Starting your day with the right kind of breakfast can make all the difference in your mood, energy, and satiety for the rest of the day. If you miss out on quality protein and balanced macros, you’re likely setting yourself up for a day of blood sugar ups and downs that lead to cravings, energy crashes, among other symptoms (yes – breakfast IS that important, especially in pregnancy!).
In case you’re wondering what makes the “right” kind of breakfast — many studies have shown that eating a breakfast higher in protein is superior to high-carb breakfasts when it comes to satiety, blood sugar balance, and maintaining a healthy weight. (and in case you need more info on why cereal is not the best breakfast option, see this article).
When you “fix breakfast,” everything else falls into place. Well, maybe not *everything,* but chances are you’ll have better energy and focus, stay full longer between meals (so you’re naturally less snack-y or prone to reach for sugar/caffeine as a pick-me-up), and be less prone to overeat the rest of the day.
Whatever your go-to breakfast is, sometimes it’s nice to mix it up. So if you are stuck in a breakfast rut, this article is for you!
So that’s why I decided to compile a list of 20 breakfast ideas to help you hit your protein goals, stabilize your blood sugar, and keep you satisfied all morning.
20 High-Protein Breakfast Ideas
Achieving blood sugar balance first thing in the morning becomes even more important in pregnancy, since imbalances can make nausea, fatigue, and even blood pressure worse.
Whatever your go-to breakfast is, sometimes it’s nice to mix it up. So if you are stuck in a breakfast rut, this article is for you!
Although eggs are often the star in many balanced breakfast routines due to their nutrient density, protein content, and ease of cooking, not everyone is a fan (or can tolerate them). If that’s you, don’t worry — I’ve got you covered here as well (you can scroll right down to the section on egg-free breakfasts).
I’ve included approximate portion sizes to get 25+ grams of protein for each meal. You’ll notice only the protein sources within the meal are listed for portions, because this is where I want you to focus.
Consider 25g of protein at breakfast a minimum goal — some of you may need more. And you can customize your carb & fat intake to your individual needs. Again, the focus here is making sure you’re hitting a minimum amount of protein at breakfast.
Why 25 grams of protein?
Aiming for 25 grams of protein per meal is based on research showing that this amount provides enough essential amino acids, particularly leucine, to effectively stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), which supports muscle maintenance and repair. It also aligns with practical daily protein needs for women, split across 3–4 meals. This ensures consistent intake to maximize absorption, stabilize blood sugar, and enhance satiety.
Your total protein needs will vary based on body weight, exercise levels, whether you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, your metabolic health, and more… So again, think of 25 grams at breakfast as a MINIMUM target.
High-protein breakfasts with eggs
1. Crustless spinach quiche (recipe in Real Food for Pregnancy)
Feel free to swap out some ingredients for your favorite combo of veggies, meat and cheese; I provide other variation ideas in my e-cookbook.
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- Portion size: follow suggested portion in the recipe
- Portion size: follow suggested portion in the recipe
2. Roasted red pepper egg muffins (recipe in Real Food for Fertility)
Swap out some ingredients for your own combo of veggies, meat and cheese (other variation ideas are given in this recipe).
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- Portion size: ~3-4 muffins
or 2 muffins + an extra 1 oz of meat or cheese
- Portion size: ~3-4 muffins
3. Slow cooker carnitas breakfast bowl with eggs (carnitas recipe in Real Food for Pregnancy)
Suggested additions: black beans, avocado, salsa, cilantro, cheese, sauerkraut, hot sauce.
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- Portion size: ~3 oz pork + 1 egg
4. Broccoli slaw egg nests (recipe in my e-cookbook)
Make your eggs more interesting by cooking your eggs over a bed of sautéed veggies (more variation ideas provided in this recipe).
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- Portion size: 4 eggs
or 2 eggs + 1-2 oz cheese or meat
- Portion size: 4 eggs
5. Apple & thyme chicken breakfast sausage with eggs (sausage recipe in my e-cookbook)
This version of breakfast sausage is made with quality ingredients, which can easily be made in large batches to freeze for later. Serve alongside sauteed veggies or hash browns.
