Want to eat more veggies? Make this breakfast vegetables scramble! It’s got loads of colorful veggies to start the day right.
Want to eat more breakfast vegetables? You’re not alone. Eating more veggies to start the day is starting to trend. Because let’s face it: the American breakfast is largely based on carbs and sugar—like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and breakfast pastries.
So why not re-imagine breakfast? As a cookbook author who specializes in healthy breakfast recipes, I created this breakfast vegetable scramble to do just that! You can make it two ways: with eggs or as a tofu scramble, depending on your diet. It’s full of savory flavor and loaded with nutrients, too!
Ingredients in this breakfast vegetables scramble
This scramble is unlike most breakfast recipes: it’s loaded with vegetables! There are lots of different vegetables you can eat for breakfast—the veggies I chose maximize nutrition, cook quickly, and pair well with a scramble flavor-wise:
- Bell pepper: 1 medium red bell pepper provides a whopping 169% of your daily vitamin C! (Source) That means eating 1 serving of this scramble you’ll stock up on 85% of your vitamin C for the day.
- Baby kale and spinach: Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet; it’s packed with nutrients like Vitamin K, anti-oxidants and more.
- Avocado: You can serve avocado on the side in this breakfast. Avocados are rich in fiber with 25% of your daily value, full of heart healthy good fats, and loaded with vitamin and nutrients.
- Eggs: They’re not breakfast vegetables, but eggs are also a healthy food. One egg has 75 calories, 7 grams of protein, and lots of nutrients. Recent research has found that eggs can increase the good cholesterol the body needs.
- Tofu: For a plant-based option, you can make a tofu scramble instead—which is just as delicious, in my opinion!
Other breakfast vegetables you can add
This breakfast vegetables scramble is very customizable based on the vegetables that you have on hand! You can use so many more vegetables for breakfast. Here are some vegetables that we’d recommend:
- Broccoli*
- Carrots*
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Swiss chard, chopped
- Cabbage, shredded
- Brussels sprouts, shredded (here’s how to shred them)
For the broccoli and carrots, make sure to cut them small. You may find you need to cook a few minutes longer than the timing specified below since they are hard vegetables.
For vegan, make a tofu scramble
Don’t want to eat eggs with your breakfast vegetables? Use tofu instead! This tofu scramble is so full of savory flavor, it tastes remarkably similar to eggs! Alex and I don’t eat 100% plant-based, but we adore tofu scrambles when we want a vegan option.
Per Harvard, soy is a nutrient-dense source of protein that can safely be consumed several times a week. It’s likely to provide health benefits, especially when you eat it as an alternative to red meat and processed meat.
Ways to eat breakfast vegetables
Want other breakfast vegetables ideas? Here are some more ways to load vegetables onto your plate in the morning:
- Make toast and load it with veggies. Make avocado toast, or spread toast with hummus or goat cheese and add sauteed vegetables.
- Add a side of sauteed greens, like sauteed spinach, sauteed chard or sauteed kale.
- Make a vegetable frittata, like a spinach feta frittata or even veggie mini frittatas.
- Eat breakfast tacos. Our breakfast tacos or egg tacos star adelicious egg-based “taco meat.”
- Try savory oatmeal. Make oatmeal and top it with a poached egg and sauteed veggies to make savory oatmeal.
- Sip vegetable smoothies. Try vegetable smoothies like a broccoli smoothie, spinach smoothie, kale smoothie or celery smoothie.
- Make an omelette loaded with greens. Try this parmesan omelette using any leafy greens like kale or spinach.
Sides to serve with this vegetable scramble
Want to serve an impressive breakfast or brunch? Here are a few great sides for this breakfast vegetable scramble:
Dietary notes
This breakfast vegetables scramble recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, vegan, and dairy-free.
Breakfast Vegetable Scramble
Want to eat more veggies? Make this breakfast vegetables scramble! It’s got lots of colorful veggies to start the day right (and a vegan option).
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Breakfast
- Diet: Vegetarian
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 red bell pepper (or 1/2 red and 1/2 orange)
- 4 cups baby kale or spinach
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives or other fresh herbs
- 4 eggs or this Tofu Scramble
- ¼ cup shredded Colby cheese or crumbled goat cheese (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Avocado slices, for serving
- Prep the vegetables: Thinly slice the red onion. Large dice the bell pepper.
- Prep the eggs or tofu: In a medium bowl, crack the eggs and whisk them together until well-beaten. Stir in the shredded cheese, fresh herbs, kosher salt, and plenty of fresh ground pepper. Or, complete Step 1 of the Tofu Scramble.
- Cook the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the onion and peppers. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until tender and just starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low. Add a pinch of salt and the baby greens. Cook for 30 seconds until wilted. Remove and set aside.
- Cook the eggs or tofu: Keep heat on low. Pour in the eggs. Cook for 20 to 30 seconds. When the eggs just start to set, use a flat spatula to scrape sections of eggs, gently stirring constantly until cooked but still soft, about 1 minute. Or, complete Step 2 of the Tofu Scramble.
- Add the vegetables and serve: Add the veggies back to the pan with the eggs or tofu. Stir for a few seconds until combined and warmed. Serve immediately.
More breakfast recipes
Here are a few more of our favorite vegetarian breakfasts and healthy breakfast ideas:
