Consider your pressure cooker the ultimate time-saving tool for busy (or lazy) mornings.
Image Credit: Olha_Afanasieva/iStock/GettyImages Two of the biggest food trends of the last decade meet in these easy Instant Pot breakfast recipes.
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About one in every five Americans owns an Instant Pot, according to a January 2019 Instapot Life survey. And from 2017 to 2019, retail sales of plant-based foods climbed 31 percent, per the Good Food Institute.
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Not only are these satisfying, high-protein breakfast recipes quick to make in the hands-off, multitasking appliance, but they also pack good-for-you plant proteins.
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While many think bypassing animal proteins means you'll fall shy on your protein quota for the day, it's absolutely possible to hit your goal for this muscle-building macronutrient with vegetarian sources. (By the way, here's the real difference between plant-based, vegetarian and vegan diets.)
Focusing on a meat-free breakfast is a great way to step down from a completely carnivorous menu if you’re used to meat at all three meals, explains Michelle Hyman, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian at Simple Solutions Weight Loss.
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"Forgoing meat can place emphasis on choosing fruits and vegetables, which many times, my clients struggle to get at breakfast." Each of the meatless Instant Pot breakfast recipes here offers at least 12 grams of protein (or about as much as two eggs, per the USDA).
But if you don’t feel like counting, Rachel Fine, RD, has an easy rule of thumb: “Rather than focusing on the numbers for grams of protein at breakfast, I suggest aiming for two sources of plant-based protein, such a serving of seeds and nut butter.”
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1. Giant Instant Pot Pancake
We recommend skipping the syrup — these Instant Pot pancakes are plenty sweet as is.
Image Credit: Kirbie’s Cravings
Calories: 320 calories Protein: 12 grams
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In this high-protein vegetarian breakfast recipe — inspired by those Instagram-trendy Japanese soufflé pancakes — you simply mix the batter and "bake" in the Instant Pot to serve four in one fluffy flapjack.
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Each serving has 12 grams of protein from the eggs and milk, and you can easily score even more by topping with Greek yogurt or nut butter. To add fiber, trade whole-wheat for all-purpose flour and fold a handful of berries (frozen or fresh) into the batter.
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Get the Giant Instant Pot Pancake recipe and nutrition info at Kirbie’s Cravings.
High-Protein Peanut Butter Oatmeal
You could chop up half of a protein bar for a sweet and chewy garnish Image Credit: Simply Quinoa
Calories: 419 calories Protein: 16 grams
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Yes, this recipe calls for cooking the oats on your stovetop, but it works just as well when you follow the recipe developer's advice for cooking steel-cut oats in an Instant Pot to make the base of this high-protein, plant-based breakfast.
Once your oats are cooked to tender perfection along with nut butter, almond milk, hemp and chia seeds and maple syrup, you can finish with any bonus mix-ins or toppings you’re craving. Think: Fruit and protein powder.
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"Adding a plant-based protein powder — like pea protein or almond protein — to oats is a way to quickly boost the protein in a plant-based diet," Fine says.
Allergic to peanuts? Try this with almond, sunflower seed or your favorite alternative seed butter. Get the High-Protein Peanut Butter Oatmeal recipe and nutrition info at Simply Quinoa. 3. Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Kale Quiche
You can make this fully vegan by using a product like Just Egg instead of chicken eggs, vegan butter and cheese in lieu of dairy and plant-based milk in place of the heavy cream.
Image Credit: Wholesome Yum
Calories: 285 calories Protein: 12 grams
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Use the sauté function to caramelize the veggies, then steam the egg casserole in your Instant Pot. Top with cheese, allow to cook for 3 minutes more to melt, then devour — this keto-friendly, plant-based breakfast is just that easy. It's a cinch to customize with any leftover veggies and cheeses as well.
“Including more sources of plants in your morning will often come packaged with naturally occurring fiber. Fiber helps to maintain blood sugar and thus promote sustained levels of energy through your morning. You’ll also feel fuller for longer, which can help fuel you through a busy morning,” Fine says. Get the Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Kale Quiche recipe and nutrition info at Wholesome Yum. 4. Ultimate Superfood Quinoa Porridge
Fluffy quinoa isn’t just great as a dinner side dish. Try it for breakfast instead of or in addition to oatmeal.
