If you’re following the Paleo diet and need egg-free options for breakfast, I’ve got you covered. Today we’re going to be looking at ideas and recipes that are Paleo and sometimes AIP Paleo compliant. The egg-free breakfast recipes I’ll be sharing are not only grain free and Paleo friendly, but also nut free and allergy friendly as well.
Hopefully this article will get you excited because the last thing you want to do is eat the same thing every single day and get stuck in a food rut. So enjoy exploring this article, and hopefully you find some tasty new recipes and ideas to try.
If you follow the AIP Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, read this article on AIP Breakfasts instead.
Great Ingredients to Keep on Hand
There are a good amount of ingredients that are allowed on the Paleo diet, and here’s a list that focuses more on breakfast leaning ingredients. Remember though, you can serve anything, anytime, so use this list as a jumping off point.
- Dairy Free Milk (almond milk, coconut milk, homemade milk, etc.)
- Coconut Cream (great for whipping and adding to smoothies)
- Nut Butter & Seed Butter (almond butter, cashew butter, tahini, etc.)
- Healthy Cooking Oils (avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, tiger nut oil, etc.)
- Seeds & Meals (flax seeds, flax meal, chia seeds, chia meal, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
- Tree Nuts (cashews especially for smoothies and sauces, almonds, brazil nuts, etc.)
- Ground Meat (ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, ground beef, ground chicken)
- Fish & Shellfish (salmon, trout, sea bass, ahi, shrimp)
- Fresh Fruit & Fresh Vegetables You Enjoy Eating Raw (here’s a list of good raw veg to start with)
- Frozen Fruit for Smoothies
- Vegetables for Cooking (onion, bell peppers, hot peppers, cauliflower rice, mushrooms, carrots, etc.)
- Frozen Riced Cauliflower (only if you enjoy cauliflower and want to make some tasty skillet recipes)
- Starchy Vegetables Including Sweet Potatoes & Japanese Yams
- Sea Vegetables (kelp, kombu, etc.)
- Grain Free Flours (cassava, coconut flour, tiger nut flour, arrowroot, etc.)
- Organic Vanilla Extract
- Spices & Seasonings (onion, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, peppers, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
- Tortillas (here’s a recipe if you need one)
Egg Substitutes for Paleo Baked Goods
GREAT egg free Paleo baked goods require a combination of the right flours, sweeteners, and egg substitutes. Whilst you won’t find these ingredients in most grocery stores, you can make delicious recipes at home. Just be sure to have patience when ordering and waiting for items, but also plan ahead. To save a little money, try to purchase in bulk, or stock your pantry when there’s a sale.
My favorite way to replace the function of eggs in grain free baking is to take a five pronged approach. I use extra leavening agents + a combination of leavening agents, an acid to boost the lift, oil for moistness, and a thick seed binging agent. When you combine these five options, you end up with award winning bakery quality recipes that I’ve been developing for years. People without dietary restrictions LOVE my recipes, and that’s because this method is designed to work.
In one of my recipes, you may see these types of ingredients:
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 TBSP Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
- 112mL Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 TBSP Golden Flax Meal + 6 TBSP Water
If you’d like to see my method in action, watch this episode of Dang! That’s Delicious, where I make grain free muffins, and you can review the recipe on that page as well.
Tasty Paleo Breakfast Recipes to Try
Here are more tasty Paleo breakfast recipes to start the day with. These recipes are also very kid friendly. The bagels… I cannot say enough wonderful things about them, plus, they’re freezer friendly. You can batch cook and have them available all the time.
- Bacon & Brussels Sprouts Recipe
- Epic Paleo Vegan Bagel Recipe
- Paleo Breakfast Hash (made with sausage, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts)
- Paleo Breakfast Sausage Recipe
- Fluffy Grain Free Pancakes
- Turkey Bacon, Apple, & Fennel Cookup
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Easy & Delicious Breakfast Recipes
Here are a few recipes to get you started. Each one is not only grain free and Paleo, but also top 14 free, making them super inclusive (but no less delicious).
- Easy Harissa Seasoned Meat (serve with a carb you enjoy)
- Blueberry Chia Pudding
- Beef & Broccoli Sheet Pan (whilst this is traditionally a dinner, it could be an easy and delicious breakfast as well)
- Paleo Pancakes (vegan, top 9 free, top 14 free)
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Easy Breakfast Ideas
Here’s quite a few Paleo breakfast ideas to get you thinking about how to make mornings easy, but tasty. Pro tip: spend an hour on the weekend prepping meats. You can pre-cut them, pre-season, or even pre-cook them. This recipe for Baked Buffalo Chicken is a great example as to why.
