Eating a high-protein breakfast is an excellent way to start your day. Not only does it set you up for a day of conscious, healthy food choices ahead, it also reduces sugar cravings throughout the day, and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Protein helps support lean muscle growth and keeps your metabolism firing throughout the day, so you burn more calories even while you rest. So it’s very clear, enjoying a high-protein breakfast is a wise choice for anyone working towards improving their health, fitness and nutrition.
In order for you to consistently enjoy a high-protein breakfast, it’s important to discover several protein-rich options you actually enjoy. After all, you’re far more likely to sustain this healthy habit if you truly like doing so. So we’ve come up with some high-protein, delicious and nutritious breakfast options for you to test out for yourself – you might find them on high rotation in your kitchen in no time at all.
Table of Contents
1. Protein smoothies or bowls.
Protein smoothies or bowls are a super quick, convenient and yummy way to start your day – especially if you find yourself in a rush to leave the house in the morning. They’re also the perfect post-workout option, helping to support muscle synthesis and repair from your exercise of choice thanks to their high-protein content.
We recommend starting with a vanilla or chocolate protein powder, adding in some nut butter, seeds, yoghurt and/or dairy-based milk if you can tolerate it. Each of these ingredients contains a source of protein, so you’re boosting the protein content even more so than if you relied on the powder alone. On top of this, feel free to add whatever fruit you enjoy most, and maybe some ice, a date for sweetness, and any other spices or extras you like. Blend it up in no time at all, and off you go! A high-protein breakfast you can enjoy on-the-go if required.
Bonus points if you use a protein powder which contains loads of protein. Most standard protein powders contain under 20 g of protein per serve, but some are specifically designed to deliver as much protein as possible – like our equ High Whey Protein Isolate. This product was formulated to support muscle growth, regulate hunger and sugar cravings, and help you achieve your body goals. It’s a whey protein isolate, crafted to give you enough energy to support your performance and muscle recovery immediately, yet also keep your hunger and cravings at bay for longer. It contains over 24g of protein per serve, which makes it an exceptional addition to any high-protein breakfast. Finding the right protein powder can be the difference between meeting your protein needs or not, so it’s important to find one that delivers enough protein to make it count.
2. Eggs.
Eggs are such a versatile and delicious breakfast option. Each egg contains 6 g of protein, so by whipping up some scrambled eggs or poaching/boiling a few, you can easily get 12-18 g of protein into your breakfast to start your day strong. Eggs also contain plenty of healthy fats, helping keep your hormones balanced and supporting general health. They’re a rich source of choline, iodine, vitamins A, D, E and B12, as well as other important nutrients, so they offer more than just protein.
In addition to the classic eggs on toast, there are a bunch of other high-protein egg-based breakfast options you can try. Baked eggs, or shakshuka can be really flavoursome and delicious, and you can serve these with a side of Greek yoghurt for some additional protein and flavour if you wish.
Frittata is another good choice, and you can pack it full of veggies for some extra nutrients, and use dairy-based cheese and milk for even more protein too! Frittata is an excellent option for anyone wanting to meal prep breakfast because you don’t have enough time to cook a gourmet breakfast in the morning, or you simply can’t be bothered cooking every single day. You can make a big frittata on a Sunday, and enjoy it for the next 3-4 days safely. Super easy and delicious, and high in protein too.
3. Oats.
Overnight or baked oats are another super simple and quick way to pack in your protein at breakfast. Oats themselves contain plenty of protein, with just half a cup of uncooked oats containing around 11 g. They’re also an excellent source of fibre, helping support your digestion and keeping you fuller for longer. With overnight oats, you’re essentially throwing a bunch of chosen ingredients together, and leaving them to do their thing overnight until you’re ready for them the following day. Baked or cooked oats are almost as simple, they just require a quick bit of heat in the process.
Even better, you can add plenty of high-protein toppings to your oats to increase their protein content. Adding some good-quality protein powder like BodyScience High Protein blend, some nut butter, some seeds (hemp, chia or flaxseeds work well with oats) and some yoghurt can increase the protein content of your oat-based breakfast exponentially. If you tolerate dairy, using cow’s milk to cook your oats in will increase the protein amount further still.
4. Protein pancakes.
Protein pancakes combine the best of two worlds, using oats, protein powder, and often something like egg, milk, yoghurt or banana to hold your ingredients together. You simply blitz them up in a blender, then pan fry very briefly on either side, before topping them and enjoying!
Again, opting for a high-protein powder to use in your mixture, like our equ Whey Protein Isolate, will help you increase your protein intake at breakfast, and adding similar toppings like nut butters, seeds and yoghurt can boost your protein even more.
As you can see, there are endless options if you’re wanting to enjoy a high-protein breakfast. Try a few, find what works for you and your schedule, and make your breakfast an opportunity to increase your protein intake right from the get-go each day. Not only does this set you up for a healthy day of eating ahead, it will also leave you feeling satisfied, well-nourished, energised and ready to perform throughout your day.