When you think breakfast, you probably picture carbs (mmm, pancakes). If you’re following a high-fat, virtually carb-free keto diet, though, you’ve got to reevaluate your morning meal.
What A Healthy Keto Breakfast Looks Like
“When following the keto diet, you want to kick start your day with a low-carb, higher-fat breakfast that’s going to help you burn fat throughout the day,” says Maggie Michalczyk, M.S., R.D.N.
In addition to healthy fats, Michalczyk recommends incorporating foods that contain protein into your A.M. eats. “Protein is important at breakfast for many reasons, one being the fact that it takes your body longer to digest protein, which means you’ll feel satiated for longer,” she says. It’s also crucial for ensuring your body has the nutritional building blocks it needs for optimal function throughout the day.
Of course, there’s the ever-popular eggs and bacon, but your keto breakfast options don’t end there. Kale, broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables, plus avocados, seafood, cheese, berries, nuts and seeds, and even some plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese can also make their way onto your plate.
Michalcyzk loves to wake up to egg muffins with kale and bacon, a Brussels sprouts hash with eggs, grass-fed steak with eggs and avocado, or smoked salmon and eggs.
Below are seven of the tastiest keto breakfasts out there—pancakes included!
1. Keto Chorizo Omelet
This omelet by Hey Keto Mama, made with eggs, spinach, onions, and spicy chorizo sausage, is rich in fats and protein to fill you up. For an extra punch of fat, top with shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, and more chorizo or crumbled bacon. This rich recipe serves two, and comes in at just 2.5 grams of net carbs per serving.
2. Keto Chia Smoothie Bowl
Typically jam-packed with fruit and sugar, your average smoothie bowl isn’t a keto-friendly way to start the day. This chia smoothie bowl by Fat for Weight Loss, though, uses ingredients like coconut cream, avocado, chia seeds, and desiccated coconut for healthy fats, along with blueberries, erythritol, and a little vanilla for that smoothie bowl sweetness. At six grams of net carbs per serving, this sweet, creamy breakfast bowl is a great option when you’re craving something sweet. Top with whatever seeds your heart desires, coconut, and low-sugar fruit, like strawberries.
3. Three-Ingredient Cauliflower Hash Browns
Eggs and hash browns are the quintessential American breakfast—but carb-loaded potatoes are a definite no-go on the keto diet. Luckily, with a little creativity, you can whip up a delicious low-carb alternative using cauliflower. These hash browns from Keto Connect are made with just cauliflower, shredded cheese, and an egg (plus any seasonings you want), and contain just 3.2 grams of net carbs per serving. They’re the perfect bed for other breakfast ingredients, like eggs, bacon, and avocado, or ground beef, sour cream, and guacamole.
4. Fluffy Low-Carb Keto Blueberry Pancakes
These fluffy, colorful pancakes from The Big Man’s World satisfy any cravings for a decadent, comfort food breakfast without totally sabotaging ketosis. Made with almond flour and coconut flour instead of the conventional stuff, these pillowy cakes are much higher in fats, protein, and fiber than your average stack—and at 2.1 grams of net carbs per serving, much lower in carbs. Did we mention they’re also vegan and take just 10 minutes to whip up?
Related: 7 Protein Pancake Recipes That Justify Eating Pancakes Every Single Day
5. Vegan Keto Porridge
Oatmeal is the ultimate morning meal in the winter months—and anytime your soul needs something warm. Ruled.me’s breakfast porridge makes that experience possible on a keto diet. Instead of your usual oats, it’s made with flaxseed meal and coconut flour, and sweetened with erythritol, to keep sugar and carb counts low. (The texture feels something like cream of wheat.)
The recipe also incorporates a serving of protein powder to make the meal more satiating and muscle-friendly. One serving packs 17.82 grams of protein but just 5.78 grams of net carbs. Top with berries, coconut flakes, and cinnamon for additional keto-friendly sweetness.
6. Southwestern Cauliflower Breakfast Pizza
Pizza for breakfast? You betchya! This recipe by All Day I Dream About Food slashes carbs by subbing in cauliflower for the standard wheat flour crust, and racks up plenty of fats and protein with toppings like cheese, sausage, eggs, and avocado. It’s as gooey and crispy as your favorite pizza pie, but costs you a slim 5.43 grams of net carbs a serving. Perfect for relaxing weekend mornings or keto-friendly brunch.
7. Keto Monte Cristo Breakfast Casserole
This breakfast casserole by I Breathe I’m Hungry packs all of the delicious flavors of a Monte Cristo sandwich (a ham and cheese sandwich dipped in French toast batter, fried, and served with syrup) without the carbs. The recipe layers cream cheese keto pancakes, Canadian bacon, and cheese, and is served warm with sugar-free syrup. Sounds like ooey-gooey perfection, doesn’t it? One serving provides 32 grams of protein and just 4.5 grams of net carbs.
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