We love a nice, hot breakfast…when someone else is cooking it and serving it to us in bed, that is. Most weekday mornings, however, we’d rather hit snooze a few more times, which is why we compiled a list of the tastiest and quickest cold breakfast ideas we could find. Read on and you’ll surely find a low-maintenance recipe that’s to your liking, whether it’s a healthy cup of chia pudding or a decadent slab of pound cake you can enjoy on the go (suddenly, that Monday morning traffic jam doesn’t seem so awful, does it?).
26 Cold Breakfast Recipes for Busy Mornings
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Published Jun 20, 2022
Katherine Gillen
1. Leftovers Frittata
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, gluten-free, crowd-pleaser
Get your a.m. egg fix straight from the fridge by rounding up your leftovers the night before and tossing ‘em into the skillet with some eggs to make a frittata that doesn’t even need reheating.
Walking on Sunshine
2. Breakfast Parfaits With Fruit, Yogurt And Granola
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
In case you missed it, parfait is the French word for perfect…and let’s just say this simple but satisfying combo of fresh fruit, yogurt and granola lives up to its name.
Carina Skrobecki/Simply Real Eating
3. Cranberry Walnut Grain-free Granola
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, gluten free, dairy free
Tired of spending a fortune on fancy store-bought granola? Good news: There’s a DIY for that.
Katherine Gillen
4. Espresso Streusel Coffee Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Because some mornings you deserve to get your caffeine fix in cake form.
Aran Goyoaga/Cannelle Et Vanille Bakes Simple
5. Aran Goyoaga’s Glazed Lemon, Yogurt And Olive Oil Pound Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: Special occasion-worthy, gluten-free
Other mornings, a regular cup of joe with a slab of moist olive oil pound cake on the side will suffice.
Lisa Romerein/Love Is Served
6. Crispy Quinoa Cashew Granola
- Time Commitment: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: Vegan, beginner-friendly
Here, another homemade granola recipe that hits the spot and boasts an impressive nutritional profile, to boot.
Erin McDowell
7. Green Smoothie With Avocado And Apple
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, natural sweeteners, beginner-friendly
Packed with leafy greens and healthy fats, and lightly sweetened with a combination of honey, coconut water and tart Granny Smith apples—this smoothie is a well-balanced and palate-pleasing way to start the day.
The Clean Plate
8. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Blueberry Cauliflower Smoothie
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: Beginner-friendly. <10 ingredients, vegan
Add creamy, dreamy smoothie to the growing list of things you can do with cauliflower.
Cookie Named Desire
9. Fruit And Granola Breakfast Popsicles
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Freeze your favorite breakfast ingredients—fresh fruit, granola, Greek yogurt—for a cold treat you can eat on the go. (Did we mention this treat’s great to eat on a scorching summer morning?)
Natalie’s Health
10. Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Roll-ups
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: Kid-friendly, <10 minutes, gluten-free
Here, peanut butter and banana get wrapped in a crepe and drizzled with dark chocolate. Make the crepes the night before (or buy premade ones from the grocery store) and keep them in the fridge for a guilt-free breakfast that looks and tastes like dessert.
Haute and Healthy Living
11. Strawberry And Banana Smoothie W/ Yogurt
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: Natural sweeteners, gluten-free
What’s there to say? It's hard to go wrong with a morning smoothie that features the classic strawberry and banana flavor combo.
Mom On Timeout
12. Cranberry Almond Breakfast Cookies
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Presenting a grab-and-go breakfast cookie that will please your inner child (or your real-life kids) without sacrificing your grown-up healthy eating goals.
Cotter Crunch
13. Frozen Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowls
- Time Commitment: 6 minutes
- Why We Love It: Vegan, high protein, kid-friendly
Peanut butter, coconut oil and mixed berries combine to make a smoothie that’s so creamy and decadent it deserves to be savored with a spoon.
Posh Journal
14. Panda Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: Kid-friendly, vegetarian, >10 minutes
You’d be hard-pressed to find a kid who could resist this level of cuteness. (Thankfully, it doesn’t require serious artistic skills on your part, either.)
Upstate Ramblings
15. Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: low sugar, kid-friendly
Applesauce is used to cut the sugar content in these healthy and satisfyingly sweet peanut butter and banana muffins.
Liz Andrews/Styling: Erin McDowell
16. Easy Cherry Almond Granola Bars
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
These homemade granola bars are considerably healthier than the sugar-loaded store-bought kind and can be customized with any combination of your favorite mix-ins.
Cook at Home Mom
17. Homemade Maple Pecan Granola
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: Kid-friendly, natural sweeteners, <10 ingredients
You’ll want to make a big batch—this crunchy maple, peanut butter and pecan granola is downright addictive.
The Gracious Pantry
18. Apple Muesli
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, one bowl
Running late? You can still whip up a quick, homemade breakfast. Put down that box of sugary cereal and opt for some healthy homemade muesli that you can whip up in ten minutes flat.
Liz Andrews/ Styling: Erin McDowell
19. Cranberry Apple Danish
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Test your star baker abilities with a sinfully delicious Danish recipe you can bake in advance and enjoy for many mornings to come.
Erin McDowell
20. Monkey-bread Danish
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: Kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Cream cheese in the middle and streusel on top? Yep, this is yet another Danish we can get down with.
Minimalist Baker
21. Peanut Butter And Jelly Muffins
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten-free, vegan, natural sweeteners
The lunchtime staple gets a breakfast makeover for busy mornings, and we’re not mad about it. We like that they’re naturally sweetened and are gluten-free, so we can feel semi-virtuous about seconds (and thirds).
Erin McDowell
22. Biscuit Doughnuts
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
These doughnuts are exceedingly easy to make, thanks to premade biscuit dough. Fry up and frost a batch to keep in the fridge for mornings when you want to indulge.
The Full Helping
23. Ginger Citrus Chia Cups With Pistachios And Goji Berries
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes (and 2+ hours in the fridge)
- Why We Love It: one bowl, gluten-free, whole grain
Ginger and orange zest make palate-pleasing magic in this healthy and oh-so fancy chia pudding, courtesy of Coterie member Gena Hamshaw.
Whitney Bond
25. Everything Bagel Cheddar Cheese Ball
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, low carb, gluten-free
For when you want a mouthful of seasoned cream cheese without a carb-loaded bagel. Try dipping carrot sticks or celery in it.
Natalie’s Health
26. Peanut Butter Maca Overnight Oats
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 minutes, beginner-friendly
Peanut butter and maca give these overnight oats a rich, nutty flavor; the raw chocolate is there ‘cause you deserve it.