| Make your morning go smoother with these 12 Keto breakfast recipes and ideas |
Are you struggling to put together a tasty ketogenic breakfast? If so, we can help!
Whether you're rushed for time or it's a leisurely weekend morning, the following tips includes 12 Atkins breakfast ideas designed to make your morning meal easier, so you won't struggle to stay on plan.
These are real-life Keto ideas that I used myself to drop the weight, most of which I still eat today.
Breakfast is hubby's favorite meal of the day. Heloves a hearty, filling breakfast in the morning.
In fact, we almost always go out toeat on Saturday or Sunday morning. He loves all of the basics younormally find at a cafe:
- bacon and eggs
- sausage and eggs
- ham and eggs
- omelets with salsa
- fried potatoes
- french toast
- pancakes
- biscuits and gravy
When we went gluten free, going out to eat stopped for a long time, but eating a hearty breakfast did not.
We simplystarted making a big breakfast at home on the weekends. During theweek, hubby didn't eat breakfast. He simply took a large lunch withhim to work.
However, his latest job change has dramaticallyaffected the way we eat now. We have a large breakfast in the morning, a light lunch, and medium-sized dinner, depending on what time hubby gets home in the evening.
The later he gets home, the lighter the meal.
We also go to Golden Corral on Saturday or Sunday morning because I've been able to handle their scrambled eggs with onions, mushrooms, and cheese sauce. I also enjoy the grilled pork chops, breakfast sausages, bacon, and ham.
For those on Keto, an erratic schedule can make eating healthy a bit more difficult, especially since cereal isn't an option in the morning. But there are still many days when hubby has to skip lunch completely, so I always send him out the door with a full belly.
First: Dump the Traditional-FoodsMindset
If you box yourself into the notionthat you have to only eat breakfast foods for breakfast, low-carbmeal planning is going to be extremely difficult, especially if you're notpassionate about eggs.
Hubby is, so our breakfast plate almost alwayscontains eggs, but it doesn't have to. Anything that you can eat forlunch, dinner, or snacks can be eaten for breakfast.
You can alsomodify other dishes to be quicker and less time-consuming, makingthem a better option in the morning when rushed.
| Egg Scramble with Pepper-Jack Cheese |
For example, egg scrambles are aregular morning meal at our house.
Since hubby now leaves by 6:10 a.m. in the morning, trying to spin out a delicious-looking omelet is a no-go. Although, we are always up by 5:00, thevertigo puts certain limitations on how well I can function thatearly in the morning.
The brain needs an adequate amount of time,once up, to start processing sensory data accurately. For that reason, I often spend thefirst half an hour making coffee and packing hubby's lunch. I then make a simple breakfast for the two of us.
The beauty of Keto is thatyou don't have to eat eggs for breakfast if you don't want to.Thereare a lot of other options, from light to hearty, that will give youthe energy you need to start your day off right.
While I no longerdrink protein shakes, I'll sometimes heat up abowl of soup if it's raining outside.
When I was in weight-loss mode and hubby wasn't eating breakfast, I often ate:
- baked chicken legs
- leftover hot wings
- a lettuce salad with tuna and bacon
- a bowl of low-carb chili
These were quick meals I could have before running out the door to cook at the local boys' home.
| Try to think out of the box. I used to eat leftover hot wings for breakfast on Atkins. |
Sometimes, I also:
- Mixed cottage cheese andblueberries together.
- Whipped up a small bowl of chicken salad.
- Stuffed a few slices of lunch-meat ham with cream cheese and mincedjalapeno.
Even left over hot poppers are delicious cold for breakfast.
For most low carbers, eating eggs everysingle morning can get boring fast.
Since the Atkins Diet is forlife, it is essential that you find ways to make the diet fit yourschedule, food preferences, and lifestyle, so here are 12 Keto breakfast recipes and ideas to help make your mornings less of a hassle.
1. Basic Chia Seed Pudding (Submittedby Jennie Belew)
| Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding with Raspberry Sauce |
One of our readers, Jennie Belew, waskind enough to submit her recipe for Chia Pudding in the comments of a blog post on why you might not be losing weight on Atkins Induction.
She is doing Atkins 40 and was struggling with breakfast ideas because she needed something light that she could eat in the morning. AtkinsNutritionals (the ANA) suggested Chia Seed Pudding.
You can use any type of low-carb milkyou want in the recipe:
- almond milk
- coconut milk
- calorie-countdown milk
- heavy whipping cream
- heavy cream mixed with water
A cup of Atkins shakes oryour own homemade shake mixture would seriously beef up the proteinquite a bit in this.
(Available at Amazon)
(I don't know if dry protein powder woulddissolve enough in this pudding mixture to not be gritty. If you try that, leave us a commentbelow and let us know how it went.)
I'm also thinking that a flavoredCrystal Light sugar-free drink would also work in this, something like orangeor raspberry.
