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Quick and Easy Low-Carb Breakfast Recipes

Updated: 4/4/22 11:40 amPublished: 4/4/22
By Catherine Newman

Ham and Egg CupsLooking for a breakfast dish that you can grab on your way out the door? These low-carb recipes are easy to make and and taste great straight from the fridge.

These breakfasts are the lovely kind that you can make ahead of time because you’re a good friend to your future morning self – the one who needs to start the day with a nourishing meal. The kind you need in your repertoire if you live with people who claim they have no time for breakfast.

They’re all easy to make and taste great straight from the fridge (although you can reheat the egg-based meals if you prefer). They also make excellent snacks – and, luckily, there’s no law saying you can’t eat the same thing at 3:00 pm that you ate at 8:00 am.

Quick and Easy Low-Carb Breakfast Recipes for Diabetes

Overnight Berry Chia Pudding

Adam Brown, the author of our book "Bright Spots & Landmines: The Diabetes Guide I Wish Someone Had Handed Me," refers to chia pudding as “a three-minute breakfast that changes lives,” and notes that “each 1/4 cup of chia seeds has 20 grams of carbs, though 16 grams are from fiber (80%), translating to little BG [blood glucose] impact.”

It is also weirdly yummy, with a delightfully strange texture that is a little bit like a cross between bubble tea and caviar. You can use dairy milk instead of coconut milk to increase the protein, or add protein powder if you like. You can also make your life easier by doubling the recipe: shake it up in a big jar and then portion into two smaller ones.

Get the recipe: Overnight Berry Chia Pudding

Savory Zucchini Breakfast MuffinsSavory Zucchini Breakfast Muffins

These satisfying little pucks are like a cross between a muffin and a quiche, and they’re wonderful. The zucchini and eggs make them healthful and nourishing, the cheese and meat make them perfectly tasty, and the coconut flour gives them a unique, moist texture. That said, there is not really a good substitute for the coconut flour, as is both low-carb an

d moisture-retaining (however, if you can’t find it at the store, you can make it yourself by whizzing dried unsweetened coconut in a blender or food processor until you get a powder). This recipe is easily doubled, and you can season the muffins however you like: with herbs or spices or garlic powder or even a bit of mustard, as your household tastes dictate. I like them best just like this.

Get the recipe: Savory Zucchini Breakfast Muffins

Ham and Prosciutto CupsHam and Egg Cups

These savory breakfast cups are fun and even kind of pretty, if flowers made of lunch meat can be described as “pretty.” They’re also surprisingly quick and easy to make; you can make a lot of them at once to eat at your grab-and-go leisure. Plus, you can switch things up as you like with different types of ham, like prosciutto, or different seasonings or chopped vegetables – just make sure not to use any that will give up a bunch of liquid and make the eggs watery (mushrooms and spinach need to be cooked first for this reason; peppers can be added raw).

Get the recipe: Ham and Egg Cups

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About the authors

Catherine loves to write about food and feeding people. In addition to her recipe and parenting blog Ben & Birdy (which has about 15,000 weekly readers), she edits the ChopChop... Read the full bio »