On the weekend, you prep that up, then on the morning you’d like to eat it, you pop it into the oven, and go about getting ready. By the time you’re ready, breakfast is as well. Honestly, THAT is the big secret to having easy and quick mornings. The prep work that you do will pay off every single morning.
Egg-Free Paleo Breakfast Bowls
I’m sure you’ve heard of taco bowls, burger bowls, etc. where dinner recipes are concerned, however, you can totally make breakfast bowls as well. In the Paleo world, I’d start with riced cauliflower, zucchini (courgette) noodles, or oven baked sweet potatoes (or Japanese yam) as the base. This replaces the rice or grain that’s normally found in bowls.
Top that with a delicious cooked meat you enjoy. Season any way that you’d like. This Italian Paleo Pork and this Kale & Date Chicken may give you some ideas. Alternatively, lean into a flavour profile that’s closer to breakfast sausage. Include paprika, a little nutmeg, and a little white pepper.
Add a cooked veg, or even caramelized onions, and now you have an egg-free Paleo breakfast bowl. Here are some combination ideas to get you started:
- Diced & Baked Japanese Yam + Diced Onions + Maple Pork + Candied Walnuts
- Riced Cauliflower + Candied Salmon + Crushed Pecans + Sliced Carrots
- Zucchini Noodles + Caramelized Onions + Orange Ginger Beef + Spicy Peppers
- Diced & Pan Seared Sweet Potatoes + Baby Kale or Baby Spinach + Bacon + Quartered Cherry Tomatoes
Burger Patties + Vegetables
This easy paleo breakfast idea can come together pretty quickly, especially if you’re using dinner leftovers, have the patties pre-formed and seasoned, or are pulling from your freezer stock. For this breakfast, you’ll have a carb base (optional), chopped burger patty, and some kind of fresh veggies you love. If you need this to be on-the-go friendly, you can cook large tortillas or purchase Paleo burrito tortillas and wrap up the ingredients.
- Bacon Burger Patty Recipe
- Turkey Burger Patty Recipe
- Lamb Burger Patty Recipe
- Salmon Cakes Recipe
- Hawaiian Chicken Burger Patty Recipe
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Fruit + Protein Salads
Salad for breakfast? Absolutely! I fed my kids salad for breakfast for several years and never heard a single complaint. If this is your first time having salad for breakfast, here are my top tips: use a FANTASTIC lettuce, make loaded salads, and make sure the salad is packed with flavour.
My kids really enjoy crisp, fresh romaine, but use a lettuce that just sings to you. Have you ever seen a salad that has only a few toppings? Don’t make that. Instead, load your salad up with amazing ingredients. The lettuce needs to be a supporting actor, not the main cast.
Finally, raise your hand if you like bland food. Oh, I see your hand is still down. And that friend is why the recipes you follow need to be packed with flavour. When they are, you’ll love what you’re eating.
When it comes to a breakfast leaning salad, I always made my kids a protein + fruit style salad. Chicken is a great vessel and will pair with just about every single fruit. Pork is also pretty versatile in that regard. Beef, bison, and other game meats won’t pair with nearly as much. In those cases, start with something like apples, pears, or peaches.
Here are a few examples of salad toppers:
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Paleo Egg-Free Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to start your day, here are a few tasty ideas and recipes.
Meatballs: Hear me out. On a weekend, you can easily batch cook 200 meatballs without breaking a sweat, so do it. Then, on busy mornings, you grab meatballs, pop them in the oven, and get ready for work. By the time you’re ready, so are the meatballs.
Puddings and porridges should be made in advance, and then on busy mornings, you simply pull out a pre-portioned serving and enjoy. How easy was that??
Another super duper easy breakfast idea is meat + fresh veg + tortillas. This simple formula can have quite a few possible combinations, so explore them all.
- Cashew Pumpkin Pudding (whip up a batch on the weekend and have individual breakfast cups available throughout the week)
- Chicken Pepper Meatballs (super easy recipe)
- Baked Fruit Cups + Veggies
- Avocado Porridge
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Paleo Breakfast Skillet Ideas
A breakfast skillet is a great way to cook up a balanced breakfast and start the day off right. You’ll need a large skillet (also called a frying pan), diced veg, a grain alternative, salt, and seasonings.
