If I’m being honest, I’m kind of shocked that it took this long for breakfast salads to become popular. Breakfast can easily get boring or unhealthy if you’re not paying close attention, so a breakfast salad is the perfect way to change things up and to avoid eating a huge amount of carbs early in the morning (sorry bagels). Check out these dope breakfast salad recipes and start your day off right.
1) BLT Breakfast Salad
A new take on a classic. This has all your favorite things (bacon, eggs, avocado) in one convenient spot. This recipe also calls for sunflower seeds, which adds a little necessary crunch to this salad. Plus, you know a hipster wrote it because it tells you to toss the salad inside a mason jar
2) Blueberry Breakfast Salad
Blueberries are my favorite fruit, so I might be biased, but this sounds damn good. It’s blueberry salad plus blueberry vinaigrette (the recipe for that is also included). I also like that they added oranges because that’s not really a combo that you see quite often, but they’re probably the only fruit that wouldn’t get overshadowed by all of the blueberry
3) Paleo Breakfast Salad
Straight outta the Stone Age. This simple breakfast salad is too good to care about people judging you for being paleo. This website also gives you a bunch of substitution ideas if you’re not crazy about some of the ingredients. As someone who is grossed out by tomatoes, I appreciated that they specifically threw out some other options for someone who hates tomatoes.
4) Smoked Salmon Salad
As a New York Jew, this speaks to me on a spiritual level. Anything tastes better once you add lox to the mix. The dressing that this recipe suggests also gives this salad a kick, since it calls for horseradish. This salad is a little bit heavier though, since it uses a yogurt based dressing, so cutting that out and just using olive oil instead also sounds like a good plan.
5) Blueberry, Hazelnut & Lemon Granola Salad
This sounds AMAZING. I had to include a classic granola recipe on a breakfast roundup. It’s also easy to prepare ahead of time and make it in bulk, so you can save it for later. Prepping meals is a great time saver in the long run, and this salad is healthy and convenient.
6) Blackberry & Grapefruit Salad
This has five ingredients total, and two are in the name. If you’re not trying to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual, this one’s for you. This is another great fruit salad that is for those days when you don’t feel like prepping your meals in advance. While I personally like grapefruit, it is a strong flavor, so if you’re not positive about it, this might not be the best move.
7) Arugula, Asparagus & Avocado Salad
Triple A, baby. This salad has all the greens you could possibly want, and you’re getting a crazy amount of nutrients first thing in the morning with minimal effort. These are flavors that you don’t typically see mixed together, or in breakfast form, which is why I like it. This one also has sunflower seeds, which as I said earlier, add a little something extra that I love.
8) Breakfast Salad with Cinnamon Toast Croutons & Maple Vinaigrette
Yaaaaas. When craving something on the sweeter side, this salad is the ideal balance of “Treat Yo-Self” and “Take Care of Yo-Self”. Perfect for a day when you just wanna make brunch. These are homemade croutons, so it’s a little time consuming, but they turn out amazing. This is the recipe that I’m the most excited to try in my own life, and will most likely be Instagramming the final results if it turns out well (@gabbishaw #SelfPromoIsEverything).
9) Plum Avocado Summer Salad
You might be noticing a common theme here: avocado. It’s the best way to add a little something extra to most dishes in general. So, why would breakfast salads be any different? This calls for a garlic and cilantro dressing, which makes it great for a lunch or dinner side salad as well. There’s also some red chili pepper in there, in case coffee isn’t enough to wake you up in the morning.
10) Southwestern Kale Power Salad
This name is a real ~ power move ~ if I do say so myself. While it may sound a little intense, it’s gluten free and very easy to make vegan (just get rid of the feta), so definitely worth the extra time. Also, there’s quinoa, kale and avocado; so it has all the buzzwords that your trendy heart could desire. Another Insta-worthy meal, for sure
11) Warm Green Breakfast Bowl
Everyone knows “bowl” is just a fancy way of saying salad. When craving quinoa (if that ever happens to anyone else), this is the move. This salad also holds a special place in my heart because it includes halloumi, my favorite new food I encountered while on Birthright. Plus, there’s coconut oil, which apparently has an unlimited number of uses.
12) Spinach & Strawberry Salad
I am currently in the mood for goat cheese while writing this, so this recipe has been bookmarked for future use this week. Will keep y’all updated. Adding strawberries are the best way to incorporate summer into your salad.
13) Bacon, Egg & Toast Salad
Why mess with a good thing right? Three quintessential breakfast dishes all thrown together into one big bowl of awesomeness. Add in the OJ dressing, and you basically have an entire breakfast in one salad. And, I like that they add peppers and cucumbers to change up the texture a little bit. Last, but definitely not least.
There you have it, 13 very distinct breakfast salad recipes to use when you’re just extremely sick of eating toast every morning (because that’s all you feel qualified to make). Don’t be afraid to use as much avocado as humanly possible.