The Best Cheap Breakfast Protein Ideas that Aren’t Eggs

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I love eggs—they’re basically a superfood for pregnancy, and definitely my go-to breakfast protein!

So it has been extremely challenging for me to come up with cheap breakfast protein ideas that aren’t eggs!

“Creativity loves constraints” 

Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow! 

As frustrating as egg prices have been, after a lot of trial and error, I have found a few options that I can rotate that my family loves and I can make cheaply! 

Affordable High-Protein Breakfasts Without Eggs

Here are three fantastic options you can easily prepare at home:

1. Homemade Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is creamy, packed with protein, and significantly cheaper when homemade! 

I love making yogurt parfaits for my family with whole milk Greek yogurt, honey, chopped fruit, and nuts for a little extra healthy protein & fat!

Greek yogurt has about 15 g of protein per 3/4 cup.

A real game-changer for me was learning how ridiculously easy it is to make your own Greek yogurt at home without any special equipment! 

1 gallon of whole milk yields about 4 cups (32oz) of Greek yogurt—and it requires very little hands on time!

You can find my super easy Greek yogurt recipe here!

2. Homemade Chicken Breakfast Sausage

I was floored when I learned that I can make my own delicious chicken breakfast sausage! 

Store bought Chicken Sausage can cost \$4.00-\$10.00 per pound (depending if you buy organic). But it’s just cooked, ground up meat + lots of seasonings!

Making your own homemade chicken sausage can save you $2-$8 per pound!

It’s super tasty, and you can control the amount of sodium, sugar, and completely avoid preservatives.

I make a big batch of it at one time and freeze for later so it is grab n’ go!

Homemade chicken sausage can be as cheap as the chicken you buy—I like to get free range whole young chickens from Walmart, carve them and grind up the meat for every extra bit of savings.

You can read my article here on how I cook from whole young chickens to save money & get better quality meat!

Equipment for making Homemade Sausage

To make great sausage it really is worth it to grind your own meat. It saves so much money!

The heat and speed of a blender can break down proteins too much, turn the meat into a sticky meat “paste”, and cause the fats to emulsify and separate weirdly. 

If you have a kitchen aid, they sell attachments to grind meat!

Otherwise something like this manual meat grinder is probably the best budget option.

Since I’m saving about \$8 per pound of chicken sausage (and we eat a lot of it!), the savings add up quick and the meat grinder is paid for before you know it! 

3. Budget-Friendly Protein Shakes (Using Huel)

We love having Huel protein powder on hand! The shakes are delicious and we feel really confident about the ingredients. 

Huel provides affordable, complete nutrition and is excellent for quick, filling protein shakes. It’s nutritionally balanced and vegan-friendly, perfect for busy mornings.

We buy the black edition, which costs \$2.65 per serving. There’s 40g of protein per serving! 

We actually only use half the recommended serving size per shake because they are overly filling with two scoops. So that takes down our cost to $1.32 per serving! 

We like to make ours with milk or almond milk, half a banana and a scoop of natural peanut butter for the tastiest result!

Building a Balanced No-Egg Breakfast

For a balanced breakfast, I use these components in combination:

• Protein: Yogurt, sausage, or protein shake
• Carbs: Homemade sourdough toast, oats, or fruit
• Healthy Fats: Nut butter, avocado, or seeds

I meal prep Greek yogurt once or twice a week, and make a big batch of chicken sausage every couple of weeks. 

Final thoughts

Staying in budget and feeding my family healthy, filling breakfasts that will sustain them through the day has become so much easier for me since I have added these simple protein sources into our diet! 

It does take some time in the kitchen in advance, but I love that once I have these ingredients prepped they are completely grab n’ go after that! 

What are your favorite healthy breakfast options? I’d love to know!