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I think most of us would agree that eating vegetables for breakfast is a solid nutritional goal. But honestly, it can be a challenge! Coming up with ideas that seem breakfast-y without being complicated or time consuming can feel daunting. An easy way to work it in (and you know I like easy) is by incorporating carrots for breakfast!
Ok, hear me out. Carrots are an excellent candidate for breakfast foods because they are so versatile. They work easily in sweet and savory dishes. Plus they are inexpensive, readily available most of the year, and nutritionally dense. (Hello, beta carotene and fiber!) Plus they tend to be one of the more preferred veggies for many kiddos.
One popular suggestion for eating more vegetables with breakfast is to throw them in a smoothie. While this is a great strategy, and I do love a smoothie, I generally prefer to chew my breakfast. That said, here are 5 of my favorite quick and easy ideas for eating carrots for breakfast (or breakfast for dinner!) any day of the week.
Plan Ahead! Thanks, Past Self.
I think the key to cooking with whole foods is to prep your ingredients ahead of time. Make the healthy choice, the easy choice. There is absolutely no way I am getting up and shredding fresh carrots at 6:30 a.m. So I gotta plan ahead! Scrub them down and shred them up on the weekend, that way your carrots are ready for breakfast. I like to toss mine in the food processor to make quick work of it, but you could absolutely grate them by hand.
Store your pre-shredded carrots in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for use during the week. And if you were lucky enough to get a bunch of carrots with the lush greens still attached, don’t toss them in the compost! Go ahead and whirr up a quick carrot top pesto while you’ve got your food processor out!
Breakfast Carrots #1: Muffins and Quick Breads
Think of this as the carrot cake of breakfast. I’m a big fan of baking with veggies and I’m an even bigger fan of eating said baked goods for breakfast. Shredded carrots (and parsnips, too) are so simple to hide in muffins and quick breads. Try these Healthy Carrot Muffins from Cookie + Kate. They are delicious and are baked at 425° F so they cook up quickly!
If you have a bit more time, the same concept can be applied to a quick bread, which is basically a muffin in a loaf pan. If you already have a favorite muffin, or say a banana bread recipe, try subbing in some shredded carrot! The flavor pairs nicely with banana, apple, coconut, zucchini, pears, pumpkin, cranberries, and raisins.
Freeze Your Muffins (Off)
I am going to make an assumption that mornings at your house are less than leisurely most days. My day generally begins with some combination of arguing about going potty or putting on pants, breaking up quarrels over who had it first, and trying not to burn eggs. So when it comes to muffins, I try to make them on the weekend or in the afternoon and then freeze them for later. Muffins freeze very well and reheat to taste perfectly fresh.
My method is to place cooled muffins on a sheet pan in the freezer and “flash freeze” for a few hours (or overnight or until I remember they are in there…) Then, individually wrap the frozen muffins in a square of foil and place them back in the freezer. On busy mornings, I grab a few and pop them, still wrapped, in the oven or toaster oven at 350° F for about 15-20 min. If I throw them in first thing, they are ready to enjoy by the time I’ve made the coffee, scrambled eggs, and wrangled my crew to the table.
Breakfast Carrots #2: Oatmeal
I am a recent convert to oatmeal. And by recent, I mean like a few months. I have always enjoyed baked oatmeal, but something about the mushy texture of “regular” oatmeal was off putting to me. Then, out of nowhere, my 4 year old requested it one morning this winter and so I Googled how to even make it! Low and behold, when I made it myself, not from an instant packet, I actually liked it! Now, I’ve been making up for several decades of lost time exploring the wide world of oatmeal!
I recently made an adaptation of this Carrot Cake Oatmeal from The Spruce Eats that really hit the (sweet) spot!
Carrot Banana Oatmeal
Warm, spicy and deliciously filling, this banana carrot oatmeal is perfect for any morning of the week. Adapted from TheSpruceEats.com.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup milk (of choice)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- pinch of salt
- 1 sliced banana
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 2 T chopped almonds, walnuts, or pecans
- Optional: 1 T melted butter for drizzling
- Optional: sprinkle of brown sugar for topping
Instructions
- In a stainless steel saucepan on medium heat, combine oats, milk, water, shredded carrot, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a low boil and turn the heat down to low.
