5 Vegan Breakfasts to Make You a Morning Person

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For many of us, hitting snooze on the alarm clock can be just another part of a mundane morning routine, especially when we’d rather be soaking up the summer sun than heading into the office. But what if your breakfast was the motivation you needed to rise early?

As veganism becomes more mainstream, so have creative ways to integrate plant-based ingredients for an experience that’s both nutritious and delicious. While we continue to learn more about the benefits of incorporating plant-based foods, we now have the option to eat our vegetables regardless of the time of day.

Given the movement towards whole foods and the availability of innovative recipes, we can cultivate a healthy, inquisitive relationship with food that fosters creativity and exploration. Starting our day with a simple practice of ahimsa—the yama in yogic philosophy focused on compassion for all living things, including ourselves—could include a gratitude practice, intentional movement, or nourishing meal.

Bonus? Planning a delicious vegan breakfast might take the stress out your morning routine and allow you to soak in all the calm you need before the day begins. By shifting our perception of food from an exercise of restriction to a ritual of self-love, we expand our capacity to live deeply in the present moment and connect with others in a more meaningful way, which can benefit all areas of our lives.

Nurture your curiosity and creative spirit with 5 of our favorite recipes—and you might just find yourself becoming a morning person, after all.

Cold Brew Coconut Smoothie

1/2 cup dark espresso cold brew
1/2 cup Coconut Vanilla Plantiful
1 scoop vanilla protein
1–2 tbsp smooth almond butter
1 pinch cinnamon
handful of ice

Directions

1. Place all ingredients into a high-powered blender.
2. Blend on high until smooth, or until desired consistency is reached.

Nourishing Green Avocado Smoothie

1 cup organic kale
1 cup organic spinach
½ of a medium Hass avocado
2 tbsp hemp hearts
½ cup frozen pineapple and frozen mango
2 scoops chocolate plant protein
1–3 tsp fresh ginger root, as desired
Splash of cold, filtered water

Directions

1. Wash spinach and kale in a large bowl with 1 part distilled white vinegar and 1 part water.
2. Rinse well and dry.
3. Wash avocado, cut in half, and remove from shell.
4. Rinse ginger root, remove skin, and chop into 1/8 inch cubes.
5. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Mixed Berry Pancakes

1 cup Mixed Berry Plantiful
1 cup whole wheat flour (for lighter pancakes, mix ½ cup all-purpose flour with ½ cup whole wheat)
1 tbsp coconut sugar
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 flax egg
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 cup blueberries

Directions

1. Mix tbsp of flax meal with 2 tbsp of hot water. Let it sit for 5 minutes until water is almost absorbed.
2. Add in Mixed Berry Plantiful, coconut oil, flax egg, and whisk well.
3. Add liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. When up to temperature, lightly coat with cooking spray.
5. Drop ¼ cup dollops of batter onto the hot pan and sprinkle with a few blueberries.
6. Cook 2–3 minutes, or until bubbles form and pop, then flip.
7. Continue cooking until golden brown on the bottom, about 2–3 more minutes.
8. Continue with the rest of the batter until all pancakes are complete. Top with syrup, more blueberries as desired.

Tropical French Toast

1 cup Tropical Fruit Plantiful
6 slices of thick-cut bread (sourdough or whole-grain)
2 tbsp of flaxseed meal
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 tsp orange zest

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix together flax meal, Tropical Plantiful, vanilla extract, and salt, let sit for 5 minutes so the flaxseed can thicken. Get your pan warm, medium heat.
2. Lightly dip the slices of bread into the wet mixture, make sure each side is covered. Pull out and place your slices on the pan (two slices a time). Wait till you still the side starts to get golden brown before you flip.
3. When your french toast is ready, place onto a warm plate and top with maple syrup and orange zest.

Pro-Tips: Stale bread keeps its shape better and is less mushy when soaked. Try slicing the bread the night before.
Work in batches: make sure to give each slice of bread plenty of breathing room, otherwise they’ll get soggy. Fun fact? 1 baguette will produce 16–18 slices of bread.

Chocolate Almond Breakfast Pudding

1 and 1/2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/8 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp coconut palm sugar
1/2 cup chia seeds

Directions

1. Add the almond milk and cacao powder to a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Add the Ceylon cinnamon and coconut palm sugar and continue to whisk until smooth.
3. Add the chia seeds and stir until well-blended.
4. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 3–4 hours.
5. Drizzle with raw almond butter and top with fresh raspberries to serve. Option to sprinkle with Ceylon cinnamon.

Note: If you currently need to avoid chia seeds due to their phytoestrogens, simply substitute 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats for 1/2 cup chia seeds and reduce almond milk to 1 cup.

Presented by Lifeway

Lifeway Foods is America’s favorite probiotic kefir company. Since 1986, Lifeway has been committed to creating great-tasting cultured and fermented foods to support the health of your microbiome. You can find Lifeway kefir, skyr, supplements, farmer cheese, non-dairy Plantiful, and ProBugs for kids at your local grocer and online.