12 Simple Ways To Add Protein To Your Favorite Breakfast Sweets

When it comes to breakfast, people gravitate toward many deliciously sweet options. From tasty French toast to indulgent breakfast donuts, they can be hard to resist. The one negative aspect of having a sweet breakfast, however, is that you can end up feeling hungry again soon after eating. Now, why would that be? The answer is simple — you didn't eat a well-rounded meal.

As a certified nutrition coach, one of the biggest things I've focused on with clients, as well as myself, is figuring out how to have a balanced breakfast. It's important to start the morning with a good mixture of carbohydrates, fats, and protein — as you need all of these macronutrients to support your body throughout the day. Among those, protein tends to be harder to get enough of. Studies have shown that having a higher amount of protein to start the day helps keep you full and satisfied until your next meal. Protein also has many benefits, like aiding in muscle growth, supporting the immune system, and providing energy for your body.

The great news is that wanting to eat more protein doesn't mean you need to ditch your favorite breakfast sweets. In this article, I will share some of the most popular sweet breakfast dishes, and offer different ways to add more protein to each.

Pancakes are hands down one of the most commonly eaten breakfast foods in the U.S. Whether you like to make your pancake batter from scratch, use popular store-bought pancakes mixes, or enjoy ordering them for your local diner, there's nothing like drizzling a heaping amount of syrup onto a mouthwatering stack. One of my favorite ways to add protein to pancakes is quite simple: protein powder.

I've tried many types of protein powders in my pancakes, and I've found that vanilla whey mixes smoothly into the batter and tastes the best. All you need to do is add one scoop of protein powder for every serving your batter makes. If you mix it with the dry ingredients of the batter first, it will blend in seamlessly. I can't even notice a difference between regular pancakes and the protein-heavy version in either taste or texture. By using whey protein, you will get an extra 25 grams of protein per serving, depending on the brand.

Another option (especially if you're ordering your pancakes from a restaurant) is to top them with a generous drizzle of peanut butter. Peanut butter has about 7 grams of protein per 2-tablespoon serving. Not only does it add a delicious taste to your pancake stack, but it will satiate you with both fat and protein.

Nothing quite matches the satisfaction of biting into a delicious donut slathered in icing or glaze. There are many types of donuts out there, and most are usually made with ingredients like flour, butter, eggs, milk, and yeast. At their core, these ingredients don't yield a high amount of protein. The famous donuts at Dunkin', for example, have an average of about 4 grams of protein each, which isn't much at all.

To fill your donut hankering while still consuming a good amount of protein, you can easily make your own at home. Simply combine common ingredients like flour, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, and milk with protein powder, much like if you were making homemade cupcakes or muffins. Use a donut-shaped baking pan, and bake them in the oven instead of frying. To glaze the donuts, you can mix powdered sugar, milk, and your choice of vanilla extract or cocoa powder.

Ultimately, you will end up with donuts that contain around 12 grams of protein each (depending on the protein powder you use) — as opposed to a fraction of that from your average donut at Dunkin'. If you don't want to make your own donuts from scratch, I recommend simply drinking a glass of milk with your donut (or a latte works, too). A cup of dairy milk has about 8 grams of protein, so it's definitely better than nothing.

Oatmeal can be a tasty, filling, and satisfying breakfast — if you make it right. Many people tend to miss out on all of the potential benefits they could get from oatmeal by adding too many carbohydrate-heavy ingredients, as opposed to rounding it out with protein. One cup of cooked oats has about 28 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of protein. To create a balanced meal, it's best to boost your protein count so it's closer to the carbohydrate content.

My secret hack to make this happen is simple, and you can use it for any type of delicious oatmeal recipe you might want to follow. Instead of cooking your oats with water, I recommend using Fairlife milk, which is made by filtering the milk to concentrate the protein, while simultaneously filtering out most of the sugar. One cup of Fairlife milk contains 13 grams of protein, as opposed to 8 grams of protein in standard milk, so your total protein count for the meal will jump to 19 grams. I prefer the taste of oatmeal made with milk as opposed to water — it's much creamier and sweeter, and it ends up keeping me full throughout the morning.

