14 High Protein Breakfast Swaps You Should Try Instead Of Eggs

Every day it becomes more challenging to justify purchasing eggs just to ensure that you have a high protein breakfast food. Rising prices and reductions in stock make what used to be a simple purchase a dice roll, not to mention a burden on your bank account. Surely there must be something on the menu that gives you the protein you're looking for without leaving you scrambling for a feast that doesn't include scrambled eggs.

Fortunately, when it comes to breakfast eats, eggs aren't the sole source of protein to get you energized. If you are willing to be flexible, you can find a wealth of other high protein items in the grocery store that do the trick deliciously and nutritiously. Whether you prefer portable bites or you long for something to sit down and enjoy — like an omelet alternative or stand-in for your usual three egg wrap — these high protein options will deliver key nutrients while offering readily-available, affordable alternatives to your classic egg creations.

Much maligned and often misunderstood, tofu is super price-friendly and packed with plant-based protein, with an adaptable personality that can take on the character of your favorite savory breakfast dishes. There are plenty of great ways to cook tofu, the simplest of these is the tofu scramble, which incorporates firm tofu into a sautéed mix of spices and vegetables that closely resembles scrambled eggs. Toss in all your favorite scrambled egg add-ins like mushrooms and bell peppers to replicate what you're used to and cook your tofu to a similar doneness for a texture that's practically indistinguishable from real eggs. Adding a sprinkle of kala namak or black salt will even work an egg-like flavor into the pan, thanks to the salt's sulfur content.

For a sweeter tofu-based breakfast, try whipping silken tofu into a yogurt- or mousse-like texture and adding maple syrup or cocoa powder with a little sweetener. Sprinkle granola and fruit on top or swirl in a spoonful of fruit jam and you'll have a luscious high-protein breakfast that costs pennies per serving, thanks to tofu's highly-affordable nature.

This richer, creamier version of the yogurt you may be used to also comes with a bit of extra protein and a flexible profile that lets you incorporate it into your breakfast life easily and deliciously. It can become your secret ingredient for making parfaits more protein-packed or giving your waffles an eggless punch that fluffs them up with incredible texture and richness. You can also blitz Greek yogurt into a drinkable breakfast by adding fruit, ice, and juice and giving it a few pulses in the blender. Add a splash of real maple syrup or a dripper or two of honey to kick up the sweetness if needed.

If you're not a yogurt eater in general, you can work Greek yogurt into other dishes to achieve your protein goals instead. Thinned down with a little skim milk, a serving of Greek yogurt can make a cereal topping and coffee creamer that emulates whole milk or heavy cream, depending on your preference. And with a simple two-ingredient Greek yogurt bagel standing in for your English muffin or toast, you'll get more protein than usual without having to eat your breakfast with a spoon.

If you've only ever thought of chickpeas as a lunch or dinner option, it's time to expand your imagination and bring them into your breakfast world too. These protein-rich pulses bring along plenty of fiber as a bonus, amping up your early morning nutrient consumption. Their savory-to-neutral flavor can take on any seasoning to become a hearty hummus spread for toast that replaces both your favorite egg dish and your beloved avocado toast, saving you twice as much while keeping your protein intake in check. At around $1.00 a can, you get almost four half-cup servings to spread among your morning meals in different ways.

But it isn't just canned chickpeas that can help you get your protein macros in check for the day. Chickpea flour is a fantastic alternative to regular wheat flour that helps deliver your protein intake in the form of muffins, pancakes, and waffles that are as close to the classics as you can get. You can find boxed or bagged chickpea flour ready to do the job, or grab a bag of dried chickpeas and run them through a blender or food processor to make your own. It's a more affordable way to work extra protein into your breakfast plans.

One of the easiest ways to make sure that your protein needs are covered in the morning is the protein powder smoothie, an option that nutrition fiends may already be aware of but that general breakfast eaters may not have considered yet. Rather than just mixing together your favorite fruits and greens, this smoothie requires the purchase of protein powders that deliver up to 20 grams of protein per scoop. With a vast array of whey- and plant-based powders on the market, you can shop easily and confidently for a multi-serving barrel of flexible protein that helps you get your smoothies made for a good long while.

Some protein powders embrace the sugar-free lifestyle, while others lay the sweetness on pretty thickly. Be sure to read the label closely to get the formulation that makes the most sense for your dietary needs beyond the protein count. If you're working in fruit or juice to your recipe, you'll be adding more sugar with those ingredients, so it's best to have an idea of how you plan to use your protein powder before making your purchase.

