Vegan Breakfast: Your Comprehensive Guide to a Healthy, Delicious Start to the Day

Vitamins and minerals

• Vitamin B12: People who follow a purely plant-based diet should pay attention to vitamin B12. It is usually not found in sufficient quantities in plant-based foods. Supplementation or foods fortified with B12 can help.
• Iron: Legumes, seeds, and green leafy vegetables provide iron. Foods containing vitamin C (e.g., citrus fruits, peppers) improve iron absorption.
• Calcium: Plant-based drinks enriched with calcium, green vegetables (broccoli, kale), or sesame seeds can provide you with this mineral.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts are considered great sources.

A word about balance

A healthy, vegan breakfast thrives on variety. By combining different fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, you automatically increase the nutrient density. This way, you'll start the day not only deliciously but also in a balanced way. In the long run, you'll feel how this type of diet can positively impact your body and mind.

Quick and easy

Especially during the week, vegan breakfast often needs to be prepared quickly. No problem:

• Overnight Oats : In the evening, mix oatmeal with plant-based milk, seeds, and nuts and let it swell in the refrigerator. In the morning, simply add toppings like fruit, coconut flakes, or almond butter – and you've got a simple vegan breakfast.
• Toast with nut butter and banana : While the toast is in the toaster, slice the banana, spread it on the bread, and you're done.
• Muesli mix : Ready-made muesli base made from whole grain flakes, nuts and dried fruits, with plant-based milk or yogurt.

Protein-rich options

A vegan, high-protein breakfast is ideal if, for example, you are physically active and need more protein:

• Soy yogurt with protein powder : Mix a portion of plant-based protein powder into soy yogurt and top with berries or nuts.
• Chickpea omelet : Instead of eggs, chickpea flour is used, water and spices are added, fry, and the mixture is ready.
• Protein smoothie : Base of soy or pea protein, banana and berries, with a little spinach for extra vitamins.

Overnight Oats Variations

Overnight oats are perfect if you're short on time in the morning. In the evening, mix oatmeal with plant-based milk (e.g., soy milk, oat milk), add flaxseed, chia seeds, and perhaps a sweetener of your choice. Store the whole thing in the refrigerator, and the oats will swell overnight.

• Classic version : Oatmeal, plant-based milk, chia seeds, and optionally a little maple or agave syrup. Garnish with blueberries and chopped almonds in the morning.
• Chocolate lovers : Add a spoonful of cocoa powder and top with banana and nut butter. You have a dessert-like, yet healthy vegan breakfast.
• High in protein : Mix vegan protein powder into the oatmeal and add berries. For a particularly protein-rich vegan breakfast, you can use soy milk, as it provides more protein than, for example, oat milk.

Here, too, you can use seasonal fruit, various nuts and seeds, or dried fruit, depending on your preference. The possibilities are endless.

Vegan breakfast to go

If you're on the go or eating at the office, you can easily take various dishes with you in glass jars or leak-proof containers:

• Overnight oats in a screw-top jar : Just grab them in the morning and go.
• Breakfast wrap : Take whole-grain or gluten-free wraps, spread with hummus, and roll up lettuce, tofu strips, and tomatoes.
• Snack box : A box with chopped vegetables, hummus, a handful of nuts and fruit.

Seasonal variants

Eating seasonally brings variety to the breakfast table and supports regional agriculture:

• Spring : Strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus (also try in a savory scrambled tofu).
• Summer : Berries, cherries, cucumbers, tomatoes for fresh salads or bowls.
• Autumn : Apples, pears, pumpkin – perfect for porridge or pancakes.
• Winter : Citrus fruits, winter vegetables (e.g. kale) for smoothies and stir-fries.

Seasonal produce is often cheaper and more flavorful, increasing enjoyment and the desire to try new things.