Starting your day with your fair share of nutrients is a must for us when we have a long day ahead, and packing everything in a single breakfast fruit bowl is a great way to nail it.
Make this with what you have at home, so just the fruits and add-ons are only directional; the aim here is to give not only you some inspiration but the right mix of kinds of ingredients and some tips on how to achieve a great result, even when you don’t have prepared granola muesli.
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🤔 Why should you eat fruit for breakfast?
When breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it may seem counterintuitive to replace breakfast cereal or toast with a breakfast fruit bowl.
Nevertheless, eating fruits in the morning will provide you with all the nutrients your body needs to function at its best in an easy breakfast that takes just minutes to prepare.
You can enjoy it as a sweet indulgence or as a dessert, but it should not be eaten as part of the main course -- breakfast, for instance. What does science say? Fruit for breakfast is a great idea! Experts agree that wholegrain cereals topped with fresh fruits appear to be the ideal combination for weight control.
Some breakfast cereals have a low glycemic index, avoiding blood sugar spikes and delivering sustained energy.
In addition, breakfast cereal is a good source of essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B, calcium, iron, and zinc. Fruit for breakfast plays the role of an antioxidant protective shield against free radicals that damage cells from within.
You should not be concerned about the high natural sugar content of fruit as it is combined with valuable nutrients, vitamins, and fiber that help maintain a steady blood sugar level.
Moreover, breakfast cereals provide slowly digestible starch; if your breakfast bowl includes fruits such as bananas or berries, you will notice an improvement in digestion.
We also like cooking oatmeal as dessert or breakfast, as we do for this creamy cardamom pudding recipe, or we use uncooked rolled oats for an overnight lemon and blueberry, or pumpkin oats.
🧾 Ingredients
This breakfast fruit bowl recipe is super customizable. Choose your cereals, fresh fruit, power foods, and favorite toppings. The following ingredients are my favorite.
- Gluten-free rolled oats: Your belly's best friend in the morning; these oats are high in fiber and protein, setting you up for a day of hustle and flow. Plus, they're gluten-free, making them a win-win for everyone at the breakfast table.
- Chia seeds: These little powerhouses are packed with omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, keeping you full until lunchtime rolls around. They also add a fun texture to the bowl, sort of like nature's sprinkles!
- Banana: Nature's energy bar brings natural sweetness and a dose of potassium, which is perfect for muscle recovery if you're hitting the gym or the yoga mat later.
- Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Its vitamin C boosts your immune system, and the crunch adds a satisfying bite to your fruit bowl.
- Goji berries or raisins: These are your antioxidant all-stars, fighting off those pesky free radicals. Choose goji for a unique tartness or raisins for a classic sweet touch.
- Berries: Packed with antioxidants and low in calories, berries add color, flavor, and a nutritional punch. Whether it's strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries, you're adding a burst of summer to your bowl.
- Your choice of nuts: Choose your crunch! Nuts bring in healthy fats and a dose of protein. Whether it's almonds, walnuts, or pecans, you add texture and nutrition.
- Cocoa powder or ground cinnamon: Spice up your life! Cocoa offers a guilt-free chocolatey twist and is rich in antioxidants, while cinnamon adds warmth and can help regulate blood sugar.
- Maple syrup: The natural sweet finish to your culinary masterpiece. It's lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar, plus it brings minerals like zinc and manganese to the party.
Optionally, top with applesauce.
See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.
🔪 Instructions
- Soak your oats in water overnight. You can soak them for only 15 minutes before eating them as well.
- Arrange your soaked oats in a breakfast bowl, add the soaked chia seeds and your selection of fresh fruit, and top with the cocoa and maple syrup.
💡 Tips
Add seeds or nuts
When activated in water, our bodies better digest the nuts, seeds, and oats. Nuts are plant seeds; soaking them for 12 hours can start the germination process, causing changes in the seed.
When you soak nuts and seeds, you minimize their nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances as they are absorbed into the water, making it easier for your body to absorb the great stuff.
Rolled oats absorb so much water that you won’t necessarily need to add milk, making it different from eating a granola bowl, which would be dry granola and need additional moisture on it.
So before going to bed, leave three cups of water for every cup of dry oats, your choice of seeds, and nuts soaking, and just use it as they will be soft in the morning.
In the morning, you will have some oats milk to eat with your breakfast bowl.
Remember, you are not only what you eat; you are what you absorb.
Spice it up
Add spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. They are calorie-free and add lots of nutrients to your food. i.e., cinnamon Lowers Blood Sugar Levels and Has a Powerful Anti-Diabetic Effect.
Add some berries
Add berries, as they are full of antioxidants.
After a nice run or intense yoga workout, I have this breakfast bowl recipe paired with the perfect workout Beetroot Juice, which has excellent post-workout benefits.
🍓 Fresh fruit selection
We like using a combination of two groups of fresh fruit:
Group 1: soft, sweet, and creamy fresh fruit, such as mangoes, bananas, pears, or peaches.
Group 2: Citric or acidic fresh fruit, such as berries, apples, kiwi, or pineapple.
