Non-dairy breakfasts

It might be lunchtime in Mumbai right now, but can we please rewind back to breakfast a.k.a. the best meal of the day.  Sure it might rev up my metabolism, provide me with brain fuel, energise me & all that jazz but let’s be honest:

 Breakfast just tastes so freakin’ delicious

Up until I did the Whole30, breakfast usually rotated around yogurt bowls for me:

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After realizing how shitty (literally) dairy made me feel, I decided to nix it from my day-to-day diet.  Fortunately I’ve found non-dairy breakfasts to more than fill the void:

Baked Oatmeal

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Smoothies

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Frittata 

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AB & Fruit Preserves Toast

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Muffins 

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And my current favorite: The perfect bowl of overnight oats

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Describing the above as “perfect” is quite a bold move, but trust me: this combination of oats tastes bowl-lickin’ delicious.  As I prefer to work out first thing in the morning, it’s ideal to have breakfast ready as soon as I walk through the door- Lord knows I’m starving by then!

I blogged about Overnights Oats way back when I was a Blackberry user (and hence the quality of my photos in that post is just downright embarrassing), but that version included yogurt.  While this bowl is yogurt-free, fortunately it’s just as creamy & voluminous thanks to the addition of chia seeds & applesauce.

Perfect Overnight Oats

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup raw rolled or quick-cooking oats
  • 1 ½ cups almond milk (I use my homemade version)
  • 4 tablespoons chunky applesauce
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • ½ -1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

In the morning

  • 1 ripe banana, sliced
  • 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
  • 2-3 tablespoons unsalted roasted almonds

Method

  1. Combine the oats, milk, applesauce, chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla extract & salt.  Mix well, cover & store in the refrigerator overnight (or at least for 2 hours).
  2. In the morning, top with banana slices, coconut flakes, & almonds.

Notes

  • Add more milk if you prefer runny oats- I like ‘em thick
  • The applesauce & banana add enough sweetness for me, but go ahead & add your choice of sweetener if  you need to

In case you’re an Overnight Oats newbie:

  1. Yes, you eat ‘em cold
  2. No, you don’t cook the oats
  3. Yes, it actually tastes good…even better than stove-top cooked oatmeal in my ever so humble opinion

Dare I even describe this bowl as tasting legen-dairy ;)!

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

29 thoughts on “Non-dairy breakfasts”

  1. “Breakfast just tastes so freakin’ delicious” – Oh heck yes!!! Speaking of breakfast – or breakfast foods – I could eat them for lunch and dinner and snacks!!!
    These O.N. oats sound ” legen-dairy” indeed, I will have to give thisversion a try when temps get into the 80’s – I am blown away by your homemade preservative free almond milk! Dang Girl – I had no clue that’s all it took!
    I am having a chocolate chip scone – I know better than to be blog reading without (food) ammunition! 🙂

  2. LOL. This is ironic, for the first time in ages, I had a full on dairy party for breakfast- cottage cheese, cereal, some milk to thin and nuts… but lately it’s been random savoury things….potatoes and steak, waffles…pizza. Yeah. Oops.

  3. All I can say is thank goodness for almond milk!!! Dairy (well at least milk) does nothing good for me. I love overnight oats and muffins as alternative breakfasts. Our usual is a protein shake made with almond milk, bananas, and a few other goodies! With that being said, I’m off to make breakfast!

    1. The more people I speak to, the more I hear how common intolerances to cows’ milk is…almond milk for the win :D!

  4. I think that most of my breakfasts end up being dairy free, unless I’m having a yogurt bowl – but that’s just because I’m not a fan of cow’s milk so I use almond milk for everything. It’s 7:30 so I haven’t had breakfast yet…but I’m thinking that a smoothie sounds pretty fantastic.

  5. You know I love my yogurt bowls, but gone are the days where I ate them every morning for breakfast. Right now I’m all about the oats. I cook mine on the stovetop, though… and then let them cool off to room temperature and add some yogurt 😆 I’ve tried overnight oats a few times in the past and I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan, BUT I’ve always tried them with yogurt and never chias so maybe that’ll make me like them a bit more? I hear people say they’re better that way…

    1. I know you’re not a fan of chias in pudding form but perhaps try blending up your overnight oatmeal for a creamy & doughy bowl of deliciousness? Heck I think that’s tomorrow’s breakfast decided 🙂

  6. Hey, I am looking for dairy free breakfast alternatives. The only dairy I eat is my Total yoghurt at breakfast but I can’t find another quick, easy and protein filled breakfast that I actually want to eat at 6am! For the rest of the day it is definitely all about the almond milk 🙂

    1. What about baked oatmeal or oatmeal muffins? They freeze/refrigerate well so you could make a bunch at the start of the week for easy breakfasts during the week? For a high protein variation, use egg whites and/or protein powder!

  7. AH oats with almond milk! Did a hot version this morning – oats, almond milk, walnuts, banana, honey <3 Once spring FINALLY arrives I will give this version of overnight oats a try 😀 applesauce and coconut flakes sounds like a winner!

  8. I adore me some savory breakfasts!! While I do eat my fair share of homemade granola with a dollop of Greek yogurt, it would be equally as good mixed with some almond milk. I also use almond milk in the rest of my breakfast shenanigans: scrambled eggs (almond milk and eggs) and the same goes for frittatas, quiches, french toast, muffins, etc. Basically, I find it incredible easy to eat a dairy free breakfast.
    Glad you’ve got your shit (literally) all worked out.

  9. I couldn’t agree more – breakfast is the BEST meal of the day!!
    I had a savory omelette for the last few days for breakfast – can never go wrong with that! Though I love me some pancakes and eggy oats too – especially with some coconut flour stirred in!

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