Since the volume of the pudding iscreated by the chia seeds, those who are allergic to corn could useliquid stevia instead of the Splenda. Hershey's cocoa powder is alsocorn free.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3/4 to 1 cup of low-carb milk or cream
- 1/2 to 1 packet of Splenda
- flavoring: vanilla extract or a littlecocoa powder
Put all of the ingredients in a glassjar and shake vigorously. Continue to shake the jar, now and then,until the seeds begin to bloom and stop sinking to the bottom of thejar. Place the jar into the refrigerator to chill and allow the seedsto fully bloom.
You can eat this at any time, but if you let it sitin the refrigerator for a while, it will transform into theconsistency of custard. To serve, you can eat it as it is or top withwhipped cream, crushed nuts, berries, or other fruits.
| Here's what Chia Seeds look like |
Chia seeds are typically used as an egg substitute, but recently, they've surfaced within the gluten-free community as a substitute for Xanthan gum. They absorb liquid, forming a thickened mixture when allowed to sit, similar to what flaxmeal does.
Chia seeds(available at Amazon) are chock-full of:
- fiber
- omega 3 fatty acids
- small amount of protein
- some calcium
So they make a viable alternative for flax.
The pudding won't be a smooth mixture like traditional vanilla or chocolate pudding. Once the seeds have bloomed, they are smooth and jelly-like, similar to tapioca pearls.
2. Homemade Protein Shakes, Smoothies, and Egg Creams
The difference between a protein shake and a smoothie is simply the addition of protein powder.
Smoothies don't include protein. Most protein shakes are also made with heavy cream or cottage cheese for a thicker consistency, while smoothies are thickened by way of the fruit and vegetables you use.
Egg creams are made with a whole egg or two, with or without the protein. If you don't want to use raw eggs in your shakes, you can use one of the pasteurized egg products available. Just make sure that you include the carb count.
Recipes for shakes, smoothies, and egg creams vary widely. They are easily adaptable to whatever low-carb plan you're following.
For example, if you are on Atkins Induction, youhave a limit of 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream per day, so you'llneed to lower the amount of heavy cream in the following recipes to fit the parametersof whatever phase you're currently doing.
If you're avoiding certainfood groups like dairy, you can skip the heavy cream altogether and use thethick coconut cream that forms on the top of a can of coconut milkafter being refrigerated instead.
Basic Protein Shake
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup water or almond milk
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup whey protein powder (1scoop)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring
- 1 Splenda packet or a drop or two ofliquid stevia
- 1/4 teaspoon guar gum (optional)
- 4 to 6 ice cubes
Place all of the ingredients into yourblender or food processor, except for the ice. Blend the ingredientstogether until well mixed. If using a blender, you can pull theplastic middle insert out, leaving you a hole at the top to feed theice cubes through. Add the ice, one cube at a time, and allow themixture to blend until the cream and vegetable gum thickens theshake.
I haven't tried this with Xanthan gum,since I wasn't using that type of vegetable gum at the time I used todrink these. You'll probably need much less than the 1/4 teaspoon.You can also leave it out. The shake will just be thinner. Extra icemight also help thicken it up a bit more.
Low-Carb Strawberry Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 1 cup strawberry Crystal Light Drink,prepared
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla or strawberryextract
- 1 pack Splenda or a drop or two ofliquid stevia
- 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum
- 3 or 4 whole frozen strawberries (if not on Induction)
- 4 ice cubes
In a typical smoothie, you'd use a lotmore strawberries, but this recipe is more suitable for a low-carbdiet.
Place all of the ingredients except for the frozen strawberriesand ice in the blender or food processor, and mix well. Once it's blended,with the machine running, add your strawberries and ice cubes one at atime. Blend until it is as thick as you want it to be.
Basic Egg Cream
For a basic egg cream, simply make theBasic Protein Shake or Strawberry Smoothie and add one or two wholeeggs or 1/4 cup of egg substitute to the shake ingredients.
3. Breakfast Custard
There are a couple of different ways tomake custard when doing Atkins. If time is super short, you can nuke it in the microwave.If you have a bit more time, it can also be baked in the oven untilset.
I've made this in both custard cups and a pie plate. Both cameout well. This is super good with the nutmeg or cinnamon. Justsprinkle it across the top for a festive look:
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 Splenda packs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- nutmeg or cinnamon
Grease your custard cups or pie platewell, and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredientsexcept for the spices. Pour the custard mixture into your cups or pieplate. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon.
The cups can be nuked athalf-power for 3 to 4 minutes, until set. Or you can bake this in apie plate in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, untilset. The custard cups can also be baked.
4. Fish or Chicken Breast Packets
Any type of protein can be eaten forbreakfast: fish, chicken, beef, pork, nuts, or cheese. Don't limityourself to just eggs. Fry up a burger patty or saute a piece of chicken breast in some herb butter. Both make a viable breakfastoption.
