Last Updated on 24th November 2021 by
Having had first-hand experience of the effects of skipping breakfast, I then religiously made sure I make time for the ‘most important meal of the day.’
I set time aside to enjoy breakfast now, but, so many recipes seem to cater to a sweet tooth. That’s why I’ve notched up a selection of 30 great savoury breakfast ideas to fill the void.
What this means is that you can have the entire month sorted. You won’t have to mull over what to whip up to fuel your body with for the upcoming day. And, you’ll enjoy some great taste sensations to make for a positive start to your day.
So if, like me, you’re not too fixated on sugary power-dishes to kick start your day with, just pick off the next idea off the list and you’ve a healthy savoury breakfast dish to go.
Savoury Breakfast Ideas for Enhanced Energy
Sweet Potato Pancake
If we think about it, a regular pancake is actually a savoury breakfast food item. We typically sweeten it by adding syrup.
This particular recipe idea would have you making the sweet potato pancakes with – you guessed it – sweet potato. Add oatmeal as well and you get the complex carbohydrates which make this the breakfast of true champions.
The nutrients contained help lower risk of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. For added protein and slow-release energy, I like serving this savoury breakfast dish with a hard-boiled egg.
Quiche With Veggies & Ham
Admittedly, this is a savoury breakfast dish from back when I used to have brunch. I wouldn’t eat breakfast and lunch separately.
Quiche takes some time to make properly, so you’d best pre-make it and then just reheat it in the morning.
Otherwise quiche with vegetables and ham makes for a great savoury breakfast idea. Use egg whites instead of the whole egg though.
That way the yolk doesn’t overpower the meaty taste to go with the ham.
Brined Salmon & Cheese Bagel
Going with a savoury alternative to the typical peanut butter or cream cheese bagel is a much healthier option.
I find this savoury breakfast idea to be the only instance in which brined salmon works well for me. Otherwise I get tired of the dry, salty taste very quickly.
For added fibre, I like to go with a whole-wheat bagel. The salmon provides the health property of containing omega 3 fatty acids.
Breakfast Pizza
Sure, heating up leftover pizza is really not a bad idea for an energy-fuelling savoury breakfast dish. It’s just not the healthiest solution in the long term.
Make your own, instead. Dice some tomatoes, chop some cheese and add a fried egg. Top these onto a whole-wheat English muffin and you have another savoury breakfast of champions! If you go with a nice, potent cheese, you’ll enjoy a nice, bold flavour.
Otherwise I prefer to use diced tomatoes that come from a can. In place of any sauce, this ensures there’s no unnecessary added salt, preservatives or any sweetness from sugar.
Breakfast Bean-Tacos
I’m yet to taste tacos that aren’t good, to be quite honest. It seems like you could never screw tacos up. It was more of the same with this savoury breakfast dish, as I experimented with corn tortillas as the base.
For variation you can use whole wheat tortillas, and the final outcome tastes just as good! The black beans to be added deliver a tasty helping of macronutrients – fibre and proteins.
Mix them in with a salsa of your choice and add sliced avocado for omega 3 fats.
Somehow, toasting the tortilla makes it even tastier.
That does it as far as super-energy savoury breakfast ideas go! These are enough to fuel the exploits of an athlete.
So you’ll have no problem kicking off your day full of the energy contained in these options.
A Serious, Savoury Assault On The Taste Buds
If you’re looking for savoury ideas for their associated health benefits over the sugary stuff, you’ll delight in these options.
Naturally you’d want some equally great-tasting, if not better-tasting options to enjoy. These deliver a serious assault on the taste buds.
You’ll forget you might have ever had a slight sugar-addiction.
Cornmeal Sweet Potato Pancakes
Truthfully speaking, I really ought to have referred to them as waffles, because that’s how I make them.
I just didn’t want anyone who doesn’t have a waffle maker skipping over this insanely great-tasting savoury breakfast idea. Get one though.
Otherwise you can toast the pancake to try and recreate the smoky flavour achieved by the waffle iron.
This nutritional power-house of a savoury breakfast is low in calories. You’re basically eating a vegetable dish here, so lots of potassium, fibre and vitamins.
