16 Healthy Brunch Ideas
Healthy Brunch Ideas are key for conscientious hosts looking for meal inspiration. Plus, make-ahead options and recipes that are “tried and true” can really save the day, especially on special occasions like Easter, Mother’s Day or milestone Birthdays. Growing up, my family always had special Easter and Mother’s Day Brunches. It was sweet to have a special breakfast together to start the day. Today, I still love Brunch and view it as a revered family tradition – especially in the Spring Time!
This post was sponsored by the Egg Farmers of Ontario, as always, all opinions are genuine.
The purpose of today’s blog is to inspire you with 16 Healthy Brunch Ideas. I will speak to the nutrition of the foods selected. Additionally, I’ll provide strategies for those wanting make-ahead tips to ease your hosting stress.
Ready to Brunch? Join me!
3 Pillars for Planning Healthy Brunch Ideas
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Brainstorm Ideas you Want to Try!
Firstly, brunch planning must begin with brainstorming breakfast ideas. This means that we are writing (or typing) ideas from blogs (like this one!), Pinterest, Instagram, family recipes or conversations that mention top breakfast picks. Being open to brunch ideas and suggestions will help in deciding which items you want to cook.
Brainstorming breakfast ideas makes brunch planning easier!
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Emphasize “Nutritional Balance”
Importantly, when deciding on Healthy Brunch items, emphasize “nutritional balance.” This means that your meal has various vital components such as a protein to repair and rebuild muscle tissues, provide key nutrients and support fullness. Additionally, be sure to include carbohydrates (ideally high-fibre), which are important for giving us energy along with nutrients. Plus, including colourful fruits or veggies at breakfast pumps up our vitamins or minerals. Interestingly, only 30% of Canadians get enough fruits or veggies, so emphasizing them at meals helps improve dietary in takes. Finally, we can think about including anti-inflammatory fats, from foods such as nuts, seeds, oils, avocados, nut butters and fatty fish like salmon and herring.
Zesty Avocado Toast with Eggs are an example of a balanced meal with protein, carbs, veggies and healthy fats!
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Cook (& Shop) in Advance
Finally, when planning healthy brunch ideas, I always recommend trying the recipe in advance. This ensures that it does not need any tweaking. You can skip this step if you have made your favourite ricotta scrambled eggs, for example, and know it’s ready to shine! Additionally, the cooking in advance step means that you can plan if there are ways to speed up preparation. For example, for your scrambled eggs breaky, you might decide to slice ham in advance and cut your fresh fruit for easy serving later. This extra prep will save you a step on Brunch morning.
Shopping in advance for foods will make your brunch prep so much easier!
Finally, after you’ve decided on your Healthy Brunch Menu, you’ll know the exact ingredients you need and have those ready. Staying with the scrambled egg example, I would definitely have eggs, scallions and ricotta on my grocery list. P.S. If you love scallions or green onions too, be sure to cut off the green parts and leave the white stocks in water so they can re-grow at your home!
My green onion growing and ready to use in cooking! Here’s my Instagram Hack for sprouting green onions.
16 Healthy Brunch Ideas
Now here 16 of my healthy Brunch Ideas! Be sure to have your paper or phone notepad ready to write down or favourite ones you NEED to try or make – possibly for Easter or Mother’s Day!
My Italian father always loved serving hard cooked eggs with olive oil and red wine vinegar for breakfast. Truly, it felt like most “Italian-Style” foods had these two ingredients: olive oil and red wine vinegar (and in about a 2:1 ratio). As a Foodie Dietitian, I decided to “jazz up” a family favourite into this Avocado Egg Plate. The finishing touches are some Balsamic glaze and fresh herbs like dill, chives, parsley or green onions. There are so many possibilities to inspire your egg plate!
Firstly, simply hard-cook your eggs, then you slice them into coins and add other veggies or avocado as desired. Next sprinkle with Kosher salt, add some fresh cracked pepper and finally drizzle olive oil and vinegar (or drizzle it pre-mixed). That’s it folks. You have scrumptious brunch eggs – along with a great protein and nutrition! One large egg has only 70 calories, 6 grams of protein and is an excellent source of choline, which is important for brain functioning. As well, many Canadians and pregnant women are not getting enough choline in the diet. One egg has 147 mg of choline or 27% of the daily requirement.
Love eggs and avocado? Here’s the recipe for our Avocado Hard Cooked Egg Plate!
Healthy Brunch Ideas for Make-Ahead:
Hard-Cooked Eggs are the perfect make-ahead item. In fact, they last in the fridge for seven days! This is why I make a half dozen each Sunday to have in the fridge as snacks and meal additions for the week ahead. Depending on the veggies you are adding, you could pre-cut your veggies as well.
Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs recipe for making your breakfast time easier!
This Chili Garlic Smashed Potatoes recipe set the Dietetic Directions Instagram on fire! I guess people simply love crunchy and flavourful spuds. Nevertheless, a healthy brunch with these Chili Garlic Smashed Potatoes is sure to impress your guests. What’s more, these potatoes could truly be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Love savoury breakfasts? Try these delicious Chili Garlic Smashed Potatoes!
When making this Smashed Potato recipe, I always leave the skin on for added fibre, potassium and vitamin C. Interestingly, half the fibre of a potato is in the skin. However, be sure to thoroughly clean the outside. Nutritionally, the flesh of a medium potato contains approximately 620 mg potassium (25%) and 27 mg vitamin C (35% DV) and 30% of your vitamin B6, which is important for protein metabolism, immunity and brain functioning.
Making Chili Garlic Smashed Potatoes is as easy as boil, season, smash, and bake!
Make-Ahead Tip:
To make these Chili Garlic Smashed Potatoes you can boil your potatoes and season them in advance. You can also smash them with a fork and put them in an air-tight container. This means that on Brunch morning, you can simply heat the oven and place your potatoes in for around 40 minutes (see recipe link above). Alternatively, you can make them a day in advance and heat them in the oven the next day to warm them through.
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Smoked Salmon Antojitos {3 Ingredients}
Who does not love a simple three-ingredient breakfast? Antojitos are Mexican street food that literally meaning “little cravings.” They’re quick to prepare and can be stored in the fridge for an on-the-go breakfast or work lunch. You can buy smoked salmon at the grocery store and store in the freezer until ready to use. It thaws quickly at room temperature or can keep in the fridge overnight if planning to use the following day. Also, herb and garlic-flavoured whipped cottage cheese (for added protein) or a light cream cheese is necessary.
Smoked Salmon Antojitos are a great recipe for a healthy lunch or snack packed with omega 3 fats!
Nutritionally speaking, salmon is an excellent source of omega 3 fats, which are beneficial for heart health, eyes and brain functioning. Similarly, smoked salmon has the same heart-healthy omega 3 fats as fresh salmon along with providing a good source of protein, B vitamins, magnesium and selenium. However, smoked salmon is higher in salt so we want to consume it less often in our diets. Nevertheless, making food at home will almost always win nutritionally compared to take-out and restaurant meals.
Make Ahead Tip:
A healthy eating tip is to batch-prepare Smoked Salmon Antojitos and wrap the stuffed tortillas in plastic wrap and then into a sealed plastic bag to freeze. Later, simply cut into pinwheels for a meal and enjoy with fresh veggies. Much of eating well comes down to preparing yourself for success with easy options. Strategies like meal prep on a Sunday to stock in your fridge or freezer for later is a helpful tool. (Note: Read more on how to start meal prepping and how to meal plan).
Muffins are a MUST on your brunch menu! Especially when they are served warm with a selection of fresh jams or even simply a pat of melting margarine or butter. I love this Peanut Butter Banana Muffin recipe for a moist and flavourful carbohydrate source. Additionally, our Cinnamon Pear Carrot Flax Muffin is another awesome option that sneaks a veggie serving in with brekkie, which is always a good idea, as mentioned, since only 1 in 3 Canadians consume enough veggies.
Love muffins? Try making these delicious and healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins.
Make-Ahead Tip:
Make your muffins in advance, store them in the freezer and warm them in the oven or microwave before serving. Doesn’t get easier for a make-ahead!
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Poached Eggs on Anything (Crepes, Toast, Beans, etc):
Who does not like a simple poached egg for a healthy brunch idea? Also, you get a nice boost of choline for brain and lutein for eye and heart health. You can serve a poached egg on top of your favourite whole grain bread with a side or fresh fruit or wilted spinach. Mmmm!! Here are ways you can master your poached egg for your brunch guests.
Looking for Tips to Master a Poached Egg? Watch our Dietetic Directions Instagram Reel!
First of all, poaching eggs can be very intimidating but it doesn’t need to be! In fact, there are three steps to the perfect poached egg that I share in this Reel Video on Instagram. Basically, you want to bring a shallow pot of water to a gentle boil. Add a tablespoon of vinegar, which helps the white to solidify. You then want to use a fine mesh strainer to crack the egg into over a bowl. This helps to remove excess, loose whites that would form wispy strands. Save the whites to add to your morning omelette or breakfast sandwich or quiche. Finally, gently lower egg into the water and set timer for 3 minutes for the lovely runny yolk.
Using a fine mesh strainer is key to the perfect poached egg!