For convenience, I used to wrap a pieceof fish or chicken breast in a piece of foil to seal in the juices.This can be seasoned to taste, and then baked at 350 degrees for 20to 30 minutes. Fish will take longer to cook than the chicken breastdoes.
If you have some left over vegetables like broccoli or cabbage,place the vegetables on top of the meat and wrap the whole thing upnice and tight before baking.
5. Flaxmeal Muffins Baked in the Oven
One-Minute Muffins are a traditionallow-carb staple, originally made with 100-percent flaxmeal and nukedin the microwave, but the batter can be adapted to use a wide varietyof low-carb flour substitutes and made into a much larger batch ofmuffins, then baked in the oven.
For example, if you don't likeflaxmeal, you can use almond flour instead. This alternative version won't be legal on induction, as you have to be on the nut run of the Atkins Carbohydrate Ladder, but it makes a good muffin for Phase 2. A 50/50 mixture offlaxmeal and almond flour is also pretty good.
| Whole or sliced almonds can be ground into flour for low-carb baking. |
If you'reon a higher carb intake, such as Atkins 40, pre-maintenance, or maintenance, you can also add a tablespoon of oat bran or sub the flaxmeal with oatmeal flour.Just whirl regular oats in the blender until the mixture is as smooth asyou want it to be.
Pork rind flour, Carbquick bake mix, driedParmesan cheese, cocoa powder, a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten canall be useful in making these muffins rise better, as long as you're notsensitive to wheat.
Beware of coconut flour, though.
While you canuse coconut flour in these, it will soak up a lot of liquid. Morethan flax does, so start with a tiny bit (typical ratio of replacing flaxmeal or other flour with coconut flour is about 1 tablespoon of coconut flour to 4 tablespoons of flax) and be prepared toadjust the amount of eggs or liquid you use in the recipe, if needed.
[For more low-carb flour ideas, check out our blog post on Low-Carb Flour Alternatives in the archives.]
Also make sure that you stick closelyto the 1 cup of total alternative flours, except for coconut which requires less, and don't make too manyadjustments at once. It's better to experiment with only one majorchange at a time, so you can see how the change affects the dryness,moisture, texture, and taste.
The flavor of sugar-free syrup you usewill flavor the muffins, so try banana, orange, or something youlike. My own favorite is Davinci's Caramel.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup golden flaxmeal or otheralternative flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar-free syrup (likeDavinci's)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In asmall bowl, combine flaxmeal, baking powder, baking soda, andcinnamon. Mix well, and then set aside.
In a large bowl, combine theeggs, syrup, oil, and vanilla. When good and whipped up, gently foldin the dry ingredients. You want this well mixed, but don't go crazywith the beating. The flaxmeal is going to soak up the liquid and thebatter will get nice and thick.
Gently fold in nuts, if using. Allowthe batter to sit for 5 minutes.
While the batter is resting, lightlyspray 12 muffin cups without the papers and fill the compartmentswith the batter, about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove themuffins immediately from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.These are 1 net carbs each.
6. Bacon and Egg Salad
If you're looking for something you canmake ahead of time and lighter than fried eggs, a bacon and eggsalad might be just what you're looking for. While I often do this asa snack, one or two hard-boiled eggs at a time, there's no reason whyyou couldn't make this the night before, so it's all ready to go thefollowing morning.
Simply mash up your hard-boiled eggs.
Add some crumbled bacon bits, sliced green onion, minced red peppers,olives, or whatever you like.
Even some chopped nuts would be good inthis.
Bind it with mayonnaise, Ranch-style dressing, homemadeThousand Island dressing, or even a sharp blue cheese dressing.
Eatenout of a bowl or wrapped in a lettuce leaf or two, you've got aquick, tasty low-carb breakfast meal.
7. Egg Muffins
| Basic Egg Muffins with ham and cheese are Atkins-Induction friendly foods. |
These are like mini quiches or littlebreakfast casseroles in a cup. The variety you can give these littlegems is endless.
For the basic recipe:
Simply combine 1/2 cup heavycream to 8 eggs, and beat well. Add chopped cooked meat like:
- crumbled bacon
- sausage chunks
- or diced ham
Add some minced veggies like:
- green onions
- bell peppers,
- jalapeno
- orleftover cooked broccoli
Toss in a bit of grated cheese.
Ladle the mixture into well-greased muffin cups and bake at 350degrees for 30 minutes.
These can be eaten hot or cold, so makeplenty for those mornings when you don't have time to cook and need agrab-and-go low-carb breakfast on the run.
8. Low-Carb Hot Cereal
There are a wealth of low-carb hotcereal recipes on the web these days, but here's how I used to makemine back when I was able to eat flax seeds and oat bran.
