16 Creative Ways to Add Vegetables to Your Breakfast

You’ve made the commitment to eat more vegetables – and that’s a fantastic choice. While it can be tough to hit your daily veggie goal at lunch or dinner, starting your day with a veggie-packed breakfast makes it much easier. Here are 16 ideas for including vegetables in your morning routine, along with delicious recipes for healthy frittatas, breakfast burritos, bowls, toast, and more.

1. Mix them into a frittata or omelet.

Start your day with a veggie-packed frittata or omelet. If you're short on time, whip up a Baby Spinach Omelet in just 15 minutes. If you’re prepping for the week, a frittata or quiche is a great option to save time. Plus, frittatas are a perfect way to use up any extra veggies from your fridge.

2. Create a healthier breakfast hash.

Why stick to just potatoes for your breakfast hash when you can add bell peppers, kale, or even acorn squash? Or swap out potatoes for sweet potatoes for more flavor options. For added protein, toss in some sausage or leftover meat to make it even more satisfying.

3. Elevate your toast.

Avocado toast is a classic, but try topping it with roasted asparagus, fresh tomatoes, diced bell peppers, sliced radishes, or ribbons of carrot for a more nutritious and visually appealing breakfast.

4. Get creative with your sheet pan.

Sheet pan meals are one of the simplest ways to prepare food, and you can easily adapt the concept for breakfast. Stick with traditional ingredients like sausage and potatoes, or try roasting root vegetables before adding kale to the pan. Even dishes like our Chicken, Apple, and Brussels Sprout Sheet Pan Dinner can work for breakfast – just adjust the cooking time and swap in sausage if you'd like.

5. Add vegetables to your scramble.

Scrambled tofu often includes veggies, so why not do the same with eggs? Pair your choice of protein with zucchini, tomatoes, and other vegetables for a well-rounded breakfast.

6. Sneak veggies into a strata.

Strata may take a bit longer to prepare, but that's what makes it perfect for a weekend breakfast. Add your favorite vegetables to a recipe like our Overnight Asparagus Mushroom Strata, which has been made with spinach, broccoli, and zucchini by many reviewers.

7. Add vegetables to your pancakes.

If a vegetable works well in quick bread, it’ll probably work in pancakes too. Think bananas, chocolate chips, pumpkin, and blueberries. It makes sense, right? Carrot pancakes and zucchini pancakes are just meant to be. We don’t make the rules.

8. Create a breakfast salad.

If you prefer something lighter in the morning, breakfast salads can transform your routine. Give your favorite salad a breakfast twist by adding an egg or crumbled bacon. For a balance of flavors, combine bitter kale with quinoa and dried fruit, adjusting the greens-to-grain ratio to suit your taste.

9. Wrap up a breakfast burrito.

Breakfast burritos are a great way to pack in vegetables with tomatoes, avocados, and a mix of scrambled eggs, bell peppers, onions, and spices for extra flavor.

10. Try shakshuka for a change.

Shakshuka is a delicious breakfast from North Africa and the Middle East, where eggs are cooked in a flavorful sauce of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spices. Enjoy it on its own or serve with warm pita bread to soak up the sauce.

11. Bake your egg in a veggie cup.

For a quick and easy breakfast, crack an egg into bell pepper rings on a skillet or bake it in avocado halves. You can also use other vegetables like hollowed-out tomatoes or portobello mushroom caps. Who needs toast?

12. Fill a sweet potato with delicious toppings.

Sweet potatoes are a perfect base for eggs, bacon, or even ground sausage. For a simpler, sweeter breakfast, spread nut butter over your sweet potato. Almond, cashew, or pecan butters offer a mild sweetness, while peanut and sunflower butters add a savory, roasted flavor.

13. Create a breakfast pizza.

If you love loading your pizza with vegetables, you'll be happy to know that greens work wonderfully on breakfast pizza too. Whether you go with bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions with sausage and eggs, asparagus with potatoes and Gruyere, or bacon, egg, and spinach on a cauliflower crust – get creative.

14. Enjoy a smoothie.

If you’re a fan of spinach and kale smoothies, it’s time to explore new ingredients. Chopped carrots, combined with cinnamon, nutmeg, and dates, bring a carrot cake flavor to your blend. You can also add zucchini, beets, or cauliflower to give your smoothie extra body. Steam them first to soften the flavors, then freeze for easy smoothie add-ins.

15. Try soup. Yes, for breakfast.

When it’s too chilly for smoothies, warm up with a comforting bowl of breakfast soup. Start with hearty options like Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, Carrot Ginger Soup, or Sweet Potato and Kale Soup for a cozy, nourishing start to your day.

16. Start your day with a bowl.

You can't go wrong with a breakfast bowl. Whether you choose a hearty grain bowl like our Miso Oatmeal Bowl with spinach and avocado, a salsa-topped burrito bowl, or a savory sweet potato bowl, the options are endless. Get creative by combining your favorite carbs, protein, and vegetables.