“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last,
“what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.”
~ A.A. Milne
What Can I Eat for Breakfast on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol?
The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) can be life-changing, reducing inflammation and autoimmune symptoms and helping us reclaim a vital and joyful life. However, the elimination phase is intimidating! For many of us, it removes all the foods we used to eat, especially for breakfast. When eggs, grains, and dairy are off the table, what on earth can you eat? I have 50 delicious answers to that question! One beneficial side effect of the AIP is that it expands our view of food and meals. It breaks through lifelong food ruts that didn’t serve our health, and encourages us to try new foods that not only help us feel better, but often taste better, too.
Paleo AIP Breakfast Soups
If you’re new to the idea of soup for breakfast, prepare to be converted! While it’s an uncommon choice in the United States, in many countries it’s traditional to start the day with soup, and once you try it, you’ll know why. It’s nurturing, nourishing, and satiating. The first recipe below is what I ate for breakfast when I first went AIP back in 2013. Since then, I’ve successfully reintroduced eggs back into my diet, but that soup recipe is still my favorite way to start the day.
- Soup for Breakfast: It Does a Body Good from Phoenix Helix
- Spring Breakfast Soup from A Squirrel in the Kitchen
- Creamy Mushroom Soup with Bacon from Food By Mars
- Caribbean-inspired Beef Soup from Heal Me Delicious
- Egg Roll Soup from Unbound Wellness
- Instant Pot ‘Congee’ from The Honest Spoonful
- Hearty Salmon Chowder from Healing Family Eats
- How I never get sick of breakfast soup from Meatified
Paleo AIP Breakfast Smoothies
Smoothies are delicious and when done right, can be very nutritious. However, when done wrong, they put us on a blood sugar rollercoaster which harms autoimmune health. If you like the idea of starting your day with a smoothie, make sure your smoothies work for you instead of against you.
- 5 Tips for Healthier Smoothies from Phoenix Helix
- Über Nutrient Dense Green Smoothie from Joanna Frankham
- Creamy Peach Green Smoothie from Heal Me Delicious
- Raspberry Turmeric Collagen Shake from Healing Family Eats
- Carrot Cake Smoothie from Cook 2 Nourish
- Shamrock Shake Smoothie from Unbound Wellness
- Energizing Green Breakfast Smoothie Bowl from A Squirrel in the Kitchen
- Turmeric Ginger Bone Broth Smoothie Bowl from What Great Grandma Ate (for optional toppings, choose AIP ones)
Paleo AIP Breakfast Skillets
Skillet meals are a great way to use up leftovers, but you can also quickly cook fresh ingredients, and the variations are endless.
- Sweet & Savory Breakfast Skillet from Spoons n Spices
- Bison & Veggies Breakfast Skillet from A Squirrel in the Kitchen
- Turkey Breakfast Hash from Wendi’s AIP Kitchen
- Mexican-Inspired Breakfast Skillet from Unbound Wellness
- Apple Sausage Stir-Fry from A Clean Plate
- Eggroll in a Bowl from Manifest 2 Heal
- Salmon Primavera with Zoodles from Phoenix Helix
- Skillet Shrimp and Broccolini from The Castaway Kitchen (omit pepper for AIP)
Paleo AIP Breakfast Proteins
These recipes are easy to batch cook and freeze for fast meals in the morning. Most of these recipes can be doubled or tripled. Just put a small piece of parchment paper between patties before you freeze them, and they’ll be easy to grab and reheat. Serve these with a smoothie or some veggies for a complete meal.
- Perfect Breakfast Sausage from Phoenix Helix
- Blueberry Sweet Potato Turkey Breakfast Sausage from Unbound Wellness
- Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage from Food By Mars
- Baked Bacon from Phoenix Helix
- 50/50/50 Burgers from The Paleo Mom
- Flavor Burgers from Phoenix Helix
- Meatloaf Muffins from Heal Me Delicious
- Sweet Potato Salmon Patties from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP
- Tuna Cakes with Green Olives from Meatified
Paleo AIP Breakfast N’Oatmeals
Are you used to starting your day with oatmeal and you miss that comforting texture? Here are AIP versions that maintain that feeling and add a nutrient-dense boost!
