts
Calories 837kcal
Author Jess Rice

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking Sheet
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Brown Sugar Filling:

  • ¼ cup brown sugar $0.13
  • 1 tsp flour $0.01
  • 1 tsp cinnamon $0.08
  • 1 Tbsp salted butter, melted $0.12
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract $0.16

Blueberry Jam Filling:

  • ¼ cup blueberry jam* $0.44
  • 1 tsp corn starch $0.02

Homemade Pop Tarts:

  • 1 package of pre-made pie crusts** $2.77
  • 1 egg, beaten (optional)*** $0.49

Cinnamon Frosting:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar $0.55
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream $0.20
  • 1 tsp cinnamon $0.08

Berry Frosting:

  • remnants of juice from the jam-filling process $0.00
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream $0.20
  • 1 cup powdered sugar $0.55
  • ½ Tbsp sprinkles $0.18

Instructions

  • Gather ingredients and preheat oven to 400℉.
  • Make cinnamon sugar filling: Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, melted salted butter, and vanilla extract in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Set aside.
  • Make berry jam filling: Combine blueberry jam and corn starch. Set aside.
  • Flour a large work surface and roll out pie crusts, one at a time, to be even thickness. I like to make my pie crusts fairly thin so I get another serving out of this recipe, but the trick is to cut one rectangle in whatever size you prefer and then use that one as your guide to cut the rest, making them all the same size.
  • Add 1-2 Tbsp of prepared filling to one prepared rectangular crust at a time, reserving a rectangle of crust for each to place over the top. Do not overfill your tarts.
  • Place reserved rectangle crusts over the top of each filled side and prick once or twice with a fork or toothpick (to help some air escape during baking), then seal each tart by gently pressing the crusts together with a fork.
  • Optional: Beat one egg and brush each tart to give it a nice shine.
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes on parchment-lined baking sheets until top crusts are golden brown. If you experience a blow out, don’t worry! Once they cool and it comes time to frost them, it won’t be an issue.
  • While they’re cooling, make the brown sugar frosting and the berry frosting. To make the brown sugar frosting, simply combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp heavy cream, and cinnamon in a bowl, whisking until smooth. To make the berry frosting, I like to use up any leftover juice from the jam that’s still in my mixing bowl (for color!) along with the remaining 2 Tbsp cream and the remaining cup of powdered sugar.
  • Once they’re completely cooled, frost each Pop Tart generously. Top the berry tarts with sprinkles. Decorate the berry tarts with sprinkles before serving. Enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*You can use any flavor of berry jam that you already have on hand. You can even combine jars of jam if you’re short on one flavor.

**I used a package of two 9-inch pie crusts. You can also try making a homemade double pie crust if you have the time!

***This price is based on Walmart prices on March 17th, 2025. This is optional…with the price of eggs these days, you may want to skip this step. I do find it helps with frosting them nicely and smoothly, but you can totally skip it, and they’ll still come out perfect.😊

Nutrition

Serving: 1tart | Calories: 837kcal | Carbohydrates: 133g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Sodium: 402mg | Fiber: 3g

how to make Homemade Pop Tarts step-by-step photos

The ingredients to make homemade pop tarts.

Make the fillings: Gather all your ingredients and preheat the oven to 400℉. Now, make the cinnamon sugar filling by combining ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 Tbsp melted salted butter, and ¼ tsp vanilla extract in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, bake the berry jam filling by combining ¼ cup blueberry jam and 1 tsp corn starch. Set both fillings aside for now.

Hands using a rolling pin to roll out a pie crust.

Shape the pie dough: Sprinkle a little all-purpose flour onto your work surface and roll out each pie crust (one at a time) to an even thickness. To get the most out of the pie dough, I like to make them fairly thin.

A pie crust cut into 8 rectangles.

Now cut out one rectangle from your rolled-out dough in whatever size you prefer, and use that one as your guide to cut the rest. You need eight rectangles total to make 4 homemade Pop Tarts.

Brown sugar filling added to two pie crust rectangles and blueberry jam filling added to 2 pie crust rectangles.

Fill the tarts: Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of prepared filling into one prepared rectangular crust at a time, reserving a rectangle of crust for each to place over the top. Be careful not to overfill your tarts.

Hands adding the top crust to a homemade pop tart.

Seal the tarts: Place the reserved rectangle crusts over the top of each filled side. Now, carefully prick the top of each tart once or twice with a fork (or toothpick. This will allow air and steam to escape while baking).

A fork crimping the edges of a homemade pop tart.

Use a fork to seal the edges of each tart by pressing the crusts together, as shown here.

A basting brush topping four unbaked copycat pop tarts with egg wash.

(Optional) Add an egg wash: Brush an egg wash made from one beaten egg over the top of each tart. This will give it a nice shine once baked, but it is entirely optional.

Four freshly baked pop tarts on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake: Place each tart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the crusts are golden brown. Don’t worry if any of the filling spills out during baking! Let them cool while you make the frosting.

Berry frosting in a bowl and cinnamon sugar frosting in a bowl.

Make the frostings: Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp heavy cream, and 1 tsp cinnamon in a bowl until smooth to make the brown sugar frosting. To make the berry frosting, I like to use up any leftover juice from the jam that’s still in my mixing bowl (for color!) along with the remaining 2 Tbsp cream and the remaining cup of powdered sugar.

Two finished homemade pop tarts.

Frost and serve: Once cooled, top your homemade brown sugar Pop Tarts and your homemade blueberry Pop Tarts with the corresponding frosting. Add a few sprinkles to the berry-flavored tarts, and serve!

Overhead view of three blueberry and three brown sugar homemade pop tarts.

Recipe Success Tips & Suggestions

  1. Don’t overfill! I stick to 1-2 tablespoons of filling per homemade Pop Tart. Any more than that, and it gets tricky to close them up properly. Too much filling can also squeeze out the sides during baking or cause the top crust to tear while sealing.
  2. Leave a gap around the edges. Be sure to leave a little border when adding your filling. Then, gently pierce the tops with a fork or toothpick before baking. This helps release steam and keeps the crust from getting soggy.
  3. Crimp the wedges well. Use a fork to seal the edges all the way around. If a little filling spills out during baking, don’t stress! That’s exactly why we line the baking sheet. Once cooled, any overflow will separate easily from the tarts, and the parchment paper will make it simple to clean up!
  4. Use up any pie crust scraps. If you’ve got any little off-cuts from shaping the dough, don’t toss them! Cut them into shapes or strips and bake them into quick pie crust cookies. I’d sprinkle them with some cinnamon and brown sugar before baking or drizzle over leftover frosting once they’ve cooled for an easy bonus treat.

Flavor Variations to Try!

You can use just about any flavored jam to fill these easy homemade Pop Tarts! Use ¼ cup of jam as listed in the recipe card above. I’d also add 1 teaspoon of corn starch if the jam is quite runny, just to thicken it up some. Here are some other ideas I think would work well (you want about ¼ cup of filling per flavor variation):

Storage & Reheating

You can keep unfrosted homemade Pop Tarts covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. If your kitchen runs warm or you’re storing frosted pies, it’s best to keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2–3 months. I recommend freezing them unfrosted for the best results since the frosting can get a little sticky or runny when thawed. Let them thaw in the fridge, then reheat in the toaster oven, air fryer, oven at 350°F, or microwave if desired.

More Easy Copycat Recipes

The post Homemade Pop Tarts appeared first on Budget Bytes.

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