51 High-Protein Breakfasts for When You’re Just Sick of Plain Eggs

If your morning meal consistently leaves you feeling hungry well before lunchtime, may we recommend subbing in some high-protein breakfasts instead?

High protein breakfasts can be key to lasting satisfaction, since they help increase satiety, which means you feel fuller for longer. That makes them different from meals that contain mainly carbohydrates, which provide a short but intense burst of energy—think cereal or white toast with jam.

“Protein is a vital component to a healthy breakfast,” says SELF columnist Jessica Jones, MS, RD, certified diabetes educator and cofounder of Food Heaven. Ideally, you’ll want to have a balance of protein, carbs, and fat in your breakfast to keep you fueled and energized all morning long, she says.

It’s easy to find yourself in a protein-packed breakfast rut, though. For whatever reason, scrambled or hard-boiled eggs are the go-to high-protein breakfast for a lot of people. And while good old eggs are awesome, so is variety.

Fortunately, there are a bunch of ways to step outside of the box (or should we say, shell) when it comes to adding protein to your morning meals. For starters, you don’t even need animal products to ensure your needs are met, Rhyan Geiger, RDN, owner of Phoenix Vegan Dietitian, tells SELF. “There are so many protein options to choose from—from tofu to beans to lentils and even nuts and seeds,” she says. Sure, you can use protein powder to increase your protein for your morning meal, but with all those protein sources out there, you certainly don’t need to.

At the end of the day, the best protein for breakfast is one that you’ll actually eat, Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, LD, of Street Smart Nutrition, tells SELF. “When considering your options, think about what is affordable and realistic for your budget and lifestyle, and maybe even more importantly, what you are willing to eat,” she explains. So if that happens to be eggs, lean in to it, and if not, you have plenty of other protein-rich breakfast options to choose from.

As for which options? Well, we have you covered there, with 51 high-protein breakfast ideas that either use eggs in a more creative way—like eggs poached in a tomatoey shakshuka or classic hard-boiled eggs, but this time in a breakfast salad—or forgo them altogether in favor of other protein sources (like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and tofu). Plus, all of these tasty recipes have at least 15 or 20 grams of protein per serving, so you don’t have to worry about them not filling you up.

Whether you’re in need of a on-the-go protein breakfast or something you can sit and savor, there’s sure to be something that fits the bill in this list.