Alternatively, you could also make this with all flaxmeal. If you areallergic to corn, you'll want to pick up the whole flax seeds andgrind them in a coffee grinder yourself, as the flaxmeal tends to becontaminated with corn. At least, Bob's Red Mill were.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons golden flaxmeal
- 2 tablespoons oat bran
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
- cinnamon to taste
- sweetener to taste
In a microwavable bowl, combineflaxmeal, oat bran, and boiling water. Stir well. Add vanilla andnuts if using. Nuke for 1 minute, and stir again. To serve, top withheavy cream or coconut milk, cinnamon, and sweetener to taste. You could also stir ina tablespoon or two of nut butter to kick this up another notch.
9. Soy Flour Waffles
If you have access to some organic soyflour, soy flour waffles make a nice low-carb breakfast. In 2008, I used to take dried black soybeans and grind them into flour in an electric wheat grinder. Black soybeans have a milder flavor than the yellow variety, but when making waffles, the yellow soy flour worked fine.
Thesewaffles are made using the same recipe as for the one-minute muffinthat you nuke in the microwave, but you use soy flour instead offlaxmeal.
While some people have said you can use flaxmeal tomake these waffles, I have never tried that myself.
If you decide to try the all-flax variation, please leave a comment below and let me know how it worked out for you.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup organic soy flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 packets Splenda or a few drops ofliquid stevia
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt
If you don't have a relatively new non-stick waffle iron, you'll need to spray your waffle iron really well with non-stick spray, andheat it to the proper setting. Soy tends to burn more easily than wheat, so you'll want these to bake a little lowerthan for a wheat waffle, if possible.
While the waffle iron isheating up, in a small bowl, combine soy flour, baking powder, drysugar substitute, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a larger bowl,combine eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Whisk this together the bestyou can. You won't be able to get it completely smooth. That's fine.Add the flour mixture and stir well.
Once the waffle iron is hot,pour the mixture into it, and spread out slightly. Bake until they'redone. It will take a little bit longer than for traditional waffles,depending on how crisp you like them.
10. Egg Drop Soup with Veggies
Egg drop soup is easy to make. Yousimply heat up your soup broth and then drizzle a beaten egg into it,while stirring. The eggs cook and form threads of egg as you gentlystir.
For a light low-carb breakfast, you can heat up a cup of brothwith a few leftover vegetables like:
- mushroom
- green onions
- shredded cabbage
Stir in one beaten egg. A little chopped cooked meat would also boost the protein content nicely.
11. Flaxmeal Pancakes for One
While you can make pancakes using thesoy flour waffle batter above, the soy flavor is stronger forpancakes than it is for waffles. The pancakes also tended to fall onme.
A better pancake uses flaxmeal and whey protein powder, whichgives the cakes a better structure due to the flaxmeal.
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons flaxmeal
- 1 tablespoon whey protein powder (soyprotein would also work)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or coconutmilk
In a small bowl, combine flaxmeal,protein powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir well and setaside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg until well beaten. Add heavycream and stir again. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients. Let themixture sit for 10 minutes.
When almost ready, heat the pan. You wantthe pan colder than for traditional pancakes. When the skillet iswarmed, bake as for traditional pancakes, but you'll need to cookthese a bit longer.
12. Hawaiian Burger Breakfast
Not light, but when hubby and I used togo out to dinner, there was a small restaurant we used to go to thatoffered something called an Hawaiian burger. This was simply a burgerserved without a bun and topped with Canadian bacon, a fried egg, anda slice of cheese. It's an Induction-friendly meal.
For a Phase 2 or Atkins 40 dinner, you could also add some fried onionsand mushrooms to the stack.
Induction Breakfasts Don't Have to beBoring
| Baked mixed vegetables topped with cheese and browned in the oven. |
When you're on Atkins Induction, yourfood choices, and sometimes the amounts you can eat, will be morerestrictive than if you're on Phase 2 orfollowing Keto or LCHF. That's because Induction is specifically designed to:
- get you into the state of ketosis
- lower your basal insulin levels
- help cut your cravings and hunger downto a manageable level
Induction, however, will give you agood, solid foundation from which to build a low-carb diet that youcan live with for the rest of your life, so go the extra-mile now andbegin your new lifestyle with foods you enjoy eating.
If you buildyour diet on foods you find boring or continuously eat the samethings each and every day, you're going to crash and burn. That's what happens with a lot oflow-carb dieters. They eat bacon and eggs every single day for two weeks,and then they can't stand to look at another egg.
While you do needto mold the rules and regulations to fit your tastes and carbohydratetolerance level, getting in a rut at breakfast is the fastest way tofail.
The best way to approach an Atkins Breakfast is to drop the breakfast-foods mindset and just eat what you enjoy. That way, you can tailoryour low-carb diet to be truly yours.