Image Credit: Simply Quinoa
Calories: 557 calories Protein: 18 grams
With more protein and fiber than oats, it’s time you invited quinoa to the breakfast table. This high-protein Instant Pot breakfast recipe features both of these hearty whole grains along with almond milk, chia and hemp seeds, flaxseed meal, cinnamon and syrup. To make this in an Instant Pot, opt for steel-cut oats. Combine all of the ingredients in the appliance and cook on high for one minute, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then dress it up as desired, like with sliced almonds, fresh fruit or a spoonful of nut butter. Get the Ultimate Superfood Quinoa Porridge recipe and nutrition info at Simply Quinoa. 5. Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats
Pecans or hemp seeds made tasty and nutritious toppings to your Instant Pot oats.
Image Credit: Well Plated
Calories: 359 calories Protein: 13 grams
After just 4 minutes of pressure cooking and 10 minutes of pressure release, your high-protein oats become a blank slate for seasonal toppings, such as canned pumpkin, diced apples, sliced bananas or seeds. “Shelled hemp seeds are another high-protein option [9.5 grams per 3-tablespoon serving] that can fit into many plant-based breakfast recipes, including pancake mixes, oats and smoothies. Hemp seeds are also great sources of iron and zinc, two minerals important for metabolism,” Fine says. Get the Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats recipe and nutrition info at Well Plated.
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references
Instapot Life: “How Popular Are Instant Pots?”
Good Food Institute: “U.S. Plant-Based Retail Market Worth $4.5 Billion, Growing at 5X Total Food Sales”
Frontiers in Nutrition: “Environmental Impacts of Plant-Based Diets: How Does Organic Food Consumption Contribute to Environmental Sustainability?”
UCLA Sustainability: “The Case for Plant Based”
USDA FoodData Central: “Eggs, Grade A, Large, Egg Whole”
USDA FoodData Central: “Seeds, Hemp Seed, Hulled”
references
Instapot Life: “How Popular Are Instant Pots?”
Good Food Institute: “U.S. Plant-Based Retail Market Worth $4.5 Billion, Growing at 5X Total Food Sales”
Frontiers in Nutrition: “Environmental Impacts of Plant-Based Diets: How Does Organic Food Consumption Contribute to Environmental Sustainability?”
UCLA Sustainability: “The Case for Plant Based”
USDA FoodData Central: “Eggs, Grade A, Large, Egg Whole”
USDA FoodData Central: “Seeds, Hemp Seed, Hulled”
Consider your pressure cooker the ultimate time-saving tool for busy (or lazy) mornings.
Image Credit: Olha_Afanasieva/iStock/GettyImages
Image Credit: Olha_Afanasieva/iStock/GettyImages
We recommend skipping the syrup — these Instant Pot pancakes are plenty sweet as is.
Image Credit: Kirbie’s Cravings
Image Credit: Kirbie’s Cravings
Get the Giant Instant Pot Pancake recipe and nutrition info at Kirbie’s Cravings.
You could chop up half of a protein bar for a sweet and chewy garnish
Image Credit: Simply Quinoa
Image Credit: Simply Quinoa
Get the High-Protein Peanut Butter Oatmeal recipe and nutrition info at Simply Quinoa.
You can make this fully vegan by using a product like Just Egg instead of chicken eggs, vegan butter and cheese in lieu of dairy and plant-based milk in place of the heavy cream.
Image Credit: Wholesome Yum
Image Credit: Wholesome Yum
Get the Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Kale Quiche recipe and nutrition info at Wholesome Yum.
Fluffy quinoa isn’t just great as a dinner side dish. Try it for breakfast instead of or in addition to oatmeal.
Image Credit: Simply Quinoa
Get the Ultimate Superfood Quinoa Porridge recipe and nutrition info at Simply Quinoa.
Pecans or hemp seeds made tasty and nutritious toppings to your Instant Pot oats.
Image Credit: Well Plated
Image Credit: Well Plated
Get the Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats recipe and nutrition info at Well Plated.
Instapot Life: “How Popular Are Instant Pots?”
Good Food Institute: “U.S. Plant-Based Retail Market Worth $4.5 Billion, Growing at 5X Total Food Sales”
Frontiers in Nutrition: “Environmental Impacts of Plant-Based Diets: How Does Organic Food Consumption Contribute to Environmental Sustainability?”
UCLA Sustainability: “The Case for Plant Based”
USDA FoodData Central: “Eggs, Grade A, Large, Egg Whole”
USDA FoodData Central: “Seeds, Hemp Seed, Hulled”