- Roasted Cinnamon Pear ‘Oatmeal’ from Healing Family Eats
- Apple and Cranberry ‘Oatmeal’ from Meatified
- Cauliflower ‘Oatmeal’ from Unbound Wellness
- Cauli Porridge with Rosemary Plum Compote from Healing Family Eats
- Spiced Carrot Breakfast Porridge from Thriving Autoimmune
- Purple Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl from Food Courage
- Breakfast Parsnip Porridge from Food By Mars
- Overnight ‘Oats’ from Healing Family Eats
Paleo AIP Weekend Brunches
You don’t have to miss out on a special breakfast just because you’re following the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol. Here are AIP versions of your old favorites! Health tip: For the dessert-style breakfast recipes, add some protein alongside to keep your blood sugar stable.
- Banana Pancakes from Heal Me Delicious
- Plantain Collagen Protein Pancakes from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP
- Crepes with Berry Compote from 50 Shades of Avocado
- Crispy Waffles from Thriving Autoimmune
- Chicken and Waffles from The Autoimmune Insomniac
- Breakfast Casserole from Eat Beautiful
- Raspberry Muffins from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP
- Classic Cinnamon Rolls from Unbound Wellness
- Soft and Chewy English Muffins from The Castaway Kitchen
Paleo AIP ‘Coffee’
One of the toughest things to give up on the elimination phase of the AIP is coffee. Thankfully, Sip Herbals has a complete line of AIP-friendly coffee substitutes: original, dirty chai, mocha, salted caramel, and seasonal flavors as well. You don’t have to give up this part of your morning ritual.
Making Your Paleo AIP Breakfast Easier: Freeze and Reheat
- Very few people want to take time to cook breakfast every morning. I know I don’t! That’s why preparing ahead is the best way to make your mornings easier. I think one of the reasons I love my Breakfast Soup recipe is that it makes 10-12 servings. I make it on the weekend, freeze it in individual portions, and simply reheat in the morning. Easy, nutritious and delicious! You can do that for a lot of these meals. For the ones that just make 3-4 servings, you can simply refrigerate individual portions if you eat them within 5 days.
- When choosing freezer-safe containers, many of us like to avoid plastic, but we need to take steps to keep glass containers from cracking. (1) With mason jars, they need to be a straight shape from the bottom of the jar to the top to prevent cracking. Most mason jars aren’t straight. Here are some freezer-safe examples: 16 oz. straight jars and 24 oz. straight jars. (2) I also like Pyrex for freezer food storage. (3) For both mason jars and pyrex (and any glass container) only fill them 3/4 of the way full. Contents expand when frozen. (4) You can transfer hot food into glass containers, but let them cool in the fridge before freezing. And when you’re ready to have them for breakfast, ideally defrost them in the fridge overnight before reheating. The sharp contrast between heat and freezing puts a lot of stress on glass. Easing this transition minimizes the chance of cracking. (5) Finally, if you would rather use plastic for ease of use, just make sure the food is cool before putting in the containers, and never put plastic in the microwave. Heating plastic leaches chemicals into your food.
- When it comes to reheating, you can use a skillet, saucepan, oven, toaster oven, or microwave. I use the microwave because it’s fast. There are a lot of myths circulating on the internet that microwaves are unhealthy. Dr. Sarah Ballantyne dives into the science in this article: Are Microwaves Safe to Use? The quick answer is: yes, they are! Just don’t heat your food in plastic (nor use plastic covers).
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This recipe roundup was first published in 2021 but is updated annually. Last update 12/6/24.
Thank you for all these delicious breakfast recipes, can’t wait to try them!
You’re welcome. Enjoy!