These gluten free breakfast ideas are made with whole food, nutrient dense ingredients, and they'll please everyone at the table!

Gluten free breakfast ideas
Try our homemade acai bowls

Here's the thing about gluten free breakfast ideas: they're delicious and filling no matter your diet! Whether you eat a fully gluten free diet or just like to keep your gluten level to a minimum, these breakfast ideas are perfect for mornings. And we promise: everyone at the table will love them! In fact, most people probably won't even notice that they're gluten free.

Our philosophy for gluten free breakfast ideas is to keep them naturally gluten free. That means we steer away from gluten free flour blends, since they can sometimes have mysterious additives and preservatives. Instead, we opt towards nutrient dense whole foods, like almond flour and oats. Ready to get eating?

And now…our top gluten free breakfast ideas!

This naturally gluten free baked oatmeal is cozy and comforting, flecked with apples and flavored with cinnamon and allspice. It's perfect for special gathering, or refrigerate and eat off of it all week. It takes about 1 hour start to finish, but the flavor is absolutely worth it and most of that time is hands off. Leftovers save well and make for a healthy breakfast recipe that lasts throughout the week!

Also try: Banana Baked Oatmeal or Overnight Oats

Are you a pancake lover? Alex and I are, except for the feeling afterwards. Eating a normal pancake of flour and sugar makes my stomach hurt, and I get a major sugar crash. Then, I'm hungry about an hour later! So Alex and I love creating pancakes that not only taste good, but are full of nutrient-dense whole foods.

These oatmeal pancakes are just that: made mainly of oats and bananas (no flour!) and naturally sweet with maple syrup. Prep is also very easy: they're made in a blender! These are one of our top gluten free breakfast ideas, for lazy mornings when time allows.

Also try: grain free Fluffy Almond Flour Pancakes!

Here's an easy make-ahead gluten-free breakfast idea: mini frittatas! Basically a muffin made of egg, they're easy to meal prep and grab as you're headed out the door. Refrigerate or freeze 'em, and you can eat off them all week. The best part: they'resotasty! They're filled with colorful veggies and crunchy pecans for added protein and nutrients.

Do you love acai bowls? That creamy, frosty purple smoothie is inexplicably delicious. And with a colorful confetti of toppings, it's different in every bite. Acai bowls are becoming quite popular in the US, after originating in Brazil. They're perfect as gluten free breakfast ideas or snacks: but for us, they're every bit as satisfying as a decadent dessert too!

Said one reader:"Made your acai bowl recipe for breakfast today and OH MY! I've never had one that I've enjoyed as much as this. This was so perfectly balanced, and my husband loved it too!"

These fluffy gluten free waffles are magic. They are all things a waffle should be: lightly sweet, tender and fluffy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. But instead of refined flour and sugar, these waffles have a simple, whole food base: almond flour and eggs. Magic, right?

Almond flour is typically very dense: however, the magic here is whipping egg whites into a frothy foam that's folded into the batter. What results is a lightly fluffy dream, not what you would expect of almond flour at all!

Many store-bought granolas and homemade granola recipes are full of sugar and oil, and very high calorie. But! This healthy granola recipe came about because we wanted to feed our son Larson something that was actually healthy. It ended up being healthier than most granolas, and easy to make too.

And it's so delicious: perfectly crunchy, warmly spiced, and just the right amount of sweetness. Serve it over yogurt or with almond milk for a delicious gluten free breakfast idea.

Want a hearty, savory breakfast that doubles as a tasty simple dinner? Try this Breakfast Skillet! Cheesy hash browns topped with runny egg yolks and salsa? Yes please! Even better, the spices in the potatoes mimic breakfast sausage (hello, fennel!) so the entire vibe is extremely hearty and satisfying.

Another hearty gluten free breakfast idea: this Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole! It's hearty and satisfying, pairing cheesy hash browns with chili powder, garlic powder and cumin for massive savory flavor. Because it's easy to make ahead, it's super unfussy and low maintenance.

It's hard to find a good gluten free banana muffins recipe. But consider this your new go to! These muffins have been made by many readers and followers who cannot believe how light and fluffy they are. This muffins recipe came about from a challenge that Alex and I gave ourselves to make a healthy muffin we wouldn't feel bad feeding our 2 year old Larson.

We think that these healthy banana muffins hit the mark– and we hope you agree!  Slather them with peanut butter or almond butter for a fantastic gluten free breakfast idea.

Alex and I are normally low maintenance breakfast people (read: peanut butter toast). But every now and then we're up for a special weekend breakfast. And, we're always looking for new and delicious ideas for breakfasts–especially gluten free breakfast ideas since we like to stretch ourselves to think outside of flour and sugar.

These sweet potato has browns are so, so simple and so delicious. They're our new favorite way to cook sweet potatoes because you don't even have to have good knife skills! And they're almost totally hands off.

Because sugar-loaded muffins make us feel horrible afterwards, Alex and I created our Gluten Free Banana Muffins (see above), lightly sweet and made with oats and maple syrup in a blender. Well, we did it again! This time, we got our hands on banana bread.

Because banana bread is just an excuse to eat cake, right? Typically it's full of oil, refined flour, and refined sugar. We're not out to vilify these ingredients: we literally just don't want the sugar high and crash after we eat it! SO: we've created this easy healthy banana bread, made of 100% whole grain oats (no flour) and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. And it actually tastes good.

Some of our very favorite gluten free breakfast ideas include–you guessed it–oatmeal! This homemade instant oatmeal recipe is so simple we wish we would have thought of it ages ago. Instead of standing over the stove in the morning, this instant oatmeal can be made in just 2 minutes in the microwave. Simple as that! And it's cheaper, healthier and tastier than store bought.

