Protein-rich breakfasts without protein powder

Yoghurt, eggs, tofu, pulses and milk are all foods the NHS names as protein sources, and each makes a breakfast without powder: a yoghurt bowl, eggs on toast, a tofu pan, chickpea toast or porridge made with milk. Pick by how much cooking you will do at 7am and whether you want sweet or savoury. Two recipes further down publish their own protein figure.

The five formats

The NHS vegetarian diet guide and Eatwell Guide are the sources for which foods count. The protein column is per 100 g, as listed on our food cards (CoFID), and the foods are listed raw or cooked as shown, so it compares the foods rather than your portion.

Plant-based yoghurts and drinks vary from product to product, so check the label per 100 g before treating one as a dairy equivalent.

No hob and no time: the yoghurt bowl or chickpea toast. Hot and savoury: eggs or tofu. Already make porridge: change the liquid rather than the routine.

Yoghurt bowl

Spoon yoghurt into a bowl, add chopped apple, then scatter over oats or your usual granola, with cinnamon if you like it. Add the topping just before eating to keep it crunchy, or stir it in for a softer bowl, and loosen a thick mixture with a splash of milk.

Eggs on toast

Eggs take about as long as the toast. Scramble them over a gentle heat and take them off when they look done to you, or fry them if you would rather keep the yolk whole. Toast the bread while they cook and put sliced tomatoes beside the toast, not under the eggs, or it goes soggy.

Two Nourishible recipes cook eggs in tomato: Tomato Parmesan Eggs uses 3 eggs and is served with sourdough or toast, and Easy Shakshuka uses 6 eggs. Neither publishes a protein figure.

Tofu pan breakfast

Drain firm tofu, pat it dry and crumble it with a fork into a pan with a little warm oil. Stir in chopped tomatoes and black pepper and serve on toast. Leave some larger pieces for texture, or cut it into cubes and turn them as they brown. If the pan turns watery, cook some liquid off before serving. Soft or silken tofu behaves differently in a pan; firm or silken tofu explains which suits which job. For a fully plant-based plate, check the bread and any sauce as well.

Chickpea toast

Mash drained, cooked chickpeas with a fork, stir in a little olive oil and lemon juice, and spread on toast, leaving some whole for texture. If it is dry, add a splash of water, and taste before adding more lemon so acidity is not the only flavour. If you already keep a tin for lunches or dinners, what to cook with chickpeas has more to do with it.

Porridge with milk

Cook oats in dairy milk instead of water, starting from the liquid ratio on the packet and adding more if it thickens too far. Add chopped apple while it cooks for a soft bowl, or on top at the end for bite; yoghurt alongside works too.

Two recipes with a published protein figure

Two Nourishible recipes publish a protein figure. Both are the creators' own, and we have not recalculated them. Neither uses protein powder.

Sweet potato toast with cottage cheese, avocado and fried eggs (taytay_xx) is one serving in about 15 minutes, and the creator gives 24 g protein and 8 g fibre for it. Only the eggs are measured, so with more or less cottage cheese and avocado the figure will move.

Cottage cheese blueberry pancakes (noahperlofit) make 10, at roughly 10 g protein and 122 kcal each according to the creator, so two pancakes would be about 20 g. That figure is for the batch of 10 the recipe makes; bigger pancakes would change it. The recipe gives no storage advice. The Food Standards Agency says to get cooked food into the fridge within one to two hours and to eat leftovers within 48 hours or freeze them.

For what a protein figure can and cannot tell you, see understanding macros. The NHS points anyone with special dietary requirements or medical needs to a registered dietitian for help adapting their diet.