They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but depending on your schedules, it can also be the most hectic time of the day! Whether we’re rushing to get out the door or get the kids up and going, in the back of our heads we are wanting to put a wholesome, healthy breakfast in everyone’s body to fuel them through the hours until lunch, but time and effort available can be minimal some days. That’s where no cook breakfasts come in!

The no cook lunches post was a hit, so I decided to extend to the mornings and share some no cook breakfast ideas. No cook breakfast recipes allow us to quickly prepare a nutritious meal with plenty of time to check off all the other mornings must dos. Today I’m sharing some of my favorite no cook breakfast recipes with you in hopes it’s helpful when you’re wanting to put super simple, healthy, and delicious food in front of your family in the morning. Let me know in the comments if you have an idea to I need to add and try myself 🙂

6 No Cook Breakfast Ideas

Whether you’re short on time or you just want something quick and easy, there are plenty of no cook breakfast ideas that will get your day off to the perfect start!

Busy Mom’s Oatmeal Bowl

I know how healthy a fiber-filled bowl of oatmeal can be, but kids can take their sweet time eating it, leaving the oatmeal cold and soggy and no longer appealing. For younger kids it can result in a goopy mess all over their hands, faces, and often the kitchen as well- or was that just my experience? That’s why I came up with the busy mom’s oatmeal bowl. It has all of the nutritious goodness of a traditional bowl of oatmeal, but your kids can drink it as a smoothie meaning less mess, and a lot more time! This recipe is customizable so feel free to toss in your kids’ favorite fresh fruit, swap the peanut butter for nut butter, or switch out the almond milk for dairy milk. The options are endless with this five-minute breakfast recipe.

• Time: 5 minutes
• Ingredients: Peanut butter, frozen bananas, honey, chia seeds, oats, and almond milk.

Avocado Toast Recipes

Avocado toast is a super simple way to get some delicious nutrients into your body at the start of the day. Although it can be eaten on its own, or with a sprinkle of spices or olive oil, it’s the perfect canvas for additional toppings and flavors, making it easy to customize. Love & Lemons has five delicious avocado toast recipes that are perfect for quick and easy breakfasts.

*Quick avocado toast tip: leave avocados on the counter until they are perfectly ripe, then switch them to the fridge. It will extend their shelf life, keeping them at the perfect ripeness for a week or longer. Don’t want to mash your own? They now sell individual cups of mashed avocado in the cooler section of many grocery stores.

• Time: Depends on how many ingredients you add, but it can be as little as 4 minutes!
• Ingredients: Good quality bread like sourdough or whole wheat, a ripe avocado, lemon wedges, sea salt, and any additional toppings.

Yogurt Parfait

I love yogurt parfaits! They’re super simple to make, you can use any ingredients you want, and they’re a great way to get some essential nutrients into your body to jump-start the day. Yogurt is full of calcium which is great for healthy bones in growing bodies. It’s also full of probiotics which keep your digestive system on track. If you opt for Greek yogurt you’re also providing your family with a higher protein breakfast. If you choose to add nuts or seeds to the top of your parfait your brain gets some healthy fats that will keep it running smoothly and the fresh fruit you add helps you and your family get the vitamins you need to stay healthy. Don’t do dairy? There are so many delicious dairy-free options these days. One of my favorites is the coconut based Harmless Harvest Unsweetened Vanilla.

• Time: Roughly 5 minutes
• Ingredients: Your favorite yogurt, something crunchy (like nuts, seeds, or granola), fresh fruit, and any other topping you want including honey, maple syrup, jam, cocoa nibs, and shaved coconut!

Peach Almond Smoothie

Smoothies are a great idea for no cook breakfasts and this peach almond smoothie from The Defined Dish is just about as delicious as a smoothie can get and it is great for farm weather- it tastes like spring and summer! The recipe calls for only 4 ingredients, plus some ice cubes, but there’s plenty of room to make it your own by adding or swapping ingredients or adding protein. To make this super simple breakfast recipe all you do is add your ingredients to the blender, whip it up, and you’ve got a sweet smoothie your kids will love!

• Time: Roughly 5 minutes
• Ingredients: Ice cubes, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, peaches, a banana and some slivered almonds. Try adding some your favorite protein powder for protein, oats for fiber, and chia seeds for healthy fats.

Fruit Salad

Fruit salad is a quick and easy way to give our families a bright, colorful boost of vitamins first thing in the morning. Most kids have at least a few fruits that they like so all you need to do is rinse them, chop them, and mix them together in a bowl. Of course, there are actual recipes out there with a little more to them like Inspired Taste’s easy strawberry fruit salad which uses a sprinkling of sugar (I use half of what they call for) and some freshly squeezed orange juice to bring out the sweet juices in the strawberries and the rest of the red fruit in the salad. But, you don’t have to follow a recipe for this one, just use the fruits your kids like best and consider serving it alongside some hard-boiled eggs or Greek yogurt for some protein as well.

• Time: Depending on the fruit you use and how many types you want to add, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
• Ingredients: Your favorite fruits- all red if you want the full effect 🙂

Berry Chia Overnight Oats

Overnight oats have been a staple for busy moms trying to give their kids a nutritious breakfast in the morning for years now. A Pinch of Yum has come up with a delicious overnight oats recipe that adds the healthy fats of chia seeds to the fiber-filled oat base. The maple syrup or honey and the berries add a sweetness your kids will love, and the best part is it’s completely ready to go when you wake up in the morning!

• Time: 10 minutes
• Ingredients: rolled oats, chia seeds, milk (or water), salt, maple syrup, cinnamon, yogurt, frozen berries, and some fresh berries for topping.

How To Make Breakfast Quickly

Make ahead and meal prep

I’m all about meal prepping on the weekends to give myself a head start to the week ahead so I have lots of high-protein breakfast meal prep options to pick from. Yes, they include a bit of cooking, but I do it on the weekend making it quick and easy to put a nutritious, filling breakfast on the table on busy weekday mornings.

Pick one breakfast

I love my kids, and I know you do too, but making a different meal for every person in your family takes a lot of time! Instead, make one meal you know everyone will love. You could bring your family into this too by letting each person choose their favorite meal once a week so no one feels left out and everyone’s tastebuds are left feeling satisfied. 

I’d love to know what your tips are for getting a healthy breakfast on the table in the morning without a lot of fuss or time spent in the kitchen!