I ‘suspect’ this is what helps me sleep better, while providing a balanced release of energy throughout the day. It is after all a complex carb.
Chickpea Tagine
This is another savoury breakfast dish which is best-suited to the weekends, or for those who eat brunch instead. It takes longer to prepare than the typical breakfast.
The ingredients are pretty much the same as those which go into the traditional North African tagine. So it won’t be unlike eating humus with a much richer, filling taste.
Serve with flatbread or toasted bread, for a savoury breakfast.
Otherwise I often make enough to enjoy again for lunch, over gluten-free pasta, cauliflower rice, or rice. A great source of sustained energy and disease-fighting, saturated fats.
Paleo Hash Savoury Breakfast Bomb
I’m sure it’s becoming clear by now that sweet potato is the savoury breakfast-lover’s staple, of sorts. The fibre and vitamin rich sweet potato gives any breakfast hash dish a sweet kick to its savouriness.
It’s very nourishing and filling too, added to greens, ground meat and even some cranberries and apples. Sure, I might be cheating a bit, but the fruits somehow further add a savoury punch when cooked with heat.
Savoury Breakfast Salad
To negate some of the guilt that’s easy to associate with such a great-tasting savoury breakfast, I use spinach. That’s baby spinach, and it’s in the place of mixed greens.
The rest of the ingredients are typical of a savoury breakfast, but go into what is a salad, this time. So you’ll have green onions, chopped very thinly.
You’ll have cherry tomatoes, some thinly sliced avocado as well, and breakfast sausages. Don’t forget to add a tasty salad topping to finish off the dish.
This is the healthier version of something like the full English – well, in my book, at least. So it’s a healthy delivery of energy and immunity-boosting nutrients.
On-The-Go Mexican Frittata Egg Bites
Most of the people I know, who have gluten intolerance, are also allergic to eggs. So I list the gluten-free property of this savoury breakfast dish with a bit of reluctance.
Nevertheless, this goes one-up on what are already-healthy savoury breakfast tacos, depending on the tortillas. No tortillas at all here though.
Use eggs instead to make Mexican salsa egg bites. I don’t feel guilty about adding the likes of ham, bacon, cheese, greens, etc., into the mix. Otherwise you get all the health benefits of the nutrients contained in eggs.
Avocado Guacamole Or Pesto Toast
Toast always makes for a great source of fibre, so this must be common beyond my own breakfast table. Of course I’m talking about good old guac on toast.
You can add an interesting spin to it by using pesto instead. I always add eggs, because otherwise the meal doesn’t last in my stomach.
I get hungry again very soon after having breakfast. Add hulled pumpkin seeds for a smoky taste. I find this to help me resist the urge to try and sweeten this otherwise savoury dish up with something like honey.
This is a simple savoury breakfast idea is great for digestion.
I was really going all out on the taste as far as the above-mentioned savoury breakfast ideas go. Healthy? Definitely, but there are some healthier options to rather go with.
One such healthier option is that of a breakfast-bowl. My kids have an inside joke about referring to food that doesn’t taste too good as ‘tasting healthy!’
“It tastes healthy, mum…”
Super-Healthy Savoury Breakfast Bowl
I have to agree with them on this one. Although, I do try to make it taste as good as it can get. Basically you add eggs, sautéed greens, and oats to a bowl and taste the ‘healthiness’ – pronounced blandness.
I find creamy avocado to make all the difference and somehow bring out a tastier side to the veggies. Otherwise this is how you go direct with a balanced and filling meal for breakfast.
Add A Savoury Spin On Your Oatmeal Bowl(s)
Now, this isn’t for everybody. I thought I’d get that out the way, before discussing some of these savoury spins on traditional oatmeal toppings.
I’m all the way with the kids on this one. Oatmeal usually goes with a sweet topping. So sugar. Honey. Syrup…
Ditching the sugar leaves five workable options for me, some of which remain a stretch.
Middle Eastern Savoury Oatmeal Topping Inspiration
What does the Middle East typically taste like? We’re talking here Turkey, specifically…
Fry an egg. Add crumbled feta and black olives. Top the oatmeal off with cilantro leaves and scallions. You get a burst of rich flavour, which will make you look at oatmeal differently.
