10 Delicious High Protein Breakfast Ideas

It is official: a breakfast full of protein is the best way to start the day.

Research shows that getting sufficient protein for breakfast enhances satiety and discourages snacking throughout the day.

Unfortunately, many people think of breakfast as cereal and juice, which doesn’t help in this regard.

This article presents a list of ten delicious high-protein breakfast ideas.

For each recipe, the USDA’s food composite database has been used to calculate the nutrition facts (1).

1) Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a dish originating from the Middle East, and it is quick and easy to make and full of high-quality protein from eggs.

Ingredients

For a quick and simple version, use the following ingredients;

• 4 large eggs
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp chopped parsley leaves
• 3 cloves of garlic (mashed)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• First of all, add the olive oil to a skillet and heat at a medium temperature.

• Next, add the chopped onions and gently fry them until they soften.

• Once the onions start to soften, add the chopped tomatoes, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper into the tomatoes and mix everything up.

• After 7 or 8 minutes of cooking the mixture, make four round-shaped indentations in the tomato to make little ‘holes’ for the eggs.

• Finally, break one egg into each of these holes and leave them to cook until they reach your desired consistency.

Nutrition

This breakfast recipe offers the following nutritional values;

2) Steak and Eggs

For a quick, easy, and high-protein breakfast, not many things beat steak and eggs.

Ingredients

The recipe list for this one is rather simple and, for the purpose of the nutritional values, includes;

• 8 oz (225 g) steak
• 1 fried egg
• 1 large chopped onion
• Pat of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Add a small pat of butter to a pan and heat.

• Cook the steak on one side until it meets your required degree of ‘doneness’.

• Cook the other side of the steak and add the chopped onions to the pan.

• Once the steak suits your requirements, take it out of the pan and cook the fried egg and onions in the leftover beef fat.

Nutrition

3) Sausage, Egg, and Tomato

While bacon and eggs are probably the most famous cooked breakfast option, sausage and eggs aren’t far behind.

Ingredients

• 3 regular-sized sausages
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 large chopped tomato
• Pat of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Add a pat of butter to the pan and gently fry the sausages.

• Once the sausages start to cook and the pan contains more fat, add the tomatoes to the pan.

• When the sausages are nearly done, add the eggs into the pan and fry until they reach the desired consistency.

Nutrition

4) Blueberry Protein Chia Pudding

For mornings when there isn’t going to be much time, it is possible to prepare a quick and easy protein-rich meal the night before.

This blueberry-flavored chia pudding uses whey protein to increase the protein content.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) milk
• 1.5 oz (42 g) chia seeds
• 3 oz (85 g) blueberries
• 1.5 scoops (37.5 g) whey protein

Instructions

This recipe is extremely simple to make and involves the following simple steps;

• Add the milk, blueberries and whey protein into a blender and blend.

• After blending, add the chia seeds into the mixture and stir.

• Place the mixture into a glass and refrigerate overnight.

• The next morning, the chia seeds will have caused the blueberry milk to solidify, and it can be eaten like a pudding with a spoon.

Nutrition

This breakfast pudding contains similar amounts of carbohydrate and protein. However, a lot of this carb content comes from the fiber in chia seeds.

5) Cheese, Chive and Bacon Omelet

As far as omelet options go, it is difficult to beat the combination of bacon and egg. Adding some chives makes the overall flavor even better.

This omelet is another simple high-protein recipe that requires little preparation time.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 oz (28 g) Cheddar cheese
• 1 oz (28 g) chives
• Pat of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

To make this recipe, follow the steps below;

• To prepare, grate the cheese and chop the bacon and chives into small pieces.

• Firstly, add the pat of butter to a pan and heat gently.

• Next, crack the eggs and whisk them together with salt and pepper to taste.

• Once the butter in the pan is hot, pour the omelet mixture into the pan and let it cook. To avoid damaging the omelet, be careful not to touch or stir it for the first minute or so.

• After a minute, load one side of the omelet with the bacon, cheese and chives.

• The next stage involves using a spatula to lift the other half of the omelet up and then fold it over the top of the bacon and cheese.

• Cook the omelet on both sides until it is ready.

Nutrition

With ingredients including bacon, butter, cheese, and eggs, this omelet is understandably high in fat and protein.