- Simmer for 5-10 min until liquid is mostly absorbed. Then stir in sliced banana, maple syrup, spices, and vanilla. Heat an additional minute or two until heated through.
- To serve, dish into bowls and top with chopped nuts. If desired, add a sprinkle of brown sugar and a drizzle of melted butter.
Breakfast Carrots #3: Carrot Hash
This “carrots for breakfast” idea is also great for “breakfast for dinner.” Potatoes are a familiar guest at most breakfast tables, but I love this Carrot, Apple, and Bacon Hash for a little something different! With crumbled bacon, chopped leeks, and crisp sweet apples, this quick one-skillet breakfast is awesome by itself or with a side of eggs!
Breakfast Carrots #4: Egg Cups aka Mini Frittatas
My next idea is one of my new favorite ways to incorporate not only carrots for breakfast, but also almost any vegetable! If you’ve never had them, egg cups are like tiny frittatas made in a muffin tin. They are kid friendly, quick, and you can stuff them with whatever you want!
This concept is great for diced or shredded fresh veggies like greens, squash, peppers, corn, and of course carrots. If you have leftover roasted or cooked veggies, these would be quite tasty as well! On the non-veg side, you can add in cooked bacon, ham or sausage as well as whatever cheese you fancy. Here are the basic ratios to get you thinking, the unrecipe.
Veggie Egg Cups: An UnRecipe
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups diced veggies
- 3/4 cup cheese
- 2 T leek, green onion, scallions, etc
- 1/4 tsp salt
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- butter/oil for greasing the cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with butter, oil or cooking spray.
- Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Fill each muffin cup with about 3 tablespoons total of chopped/shredded veggies and cheese.
- Divide egg mixture evenly between cups.
- Top each cup with a sprinkle of diced leek or green onion.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
Here is a (printable) version I made with mixed greens, carrots, and leeks!
Carrot and Greens Egg Cup
Add more veggies to your breakfast, any day of the week! These easy baked egg cups are portable and toddler approved.
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk (or alternative milk of choice)
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots
- 3/4 cup chopped mixed greens (spinach, kale, cabbage, chard, etc)
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 T chopped leeks or green onions
- butter or oil to grease the pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with butter, oil or cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Fill each muffin cup with about a tablespoon each of chopped greens, shredded carrots, and cheese.
- Pour the egg mixture into the cups, dividing evenly. (They should look about 3/4 way full.)
- Top each cup with a sprinkle of diced leek or green onion.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
Notes
Adapted from Super Healthy Kids
Breakfast Carrots #5: Just Add Eggs
This is probably the way I eat carrots for breakfast most often. I absolutely love to reheat last night’s leftover roasted veggies and add them to a scramble or simply top them with a runny egg. (If you hadn’t noticed, we eat a lot of eggs around here.) Just about any combination of roasted veggies is delicious: cabbage, potatoes, onions, squash, Brussels sprouts, etc. And of course carrots!
For a carrot and veggie scramble, I usually give the cold veggies a quick chop into smaller pieces. Then, toss them in a hot skillet with a swirl of olive oil or a little butter. When the veggies are heated through, I remove them from the pan and set aside. Pour beaten eggs with a splash of milk into the pan for the scramble. When they are almost “set,” add in the veggie mix and toss together. (Top with cheese if desired.)
The same idea can be applied to quiche and (full sized) frittata. The leftover veggies (or shredded raw carrots) can mix in cold for these since they bake longer. I never really have time to make a quiche on a weekday morning. But I often make one for dinner and everyone is happy to eat leftover egg pie for breakfast!
Rethink the most important meal of the day, and give one of these a shot! Your eyes (and your taste buds) will thank you! How else would you try carrots for breakfast? Pancakes, waffles? Drop your ideas in the comments below!
This one is spot on! Carrots are the only veggie my 4 year old likes… peas too… buts it! So we need to eat them! Putting these ingredients onto the shopping list and trying this out this weekend. We could use some cook ahead options to keep the kitchen cleaner during the week!
Thanks, Kisha! Carrots are the favorite over here, too. Lemme know how it works out! The veggie egg cups can be made ahead of time and frozen individually as well. Then you can just grab what you need and toss them in the microwave or toaster oven!