Basically the scallions and cilantro leaves add a nice fresh twist to the plain oatmeal. I like to cook the oatmeal to a much harder consistency than usual though. That way it doesn’t feel like I’m eating some weird, infant porridge.
Savoury Green Oatmeal Brekkie
Once again, cook the oatmeal to a tougher consistency. Then top it with peas, parmesan, chives, and spinach! I’ve been meaning to try and use more spinach as part of a breakfast dish.
This was inspired by the simple toasted cheese and spinach sandwich. Add mint to taste, but also to bring out the great flavour contrasts. The spinach basically replaces some of the nutrients contained in milk.
Milk is of course a common topping I should have mentioned alongside the sweets – syrup, sugar, honey, etc.
Fry the peas from frozen, with olive oil to bring them to life in their own right.
Thai-Style Morning Glory Oatmeal
As with any dish, chances are an official version of it already exists, somewhere. However, I’m proud to say that this is a Pauline original! So it works best with actual morning glory that grows in Thailand.
Otherwise water spinach can be used in place of the stir-fried morning glory. Add goats’ cheese and hot pepper. If you really can’t get your hands on morning glory or spinach, use kale instead.
Kale is probably a better option in any case, in terms of the nutritional benefits. So this adds antioxidants and a wealth of minerals to the oatmeal base.
For a little extra flavour-twist, caramelised onions can be added. It sort of makes for a sweet-savoury spin.
Umami Oatmeal
It’s a little redundant, isn’t it? No – as mentioned, oatmeal is usually turned into a sweet breakfast dish. So umami-ing it up makes perfect sense.
Our good friend the avocado brings the umami (savoury taste), to be added in with cherry tomatoes, toasted seeds, parsley, flax oil, and tamari.
You get a great protein boost and the breakfast is satisfying. It tastes like a vegetarian shawarma in a bowl!
Earthy Bowl
Of the five savoury oatmeal spins, this is the only one where I have the oatmeal maintaining a porridge-like consistency.
Might as well. If you’re going to enjoy an unsweetened porridge dish, it would have to have an earthy, nutty taste to it.
Basically you sauté mushrooms and add toasted pine nuts and chives. Protein and fibre galore, so great for the immune system.
Collectively, the health benefits of the plain oatmeal contained in these dishes are typical of a meal recommended for breakfast.
Oats are incredibly nutritious, rich in antioxidants, and fibre. So lowered cholesterol and controlled blood sugar levels.
Oatmeal Healthy Savoury Bowl
Okay, so one last savoury spin on the hearty, good-old oatmeal bowl. You get used to the ‘healthy’ taste. The individual ingredients can be varied, but I like to add fresh veggies and half-done eggs.
You can introduce our good friend, the avocado – extra vitamins. Garlic cloves add another dimension as well, so too olive oil and pepper flakes.
Healthy Savoury Breakfast Cookies
They’re actually more like biscuits, but only because I tend to leave them baking for too long. The first batch comes out nicely as soft cookies. But then afterwards I get biscuits!
Anyway, it’s basically an omelette biscuit. Just add savoury ingredients to your liking, for a low-carb, on-the-go breakfast.
Eggs and almond flour make up the low-carb biscuit/cookie. Otherwise I usually just add those ingredients I often use in making omelettes.
5-Minute Savoury Microwave Breakfast-Ramekin
This might resemble a mid-month breakfast (when you’re broke). Fair enough, but it works as a savoury breakfast for when you’re pressed for time. I just use fridge leftovers for a filling and surprisingly delicious savoury microwave breakfast-ramekin.
Stale bread pieces go into a ramekin bowl with pre-cooked meat. Chop up the meat. Add shredded cheese, butter, milk, a large egg, and salt and pepper to taste.
Top it off with finely chopped veggies. Microwave for five minutes and enjoy a healthy breakfast boost to kick-start your day.
It’s a great source of fibre, along with the nutritional value contained in veggies.
Savoury Breakfast Ideas From Around the World…
Remember that a healthy meal isn’t necessarily one that tastes like cardboard. The key to benefitting nutritionally from any dish is not to overdo it. Moderation is the key.
