5 Delicious (and Easy) High Protein Breakfast Ideas to Try ASAP

Protein keeps you full, helps stabilize blood sugar, and is vital to muscle growth, recovery, and maintenance. It is also the most challenging macro to hit for many.

A healthy first meal sets the scene for the rest of your day. If you start the day with a high-protein breakfast, you’ll avoid playing “catch up” all day or feeling uncomfortably full after trying to fit it all in at night. Use these six high-protein breakfast ideas to start your day with a win.

Delicious High-Protein Breakfast Ideas

1. Beef & Squash Breakfast Hash

Breakfast hash is an easy way to prep a big batch of meals for the week. This recipe is customizable, so include ingredients you enjoy and incorporate leftovers throughout the week to switch it up. Sweet potato, bacon, or any variety of fruit and vegetables make great additions to this breakfast. Using produce in-season is a helpful way to enjoy a variety of nutrients from season to season.

Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Eggs
• Butternut squash or squash or choice
• Apple or fruit of choice
• Ghee or butter
• Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Peel the squash skin and remove the seeds
3. Chop into chunks
4. Lightly drizzle with melted ghee/butter
5. Roast for 25-30 min until starting to brown
6. Cook ground beef over medium heat
7. Peel off the pear skin, chop it into chunks, and add to the hash
8. When the squash is done, add to the hash and mix
9. Crack in the eggs, cover the pot, and cook until the whites are cooked through while the yolks are still runny
10. Salt to taste

2. German Inspired Breakfast

This simple and easy breakfast dish is inspired by a vesper meal from southern Germany. It is easy to prep if you boil all the eggs ahead of time for the week. Add meats and cheese as you desire for simple pairings that keep protein high to start the day!

Ingredients

• Cold cuts
• Eggs
• Salt

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil
2. Gently place the eggs into the boiling water and set a timer for 6-8 minutes
3. After boiling for 6-8 minutes, remove the eggs from the boiling water and place them immediately into an ice bath to cool
4. After cooling, carefully crack the egg and peel away the shell
5. Roll up your favorite cold cuts

6. Plate with eggs, salt to taste, and enjoy!

3. Traditional Bacon and Eggs (With a Turkey Bacon Twist)

You can’t go wrong with a transitional breakfast of bacon and eggs to start the day. This breakfast staple is an easy way to get protein and add variety with the numerous bacon choices available and ways to prep eggs. 

Beef bacon is a delicious alternative to pork, and Canadian bacon can be a great lower-fat pairing option. Enjoy scrambled eggs, poached, over easy, or sunny side up!

Ingredients

• Turkey bacon
• Eggs
• Salt
• Ghee or butter

Instructions

1. Prepare your bacon as desired in a skillet over the stovetop or baked in the oven on a sheet pan
2. Cook eggs in butter as preferred and plate with bacon
3. Salt to taste

 4. Steak and Egg Bowl

This twist on a traditional breakfast meal allows you to substitute the steak and eggs with your protein of choice. Other options to keep protein high include smoked salmon, tofu, or Canadian bacon. The quinoa is easy to prep ahead for the week, and put together simple morning bowls based on what you have left for the week.

Ingredients

• Eggs
• Steak
• Quinoa
• Spinach or greens of choice
• Olive oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Rinse the quinoa if not pre-rinsed
2. Add 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water with 1 tbsp olive oil
3. Bring to a boil over high heat
4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let sit until all the water is absorbed
5. Cook eggs as preferred and plate over a bed of quinoa
6. Sear steak in the pan to desired doneness 
7. Remove and set while preparing spinach
8. Saute spinach in the pan after removing the steak
9. Add spinach to plate
10. Slice steak and add to plate
11. Top with beet kraut or pickled onions
12. Add salt and olive oil to taste

5. Salmon Bagel

A bagel is a beloved carb-dense breakfast option that can be made into a well-balanced macro meal with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Put the two bagel halves together to create a bagel sandwich, or enjoy it open-faced, allowing for additional salmon on each side of the bagel for more protein.

Ingredients

• Bagel of choice
• Smoked salmon
• Cream cheese
• Dill
• Capers
• Lemon
• Salt

Instructions

1. Add cream cheese, lemon juice, dill, and salt to bowl
2. Mix well to combine
3. Toast the bagel as desired
4. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the bagel
5. Top with smoked salmon, cucumber, and capers

Additional High-Protein Breakfast Add-Ons

Here are a few tips if you don’t have time to make a full, high-protein breakfast or if you want to increase protein in a current favorite:

• Add a protein supplement to your coffee
• Add protein powder or collagen to pancake or waffle batter
• Add a side of yogurt or cottage cheese to any breakfast
• Increase portion sizes of protein in the recipes above
• If traditional breakfast foods are not your favorite, try reframing breakfast as “meal one,” and don’t be afraid to reach for options that would traditionally be “lunch” or “dinner” foods. 
• Use lunch or dinner leftovers for breakfast

Rethinking Breakfast

Starting your day with a high-protein breakfast will help improve your energy, keep you full, and help you build confidence in meeting your daily macro goals. Starting the day off well creates a domino effect of healthy choices that will keep you rolling toward your goals and feeling your best!

If you want additional help and guidance for meeting your daily protein target, WAG nutrition coaches are here to support you in building long-term habits that meet your daily goals and lifestyle needs.

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