You've likely had chicken worked into your western omelet or breakfast scramble, so why not remove the eggs and make chicken the main breakfast dish? It's easy enough to repurpose leftover chicken from last night's dinner into a shredded morning bite topped with salsa and cheese for a kick of flavor. You can also investigate shredded chicken porridge, an Indonesian favorite that incorporates rice and veggies to make a more fleshed-out version of a diner plate for moments of more intensive morning hunger. Even if you just reheat a wing or a leg to dine on during your commute, you'll have a solid protein source that's one step ahead of the eggs you're trying to work around (yes, that's a chicken-and-egg reference).

You may not have considered the popular rotisserie chicken as a way to keep this protein-packed ingredient in your breakfast line-up, but if you plan your shopping right, you can grab a $5.00 bag the night before and shred it up to use the next morning in your morning meal plans. Freeze leftovers to have handy packets available for future breakfasts where protein is a must but time is at a premium. If you have saucy wings remaining after a weekend party, think about twisting them up in street taco tortillas for a handy leftover-made-new to scarf down while on the go.

From sausage links and patties to breakfast sliders and burritos, beef already makes regular appearances on breakfast menus everywhere. Sausage patties enjoyed on their own can be a great method for keeping the protein high while the eggs are nowhere nigh. If you're more of a link lover, there's no reason you can't center your morning meal on sausage in that form instead, as long as you choose lean selections that minimize fat and cholesterol. Even if you're used to sausage partnering up with an eggy disc at the center of your muffin-based sustenance, simply removing the egg lets the meat shine on its own in a way you may not have been able to appreciate prior.

You can also go for ground beef to get your daybreak dish hopping without resorting to your usual shelled selections. If you've never thought of making your own breakfast tacos, this is your opportunity to push eggs to the bottom of your shopping list. Follow the instructions for making ground taco meat with a packet of seasoning or use your own spices and fill soft corn or flour tortillas with a scoop and some plain yogurt on top. Sprinkle with cheese and tomatoes and you have an egg-free reinvention of a high-protein breakfast that could become your new favorite dish.

Who says you have to sacrifice your love of pancakes just to make sure you get enough protein in the morning? With baking brands like Kodiak providing high-protein pancake mixes that keep your macros moving in the right direction, you don't need extra eggs to get the work underway. Kodiak Power Cakes come in a line of flavors that cover every taste you might encounter, from simple buttermilk to decadent chocolate chip. Who says you have to sacrifice enjoyment when working around an egg-based breakfast while keeping an eye on the protein content?

You can easily make your own protein-powered pancake mix by working protein powder into a bowl of your favorite mix instead. You may need to adjust the oil and other liquids to keep the texture pourable, so be ready to play kitchen chemist before tossing your cakes into the pan. Once you have the balance perfected, you can provide yourself and your family high protein breakfast basics even if the egg enterprise never comes back down to a reasonable pricing structure again (but feathers crossed it does someday).

For the plant-based protein eater, flax seeds are an excellent way to work in not only a dose of protein but also essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids. There's also insoluble fiber in these miniscule wonders, which helps with digestion as a bonus to the protein content. They're about the size of poppy seeds and come in a generous bag of whole seeds or flax meal, which lets you incorporate them into baked goods in place of eggs — another work-around that keeps your egg budget to a minimum while making sure you have protein-packed options handy to fulfill your breakfast needs. If you have whole seeds, you can make your own meal by running them through the blender until they become more flour-like.

Unlike sunflower seeds, these miniscule protein carriers require a larger dish like oatmeal or fruit to be enjoyed properly. Think of them as an ingredient more than a food and you'll start to see all kinds of possibilities, like turning them into simple two-ingredient protein-powered rolls you can top with spreads or tossing them into your breakfast shake to give it more oomph.

Not only do chia seeds help you achieve your protein count for the day as a breakfast food, they're also a fun way to work a plant based pudding into your dining plans. These seeds may not look like much in the package, but when soaked in juice or milk, they puff up like boba with the texture of tapioca and can be flavored in just about any way you prefer. Even if you're not looking to fly the coop during a grocery store egg hunt, you should be eating chia seeds to reap the healthy benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids and, yes, protein content that comes in a form that holds fun and unusual possibilities.

Making a protein-rich chia pudding breakfast is easy, but requires a bit of preparation. Fill a small glass or jar with 3 tablespoons of chia seeds and pour in a cup of your favorite milk. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight to allow maximum plumping of the seeds and top with sliced fruit, nuts, or yogurt when you're ready to dig in. You can also drop in a bit of maple syrup, honey, or fruit juice to sweeten up your morning. You'll have a parfait that brings the fun and the protein in a single dish that leaves eggs out in the cold.

