“What did you have for breakfast this morning?”, she asked.
I was pregnant with my first baby and at my 20-week appointment. I had just finished telling my doctor that I was feeling extremely exhausted and a bit dizzy.
“Cheerios.”, I told her, with all the confidence in the world that she’d be proud of my healthy choice.
“That’s it?”, she asked. “Well, yeah,” I thought to myself. “Isn’t that enough?”
Apparently it wasn’t. She told me that I needed to be eating at least 15-20 grams of protein with my breakfast to give me the energy I needed to sustain me until my next meal. Cheerios wasn’t going to cut it.
And that’s not just the case with pregnancy. Turns out, consuming enough protein with every meal is a crucial part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. From helping you to feel fuller, longer to fat burning to bone health to lower blood pressure and so much more, sufficient protein is a MUST for a healthy diet, and especially important for breakfast.
A 5-second Google or Pinterest search will deliver a gazillion high-protein breakfast recipes, but let’s get into the season a bit, shall we? Let’s chai this baby up!
Here are 6 healthy, high-protein chai recipes that are perfect for cozy fall breakfasts. The recipes are also vegan, gluten-free and 100% delicious.
(I made you a quick-reference recipe sheet that you can print and post on your fridge for chai-flavored inspo all Fall-long. Grab it for free below!)
High-Protein Chai Breakfast Recipes for Fall (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Chai Detox Tea Latte
4 oz. almond or cashew milk, unsweetened
1 cup brewed detox tea, hot
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scoop plant-based Chai protein powder
Pinch of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
Blend all ingredients together until smooth and enjoy!
Chai Protein Green Smoothie
2-3 handfuls spinach
1/3 frozen banana
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1-2 Tablespoons sunflower seed butter
1 cup almond or cashew milk, unsweetened
2 scoops plant-based Chai protein powder
Pinch of cinnamon
1/2 scoop Greens Balance (optional)
Ice + Cold Water
Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Serve with raspberries!
Hot Chai Breakfast Bowl
1 cup gluten free hot cereal
3/4 cup almond or cashew milk, unsweetened
1 scoop plant-based Chai protein powder
2 Tablespoons toasted pecans
2 Tablespoons toasted raw coconut
Prepare hot cereal with milk and protein powder. Top with pecans and coconut. Enjoy!!
Chai Banana Protein Smoothie
2 scoops plant-based Chai protein powder
1/2 frozen banana, sliced
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
6-8 ice cubes + 1 cup cold water
2 Tablespoons almond butter
2 Tablespoons chia seeds or ground flax seeds
Blend all ingredients together until smooth and enjoy!
Chai Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
1 cup brewed detox tea, cooled (I keep a pitcher in my fridge!)
1 cup organic canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup flax milk or nut milk, unsweetened
2 scoops plant-based Chai protein powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon + more for garnish
2 cups ice
Blend all ingredients together until smooth and enjoy!
Chia Chai Pudding
1 1/2 cups coconut milk, unsweetened
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1 scoop plant-based Chai protein powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon pink salt
Add all ingredients to an air tight container and whisk together until incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Divide between two bowls and top with coconut whipped cream, if desired.
*The protein powder I use for our family (and for these recipes) is a naturally flavored chai plant-based protein from Arbonne. You can use any protein powder you like, however, I do not know if the recipes will turn out the same. But half of the joy of cooking is experimentation, right? Have fun in the kitchen!
Off-Season Tip: The Chai protein powder is seasonal and made in limited quantities, so if you come across this article outside of the season and it isn’t available, you can use Vanilla Protein Powder instead (or your own fave) and add chai seasoning!
Hope you enjoy these healthy and delicious high-protein chai breakfast recipes as much as I do! Let me know your favorite in the comments below 🙂
Candis, I didn’t realize we have so many options for breakfast. Picking what to have for breakfast is a big task. This is a treasure of information for me. Thanks for sharing.
Sure Joanna! With a little research and planning, it’s totally doable to have a healthy breakfast every day! Thanks for stopping by 🙂