Raise your hand if breakfast means downing a bowl of cereal before rushing out the door. Or a doughnut off that tray in your office’s common room. Or even just a hastily slurped cup of coffee at your desk.
Yup, we feel your sugar crash and caffeine rush.
Even though fewer people are eating breakfast at all, it’s still considered the “most important” meal of the day. According to a research review, some studies show that eating a well-balanced breakfast has benefits for physical and emotional health.
But it’s also the meal that most of us don’t have time for. That’s where meal-prepping comes in handy — to make sure you’ve got nutritious eats on hand every morning.
We’re taking make-ahead breakfast recipes one step further with this roundup and offering you 16 meals that are easy to make ahead and portable.
So, hit that snooze button one more time. You can grab something healthy from your kitchen and go.
1. Make-ahead breakfast bowls
Cheese, eggs, and breakfast potatoes don’t have to be limited to weekend brunches. Turn them into a weekday staple with this sheet pan recipe, which shows you how to prep, store (freeze), and enjoy six portions.
Let’s get bowled over by the recipe.
2. Avocado and egg breakfast meal-prep
Put your meal-prep containers to good use with these breakfast bowls. Brown rice, sautéed kale, an avocado, and hard-boiled eggs, make this well-balanced breakfast hearty enough to keep your stomach from growling mid-morning.
3. Banana and chocolate chip baked oatmeal cups
Don’t miss out on a great source of fiber and heart-healthy oats just because you have no time to make it on the stove. Put the mix in a muffin tin and bake, and you’ve got grab-and-go oats instead.
Yes, chocolate chips must be involved, obviously.
Grab the recipe and get started.
4. Egg muffins with ham, kale, and cauliflower rice
Not an ounce of dairy or a grain in sight in these veggie-packed muffins, which get seriously good flavor from diced ham. Talk about super-satisfying.
5. Mason jar egg casserole
Yes, we’re loving cauliflower rice for meal-prep breakfasts. It’s a super easy way to start the day with nutritious vegetables. This recipe also includes bell peppers, turkey bacon, and — ooooh, yeah — cheddar cheese.
But don’t put mason jars in the oven. Mason jars can’t withstand dry heat and will shatter.
Learn about this egg-cellent dish here.
6. Freezer breakfast burritos
These big boys will keep you satisfied for hours on a busy day. They’re loaded with eggs, sausage, beans, tomatoes, cheese, and — get this — tater tots(!), all wrapped in flour tortillas.
We’ll admit it: Tater tots were a childhood fave. Today, we like a do-ahead recipe for homemade hash browns.
7. Grapefruit-ginger chia seed pudding
Grapefruit and ginger create a zesty, refreshing contrast to the creamy and slightly sweet coconut milk. Let the chia mixture thicken overnight, so it has the consistency of a rich pudding.
8. Simple quinoa breakfast bars
Packed with quinoa, flax, and almond butter, these squares have a lot more protein than your average breakfast bar. But because they also include chocolate chips, bananas, and a bit of coconut sugar, they’re sweet enough to taste like dessert.
9. Berry breakfast bars
A healthier take on dessert — or, breakfast — bars, these bake-ahead portables are delicious and nutritious. The crust of oats, coconut oil, banana, and maple syrup supports a topping of fresh berries, chia seeds, and oats sweetened with raspberry jelly.
Use a high quality jam or jelly — fruit should be the first ingredient. Or make it yourself!
Let’s go berries or bust with this recipe.
10. Freezer-friendly breakfast taquitos
No wimpy freezer-section cheese taquitos here. Homemade turkey sausage, eggs, cheese, sweet potatoes, and bell peppers stuff these corn tortilla roll-ups.
The recipe makes a generous 20 taquitos (3 per serving). Having a supply of them in your freezer will make your week’s breakfast a breeze.
11. Piña colada green smoothie prep packs
If eating first thing in the morning isn’t your jam, try sipping a smoothie for some a.m. fuel. Portion all the ingredients into zip-top bags (reusable works!) and store ’em in the freezer.
Just throw the contents in the blender in the morning and pour into a portable mug for a healthy, tropical breakfast mocktail. Smoooooooth.
Learn how to make these smoothie packs.
12. Breakfast parfaits to go
Layers of berries, Greek yogurt, corn flakes, and sliced almonds make these parfaits creamy, crunchy, sweet, and tangy all at once. Prep six of them in one go, so you have a pretty and satisfying breakfast waiting for you, even on the busiest days.
13. Easy egg wraps
If you’re doing Whole30, going grain-free, or just trying to live on the lighter side of carbs, tuck your favorite sandwich fillings into an egg wrap. You can go savory with meat and avocado or even take the sweet route with fresh fruit.
Learn this majorly customizable recipe here.
14. English muffin sandwiches
Give that drive-through — and your wallet — a break without forgoing McMuffins. This recipe fills your freezer with six tasty, hearty, ready-to-heat breakfast sandwiches for a fraction of the cost. Now that’s a value meal.
15. Healthy instant oatmeal cups
This blogger generously provides not one, not two, but eight suggestions for flavor combos in these to-go oatmeal cups, including peanut butter-chocolate and orange-ginger.
The one thing they have in common? They take all of 5 minutes to put together. Oh, and they’re all delicious.
Learn the basics here and get customizing.
16. Berry almond breakfast quinoa
A gluten-free superfood spin on overnight oats, this recipe uses quinoa as its base. Stir in some spices, sweetness, and fruit, and you’ve got yourself a chilled breakfast that packs in protein and fiber.