With that, we go all over the world, bringing it back down to the simplest level. Here are some savoury breakfast staples from around the globe, to round off the list.
Turkish
I’d be in savoury breakfast heaven if I was in Turkey! They go hard with the day’s first meal. It’s basically a mini-buffet. Stay away from the jam and honey to keep it savoury.
Otherwise dried Turkish sausage, paired with eggs gives a serious fill. They have a thin dough bread crammed with cheese too, and all manner of toppings. Energy galore!
South Korean
We’re cheating a bit by including a South Korean savoury breakfast to the list. In South Korea, if you prepare it in the morning, that’s breakfast!
So when you go South Korean, you’re basically free-styling. They make sure it’s very healthy though. Have you ever seen an obese Korean person? They’re rare…
South African
Oatmeal or any other porridge kicks things off. You’d have to pass on sweeteners such as sugar or syrup, though. Otherwise the bowl of porridge is followed by what is a tastier version of the full English, without the likes of tomatoes.
Instead, you get a borewors (ground meat) sausage with eggs, toast, etc. Very nutritious and filling.
Thai
The Thais love their jok (rice porridge), often topped with an egg. They eat up to six times a day, so it’s usually light, enjoyed with coffee.
A quick way to get a starchy morning energy kick. Great for digestion and a clear skin. I don’t like the instant varieties, though.
Singaporean
Kaya toast with eggs and buttered coffee. Yeah, I know… That’s how they do it in Singapore as far as savoury breakfasts go. Simple, filling, filled with fibre from the toast to go with all the nutrients contained in eggs.
Keeps you regular and adequately fuels you for the typically hectic day ahead.
Mexican
In Mexico they give new meaning to re-starting again in the morning. The savoury breakfast comprised out of chilaquiles basically has you reheating and re-frying some pre-cooked ingredients. I love it!
Stale tortillas are cut into strips and then served with salsa. You can add the nutritional value and health benefits of proteins such as lamb. I like adding eggs and veggies as well.
Venezuelan
For a savoury breakfast that reduces the risk of anaemia, Venezuelan crumpets go down well. The taste of the freshly-ground corn is paired with cheese and topped with cream.
You can also add a protein such as pork to balance out the nutritional value.
Iranian
In Iran, the savoury breakfast packs a lot of flavour into a haleem. It’s pretty much just cooked meat and wheat.
It’s blended with all manner of ingredients though. Mint leaves, lemon juice, ginger. Fried onions, chillies. It’s then eaten with naan or hot rice.
I find it a bit heavy for breakfast, but it’s great when I’m not going anywhere. It builds strong bones and accounts for a healthy, smooth skin.
Bulgarian
There’s no dieting when eating a savoury breakfast from Bulgaria! The fermented malt drink, made from maize corn, often accompanies the dish.
The calories packed into it alone will make you want to run if you’re watching you weight. The dish proper is mega delicious and oh so filling. Packed with nutrients your granny would be proud of.
Hot bread soaked in milk with butter, and not so much sugar that it can still be considered savoury. You’d add cheese onto the bread.
Then there’s the dish made with layers and layers egg-drenched and baked filo pastry.
It’s an energy enhancing dish which probably single-handedly helps the body avoid anaemia.
Japanese
Rice, raw egg, miso soup, soy sauce and fermented soybeans. That’s how they do savoury in Japan, with some pickles and fried fish as well.
This must be the secret to a long and healthy life, because they live very long in Japan.
You’d be quite hard to please if you didn’t find any savoury breakfast idea here which makes your mouth water! I say that because I’m hard to please; the result of which is this list…
In any case, the whole idea behind savoury breakfast delights is that you have the freedom to tailor them to your liking. Unlike with something like cereal, with these savoury options you can tweak, chop and change up the ingredients to please the fussiest of taste buds.
Prepare the eggs, which go into some of the dishes, a certain way that you like.
Ease up on the salt, maybe. Add pepper.
Keep some of the ingredients fresh for a crunchier bite, etc… Either way, I’m pretty sure you will have found more than one savoury breakfast idea you’ll really like.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!