I like making Paleo breakfast skillets with riced cauliflower, or small diced Japanese yam. I also tend to include apples and dates (or maple) to give the skillet a bit more of a breakfast flare.
To save money, look into “bacon ends”. It’s an off cut that’s sold after the “pretty bacon” has been packaged. When my kids were growing up, I’d buy clean, uncured bacon for half the price by getting the off cut. Then, I’d trim away any excess fat, or render it down for another project.
If you’d like to make something a bit more traditional, get yourself a box grater and shred your sweet potatoes. Add a cooking oil/fat to your pan and add the sweet potatoes. Allow them to get just about golden brown, then add your meat. Salt and season, mix, and cook until the meat has cooked all the way thru. Top with a little fresh veg such as quartered cherry tomatoes.
Skillet Flavour Combination Ideas:
- Shredded Sweet Potato + Maple Pork + (little) Fennel + Hot Sauce
- Diced Japanese Yam + Ground Beef + Honey + Baby Kale or Baby Spinach
- Sweet Peppers + Riced Cauliflower + Ground Chicken + Italian Seasoning + Fresh Tomatoes
A Couple of Tasty Recipe Examples:
- Cauliflower Rice, Apple, and Bacon Skillet
- Sweet & Spicy Meat with Leeks (you can convert this to a hash by starting with diced Japanese yam and diced onion)
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Ides for Your Smoothie Bowls
A smoothie bowl is basically a pretty smoothie with toppings, served in a bowl, rather than in a cup. The great news is that most smoothie recipes you find online are Paleo smoothies, and you can easily boost the nutrition content with protein powder, nuts, seeds, and other ingredients you like using.
Tasty breakfast smoothies to make as smoothie bowls (with topping suggestions):
- Fruit Smoothie (toppings: Paleo granola, sliced bananas, white chia seeds)
- Cranberry & Peach Holiday Drink (toppings: candied pecans, grilled peaches)
- Lemon Blueberry Smoothie (toppings: Paleo granola, sliced bananas, wild blueberries, candied lemon peel)
- Chocolate Smoothie (toppings: Paleo granola, sliced strawberries, hemp seeds)
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Quick Bread & Muffin Ideas and Recipes
Muffins and quick breads are such a great way to start the day, and you can pair them with oven roasted veg to have a more balanced breakfast. Here are some ideas for your next muffins, and below that are a few recipes. Each of the muffins are grain free and egg-free recipes (top 9 and top 14 free as well).
Quick Bread Ideas:
- Refined Sugar Free Banana Bread
- Paleo Banana Muffins with Candied Maple Walnuts or Pecans on Top
- Carrot Raisin Bread (make with shredded carrots)
- Shredded Zucchini Honey Pecan Bread
- Lemon, Cranberry, Walnut Bread
- Cinnamon Peach Loaf
Grain Free Muffin Recipes:
- Grain Free Chocolate Chia Tiger Nut Muffins (top 9 free, top 14 free, vegan)
- Strawberry Grain Free Muffins (top 9 free, top 14 free, vegan)
- Lemon Paleo Muffins Recipe
- Grain Free Tiger Nut Muffins
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Answering Your Egg Free Paleo Breakfast Questions
Is a Paleo breakfast considered a healthy breakfast?
In my humble free-from opinion, for the most part, yes, a Paleo breakfast can be considered a healthy breakfast. However, the term healthy isn’t a regulated term. One person may think something is healthy whilst the next person says it simply isn’t up to their standards.
Generally, you won’t find much sugar and when you do, it will be an unrefined sweetener (maple, date, etc.) rather than refined sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, etc.). A lot of the ingredients are whole foods, and a lot of recipe developers will encourage you to go organic.
Now, where you’ll run into trouble is pre-made, processed Paleo foods that read more like a dessert than a proper balanced breakfast. Some brands are legit offering healthy Paleo muffins etc., but a lot are just trying to stick to the letter of the law (rather than the spirit of the law) whilst essentially selling you Paleo junk food.
So, if you’re cooking and baking at home, and aren’t using a tonne of natural sweeteners (maple, date, honey, etc.), there’s a very good chance that you’re eating a delicious, healthy breakfast.
Can chia seed pudding be made with flax seeds instead?
No, you won’t be able to make a flax seed pudding that will behave like a chia seed pudding. Chia seeds are pretty unique in how they gel when still whole. Other seeds will form a gel (to varying degrees) when used as a seed meal, but none will be just like chia seeds. Not only that, but gelled seed meal won’t scream “see how tasty I am”.