Healthy Brunch Make-Ahead:
Amazingly, you can poach your eggs the night before and simply bring a pot of water to a gentle boil in the morning. Then, lower your poached egg into the hot water for 30 seconds before serving to your guests. Set a timer and be sure to avoid adding too many eggs at once and forgetting which ones went in first.
Now that you know how to poach an egg from the tips above, you can get a little fancier with this Mediterranean Poached Egg Flatbread. Love the hummus, pumpkin seeds and crumbled feta in this recipe. Plus, a poached egg is simply classy. Brunches are elegant, which is why poaching eggs is sure to impress your guests. In my Culinary Arts class at George Brown College, they taught us how to make poached eggs in advance (tip shared above). This was apparently what apprentice chefs would do in the evening. Poach hundreds of eggs and store them in the fridge for all those Eggs Benedicts the next day.
This chia seed pudding is a great option for a fibre-boosting brunch idea. Having small mason jars of chia seed pudding for people to try is nice, especially for hosts who like serving a buffet-style Brunch. Moreover, the leading nutritional benefit of chia is the high fibre content! The type of fibre is mainly soluble fibre, which helps lower cholesterol, keeps you feeling full for longer (satiated) and helps to control blood sugars. In a 3 tablespoon serving of chia seeds there are a whopping 11.7 grams of fibre!
Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding is a great way to boost fibre during breakfast.
Make-Ahead Tip:
The night or day before you can whip up this dish and have the jars sitting in the fridge ready to be served. Or they can be added to a lunch bag or as a grab-and-go breakfast.
Who does not love a quiche?! I do! You cannot beat the versatility of using whatever flavours you fancy. Mushroom Swiss quiche or a Tomato, Bacon, Spinach quiche? I could go on for days! Let your imagination be your guide and choose the combinations you like. Switching up the cheese is another option to add layers of interest to this five-star dish.
Quiche is such a versatile dish and can be made with your favourite veggies. Try this Broccoli Cheddar Quiche for your next breakfast prep.
Healthy Brunch Ideas for Make-Ahead:
You can make your quiche filling ahead by pre-cutting and sautéing your veggies. I also grate cheese in advance. For the above recipe, I used broccoli, onions and mushrooms often with some dried or fresh herbs. Then on brunch morning, you can simply warm the oven and add your egg mixture on top of the filling.
Pancakes are definitely a brunch favourite. These Spinach Ricotta Pancakes are delicious and intriguing with the ricotta and spinach addition. Veggie-Boosting to meet the daily requirement of 7 to 10 servings gets easier when adding an extra serving or two to your breakfast. Additionally, ricotta adds extra protein and calcium to our pancakes and tastes great! Be sure to learn more about ricotta nutrition here.
Spinach Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are a unique dish to boost your veggie and protein intake!
Make Ahead Brunch Tip:
You cannot make your pancake batter in advance! The leavening ingredients will get to work and will change your batter consistency. Instead, to prep ahead, I recommend mixing all your dry ingredients in advance. You can batch prep these into multiple Ziploc bags and then you can simply add your wet ingredients to a separate bowl and then whisk together.
Next time you’re meal prepping, try packaging your dry pancake ingredients in a plastic bag and save time later!
A true crowd-pleaser is always French Toast! You can make this dish in 15 minutes and it’s always popular. Plus, using our eggs gets us extra protein, choline for brain health and lutein for healthy eyes. And the canned pure pumpkin boosts our vitamin A in our Pumpkin French Toast. Interestingly, you can use leftover pure pumpkin for this Pumpkin Sage Risotto or Pumpkin Soup.
Cinnamon Pumpkin French Toast is a crowd pleasing dish that can be made in just 15 minutes!
Healthy Brunch Make-Ahead Idea:
Feel free to make your French Toast in advance and re-heat it in a toaster, oven or microwave. You could also hold it for warming in the oven if your guests will be arriving shortly and you don’t want to be flipping French Toast while they’re sipping mimosas.
Love these portable grab-and-go breakfast mini muffins. You can serve a variety of veggies or protein or cheeses in these. Let your imagination be your guide again or follow our recipe. Eggs are also an economical choice with rising food prices. Find out more ways to extend your grocery budget with healthy, cost-effective ingredients.
Mini Egg Muffins are an easy and cost-effective way to use leftover veggies.
Make Ahead Tip:
Mini Egg Muffins can be prepared on a weekend and kept in fridge for 4 days or frozen for up to three months. They’re also an excellent way to boost protein intake, which many don’t get enough of at breakfast. This versatile meal can turn into a fridge-cleaner for your leftover veggies and cheese.