6) Strawberry Cottage Cheese and Mixed Nuts

Cottage cheese is a type of fresh cheese that is low in calories and relatively high in protein.

This recipe combines it with strawberries and nuts for a simple breakfast providing protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (225 g) cottage cheese
• ⅔ cup (100 g) strawberries
• 1 oz nuts (28 g) of choice

Instructions

Feel free to use your favorite type of nuts, but for the purpose of this recipe and nutritional values, I’ve used half an ounce each of hazelnuts and macadamia nuts.

On the positive side, this recipe is so easy that it only takes about one minute to prepare.

• First of all, put the cottage cheese and strawberries into a blender and blend them.

• Next, transfer the mixture into a bowl.

• After this, crush/grind the nuts and add them on top.

Nutrition

The combination of cottage cheese, strawberries and nuts provide a protein-rich breakfast that contains moderate amounts of fat and carbohydrate.

7) Chicken Livers and Onions

Organ meats were a common ingredient in the diets of our grandparents, but they are unpopular in recent times.

Since organ meats are some of the most nutritious foods we can eat, this is a shame.

Among all the different varieties of organ meat, chicken livers are one of the best-tasting and most nutrient-dense options.

Chicken liver is also high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and combined with onions this meal is probably the healthiest on the list.

Ingredients

• 7 oz (200 g) chicken livers
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• Pat of butter

Instructions

• Add a pat of butter to the pan and heat over medium-high heat.

• When the butter starts to heat up, add the chicken livers and chopped onions to the pan.

• Saute the livers and onions and keep them moving around until they’re nearly done.

• Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Nutrition

This recipe offers a simple protein-rich and low-carb breakfast meal.

8) Feta and Olive Salad

As previously mentioned, one of the biggest problems with breakfast is that many people assume breakfast has to be either cereal, pancakes, or bacon-related.

In truth, breakfast can be any type of food, and this includes salad.

This salad combines feta cheese with hard-boiled eggs for high protein density.

Ingredients

• 2 oz (56 g) feta cheese
• 3 large hard-boiled eggs
• 10 black and green olives
• 1 large tomato (chopped)
• 2 cups (72 g) lettuce
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar vinegar
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• For convenience, hard-boil the three eggs the evening before to save time the next morning.

• In the morning, chop the tomato and mix it with the washed lettuce leaves.

• Cut the hard-boiled eggs into slices and add them to the salad plate.

• Add the olives, extra virgin olive oil, and red wine vinegar, salt to taste, and then mix everything up.

Nutrition

As well as being high in protein and healthy fats, this salad also offers a wealth of vitamins and minerals.

The basic nutrition profile is shown below;

9) Soft-Boiled Eggs and Cheese “Soldiers”

It is easy to increase the protein content of the traditional boiled eggs and (toast) “soldiers” breakfast.

Rather than the toast soldiers, swap the bread for stick shaped cuts of your favorite cheese.

This breakfast takes just five minutes to prepare, and it is rich in protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals.

To make it a little more colorful, try eating it alongside some berries.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 2 oz (56 g) cheese
• 1 cup (144 g) blackberries

Instructions

• Chop the cheese into rectangular shaped pieces.

• Soft boil the eggs.

• Eat. Simple!

Nutrition

10) Quark, Nuts, and Fruit

Quark is a little-known but extremely nutritious dairy product.

While many people think of it as cheese, this is technically incorrect, and it is somewhere in between being a fresh cheese and yogurt.

However, quark offers an impressive source of protein for very few calories.

To make a quick and easy high-protein breakfast using quark, just combine it with some nuts and fruit of your choice.

For this example, the quark contains hazelnuts, kiwi and tangerine.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 g) quark
• 1 oz (28 g) hazelnuts
• 1 medium kiwi
• 1 medium tangerine

Instructions

• Put the quark in a bowl, add some chopped fruit and nuts.

Nutrition

Final Thoughts

As shown in this article, there are so many different types of foods we can eat for breakfast.

The most important thing to realize is that breakfast can be literally anything we make the effort to prepare.

These high-protein breakfast meals are all nutrient-dense and much healthier choices than the typical cereal options.

For some extra meal-planning ideas, see this list of foods high in protein.

To learn more about the importance of protein, see this guide to the benefits.