Here’s something I just read on one of my favorite sites, Care2. Author and experienced vegan, Becky Striepe, said “When you picture a quick, vegan breakfast, what do you see? Maybe a sad bowl of oat bran cereal with rice milk or dry toast? I find that people who are hesitant about veganism often have a very 1970s view of what vegans eat. Luckily, we’ve come a long way in the last 40 years!”

No kidding we’ve come a long way. Take a look at these amazing vegan breakfast ideas that you can put together in 20 minutes or less. (Does that seem like an oxymoron—“amazing” and “vegan” in the same breath? Give them a try and you tell me!)

1.

Overnight Oatmeal. While making oatmeal doesn’t take long at all, if you’re truly in a time pinch, mix this up the night before. Overnight oatmeal is what it says it is. Instead of cooking the oatmeal, just mix together oats with plant-based milk and add-ins the night before, then refrigerate. In the morning, you can grab your quickie breakfast on the way out the door. And of course, it can be warmed up on the stove or in the microwave.

You can mix up a few days’-worth of overnight oats at a time. Making a triple batch is a good time-saver. Then divide this into individual mason jars and place them in the fridge. It’s nice to have a few grab-and-go breakfasts on hand.

You might notice mornings aren’t really the time for creative forays when prepping food. But evenings seem to be the time you’re more likely to try fun flavor combinations. Here’s a recipe for one of our very favorite overnight oatmeal breakfasts:

BANANA PEANUT BUTTER OVERNIGHT OATS (2 servings)

2 large, ripe bananas

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 cup water OR your vegan milk of choice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons old fashioned peanut butter

1-3 teaspoons pure maple syrup

In a large bowl, mash together all of the ingredients except the maple syrup until the bananas are as smooth as possible. Taste and add maple syrup, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you get the desired sweetness. Divide the mixture between two mason jars, and stick them in the fridge. Go to sleep. Wake up, and eat your oats!

2. Savory Oatmeal. A great alternative to a quick and sweet oat breakfast is a savory oat breakfast. If you’re hesitant about savory oats, you’re not alone! I’m so used to drizzling on maple syrup and mixing in lots of fruit that the idea of savory oatmeal seemed strange at first.

But the versatility of oats is getting more and more attention. I’m becoming a huge savory oatmeal fan. And I love that you don’t need to follow a recipe. A typical flavor and texture combination for me is sauteed onion, greens, and salt added to my cooked oatmeal. It’s a lovely, nutritious start to the day. If you like the idea, you might try this delicious recipe from vegan food blogger, Jackie Sobon (www.veganyackattack.com):

SAVORY ROSEMARY VEGGIE OATS (1 serving)

½ cup rolled oats

½ cup water

½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon coconut oil

⅓ cup diced white onion

2/3 cup sliced button mushrooms

½ cup chopped and firmly packed collard greens

½ cup chopped tomato

½ tablespoon fresh rosemary

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

In a small pot, place the oats water, non-dairy milk, and nutritional yeast. Put the heat to medium, and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.

In another small pan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. When the pan is hot, start sauteing the onions until they start to become clear.

Once the oats come to a boil, adjust the heat to low-medium and stir them every minute or so, so that they don't burn on the bottom.

Return your attention back to the small pan, add the button mushrooms and collard greens to the onions and sauté until the mushrooms are softened and the collards are slightly wilted. Next, add the tomato and rosemary to the vegetable mixture and cook together for 3 minutes. Don’t worry about the excess moisture from the tomatoes, the oats will soak it up for the perfect texture.

Now combine the oats and veggie mixture and stir until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

3.

Avocado Toast. Creative toasting is a strong trend right now. And rightly so. It’s a legitimate way to get a hearty and healthy meal together in quick order. For instance, cool and creamy avocado on crispy, warm toast is such a simply delicious. If you’re a bagel and cream cheese or buttered toast person, this is a good, quick vegan breakfast alternative for you!

The great thing about avocado toast is that you can create a lot of fun variations on this theme. For instance, consider adding either mashed or sliced mango atop your avocado.

4. Chia Pudding. This is another grab-and-go breakfast that you whip up the night before and eat in the morning. Chia seeds are nutritional superstars. They also soak up liquid and plump up to a tapioca-like consistency without any cooking needed. Just mix up your chia seeds in a liquid of your choice, and you’ll have pudding in a couple of hours.

As with overnight oatmeal, consider making a big batch, then dividing the mix into individual serving jars. A few minutes of stirring in the evening yields days of healthy, quick vegan breakfasts.

CHERRY-VANILLA CHIA SEED PUDDING (2 servings)

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1 cup non-dairy milk (your choice)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a pint-sized mason jar, combine the chia seeds, vegan milk, cherries, and vanilla extract. Stir well (chia seeds love to stick together). Close the jar up tightly, give it a good shake, let it sit for 5 minutes; shake again. Wait 5 more minutes, and shake again, then 5 minutes later shake one last time, and stick your jar into the fridge for 8 hours, or overnight. In the morning (or that evening, if you started in the morning), you can feast on chia seed pudding!

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