10 exciting breakfast ideas for weekdays

Katy Salter

Food journalist Katy writes about all things edible for newspapers and magazines, and is a regular contributor to delicious. magazine.

Find more

It’s easy to fall into a weekday breakfast rut. Toast, cereal, porridge, toast, cereal, porridge… and repeat.

These 10 exciting breakfast ideas will make your mornings an altogether brighter, more colourful and delicious affair. The trick is to think ahead, because few of us are at our sharpest before the coffee kicks in. Quick and healthy breakfasts like bircher muesli and overnight oats can be prepped the night before and kept in the fridge. We’ve also included some recipes you can make at the weekend and store ready for busy mornings. Think DIY granola, freezable breakfast muffins and a zesty tomato salsa to jazz up eggs.

With that in mind, here’s a round-up of 10 tasty, healthy breakfasts you can create in next to no time. They’re pretty healthy on the whole, the prep times are short (especially if you do a little work the night before) and we’ve included a mix of sweet and savoury options, depending on which one you crave the most first thing.

10 exciting breakfast ideas for weekdays

Take a break from the cornflakes. Add some variety to busy weekdays with these quick and easy breakfasts…

1. Jam jar pancakes

We live for pancakes, but getting out the mixing bowl at 7am? Not on a weekday, please. Make this pancake mix by shaking everything up in a clean jam jar. Save any leftover pancakes – they’ll keep for about two days in an airtight container.

2. Mango overnight oats

Calling all sleepy heads! You can have a lie-in with this one. These vegan overnight oats, which are (you guessed it) prepped the night before, use mango puree for an intense wake-you-up fruity flavour.

3. Porridge with pears and almond butter

Porridge is a weekday breakfast staple. Keep the base, but switch up the toppings. Try this creamy porridge with tinned pears or make our homemade preserved pears in advance. Almond butter brings the protein.

4. Avocado on rye with crispy fried eggs

Ching He Huang’s avo toast on seeded rye is topped with a crispy-edged fried egg and a drizzle of soy sauce. This filling savoury breakfast takes just five minutes to make.

5. Blueberry and banana muffins

Make a batch of breakfast muffins on a Sunday night then freeze or store in an airtight tin. They’re perfect on the go (and better for you than a coffee-shop muffin), or turn them into a filling breakfast with a dollop of greek yogurt, flaked almonds and some extra berries.

6. Raspberry overnight oats

Jolly up these overnight oats with one of your five a day. Blend almond or oat milk, oats, pumpkin seeds and vanilla for a fuss-free, make-ahead, entirely plant-based breakfast.

7. Scotch woodcock

Scotch woodcock is a traditional breakfast dish (the Victorians were mad for it) of scrambled eggs on toast with Gentleman’s Relish and/or anchovies. This savoury number is ready in just 10 minutes.

8. Lime and coconut bircher muesli

We love a healthy brekkie you can prep the night before and pop in the fridge. We’ve used almond milk in the recipe but coconut or oat milk work brilliantly, too.

9. Easy huevos rancheros

One for working-from-home weekdays. This simple take on Mexican breakfast fave huevos rancheros sees corn tortillas loaded with black beans, avocado and fried eggs. Make the fresh salsa ahead to save time in the morning.

10. Low-sugar coconut granola

Swap cloyingly-sweet supermarket granola for your own homemade version. Decant our low-sugar coconut recipe into a sterilised jar ready for those hectic mornings.