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- Portion size: ~2 patties + 2 eggs
or 1 patty + 3 eggs
- Portion size: ~2 patties + 2 eggs
6. Breakfast tacos with eggs & salsa chicken (recipe in Real Food for Fertility)
Suggested additions: cheese, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, sauerkraut – wrap in a soft tortilla (Siete makes great grain-free tortillas).
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- Portion size: ~1 oz meat + 1 oz cheese + 2 eggs
7. Berry smoothie with raw egg yolk (recipe in Real Food For Fertility)
The egg yolk is optional in the recipe, but if you can get fresh, quality eggs, this is a great way to boost the protein, choline, and vitamin content of the smoothie! Play around with your favorite combination of fruit and protein sources.
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- Portion size: follow suggested portion in the recipe
8. Eggs over mini peppers (recipe in my e-cookbook)
Add a side of breakfast sausage for additional protein (or make with 4 eggs) to hit the 25g minimum protein goal.
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- Portion size: 2 eggs + 2 oz apple-thyme chicken sausage (recipe in e-cookbook)
or 2 eggs + 1 oz cheese + 1 oz sausage
- Portion size: 2 eggs + 2 oz apple-thyme chicken sausage (recipe in e-cookbook)
9. Huevos Rancheros with Mexican shredded beef (Mexican shredded beef recipe in my e-cookbook)
Use this leftover beef (or any leftover cooked meat) in a huevos rancheros recipe.
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- Portion size: 2 eggs + 1 oz meat + 1/3 cup refried beans + 1 oz cheese
10. Cottage cheese egg muffins with bacon and gruyere
Blend cottage cheese with the eggs to boost protein content even more and add a creamy texture. (see the Roasted red pepper egg muffins recipe in Real Food for Fertility, and simply replace 1 cup cottage cheese for the milk, blend, and then add bacon + gruyere cheese).
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- Portion size: 2-3 muffins
High-protein breakfasts that are egg-free
I am personally a big fan of eggs for breakfast, but maybe they’re not for you (or you just want some alternatives). Many people ask me what they can do for breakfast that has protein if they don’t like eggs and thankfully, there are TONS of egg-free breakfast options!
1. Sweet potato sausage hash (recipe in Real Food for Fertility)
This is a great dish to make ahead for the week, and can be adapted to use whatever veggies you have on hand.
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- Portion size: 4 oz or more of sausage
or add 1 oz cheese and use ~3 oz sausage
- Portion size: 4 oz or more of sausage
2. Grain-free granola with Greek yogurt (granola recipe in Real Food for Pregnancy)
This version has far fewer carbohydrates than regular granola, making it a good breakfast option especially when paired with yogurt or cottage cheese.
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- Portion size: 1 cup granola + 8 oz Greek yogurt
3. Apple & thyme chicken breakfast sausage with hash browns (sausage recipe in my e-cookbook)
You can make your own in large batches of sausage and freeze for an easy breakfast. If you don’t want a full portion you can add some cheese for extra protein. For the hash browns, simply cook up cubed or shredded potatoes in a hot skillet with butter/ghee, lard, or tallow until crispy and season to taste.
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- Portion size: 4 oz or more of sausage
4. Berry smoothie bowls (recipe in my e-cookbook)
Add Greek yogurt and collagen powder to boost the protein content, and you can even top it with nut butter or grain-free granola.
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- Portion size: follow suggested portion in the recipe
5. Dinner/lunch leftovers
Who says breakfast has to be limited to your standard breakfast foods? Using leftovers from any of the recipes below can be a great option for a filling, high-protein breakfast.
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- Molé Meatloaf (recipe in my e-cookbook)
- Shepherd’s Pie (recipe in Real Food for Pregnancy)
- Korean Beef Bowls (recipe in my e-cookbook)
- Portion size: follow suggested portions in the recipes
6. Avocado toast + protein
Avocado toast on its own isn’t high-protein, so be sure to top with any of the following: ham, turkey, cooked chicken, bacon, smoked salmon, or canned sardines.
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- If you don’t have a good source for sourdough, try making your own!
- Portion size: ~3.5 to 5 oz of your protein of choice
- If you don’t have a good source for sourdough, try making your own!
