Two of the biggest trends in healthy eating and dieting right now are the Keto Diet (which we focus on here at I Eat Keto), and the Vegan diet – avoiding all animal products. But the great thing is these two don’t have be mutually exclusive, you can eat a vegan, keto diet. So here we’ve got for you 20, fantastic plant based vegan keto breakfast recipes to start your day!
Once you’re done here, check out our favorite vegan keto dinner recipes too!
What is a Vegan Diet?
The Vegan diet is a way of eating / living that entirely avoids the use of animal based products. For the vast majority of people eating a vegan diet it is for ethical purposes, meaning they will often not only avoid animal derived foods, but also other products such as leather and animal derivatives in cosmetics etc.
From a diet perspective, the vegan diet is entirely plant-based, meaning no meat, dairy, eggs etc. By removing these food groups, there is a need to be more vigilant about nutrition in some respects, in particular protein intake which is often lacking in many plant based foods.
What is a Keto Diet?
The Ketogenic Diet (or Keto Diet) is a way of eating that has been in use for a long time now for various applications. In recent years, the benefits of the diet for weight loss have become more prominent and it is now a popular way to reliably lose fat in those that are overweight. For an intro to the keto diet, check out our keto diet beginners guide here.
The diet is a low-carb high-fat diet, meaning that carbohydrates are reduced to a minimum intake, whilst fat intake is increased to compensate, protein intake should be moderate, but not excessive.
The idea behind the keto diet is to change the way your body gets it’s energy, shifting from a carb based energy system, to one which mainly uses your stored fats and those you eat for fuel. This process is called ketosis and is the goal of the keto diet, you can find out more about ketosis here – how to optimise ketosis.
Can you eat Vegan and Keto at the same time?
Yes! The two diets don’t have to clash with each other. The keto diet says you should avoid high-carb foods, the vegan diet that you should avoid animal-based foods. Fortunately that still leaves plenty of low-carb, non-animal based foods to eat!
Eating a vegan keto diet isn’t necessarily easy though, as both parts of the diet impose restrictions on what you can eat, you need to be thinking a lot more carefully about making sure you’re eating enough of the right nutrients, and are eating enough calories.
What can you eat on a Vegan Keto Diet?
The fundamental building blocks of your diet are going to be – green vegetables, healthy oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, and various vegan high protein substitutes such as Tofu.
What you should be eating:
- Leafy Greens – salad leaves, spinach, kale
- Mushrooms
- Above ground vegetables – broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower etc. ie: non-starchy veg
- Nuts and Seeds and Nut Butters – almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia, pecans, pistachios, unsweetened peanut butter, almond butter etc.
- Avocados
- High-fat dairy substitutes – coconut milks (unsweetened) coconut cream, vegan cheeses
- Berries and low GI fruits – raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and any other low GI fruits
- Healthy Oils – Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, MCT oil
- Vegan ‘meat’ substitutes – tofu, tempeh, seitan – look for low carb, high protein products
What to avoid:
- Sugars – including honey, agave, maple syrup
- Grains – wheat, rice, cereals etc.
- High GI Fruits – apples, bananas, mangos, oranges etc.
- Legumes – beans, peas, lentils etc.
- Dairy – milk, cheese, yoghurt
- Meat and Fish
- Eggs
- Tubers and starchy veg – potato, swede, yams
Vegan Keto Diet Tips
- Focus on getting enough fat and protein: Don’t worry too much about getting down to under 20g carbs per day, under 50g is more realistic on a vegan keto diet. Instead focus on consuming enough fat in the form of healthy oils, avocado, nuts etc. and getting enough protein through tofu and nuts
- Take things slow: Each half of this diet is restrictive, and requires discipline, so combining the two is going to be a difficult task. Take things slow by getting used to one aspect (keto or vegan) first, before transitioning to trying to do both.
- Educate yourself on vegan nutrition: Make a point of reading up on possibile gaps in your nutrition that can arise from this restricted way of eating, and be sure to make an effort to plug those gaps. For instance protein consumption can be an issue, and is made harder when combined with keto, so consider a vegan friendly protein supplement if needed.
Vegan Keto Breakfast Recipes
Now you know more about the vegan keto way of eating, let’s jump in to our list of our favorite vegan keto breakfast ideas for you to try out, enjoy!
Healthy Vegan Keto Breakfast Recipes
This simple keto granola recipe is a great way to start the day on keto. A delicious blend of nuts and seeds is bound together using the sesame paste tahini (rather than the egg white many keto granola recipes use).
Perfect to prepare in bulk ready for the week ahead, just pair with a little vegan yoghurt and some berries for a tasty low carb start to the day.
Our simple vegan keto porridge recipe, is a perfect way to start the day. A filling, healthy and only lightly sweetened dish, this can be served hot or cold depending how you feel.
This makes an ideal keto breakfast dish as it's easy to prepare in minutes, or in advance, tastes great, and is packed with nutritious ingredients for a healthier keto breakfast compared to the common bacon and egg combo so many people go for on a keto diet.
A recipe for all the coffee lovers! This keto coffee mocha smoothie requires only 4 ingredients and it's naturally sweetened with blueberries. Best of all this is a vegan keto recipe for those trying to avoid animal products on a low carb diet.
Add in the fact this is laced with espresso making this a great pick me up for those days where you're a little slow to start!