Fruit bowls are great for adding berries in a delicious way to your day and benefit from all their antioxidant effects. We love adding them to our lemon blueberry overnight oats.
🌱 Seeds selection
Remember that seeds are great antioxidants and Omega 3 powerhouses; they are also high in protein and calories. So we need to choose a nice combination, to get a little bit of all their nutrients, but choose small quantities.
Our go-to seeds are chia, flax, poppy, sesame, and sunflower seeds.
🥜 Nuts Selection
The same rule as per seeds apply: use variety and small quantities. Five units of nuts should be enough for a mid-morning snack, so we use from 5 to 10 total nuts for our breakfast fruit bowl recipe.
Go for raw almonds, walnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, and Brazilian or pecan nuts.
You can also add brown sugar candied walnuts as a luscious topping!
❓FAQ
Absolutely! Oatmeal is one of those perfect foods that can last long periods in the freezer. How you like your oatmeal will determine if you need to adjust before freezing it.
Overnight Oats or rolled oats that have soaked overnight in the refrigerator with liquid, fruit, and yogurt will be kept for about four weeks before any changes in texture begin to occur. For this reason, it is suggested only to prepare what you need and avoid storing it for an extended period.
Oatmeal that has been cooked and then frozen in portions will last three to four months, but only if you have used a container with an airtight seal. Packaged oatmeal is another quick option if the package remains sealed tightly after opening. In both cases, adding any flavors, such as brown sugar, fruit, or nuts, after thawing will keep the texture of the oats from changing.
If you are making oatmeal to eat later in the week, it is best to stop and cool off it when it has reached your preferred consistency. If you leave it on the stove too long, some of the water from the oats will evaporate, making it a bit dryer. This can be fixed by adding more liquid when reheating.
Finally, if you are cooking oatmeal for a baby or someone with an appetite who cannot eat as much as you make, freezing your cooked oatmeal is a great way to ensure they receive tasty and healthy meals.
Place the oatmeal in an airtight container and let it thaw overnight before serving. Your baby can enjoy single-sized portions without any extra effort on your part.
The freezer is a great way to store excess oatmeal, but if you want to keep it stored for an extended time, consider purchasing vacuumed sealed containers for freezing. These will ensure that the oatmeal lasts six months without any quality degradation.
📚 Great vegan breakfast recipes
If you like fruit bowl recipes, take a look at this thick smoothie recipe, one of my favorite ways to start the day!
- Ultimate Pre and Post Workout Drink
- The Morning Green Juice
- Oats and Chia Pudding
- Best Tofu Scramble
- How to make a thick smoothie bowl
⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
📋 Recipe
Breakfast Fruit Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats rolled old-fashioned gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 banana
- ½ apple
- 1 teaspoon goji berries or raisins
- 6 blueberries
- 8 almonds
- 4 strawberries
- 4 raspberries
- 4 macadamia nuts
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Directions
- Soak your oats in water overnight. If you want to have some oats milk, so you don’t need to add milk, add a ratio of 3 cups of water for every cup of oats. You can soak them only 15 minutes before eating them- but is better if you do it overnight as they are going to be softer and give you some oats milk.Alternatively soak oats in your favorite plant milk.
- Place your soaked oats in a bowl, add the soaked chia seeds and your selection of fresh fruit, top with the cocoa, and maple syrup.
Notes
Have a Great Day!!
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional Disclaimer
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
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Miguel Roache says
Great article, just what I was looking for Just open & start fruit.
Fantastic post, very informative. I’m wondering why the other experts of this sector don’t notice this.
You must continue your writing. I’m confident, you’ve
a great readers’ base already!
Gus says
Thank you for your message Miguel! We really appreciate your words.
Angela says
This breakfast bowl is my go-to whenever I need to clean up my diet! It's so good and easy to make. Love all of the fresh fruit and nuts.
Jessica Stroup says
My kiddos loved these fruit bowls. They said they were so fancy! A definite do again!
Gus says
That's really cool! I love when kids know how to appreciate a good fruit bowl, packed with nutritious stuff! Thanks for sharing Jessica!
Natalie says
Can't wait to make this to my son for breakfast. He will love this. Looks amazing and so healthy.
Gina M says
This bowl is not only beautiful to look at but beyond delicious! Having this in the morning makes me happy!
Gus says
Thank you Gina!
Heidy says
This breakfast fruit bowl was outstanding! The kids loved it and requested I make your breakfast fruit bowls more often. Heck, I think they would also be excellent for lunch!
Gus says
That's so cool Heidy! I am with your kids! haha thanks for your review!
Rachna says
This is just the kind of breakfast I love to have. Soaked oats with seeds and fruit is so healthy. Will be trying it soon.
Gina says
Such a delicious start to the day! Love the nuts and oats for satiety!
Gus says
starting the day with the right foot!
Wajeeha Nadeem says
This is such a beautiful and appetizing breakfast bowl! I've been in a breakfast rut for too long, and this was just perfect.
Natalie says
Lovely fruity breakfast idea. Looks delicious and healthy. So nutritious. I'm going to make it tomorrow.
Suzy says
This was the best breakfast bowl! So tasty and filling! Will definitely make it again!