High protein breakfasts you will actually make

Five minute breakfasts

These need no prep the night before. Protein figures are approximate and vary with brands and portion sizes.

• Skyr bowl: a 250 g tub of skyr or fat-free Greek yoghurt with berries and a small handful of granola. Around 30 g.
• Scrambled eggs on toast: three eggs scrambled with a splash of milk on two slices of wholemeal toast. Around 25 g.
• Cottage cheese on toast: 150 g cottage cheese on two slices of rye or sourdough with sliced tomatoes and black pepper. Around 23 g.
• Smoked salmon bagel: a wholemeal bagel with light cream cheese, smoked salmon and cucumber. Around 25 g.
• Beans on toast, upgraded: half a tin of baked beans on two slices of toast with a poached egg or some grated cheese. Around 22 to 25 g.

If you only change one thing, add a second protein to what you already eat. Cereal with milk becomes cereal with milk plus a pot of skyr. Toast and jam becomes toast with scrambled eggs. Porridge made with water becomes porridge made with milk with a spoon of Greek yoghurt on top. Each change adds 10 to 15 g without learning a new recipe.

Make-ahead breakfasts for early mornings

If you train at 6am, or leave the house at 7 with children in tow, anything that needs cooking in the morning will not happen. These can be made on a Sunday or the night before.

• Overnight oats: 50 g oats, 150 ml milk and 100 g Greek yoghurt, left in the fridge overnight, topped with fruit. Around 20 g, or about 40 g with a scoop of protein powder stirred in.
• Egg muffins: whisk eight eggs with chopped peppers, spinach, onion and a little cheese, pour into a muffin tin and bake. Three muffins give around 20 g. Keep in the fridge for up to two days.
• Breakfast burritos: scrambled eggs, a little cheese, beans and salsa rolled in wraps, then wrapped in foil and frozen. Reheat from frozen. Around 25 to 30 g each.
• Protein pancakes: blend oats, eggs, a banana and cottage cheese, cook a batch, freeze between sheets of baking paper and toast them in the morning. Around 20 to 25 g per serving.

After an early class at Lycan Strength, a jar of overnight oats in your bag means breakfast is sorted before you get to work. For more make-ahead systems, see our guide to meal prep made simple.

Weekend cooked breakfasts

Weekends are where there is time to cook something bigger. A full English can be a solid high-protein breakfast if you build it sensibly.

• Grill rather than fry, and use a light spray of oil
• Choose back bacon with the fat trimmed, or lean higher meat content sausages
• Add eggs, beans, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms for protein and fibre
• Swap fried bread and hash browns for wholemeal toast

Other options: a shakshuka with eggs baked in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, a tofu scramble with spinach and mushrooms, or an omelette packed with vegetables and some ham or feta. All land around 25 to 35 g with toast on the side.

If you train first thing at the weekend, a larger cooked breakfast works better afterwards than before. A lighter carbohydrate breakfast beforehand, such as toast with honey or a banana, usually sits better during a hard session.

Plant-based options

Vegans and vegetarians can reach the same targets with a little planning.

• Tofu scramble: 200 g firm tofu crumbled and cooked with turmeric, spinach and tomatoes, on wholemeal toast. Around 30 g.
• Soya yoghurt bowl: a high-protein soya yoghurt with oats, seeds and fruit. Around 15 to 20 g, more with a scoop of pea or soya protein.
• Peanut butter and soya milk porridge: oats made with soya milk, topped with a spoon of peanut butter and a banana. Around 18 to 20 g.

Our guide to vegetarian and vegan protein has more on combining sources.

If you are not hungry in the morning

Plenty of people cannot face food first thing. Forcing down a big plate is not necessary. Start with something drinkable, such as a pint of semi-skimmed milk, a protein yoghurt drink, or a smoothie made with milk, yoghurt, oats and frozen fruit. Each gives around 20 to 30 g.

Another option is to push breakfast back. If your first meal is at 10:30am, that is fine, as long as it still includes a decent serving of protein and you are not arriving at lunchtime starving. Some people find that eating a small breakfast for a couple of weeks gradually brings their morning appetite back.

If you are trying to lose fat, a high-protein breakfast is one of the best tools you have. Our guide to protein for fat loss explains why.