In very few of our recipes do we use gluten free flour. Instead, we try to make naturally gluten free recipes using whole food ingredients like oat flour and almond flour. Using this philosophy does make it difficult in baked goods to come up with a suitable texture. Gluten does go a long way in bringing in a fluffy, beautiful muffin texture. For these muffins we've used oat flour and rolled oats as the base for the muffin, but added a few tricks so they turn out moist and beautifully fluffy.

The frittata is one of our favorites for gluten free breakfast ideas or brunch entrees — but you can even serve them as a simple dinner! This roasted tomato and asparagus frittata is lovely for entertaining. While you'd imagine cooking the asparagus and using the tomatoes raw, we've flip-flopped it! To capitalize on the fresh spring flavor of asparagus, we've shaved it into long ribbons. Not only is the flavor lighter than cooked asparagus, the ribbons look lovely and bright green as they decorate the asparagus frittata.

We're generally suspicious of recipes with superlatives like "the best oatmeal." But after a few minutes of toasting these oats, you'll find the smell that fills your kitchen is so nutty and sweet you'll agree before even tasting this oatmeal! The oats are chewy (instead of the creamy texture of the stirred method) and deliciously nutty from toasting. Our favorite toppings: all natural peanut butter and strawberry jam. They'll keep you full all day long!

Also try: Easy Instant Pot Oatmeal.

This recipe for fluffy scrambled eggs is pretty incredible, ultra simple, and of course a naturally gluten free breakfast idea. We used my mom's method for the best scrambled eggs, cooking the eggs over low heat and gently shaping them into soft folds. And for an elevated, tangy flair, we've added goat cheese for flavor. What results is a creamy, gooey, addicting mess.

This spiced cherry oatmeal takes only 10 minutes of hands on time, and it saves for breakfasts for the rest of the week. Though we don't often make breakfast recipes, we've found time to fit it in: by making it on the weekend, or on a weeknight to save for the next few days. To me, having a tasty, wholesome and naturally gluten free breakfast in the refrigerator is worth it. Reader Lauren sent us a message: "The baked cherry oatmeal was a major hit in our house! My 3 year old ate it up 2 mornings in a row (my 9 month old also enjoyed it!) It's so nice to have hands-off breakfasts that come together quickly and taste delicious."

One of our favorite gluten free breakfast ideas and an alternative to granola is muesli! In contrast to granola, which is covered in sugar and oil and baked, homemade muesli uses raw oats and nuts. Our version here is a toasted muesli: it toasts the oats and nuts very lightly for a little texture, but without oil, which keeps them raw. How to eat muesli? Our favorite way is with milk, just like a normal cereal: use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk. You can also sprinkle it over yogurt like a granola.

Here's a quick and easy gluten free breakfast idea: the omelette! This recipe makes the most delicious omelette you've ever had: classic French style, with a golden exterior, soft interior, and loads of savory flavor. Here's our adaptation of Julia's Child's classic technique, and it really does make the best omelette recipe imaginable.

Are you a steel cut oats fan? These chewy oats have a porridge-like texture and feel like a cozy hug in the morning. They're a fun way to mix up the standard Old Fashioned oats, and may have some slight benefits over them: though both are an incredibly healthy way to start the day! You can make a big pot of steel cut oats in 25 minutes and eat off of the leftovers all week!

You'll be surprised how much this tofu scramble has the flavor and texture of scrambled eggs! It's a healthy, savory vegan and gluten-free breakfast that takes only 10 minutes to whip up. If you'd like, serve it with a veggie saute: red onion, peppers and greens sauteed until tender.

And last up in our gluten free breakfast ideas: one more pancakes recipe! Just like our pancakes above, these are gluten free oatmeal pancakes using oat flour, which makes them hearty and filling. At the same time, they're also light and fluffy! The tangy lemon poppy seed flavor is perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee….or three!

Print

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Description

You'll be blown away by the flavor of this gluten free baked oatmeal! It's so easy to make and endlessly versatile: a true go-to recipe.

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup pecan pieces (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 apple, cut into small cubes (or 1 cup blueberries, raspberries, raisins, or dried cranberries)
  • 1 large egg (or flax egg for vegan)
  • 2 cups milk or non-dairy milk
  • ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, plus 1 tablespoon for drizzling
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter (coconut oil, for vegan)
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.*
  2. Butter an 8 x 8″ or 9 x 9″ pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the rolled oats, pecan pieces, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and kosher salt.
  3. Dump the dries into the prepared pan. Add the diced apple in a layer on top.
  4. In the same bowl, whisk the egg, then add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Use a fork to lightly stir so it gets evenly incorporated.
  5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
  6. Before serving, melt the butter with the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup (in the microwave or on the stove). Drizzle the butter evenly over the top and serve. Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 1 week: reheat in a 300 degree oven or microwave until warm.

Notes

*Make ahead instructions: do not make the entire pan in advance and refrigerate overnight because the oats will absorb all the liquid. You can mix up the wets and dries separately and store in separate containers (with the wets refrigerated), then pour them together in the morning and bake.

  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas

Looking for more gluten free breakfast ideas?

  • 15 Plant Based & Vegan Breakfast Ideas If you eat vegan as well, here's another list of breakfast ideas!
  • How to Fry an Egg: Try all the ways to cook diner-style eggs: Sunny Side Up, Over Easy, Over Medium, or Over Hard.
  • Vegetarian Spinach Quiche Try this quiche on special occasions: it's a crowd pleaser!
  • Apple Cinnamon Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats Make a big batch of oatmeal and eat off of it all week.
  • Baked Eggs with Parmesan Baked eggs make the perfect special breakfast.
  • Coconut Strawberry Smoothie Smoothies are perfect for busy mornings.
  • Wild card: Gluten Free Oat and Buckwheat Pancakes

Last updated: September 2020

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.