High-protein breakfast ideas: 16 quick options with 20 g or more

Everyday UK supermarket food, with the protein and calories in each breakfast. Tap a button to find the ones that suit your morning.

Free · 16 breakfasts, 21 to 33 g of protein each · Updated 1 October 2026

No eggsVegetarianUnder 5 minutesMake ahead

Aim for about 25 to 30 g of protein at breakfast. Work out your own daily target.

Showing all 16 breakfasts

High-protein breakfasts

Per breakfast

• Skyr and quark pot

  Stir quark (100 g) into skyr (150 g) and top with berries.

  No eggs · Vegetarian · Under 5 minutes

  29 gprotein190 kcal

• Turkey and cottage cheese on toast

  Spread cottage cheese (100 g) on a slice of wholemeal toast and add turkey slices (60 g).

  No eggs · Under 5 minutes

  28 gprotein230 kcal

• Greek yogurt with peanut butter

  A pot of 0% Greek yogurt (170 g) with peanut butter (15 g) swirled in and berries on top.

  No eggs · Vegetarian · Under 5 minutes

  22 gprotein215 kcal

• Skyr with oats and berries

  Skyr (150 g) with oats (40 g) sprinkled over and a handful of berries.

  No eggs · Vegetarian · Under 5 minutes

  22 gprotein275 kcal

• Shake and peanut butter toast

  A ready-to-drink protein shake with a slice of wholemeal toast and peanut butter (15 g).

  No eggs · Vegetarian · Under 5 minutes

  28 gprotein310 kcal

• Boiled eggs and a glass of milk

  Boil two eggs the night before, then have them with a glass of semi-skimmed milk (300 ml).

  Vegetarian · Under 5 minutes · Make ahead

  24 gprotein290 kcal

• Overnight oats with Greek yogurt

  The night before, mix oats (40 g), 0% Greek yogurt (170 g) and milk (150 ml). Chill.

  No eggs · Vegetarian · Make ahead

  27 gprotein315 kcal

• Overnight oats made with a shake

  The night before, soak oats (40 g) in a ready-to-drink protein shake. Chill.

  No eggs · Vegetarian · Make ahead

  25 gprotein280 kcal

• Egg, ham and cheese muffins

  Whisk two eggs with lean ham (60 g) and reduced-fat cheddar (30 g), bake in muffin cases, keep in the fridge.

  Make ahead

  33 gprotein310 kcal

• Porridge with quark

  Cook oats (40 g) in semi-skimmed milk (300 ml), then stir in quark (100 g).

  No eggs · Vegetarian

  28 gprotein355 kcal

• Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese

  Scramble two eggs with cottage cheese (100 g) and serve on a slice of wholemeal toast.

  Vegetarian

  27 gprotein320 kcal

• Eggs and ham on toast

  Two poached or boiled eggs with lean ham (60 g) and a slice of wholemeal toast.

  29 gprotein305 kcal

• Turkey and mozzarella toastie

  Two slices of wholemeal bread with turkey slices (60 g) and light mozzarella (60 g), toasted.

  No eggs

  33 gprotein340 kcal

• Quark and oat pancakes

  Blend oats (40 g), quark (100 g) and two eggs, then cook as small pancakes in a dry pan.

  Vegetarian

  30 gprotein365 kcal

• Tofu scramble on toast

  Crumble firm tofu (150 g) into a hot pan with a pinch of turmeric, serve on a slice of wholemeal toast.

  No eggs · Vegetarian

  23 gprotein270 kcal

• Cheesy beans on toast

  Half a tin of baked beans (200 g) on a slice of wholemeal toast with reduced-fat cheddar (30 g) grated over.

  No eggs · Vegetarian

  21 gprotein345 kcal

Protein and calories are approximate, added up from typical UK supermarket labels. Brands vary, so check the label. Vegetarian here means no meat or fish; some cheeses use animal rennet.

Why a high-protein breakfast helps you hit your target

For many people, breakfast is the meal lightest on protein: toast, cereal or just a coffee. Lunch and dinner usually have some meat, fish, eggs or beans; breakfast often has none. That leaves a lot to catch up on later in the day. Your total for the day matters far more than the timing; breakfast is simply the easiest place to add some.