Perfect to pair with that Mocha Coffee smoothie, are our very own DIY Keto snack bars. The tasty treats have no added sugar, and taste deliciously rich and nutty with the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts.
Best of all these are vegan, keto friendy, and can be prepped well in advance and kept in the fridge until needed. Perfect!
For a slightly different approach to a vegan keto smoothie, this keto breakfast drink uses spice as the main ingredient, in this case turmeric, a brilliant ingredient with plenty of health benefits making it a worthy addition.
Turmeric goes great with coconut so we use a coconut milk base for this, giving a creamy, rich texture and sure to fill you up for hours.
This seed bread from Running on Real Food is a brilliant vegan keto bread substitute. Whole seeds are keto friendly and have so much more nutritional value than a traditional loaf of white bread.
Top these with some nut butter like peanut butter or almond butter for an indulgent, vegan, keto friendly breakfast treat!
Cake for breakfast? Why not! This keto friendly keto breakfast is a Tahini based cake - Halva - commonly found throughout the Middle East and Asia.
Walnuts, cacao powder and the nutty tahini give this a wonderfully indulgent flavour, and of course, this makes for a great vegan keto dessert too!
Scrambled eggs are a classic Keto breakfast recipe, but not exactly vegan. That's where this Tofu scramble comes in!
This vegan keto breakfast recipe is perfect when you want something savory to start the day. Tofu goes great with spice, with ingredients like Turmeric having great health benefits too.
Being savory this would work great for any meal of the day, perhaps paired with some keto friendly bread.
Chia seeds are a brilliant, low-carb ingredient to use as they can be super filling, and come packed with fiber, all helping to reduce feelings of hunger later on in the day.
This lemony version will perk you up with some zing, a little turmeric to go with it balances the sour adn brings health benefits with it too. Best of all, this easy keto breakfast can be made well in advance, meaning all you need to do is grab a jar in the morning for a filling snack
If you prefer a creamier breakfast, more like a porridge or oats, then this thick and creamy chia pudding could be the way to go. You'll need to substitute the maple syrup in the recipe for another sweetener, or find a keto friendly "maple syrup" like this one from Lakanto
A granola bar is a great, grab and go breakfast option. But the stuff you find in the shops tends to be more sugar than anything else.
That's where these vegan friendly, keto granola bars come in. Made with nuts and seeds and bound with peanut butter, there's no added sugar or animal products here.
You can prep these well in advance at the start of the week and have one ready for breakfast each day with minimal effort, perfect for sticking to your keto goals.
Carrying on the Chia Pudding theme (they really are an ideal breakfast option if you're both vegan and keto). This peanut butter based chia seed pudding is a pretty indulgent way to start the day.
Using extra dark chocolate, nuts and peanut butter should be enough to satisfy almost any craving, this pudding would make for a great dessert too. And again, best of all this can be prepped ahead of schedule, so no last minute rushing before work!
This is a great keto vegan porridge alternative, making use of Hemp Hearts, (you can get some here). Just soak these overnight with a little sweetener using a vegan friendly milk for a brilliant keto oats alternative.
This recipe then pairs these with a bunch of great toppings for a delicious breakfast - prepped the night before this is a perfect vegan keto breakfast option.
A favorite breakfast staple for many - bagels would seem to be a thing of the past for anyone on a keto diet, let alone a vegan keto diet. Not so with these vegan keto bagel thins from Meat Free Keto - using a mix of flaxseed, tahini and psyllium husks to create a great keto vegan friendly base for whatever toppings you might want to add.
Who said dieting has to be mean not treating yourself? Not the case when you've prepped a bunch of these cinnamon roll muffins - a perfect grab and go, vegan keto friendly breakfast idea.
An ideal low carb snack, breakfast or dessert, these will impress even non keto friends!
Another great vegan keto chia pudding here, this time from Vibrant Plate, don't these look beautiful?! These are a little higher on the carb count so go easy, but they sound delicious.
Coconut and strawberries are a great match, these would be great not only for breakfast but for a dinner party too as an easy dessert.
We couldn't miss pancakes off the list! These vegan keto pancakes from Meat Free Keto look great, and cleverly avoid the need for eggs as a binder.
Top these with some low carb fruit and keto firendly 'maple syrup' for an indulgent, carb and animal product free start to the day.
For a quick vegan keto breakfast smoothie, this cinnamon chocolate combo from Paleo Flourish is great. Using avocado in your smoothie can give a creaminess that's hard to get without dairy (for staying vegan) or banana (for staying keto).
Smoothie's are a great keto breakfast approach, as they take all the effort out and can be ready in minutes!
Cinnamon is a great 'sweetener' in that it tricks you into perceiving what you're eating as being sweet by association. I add cinnamon to just about any sweet food I'm making just like this Pecan Cinnamon Porridge.
Pecan and Cinnamon are a perfect combo, ideal toppings for a vegan keto porridge.
Waffles! Yes, you can even eat waffles while staying vegan and keto, what next?! These coconut flour waffles use brown rice protein powder to help give structure to the waffle.
Top these with some keto friendly maple syrup and rejoice!
Doesn't this look fantastic?! This vegan keto smoothie bowl from the Conscious Dietitian is packed full of low-carb, nutritious ingredients and is easy to adapt to whatever your tastes may be.
What’s your favorite vegan keto breakfast recipe?
Let us know in the comments below if you have any favorite vegan, low carb / keto friendly breakfasts that are your go to meals. Have you tried any of the recipes in this list? Let us know!
- by
-