What’s a good egg free Paleo substitute for hardboiled eggs?
You may have a hard time creating something that’s Paleo compliant in this scenario. There are innovative vegan companies that are reinventing hard boiled eggs, however, they’re not Paleo. You can also make a pretty good egg free “egg salad” these days, but again, not Paleo.
In the case of a hard boiled egg, we have four key things to do: replicate the taste of hard egg whites, replicate the taste of hard egg yolks, replicate the texture of hard egg whites, and finally, replicating the texture of hard egg yolks.
You might be able to get some of that texture from boiled grain free dumplings, but the taste is where you’ll always fall short. Again, because of the Paleo requirement. If I were in your shoes, I’d walk away from this idea, unless you want to have a day where you take a break from your Paleo diet (assuming you’re not following it for medical reasons) and make an egg free hard boiled egg recipe like this one from The Gentle Chef (it’s tofu based).
Should I only cook with lean meat?
Unless you have a medical condition that requires you to use lean meat, no. You want to include healthy fats from clean and organic meats. This is an excellent way to ensure your food is loaded with flavour.
Fat, when paired with protein, also keeps you fuller for longer, so having a clean meat with its fat first thing in the morning may be just what you need. If you have concerns, keep a detailed food journal and make sure you’re feeling GREAT with your breakfast choices.
If you find that you’re sluggish, have GI issues, and so on, it could be time for a change. You can work with your medical team to determine what the next best move for you will be.
Are Paleo recipes also low carb?
Some Paleo recipes are low carb whilst others aren’t. By nature, neither the AIP Paleo or Paleo diets are low carb diets. They’re full of whole foods, complex carbohydrates (healthy carbs), and other ingredients that would be deemed high carb.
Sweet potato hash is a great example of a breakfast recipe that can be made Paleo complaint, but is absolutely not low carb. To find recipes that can help you, try one (or all) of these online searches:
- Low carb Whole30 egg-free breakfast recipes
- Low carb egg free Paleo breakfast recipes
- AIP Paleo breakfast recipeslow carb (AIP is already egg free)
- Egg allergy low carb breakfast recipes
- Vegan low carb breakfast recipes
Sometimes, using a different diet type term will get you amazing results and still fit the diet pattern you’re following. Who knows, maybe you’ll find several new favorite breakfast recipes this way.
Is there a Paleo equivalent to overnight oats or oatmeal?
Yes and no… As you know, oats aren’t considered a Paleo ingredient, but it sure would be nice to have something warm and comforting on cold early mornings. The three options you have are cream of buckwheat, grain free Struesli, or AIP Paleo warm breakfast cereal.
Now, let’s start with buckwheat. One person will say yes, this is fine for Paleo because it’s a seed whilst the next person will say no, this isn’t for me. It’s going to come down to personal preference, dietary needs, how strict your approach is to the “ancient views” of the Paleo diet, and so on.
Cream of buckwheat will be the “closest” because of how it cooks up, but the flavour and texture are going to be very different from traditional oatmeal. You can add extra flavor with a drizzle of honey (or a TBSP maple syrup) along with thawed frozen fruit, and that might take you back to oatmeal land. You could also do crushed pecans and chopped dates for a bit of an early morning treat.
Like oatmeal, you can make this sweet or savory, which gives it a lot of applications. For savory, you could add seasoned ground meat, onion powder, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and a drizzle of a spicy sauce. YUM!
This grain free granola from Struesli is going to get you closer to the texture of oatmeal. You could heat a milk you enjoy on the stovetop, then pour it over a bowl of the Struesli, and have something kind of like overnight oats. It’s going to be a cross between granola, cereal, and overnight oats.
Wild Zora makes a hot cereal, and it comes in four flavours. It’s also AIP Paleo compliant which could be helpful, especially if you’re managing autoimmune conditions.
AIPeazy makes a range products that could get you pretty close to the texture of overnight oats, and the ingredients scream balanced breakfast.
Are green smoothies good for smoothie bowls?
Typically, yes, so long as you enjoy the taste of green smoothies. If you’re not a fan of green smoothies, make a different style of smoothie and add some greens to it that’s easy to mask. For example, a chocolate smoothie with baby spinach renders the spinach almost unnoticeable.
If you do like green smoothies, when making it as a bowl, add some tasty Paleo granola, or a Paleo cereal you enjoy for crunch. Add a sprinkle of seeds for fiber, and fresh sliced fruit that not only compliments the flavour profile of your drink, but also looks really nice (and hopefully has colour contrast).