Getting 25 to 30 g in at breakfast takes a quarter to a third of a typical day's target off the list before 9am. It's also the easiest meal to repeat: most people eat the same few breakfasts, so one good swap counts every day.

How much protein should breakfast have?

A practical aim is about 25 to 30 g at each meal. ParrotPal works out a daily target as 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight, counting weight only up to a healthy weight for your height. Breakfast is roughly a quarter to a third of that.

If you're training for muscle gain, pick the bigger options, such as the egg, ham and cheese muffins or the turkey and mozzarella toastie (about 33 g each). A review of 49 trials found that, with strength training, extra muscle from more protein levelled off at around 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day (Morton et al., 2018, British Journal of Sports Medicine). That's an average: some people do better on more, up to about 2.2 g per kg, so treat it as a target to reach rather than a ceiling.

7 high-protein breakfasts for weight loss: a week's rotation

One breakfast for each day, each about 21 to 30 g of protein and 190 to 365 kcal. Most weekdays are quick or made the night before; the weekend has time for pancakes.

One high-protein breakfast for each day

Day	Breakfast	Protein	kcal
Mon	Skyr and quark pot	29 g	190
Tue	Overnight oats with Greek yogurt	27 g	315
Wed	Eggs and ham on toast	29 g	305
Thu	Overnight oats made with a shake	25 g	280
Fri	Turkey and cottage cheese on toast	28 g	230
Sat	Quark and oat pancakes	30 g	365
Sun	Cheesy beans on toast	21 g	345

High-protein breakfast without eggs

• Skyr and quark pot: about 29 g of protein, 190 kcal
• Turkey and cottage cheese on toast: about 28 g of protein, 230 kcal
• Greek yogurt with peanut butter: about 22 g of protein, 215 kcal
• Skyr with oats and berries: about 22 g of protein, 275 kcal
• Shake and peanut butter toast: about 28 g of protein, 310 kcal
• Overnight oats with Greek yogurt: about 27 g of protein, 315 kcal
• Overnight oats made with a shake: about 25 g of protein, 280 kcal
• Porridge with quark: about 28 g of protein, 355 kcal
• Turkey and mozzarella toastie: about 33 g of protein, 340 kcal
• Tofu scramble on toast: about 23 g of protein, 270 kcal
• Cheesy beans on toast: about 21 g of protein, 345 kcal

Vegetarian high-protein breakfasts

• Skyr and quark pot: about 29 g of protein, 190 kcal
• Greek yogurt with peanut butter: about 22 g of protein, 215 kcal
• Skyr with oats and berries: about 22 g of protein, 275 kcal
• Shake and peanut butter toast: about 28 g of protein, 310 kcal
• Boiled eggs and a glass of milk: about 24 g of protein, 290 kcal
• Overnight oats with Greek yogurt: about 27 g of protein, 315 kcal
• Overnight oats made with a shake: about 25 g of protein, 280 kcal
• Porridge with quark: about 28 g of protein, 355 kcal
• Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese: about 27 g of protein, 320 kcal
• Quark and oat pancakes: about 30 g of protein, 365 kcal
• Tofu scramble on toast: about 23 g of protein, 270 kcal
• Cheesy beans on toast: about 21 g of protein, 345 kcal

Low-calorie, high-protein breakfasts

The lightest options on the list, for a smaller appetite or a lower calorie day:

• Skyr and quark pot: about 29 g of protein for 190 kcal
• Greek yogurt with peanut butter: about 22 g of protein for 215 kcal
• Turkey and cottage cheese on toast: about 28 g of protein for 230 kcal

Quick swaps for more protein at breakfast

• Water in your porridge: use semi-skimmed milk (300 ml, about 11 g) and stir in quark (100 g, about 12 g).
• Butter or jam on toast: try cottage cheese (100 g, about 10 g) or turkey slices (60 g, about 14 g).
• A fruit yoghurt: try a 0% Greek yogurt pot (170 g, about 17 g) or skyr (150 g, about 16 g) with fruit on top.
• Coffee on the way out: add a ready-to-drink protein shake (about 20 g).
• Two eggs on their own: add lean ham (60 g, about 12 g) or cottage cheese to the scramble.

How much protein do you need a day?

The calculator works out your daily target from your height and weight in about 10 seconds. Come back and this page shows your breakfast share against every option.

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