Rejuvenate spring breakfasts with these colourful, plant-packed recipes

Spring clean your breakfast routine with our recipes to help you escape a winter rut. January may be all about new year resolutions, but it can be difficult to stick to any drastic regimes when it's cold, dark and miserable outside. With the arrival of spring, bring vibrancy to your breakfast bowl with a tricolour stack of pancakes, golden turmeric bircher bowl, zingy rhubarb and yogurt pots and more in-season inspiration. Find out more ways to bring joy this spring, along with even more spring inspiration.

Next read about 30 gut-friendly ways to sneak in extra plant foods to hit your weekly target, then how to eat 30 plant foods a week. Discover our plant-packed recipes to keep you thriving as the seasons change and then try our wholesome and hearty plant-forward recipes.

Vibrant spring breakfast ideas

Rhubarb breakfast pots

Is there anything more beautiful than those first stems of forced rhubarb? Roast it until really tender, then layer up with your favourite Greek yogurt and top with a plant-packed homemade granola for texture and flavour.

Mocha porridge

This porridge is swirled with a homemade cocoa powder and freshly brewed espresso drizzle to give your morning a little boost. Load up with toasted nuts and slices of banana to further increase the plant foods.

Golden milk bircher

A breakfast that leans slightly more savoury, this golden milk bircher also packs a punch with its warming spices of ground turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and a grating of black pepper to help increase absorption.

Quinoa porridge

Give your breakfast a protein boost without any artificial powders. A complete, plant-based protein, quinoa adds protein and fibre to this porridge bowl along with a nutty taste and texture.

Vegan pancakes

Treat yourself to a colourful brunch with a stack of these vibrant pancakes. After making your pancake batter, divide it into three equal portions. Add a couple of handfuls of spinach into one, roughly 30g of grated carrot into another and 30g of chopped cooked beetroot into the last one. Blend each of them until you have a smooth batter, then cook your pancakes as written in the recipe.

Kimchi and beans shakshuka

Get your day off to a nourishing start with this veg-packed shakshuka. If you want to make a fully vegan version (with extra plant points, too) you can blend a block of silken tofu with ½ tsp of turmeric, 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast and seasoning to use in the place of eggs. For extra nourishment, I've added in half a chopped red pepper, a few handfuls of spinach and wholemeal bread instead of white.

High protein yogurt bowl

For a spring twist on this simple yet delicious yogurt bowl, make a blood orange and rhubarb compote and serve it with our healthy granola.

Matcha overnight oats

Give your overnight oats a caffeine-boost by adding 1 tsp of matcha powder into the oat mixture. For extra plants, add 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed. Layer up your overnight oats with coconut yogurt and top with pumpkin seeds and frozen raspberries.

Blackberry crumble baked oats

For a seasonal, plant-packed twist, cut up two apples and sprinkle with cinnamon. Simmer with 250ml milk of your choice until the apple pieces have softened. Add them to your baked oats with some chopped toasted pecans and mix. Make your crumble topping with 2 tbsp oats, a pinch of mixed spice, a sprinkle of brown sugar and a splash of milk to hold it together. Dot over the top of your baked oats and bake until golden.

Masala french toast with coriander chutney

If you want to make a plant-packed batter, whisk chickpea flour with soy milk to achieve the thickness of an eggy batter. Then stir in the seasonings as below. Use wholemeal seeded bread rather than regular white for extra fibre, then top with sliced avocado for even more plants.

Cherry bakewell baked oats

For an extra plant point, substitute the two eggs for two tbsp flaxseed mixed with 6 tbsp hot water. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes until gloopy. For a cherry bakewell version, substitute the vanilla extract for almond extract, add 50g ground almonds, then fold through a handful of frozen cherries. Top with a sprinkling of flaked almonds before baking, then dust with icing sugar when cool.

Pumpkin seed butter

If you have a high speed blender, you'll be surprised by how easy it is to make your own homemade pumpkin seed butter. Spread it on toast, drizzle on pancakes or simply enjoy it by the spoon!

Smashed green beans on toast

Make your toast topper go further – and boost the plant points – by mashing in some fresh avocado. Sprinkle a mixture of seeds on top for more plants, as well as sun-dried tomatoes for added skin benefits.

Blended overnight oats

To up the plant points of these overnight oats, I added a handful of frozen mixed berries and blended the mixture with a pinch of spirulina and 2 tbsp flaxseed. The next day, top your overnight oats with even more plants – here I used chopped pistachios, goji berries, frozen blueberries and mixed seeds.