Move over avocado toast to make room for ricotta toast! Ricotta is a solid protein choice that’s high in protein and calcium. It’s a fresh, Italian cheese that’s versatile to use in both sweet or savoury dishes. Ricotta is traditionally made with leftover whey, which makes it higher in calcium with more moisture.
Garlic Rapini Ricotta Toast is a unique way to switch up your toast while boosting protein and calcium.
In ½ cup of partly skimmed ricotta cheese, there are 170 calories and 14 grams of protein. There’s also a third of daily calcium requirement – great for bone health. Compared to ricotta, cottage cheese has fewer calories (80 calories per ½ cup) with a similar protein amount. However, Ricotta has around 2.5 times more calcium than cottage cheese because most of the calcium ends up in the whey not the curds! Generally, cottage cheese might be slightly higher in salt than ricotta.
Did you know that ricotta cheese is high in calcium? Check out this blog post for inspiration!
This is a delicious way to use leftover veggies and requires a can of lentils that are topped with an egg for elegance. Lentils are little edible seeds grown in a pod and part of the legume family. A half cup of lentils has 9 grams of protein and 8 grams of fibre. The type of fibre in lentils is mostly the cholesterol lowering kind, namely soluble fibre. Therefore, lentil consumption is beneficial in the prevention of heart disease! Lentils contain magnesium and remember that magnesium is heart healthy because it helps veins and arteries to relax which improves blood flow. Thus, magnesium helps with supplying oxygen and nutrients throughout your body.
These Breakfast Lentils are a cheap breakfast dish that contains heart health magnesium!
Make-Ahead Healthy Brunch Idea:
You can meal prep this recipe by pre-chopping all your veggies and simply sauté when ready to serve. Additionally, you can make the entire lentil dish ahead and simply add a freshly fried egg on top! This dish is a favourite for leftovers too!
Some people are into smoothie bowls for brunch. They are both flavourful and versatile with many variations. Be sure to bump fibre with ingredients like chia seeds, flax or hemp. Including calcium-rich beverages supports bone health and is key for pregnancy planning as well.
Love smoothies? Try this Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Bowl for your next brunch!
The Avocado Toast trend is not going anywhere. It’s just so zesty, flavourful and such a great way to get healthy unsaturated fats in with the avocado. Plus, you get your protein in your eggs and you can also get protein if you choose a sprouted grain bread – read about nutrition of sprouted grain bread here!
Zesty Avocado Toast with Eggs is a flavourful way to get healthy unsaturated fats.
Healthy Brunch Ideas for Make-Ahead:
Hard cook your eggs in advance. The avocado smash is pretty quick. Hence, this 15-minute brunch recipe is ideal for entertaining.
Dietitian Tip: Much of eating well comes down to preparing yourself for success with easy food options. Strategies like meal prep on a Sunday to stock in your fridge or freezer for later is a helpful tool. (Note: Read more on how to start meal prepping and how to meal plan).
Lentil & Kale Shakshouka is a versatile heart-healthy dish that can be eaten at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Have you tried Shakshouka yet? In short, it’s a North African dish that uses a tomato base with warm spices and eggs on top. This dish is often served with bread. I love making shakshouka because it involves minimal ingredients and gives you creative freedom to add new ingredients as you wish. Plus, we get a nice bump of nutrition with our tomatoes, kale, lentils and of course eggs!
Lentil & Kale Shakshouka is a North African dish that uses a tomato base with warm spices and eggs on top – perfect for a savoury breakfast dish!
Make-Ahead:
To save time, and because they are equally as nutritious, I used canned lentils. Additionally, I boosted veggies by adding celery and kale. In the past, I have added grated carrots. It’s certainly good no matter what veggies you add! I truly believe you cannot go wrong with this dish.
Bottom Line for Healthy Brunch Ideas:
There are infinite possibilities for Healthy Brunch Ideas. Be sure to emphasize using quality, wholesome, non-processed ingredients to inspire your creativity. Also, include flavour-enhancers like fresh herbs and seasonal or favourite foods. Keep family tradition items on the brunch menu as well. Undoubtedly, brunch is an awesome meal that everyone enjoys. After all, life’s too short to not enjoy delicious foods mixed with extra nutrition too!
What are your favourite Brunch staples? Any new foods you want to try after reading this blog?
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Andrea D'Ambrosio is a Registered Dietitian, health-enthusiast and adoring foodie. She started Dietetic Directions as a way to share science-based information mixed with inspirational content for lifelong change.
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Hi! I’m Andrea,
Dietitian, health-enthusiast and an adoring foodie. I started Dietetic Directions as a way to share science-based information mixed with inspirational content for lifelong change. I’m all about eating well and loving life.
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