A breakfast bagel is an incredibly simple, delicious breakfast that many Americans depend on. The two most common toppings for a bagel are either butter or cream cheese — however, I implore you to try something new. Both cream cheese and butter contain barely a gram of protein per tablespoon. That's not really cutting it. Instead, go ahead and top your bagel with cottage cheese. To make it more of a whipped, cream cheese consistency, you can actually blend your cottage cheese. It will come out with a soft and creamy consistency that spreads perfectly onto a bagel. 

For an even tastier result, add in whatever flavorings you like, similar to flavored cream cheese. I recommend ingredients like blueberries, raisins, vanilla extract, or cinnamon. You're sure to enjoy this tasty switch, and you'll appreciate the extra protein as well. If you add ½ cup of cottage cheese to your bagel, that will give you a whopping 14 grams of protein.

Another option is to make your own bagels from scratch, using cottage cheese in the batter instead of as a topping. To do this, you can simply mix together self-rising flour, cottage cheese, and eggs. Shape the dough into rings and pop them in the air fryer or oven for an easy batch of protein bagels.

Overnight oats are a great option for people who are on the go in the mornings. You can prepare them the night before, and it's an easy option to grab and eat on your commute or in the office. Overnight oats are simply made with oats and milk that sit in the refrigerator overnight. The oats soak up the moisture from the milk, and it creates a cold, almost pudding-like consistency. It's easier than you may think to make overnight oats a higher protein meal.

One way is to add ½ cup of Greek yogurt into the mixture. My personal choice, Fage 2%, contains about 11 grams of protein for every ½ cup. The fun doesn't stop there. Next, throw in 2 ½ tablespoons of chia seeds. These will also soak up the moisture from the milk and yogurt and add 5 grams of protein. Lastly, I love to top my overnight oats with sliced almonds and mix them into the oats in the morning. If you use about ¼ cup of sliced almonds, that will add another 5 grams of protein. All together, by incorporating these ingredients into your overnight oats, you will be adding 21 extra grams of protein — plus, it'll taste good, too.

French toast can be made in a variety of ways, like this delicious strawberries and cream French toast bake recipe. The one downside to a delicious French toast breakfast, however, is that at its core, you're just eating bread with a little bit of egg and a lot of sugar; it doesn't quite offer much in the way of nutrients — especially protein. The key to changing that is by choosing a type of bread that has more protein than average.

One great option I recommend is Dave's Killer Bread, made with 21 whole grains and seeds. Two slices of this bread (which is an average serving of French toast) pack in 12 grams of protein. This comes from the extra ingredients like quinoa, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, and more, which all offer an abundance of nutrients, including protein. When compared to your average white bread, with only 6 grams of protein for two slices, this simple change will add double the amount of protein.

Another option to get more protein in your French toast is to top it with whipped ricotta cheese instead of whipped cream. Since ricotta has a neutral and almost sweet taste, it will go great with any syrup you drizzle over the top. This will also add about 10 grams of protein per ½ cup of ricotta cheese.

Who doesn't love a classic breakfast muffin, especially when heading out in the morning? Muffins are a simple, tasty breakfast option, and they can be made in many different ways. Whether you're a fan of classic blueberry, bran, or you're more of a chocolate chip muffin kind of person, there are a few high-protein ingredients that you can add to any flavor.

One of the easiest options is to add protein powder to the muffin batter. Unlike pancakes, I've found that adding plant-based protein powder works better with the flavor and consistency of muffins. You're going to want to add one scoop of powder for every two servings the recipe makes. Mix the powder with the other dry ingredients in your recipe, then follow the directions as normal. I recommend Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder, which has 22 grams of protein per scoop, adding 11 grams of protein to each muffin.

One key thing to note when adding protein powder to a mixture you'll bake in the oven is that it will need a bit more moisture than normal. Two protein-rich options to mix in are milk or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt.

When it comes to breakfast smoothies, you can add whatever ingredient your heart desires. If you only include ingredients like fruit and milk, however, you're missing out on a ton more nutrients you could be getting. To start, let's take a look at the base of the smoothie.