7. Snack plate with nutty “granola” bars
Create your own plate of cheese, salami, fruit, nuts, olives and sliced veggies plus…
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- Nutty “Granola” Bars (recipe in Real Food for Pregnancy)
- Portion size: 1 oz cheese + 2 oz salami + 2 nutty granola bars (or 2 oz mixed nuts)
- Nutty “Granola” Bars (recipe in Real Food for Pregnancy)
8. Breakfast burrito or quesadilla with leftovers
Take your leftovers and turn it into a delicious breakfast with tortillas (Siete makes great grain-free tortillas or opt for organic wheat or organic corn tortillas). Top with any combo of veggies, cheese, avocado, salsa, cilantro, sour cream, or sauerkraut.
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- Pulled Pork (recipe in Real Food for Fertility)
- Mexican Shredded Beef (recipe in my e-cookbook)
- Slow Cooker Carnitas (recipe in Real Food for Pregnancy)
- Portion size: 3 oz meat + 1 oz cheese
– or – 2 oz meat + 1 oz cheese + ¼ cup beans
- Portion size: 3 oz meat + 1 oz cheese
9. Smoked Salmon (Lox) with full-fat cream cheese
Ideally on top of sourdough or sprouted grain toast.
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- If you don’t have a good source for sourdough, try making your own!
- Portion size: 4 oz smoked salmon + 2 oz cream cheese
- If you don’t have a good source for sourdough, try making your own!
10. Stuffed peppers with taco beef (from the taco salad recipe in Real Food for Fertility)
Use leftover beef from this taco salad recipe and add chopped up peppers and cheese. Simply fill bell pepper halves with leftover taco meat, top with cheese, and bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 F, or until filling is heated and peppers have softened slightly.
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- Portion size: 3 oz meat + 1 oz cheese in one half of a pepper
How to Come Up with Your Own High-Protein Breakfasts
The 20 high-protein breakfast options above are just the beginning. I included some generic info on portions to ensure you’re eating enough to hit that 25+ grams of protein.
Now it’s your turn to come up with some ideas. Below are some examples of protein-rich foods and their portions that provide approximately 25 grams of protein, though they differ in calorie and fat content.
I’ve included the total gram weight of the food if you live in an area that measures portions by gram weight instead of ounces. Please do not confuse this with the protein content. Even protein-rich foods, like meat, are not 100% protein because their total weight also includes water and fat content.
Each of the following provides about 25 grams of protein:
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- Eggs: ~4 large eggs (200 grams)
- Chicken breast: ~3.5 oz (100 grams), cooked
- Salmon or other fish: ~4.5 oz (128 grams), cooked
- Shrimp: ~4 oz (113 grams), cooked
- Ground beef (lean, 90% lean): ~3.5 oz (100 grams), cooked
- Sausage: ~4-5 oz (128 grams), cooked
- Pork: ~3.5 to 4 oz (100-113 grams), cooked (varies depending on fat content)
- Bacon: 5-6 slices (at 4-5 grams of protein per thick-cut slice)
- Cottage cheese: ~1 cup (225 grams)
- Greek yogurt: ~1.25 cups (280 grams)
- Cheese (cheddar): ~3.5 oz (~100 grams)
- Grain-free granola: ~2.25 cups (250 grams)
- Almonds: 4 oz (113 grams)
- Mixed nuts (almonds, cashes, walnuts, pecans, etc.): 5-6 oz (140-168 grams)
- Lentils: ~1.5 cups, cooked (300 grams)
- Chickpeas: ~1.5 cups, cooked (250 grams)
- Black beans: ~1.5 cups, cooked (260 grams)
- Quinoa: ~3 cups, cooked (580 grams
- Protein powder: ~⅓ cup (about 30 grams, depending on the brand; refer to package for specific nutritional value)
- Organic tempeh: ~5 oz (140 grams)
If a portion of any single food looks like a lot to you (not everyone can stomach 4 eggs for breakfast), try combining a few protein sources together to reach protein goals. For example, have an egg with a few ounces of sausage, beef, or chicken. Or, add some nuts atop your Greek yogurt.
The list above is looking at total protein only, not at protein quality or bioavailability. Note that your body will get more usable protein from animal sources than plant sources. I go into an incredible amount of detail on this topic in Real Food for Fertility; see chapters 2 and 5. If you are using plant proteins as part of your breakfast protein quota, I recommend combining them with an animal protein source for improved amino acid balance and protein utilization (such as having beans as part of huevos rancheros rather than as the sole and only source of protein at that meal).
