Healthy Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

Hashes are a great way to incorporate vegetables into the first meal of the day. Here we’ve added a Southwestern spin with chili powder and cumin. Give the potatoes a head start by microwaving them until just shy of tender, then finish them off in the skillet for that coveted crispy texture. Use the leftover black beans to boost protein and fiber in salads, soups, or grain bowls.

The key to the dish's dramatic puff comes from oven spring—the jolt of steam and heat the batter gets when it's poured into the sizzling-hot pan and then goes straight into a cranked-up oven. Make the strawberry mixture first so the fruit has time to macerate and get even juicier.

Embrace breakfast’s savory side with this whole-grain bowl. This simple one-dish meal is crowned with a soft-boiled egg; the nutrient-rich yolk creates its own creamy sauce. New research shows that eating eggs with raw vegetables like tomatoes increases your absorption of carotenoids—antioxidants that may protect against heart disease.

If ever a breakfast-meets-dinner combo were to go viral, chicken and waffles would be it. The mash-up actually dates back a couple hundred years, and we can guess why—the sweet, crunchy, and salty trio was surely just as crave-worthy then as it is now.

The best way to cook steel-cut oats during the week? Don't cook them at all. Soak the oats overnight in your milk of choice: The oats will soften and plump in the liquid but remain slightly chewy. Enjoy cold, or heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Cocoa nibs add a little extra crunch and a wake-up jolt similar to coffee.

Get ready; this will become your new Sunday morning staple. These pancakes are wonderfully hearty, thanks to old-fashioned oats and white whole-wheat flour, yet their texture is still fluffy and light, with a beguiling creaminess in the middle. Instead of dousing this short stack with syrup, we opt instead for a nutty sauce of maple-sweetened almond butter—cutting about 27g added sugars from the typical pancake breakfast. (Feel free to sub any nut butter you have on hand). Soaking the oats first softens them and helps create that creamy interior texture. As they soak, you can make the almond butter sauce and measure out the other ingredients.

If you've ever had Italian eggs in purgatory, this recipes makes a similar Israeli breakfast dish called shakshuka. If you need to stretch the meal, simply add another egg to the pan. Top with any herb, such as cilantro, chives, or oregano.

"The fragrant noodle soup we love to slurp on cool evenings is actually the breakfast of champions," says cookbook author Andrea Nguyen. "It's a fabulous wake-up call that energizes and satisfies. Toasting spices and searing ginger help extract flavor fast, while poaching the chicken in the stock adds savory depth," Nguyen says. This broth is a lower-sodium adaptation of Nguyen's recipe.

A little ground pork gives ground turkey extra richness; dark maple syrup lends a touch of breakfast-y sweetness, and fresh herbs brighten the mix. In just 25 minutes, you have delicious, freezable patties with 40% less saturated fat and half the sodium of popular commercial brands.

We swap the classic egg and cheese combo for crisp, tart apple slices and sautéed spinach. Use any bulk turkey breakfast sausage for this sandwich or try our DIY version.

Wheat bran and yogurt bump up the protein and fiber so you'll stay fueled. Mashed banana adds moisture and sweetness without noticeable banana flavor, while browned butter lends nutty depth.

We change up the classic oat and nut combo with coconut flakes and starchy buckwheat groats. Look for pale-green groats; the toasted, dark-brown buckwheat can have a bitter flavor. You can also skip the buckwheat and add another 1/2 cup rolled oats.

You can't wing it with Bloodies. Random recipes might yield a crazy-thick throat-coater or a thin, insipid glass of blah. And many bottled mixes are sodium bombs. Here's a Bloody blueprint you can trust. Our streamlined version is zingy and sippable, with a fraction of the sodium you'll find in most others. Get mixing; its noon somewhere. Pickle juice is the secret weapon here, delivering briny tartness. We've tried pickled okra juice and dill pickle juice—both work. Add little cracked black pepper if you like.

These easy baked donuts benefit from matcha in the batter and in the glaze, where it lends beautiful color. If you’re unfamiliar with matcha, it’s high-quality green tea that’s ground into a fine powder.

Start your day with a drink that gives you a boost. Zingy green apple and apple cider vinegar will jump-start your morning.

Decrease the heat by removing some or all of the jalapeño's seeds. You can make the sauce up to three days ahead; prepare through step 1, cool, cover, and refrigerate. Bring back to a gentle simmer before proceeding.

This delicious handheld breakfast will get the kids going in the morning and out the door without delay. Warm and savory, it will truly start the day off right.