12 Healthy Portable Breakfast Ideas

Weekday mornings can get pretty hectic, but that doesn’t mean that breakfast needs to be skipped altogether. There are lots of simple, healthy, and quick breakfast ideas that you can grab and go on your way out the door to ensure you are set up for a day of success. So here are 12 healthy portable breakfast ideas that will help get you out the door in a hurry.

As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Although the saying is most certainly up for debate, I am a big fan of breakfast; not only is it my favorite meal of the day, but I often recommend ideas to clients to ensure they are fueled for their day as well. The word breakfast literally translates to ‘break the fast’ and, when you eat a good breakfast, you help give yourself energy for a productive day and help to limit cravings in the afternoon.

When it comes to actual breakfast options it is important to opt for a well-balanced breakfast with lots of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Whether you are eating at the kitchen table, or chowing down in the car (not suggested but I realize it happens), or eating at your desk in the morning, this simple rule will help make sure that you are ready to tackle your day. So, here are 12 of my simplest, most delicious, convenient, and grab-and-go healthy portable breakfast ideas.

Portable Breakfast Ideas

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1. Spinach Breakfast Casserole

This is not only one of my personal favorite healthy portable breakfast ideas, but this Spinach Breakfast Casserole is the most popular recipe on my blog! Although this recipe requires a little advance planning, it makes enough servings for an entire week of breakfasts and it is really simple to prepare. Think of this recipe as a full weekend breakfast stuffed into one delicious weekday bite!

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2. Chia Seed Pudding

When it comes to chia seed pudding the flavor options are endless, it’s getting the right ratio of seeds to liquid that makes this breakfast a winner or a loser. You can either make a Perfect Chia Seed Pudding and add any toppings and flavors you like, or go for something a little more indulgent like my Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding. The fat and protein content in the chia seeds can help to balance blood sugar to keep cravings at bay and keep you mentally alert for a morning of work.

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3. Protein-Packed Smoothie

At this point, everyone knows that smoothies make a healthy portable breakfast idea, but it’s the content of your smoothie that truly determines if you’ve got a good option or not. Just like any plated meal, a well-balanced smoothie should contain a source of carbohydrates, protein and fat to help keep you full and help you avoid that hangry feeling later on in the day. Learn how to master your morning smoothie, so you aren’t making those oh-so-common smoothie mistakes.

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4. Hard-Boiled Eggs, Avocado & Tomato

This is the ultimate of healthy portable breakfast ideas, you can literally just grab 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 avocado, and 1 tomato, and go. Of course, you’ll have to boil your eggs ahead of time, but once you learn how to boil perfect eggs you can whip up a batch while you’re watching your favorite TV show. And, just to be clear, if you are worried that the combination of eggs and avocado “too high in fat”, fear not, it’s an incredibly healthy option. If you don’t believe me read my blog post all about why full fat is always best, and why you should be more afraid of your morning muffin than eggs and avocado.

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5. PB & J Overnight Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a staple breakfast that has been around for generations; it’s filling, it’s inexpensive and it’s efficient. You can certainly make a warm batch of oatmeal on the stovetop, but for the mornings you just don’t have time to try a batch of overnight oatmeal instead. This PB&J Overnight Oatmeal version combines the flavors of a childhood classic, without any added sugars, making it one of the best healthy portable breakfast ideas around.

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6. Western Omelet Muffins

When a western omelet meets a muffin, you get the best of both worlds; Western Omelette Muffins! People seem to love muffins for breakfast, but a muffin is really just a glorified cupcake with no icing. They are loaded with refined flour and sugar and although they may go well with your morning coffee, they will give you a big ol’ sugar crash within an hour of breakfast. So try mixing things up with a protein and fat-packed egg muffin instead.

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7. Morning Glory Muffins

Ok, so you might be wondering why I am giving you a muffin recipe after I rip on muffins for breakfast. The reason? It is the ingredients in the actual muffin that determine whether it’s a good choice or not. The standard coffee shop blueberry muffin or lemon poppy seed muffin has as much sugar as a chocolate bar or half-pint of ice cream. WHAT?! Yes, it’s true. The reason this Morning Glory Muffin recipe works is that it is free of refined flours and refined sugars, and loaded with vegetables, protein, and healthy fats.

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8. Breakfast Egg Bake

The fun thing about a Breakfast Egg Bake is that you can pretty much add anything you like to it. This little number is loaded with sweet potatoes, breakfast sausages, and a ton of veggies making it an absolutely delicious combination. This recipe makes enough portions to feed you for the week (and then some), but you can also easily half or quarter the recipe to make fewer servings. Just slice and go in the morning for a delicious healthy portable breakfast idea!

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9. Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Bars

These little Blueberry Baked Breakfast Bars make a great healthy portable breakfast idea because they are essentially a handheld version of a bowl of oatmeal. Made with rolled oats and sweetened naturally with berries, they are low in sugar and high in fiber to help keep you full. These bars can actually be made with any type of fruit, and you can add all sorts of nuts, seeds, and spices keeping the flavor options endless. Plus, they freeze really well too, so you can batch-cook a bunch for grab-and-go breakfasts for weeks ahead.

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10. Homemade Granola & Plain Yogurt

Granola and yogurt is a classic breakfast combination, but it is truly the quality of your granola and the type of yogurt you use that determines how healthy the choice actually is. What most people don’t realize if that depending on the type ad brands they opt for, granola and yogurt can be more like a dessert for breakfast than an actual breakfast. By making your own homemade granola, like this Nut & Seed Granola or my Holiday Spice Granola, and opting for plain full-fat yogurt, you can ensure you are making the healthiest choice possible with a portable breakfast loaded with protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

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11. Sourdough Toast with Almond Butter & Banana

I’ve got good news, bread is not the devil, it just comes down to the quality of the bread’s ingredients and the way it was made. A slice of naturally leavened sourdough topped with all-natural nut butter and slices of banana is not only a handheld breakfast you can walk out the door with but something you can easily make at the office too. All-natural sourdough bread is made with wild yeast and naturally fermented making them more easily digested, richer in beneficial bacteria, and make their nutrients more bio-available. (Pro-Tip: For an extra little hint of sweetness add a sprinkle of cinnamon to your banana slices.)

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12. Leftovers

If you can let go of the idea of “breakfast foods” you will save yourself a whole lot of hassle in trying to help come up with healthy portable breakfast ideas. Dinner leftovers are one of the simplest and best healthy portable breakfast ideas because all of the cooking is already done, you just need to grab and go! In North America, we have created this idea that there are specific foods for specific meals, but that is certainly not the case. Traditionally our ancestors and many cultures around the world today simply eat dinner leftovers for breakfast. Leftover soups and stews, meats and veggies all make great breakfast meals, or use odds and ends of leftovers rice and potatoes and top it with an egg for a hearty way to start the day.