For a creamy, protein-dense base, you will need two main ingredients: Fairlife milk and Greek yogurt. With nearly double the amount of protein as regular milk, Fairlife is an easy option if you're looking to get more protein in. Greek yogurt adds 11 grams of protein per ½ cup, and it also helps to thicken the smoothie mixture, making it feel much more luxurious. I prefer to add vanilla flavored Greek yogurt, that way it balances a bit of the tart flavoring.

Next, we can focus on add-ins. One protein-rich ingredient to add to a smoothie is chia seeds, which have 5 grams per 2 ½ tablespoons. Chia seeds also contain fiber, which will help keep you full for longer. My personal favorite add-in for a smoothie is peanut or almond butter. They add a ton of flavor, make it taste much more indulgent, and also add protein; both of these nut butters have about 7 grams of protein per 2-tablespoon serving.

If you've never made a mug cake, let me introduce you to one of the easiest and tastiest ways to whip up a delicious treat. Mug cakes are essentially small, single-serving cakes that you can make in a mug, right in the microwave. There are many types of mug cakes, like this delicious Oreo mug cake for dessert. However, they aren't only reserved for dessert. My favorite mug cake is banana protein, and it makes the perfect breakfast.

This mug cake only needs a few ingredients: banana, vanilla protein powder, milk, oat flour, a sweetener of your choice, baking powder, and chocolate chips. In a large, microwave-safe mug, mix together these ingredients and place it in the microwave for about 90 seconds, and you're good to go. This tasty treat will pack in about 15 grams of protein, and it will taste great while doing it.

Almost every breakfast buffet features sweets like cinnamon rolls and danishes. While they are absolutely delicious, neither of these options are generally made in a way that will give you a lot of protein. In order to not completely take away the fun of eating these delicious treats, I'd like to share a simple way to add just a little bit of protein to them.

The icing or cream on top of cinnamon rolls and danishes is always the best part — and there's a way to make it even better. To make a version of your own high protein cream cheese icing, all you're going to need is cream cheese, Greek yogurt, vanilla whey protein powder, and a sweetener of your choice. Begin by mixing together the cream cheese and yogurt, and then add in the whey protein and sweetener. You won't be able to tell that this is an altered version of cream cheese icing, as the vanilla flavoring from the protein powder and the moisture and thickness from the Greek yogurt actually add to the flavoring and creaminess. With one serving of this delicious cream cheese icing, you will get about 5 extra grams of protein.

A fruit or granola parfait is another delicious breakfast staple that can't be ignored. One of my all time pet peeves, however, is when my nutrition clients use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt for their parfaits. Now, there is nothing wrong with regular yogurt — but when you compare the protein count between the two, it's a no-brainer which one you should be using.

Regular, low fat yogurt contains about 8 grams of protein per 8-ounce serving. Low fat Greek yogurt, on the other hand, contains 22 grams of protein for the same serving size. If you can opt to start your day with protein-rich Greek yogurt, it will only benefit you. Now, to top off your parfait, choose a granola that will add protein to the dish. I recommend Nature Valley Protein Granola, which contains 13 grams of protein per ⅔-cup serving, or Hemp! Yeah Granola, which contains 14 grams of protein per ¾-cup serving. Both of these options contain extra ingredients, like nuts and seeds, that amp up the protein count of standard granola.

Another common breakfast sweet that I simply can't skip over is a classic breakfast granola bar. Although there are many great packaged brands out there, making your own breakfast bars can be even better. This recipe for nut-free Greek yogurt granola bars is a great one to follow, as it already has 12 grams of protein per serving. This tasty breakfast bar is made with Medjool dates, mixed berries, maple syrup, rolled oats, ground flaxseed, sunflower seed butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and vanilla Greek yogurt.

The Greek yogurt gets spread on top of the granola mixture, which is placed in the freezer so it hardens up. One hack to take this recipe even further protein-wise is to mix either vanilla or unflavored protein powder into the Greek yogurt. Don't knock it until you try it; the powder actually seamlessly mixes in, as long as you stir well. You can add about two scoops of protein powder for every 1 ½ cups of Greek yogurt. This will provide about 5 extra grams of protein per serving, depending on the brand of protein powder that you use.