We know how difficult it can be to find the perfect vegan breakfast recipe that will leave you full of energy for the day, but won’t take you exactly 5 hours to make. We paired up with 3 influencers, and got them share their favourite vegan breakfast recipes with us. Get ready for some pretty good tips, even suitable for newcomers to the vegan lifestyle.
Words: Aleksandra Medina
Catherine Perez
Instagram @plantbasedrd
What are your favourite ingredients to use for starting your day filled with energy?
The two absolute musts in my morning breakfast are oats and flax seed. These two ingredients are nutritionally dense, hold me over till lunch time, and are cheap to include regularly.
What are some of the most widely held misconceptions people have about what you eat for breakfast as a vegan?
There are quite a number of misconceptions I have heard from people in regards to my breakfast choices in the morning. I often hear that if it's a vegan breakfast, it will take up too much time to prepare, be super expensive, and not be satisfying because there 'isn't enough protein.' All of these are absolute misconceptions! It takes me minimal time to prepare food in the morning. It's more about creating the habit to prepare breakfast for yourself in the first place.
My breakfast habit includes making myself a bowl of oats before heading to work every day. During a time when I was on a tight budget, this was my everyday staple because of it's affordability. They also happen to be one of the most filling and versatile foods to prepare. On their own, a half cup of oats has 5g of protein and a lot of fibre. This does not include the additional protein you can add with toppings, like nuts or the plant-based milk you choose to prepare your oats with. Bored of plain oats? You can have them baked, as a hot cereal, or as a cold cereal. You can even prepare them overnight in the fridge. Loading them with a bunch of toppings can also help with making them feel new every day. If you struggle with getting fruits or veggies in, you'd be surprised how much nutrition you can pack in a bowl of oats!
Zoats
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/3 medium zucchini, grated
1/2 banana, mashed
1 cup of plant milk of choice
1 tbsp flax seed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Follow these simple steps:
Add ingredients to a sauce pan over medium heat on a stove top. Stir ingredients and adjust liquids as desired to reach preferred consistency. Pull off stove top and serve in a bowl with all of your favourite toppings. A drizzle of molasses and a spoon of nut butter over the top are highly recommended!
Andreas Lyon
Instagram @andreaslyon
What are your favourite ingredients to use for starting your day filled with energy?
I don't know about you, but when I get up at 5 o'clock I'm ready to roll out of bed and right into my breakfast. As a fitness professional with a high caloric output, I need to carb up from the get-go. My regular breakkie is müesli and non dairy milk, a bit of flax seed oil (Omega-3), maybe a scoop of protein powder, some fresh fruit on the side and of course ... coffee! A thick cuppa strong jungle java to make me breathe in life and exhale yesterday. Because we've only got one today.
What are some of the most widely held misconceptions people have about what you eat for breakfast as a vegan?
People always seem surprised that I can teach fitness classes and work out several hours a day and only eat plants. They're often worried that I don't get my protein, while I'm worried they won't get their fiber and vitamins. On a whole foods plant-based diet the only vitamins I really have to be mindful about are D and B12, and lots of vegan products already offer options with these two added. Yup. My only real worry is if Soy Milk is actually just real milk introducing itself in Spanish .
"A common misconception that many people have is that your breakfast will taste bland without eggs, milk or yoghurt."
Janine Jahnke
Instagram @joliejanine
What are your favourite ingredients to use for starting your day filled with energy?
I love starting my day with healthy carbs, such as oats, or fruit, because they give me a lot of energy for the day. Most of the time I will either have oatmeal or a smoothie bowl, to which I often add some superfoods or supplements, such as goji berries or cacao nibs.
What are some of the most widely held misconceptions people have about what you eat for breakfast as a vegan?
A common misconception that many people have is that your breakfast will taste bland without eggs, milk or yoghurt. However, for basically any breakfast you are able to find a vegan alternative. I personally love coconut yoghurt and if you are really into scrambled eggs, you should actually try some good scrambled tofu - it tastes amazing! Going vegan doesn't mean you will have to eat lettuce for breakfast.
Acai Bowl
1 pack of frozen Acai
2 ripe bananas (make sure they are spotty)
1 small cup of frozen blueberries
2 medjool dates
Follow these simple steps to prepare:
1. Take the frozen Acai pack out of the fridge and let it defrost a litttle, so that it is easier to blend
2. Pit the dates and place them in your blender together with the Acai, one banana and the frozen blueberries
3. Blend everything together until smooth. You might have to pause your blender inbetween and stir everything around with a spoon if it gets stuck
4. Pour into a bowl and top it with your favourite toppings. Mine are fresh fruit, cacao nibs and mulberries
5. Enjoy and pretend you are on the beach in Hawaii
Creamy Coconut & Banana Oatmeal
Half a cup of oats (roughly 70 gram)
1 cup of water
Half a banana (smashed)
1 tablespoon of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of agave syrup
Cinnamon
Toppings are totally up to you. For my oats I used the following:
Cacao Nibs
Mulberries
Granola or anything crunchy really
Cut-up medjool dates
The other half of the banana (sliced)
More coconut milk
Instructions:
I filmed a little Youtube Tutorial on how to prepare the oats. You can check it out here.