Now it’s your turn!
If you have a favorite high-protein breakfast idea of your own, drop yours in the comments below!
My list is not intended to be exhaustive, just enough to get your wheels turning on what it takes to hit a minimum target of 25 grams of protein at breakfast. The more ideas shared, the better!
Until next time,
Lily
PS – If you’re into intermittent fasting and curious whether it’s a good idea to continue during pregnancy, check out this article. I cover the research on intermittent fasting as it relates to fertility in Real Food for Fertility (see chapter 2!).
It’s maybe not as high of protein, but it’s definitely filling! I call it breakfast quinoa. I apologize for lack of measurements as I’ve developed it over the years. I cannot eat this whole recipe alone, so maybe for 2, depending on how hungry you are!
-1/4 cup quinoa (rinsed WELL)
-1/2 cup milk (I like to add a splash more)
-Peanut butter, to taste (I do a spoonful to save on doing dishes)
-Cinnamon, to taste
-A little honey
1. Bring milk to gentle simmer and add quinoa.
2. Cover and cook according to quinoa package. Keep a close eye when simmering milk! It will boil over, so I like to stir every few minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add spoonful of peanut butter, cinnamon, and a little honey.
4. Stir well and enjoy!
Thanks for sharing. You could always add protein powder (like collagen or beef protein isolate) or some cottage cheese to increase the protein.
Oh Lily, another wonderful resource from you to send my nutrition clients. Thank you for including so many great egg-free options!! Many of my clients that work through the AIP diet need to exclude eggs from their diet for a period of time, and egg-free breakfast ideas are probably the thing I am asked for most!
I get quite a few requests for egg-free breakfast options too. Glad they’ll be helpful to your clients.
Thoughts on oatmeal for breakfast? Too high carb?
For most, oatmeal alone is too low in protein and too high in carbs. Everyone tolerates foods differently, however. Some do well with it with added protein, fiber, and fat. These articles are essential reading:
– The “Healthy” Breakfast Mistake
– CGM Experiment: What I learned as a non-diabetic from wearing a continuous glucose monitor
– CGM Experiment Part 2
I have been breastfeeding my baby who had a tonne of non IGE allergies she is now growing out of thankfully, but for a while she couldn’t tolerate dairy, soy, eggs, nuts or legumes through my breastmilk.. a big smoothie with hemp protein powder and avocado as well as quinoa porridge / salads helped me still get 90g across the day..
After struggling with protein intake through 4 pregnancies, I’m so burnt out on eggs, yogurt, and chicken (visceral antipathy to chicken) even at 7 months postpartum. This list gives me some good ideas not only for breakfasts, but also for dinners which can turn into breakfasts! Thanks as always for all the work you put in, Lily
Yep breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast works!
I love making chia hemp pudding! My recipe is
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1/3 cup collagen protein
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
Stir it up really well and refrigerate overnight to let the seeds absorb the coconut milk! Serve with berries and nut butter, plus more cinnamon and a little salt. This makes about 4 servings! My toddler loves it too! I usually eat it as a mid morning snack after my egg/sausage breakfast, but if this is your main meal you could definitely add an extra scoop of collagen to up the protein content or top with nuts too.
My favourite at the moment is your Korean beef bowl with 1-2 fried eggs on top (eggs are my usual breakfast food) plus a sprinkle of sesame seeds, kimchi and chilli sauce.
Hi Lily, I’m wondering if you can include a guide here on the total daily protein needs, based on grams of protein per kilo of body weight for a menstruating woman (not pregnant, as I can see the recommendations for pregnant women in the relevant blog post / article on your website)? These portions don’t feel right for my body, but I am around 50 kilograms, so I’m wondering whether that might be why. I did try to eat three eggs and some sausage with my breakfast today (with one very small piece of wholemeal sourdough, and coffee with approximately 1 tablespoon of pouring cream), and I just couldn’t do it!
This information is covered in extensive detail in chapter 2 of Real Food for Fertility. Meal plans are also provided in that book so you can see how it looks as part of an entire day’s meal plan. There’s 7 days of meal plans, so plenty of options.