Tempeh is another one of those high-protein plant-based ingredients that fits wonderfully well in savory lunch and dinner dishes but can also find a place at the breakfast table. This meat-adjacent analog is made from fermented soybeans, similar to tofu but with a different taste and texture thanks to pieces of beans left intact rather than a clean blend like tofu. The result is a lumpy, bumpy slab of enticing goodness that's ready to jump into action to get your morning off to a tasty start.

Tempeh can be grilled or toasted to give the outer surface a crispier texture. The nutty, earthy flavor is perfect for sautéing and serving with hash browns or skillet potatoes. Drizzle it with hot sauce or salsa and a mix of onions and peppers to emulate your favorite egg-based breakfast beauties. It also makes a fantastic deli-style breakfast sandwich when slapped between two halves of a toasted roll, slathered with butter or mayo and topped with capers and green onions. The more you work with tempeh, the more you'll discover the different flavors it can assume to help take the sting out of breaking your breakfast egg habit once and for all.

If you've never experimented with seitan, incorporating it into your breakfast menu as an egg replacement is the perfect way to discover all the great possibilities. In its simplest form, seitan consists of wheat flour and water that's been kneaded to a stringy, glutinous texture that emulates meat. You can find seitan in the vegan section of the grocery store, many times spruced up as a chicken or beef replacement, which gives you a ready-to-heat stand-in for eggs that won't crack your shell when it comes time to cash out.

Because seitan is a gluten based food, this option obviously is not a prime choice for the gluten restrictive diet. For anyone intrigued by the potential, you can find seitan based items that closely mimic chicken and pork in both texture and flavor. And if you're a particularly enterprising breakfast chef, you can attempt your own seitan recipe using vital wheat gluten worked like bread dough. It's neutral flavor profile accepts your favorite seasonings like garlic and onion powder, soy and teriyaki sauce, and paprika and cumin, which lets you aim your seitan creations in any international culinary direction you like.

Using nut butters as high protein replacements for eggs is a no brainer for people who have already stash of these premium plant-based ingredients in the pantry. You can usually find store brand peanut butter hovering around the $2 mark, which gives you a load of protein-packed breakfasts for a sweet price. If a more natural, less processed take on peanut butter is your preference, the peanuts-and-salt-only versions aren't much more expensive and remove the extra sugar and thickeners while leaving in the protein. Other nut butters rise in price from there but shopping sales and coupons can help deliver the goods without tipping your check register into the red.

Though there's protein a-plenty in the jar, beware of the additional fat content that comes with every scoop, sometimes upwards of 16 grams or more per 2 tablespoon serving. Combining your spread with a higher-protein bread can help you defray some of the calories and fat while ensuring you get your grams in for your day's start. And if you go for the all-natural butters, you can usually pour off some of the oil that's risen to the top to gain a bit of control over the fat content. Be sure to leave a little so your spread is smooth enough to glide over your toast or swirl into your oatmeal.

The cereal industry has been working to accommodate high protein eaters by working extra protein into their products. If you're an oatmeal fan, you can easily tap into a selection of high protein oatmeal that add even more of this essential nutrient than the five or so grams naturally found in oatmeal. Quaker Instant Protein delivers 12 grams of protein per packet, providing a fantastic shelf-stable eggless breakfast you can keep on hand at home or in your desk drawer for easy prep whenever your breakfast hour falls. General Mills makes its own pitch for high-protein cereal with Cinnamon Cheerios Protein, which brings 8 grams into your breakfast bowl.

The secret to delivering a high protein cereal is usually the inclusion of whey powder in some form, which makes this a tricky option for plant-based eaters. A proper search will turn up oatmeal and cereals that incorporate plant-based protein instead. But if you're at a loss for a boxed version that gives you as much protein as you're looking for, a half-scoop of plant-based protein on top of your oatmeal or cold cereal will yield the same results.

Protein bars are great for the protein eater no matter what time of day you're trying to get your macros in, and a perfect option for breakfast. You'll find most of these bars touted as a meal replacement, meaing they also come with enough calories and other nutrients to stand in for a full plate of egg-friendly surrounding dishes too. They're nowhere near as fluffy as your favorite skillet, but they'll do in a pinch when you're hungry for protein and eggs are a no-go. Beware of the calorie count and sugar content in these tricky tidbits; sometimes, you can get more than you bargained for.

There are plenty of brands and varieties available in the health food bar aisle of the grocery store, though the prices can be almost as steep as eggs if you're not shopping carefully. Finding the protein bars that are definitely worth your money may take a little shopping and taste-testing before making a commitment, especially at $1.00 or more per bar. An easier-to-digest option financially may lie with the granola and fruit bars, where brands like Nature Valley have introduced higher-protein takes on their crunchier products. Double-check the sugar content if you're keeping conscious of overall nutrition, as some of these boxes do double-duty as a more kid-oriented snack food.