23 Back-To-School Breakfast Ideas

These back-to-school breakfast ideas are made with real food, simple to make, and kid-friendly!

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First, I think we overcomplicate breakfast.

Second, we all know that the novelty of homemade pancakes and such before school wears out quickly.

So what I’m suggesting here are a few simple school breakfast ideas to help you keep breakfast nourishing AND doable.

I have about 1,000 things on my to-do list, and as much as I love cooking and feeding my kids (yes, I actually do love those) I need to balance good food with other important things – like working, paying bills, school, house chores, maybe having a break or two in the day!

So we keep breakfasts simple.

Everything here you can either make ahead of time, or if you’re an early riser, it doesn’t take long to get it on the table.

I also have some unconventional ideas that my kids taught me!

What is a good breakfast to eat before school?

We all know breakfast is an important meal. Because our breakfast food is generally less expensive than dinner or lunch, I use it to fill my kids up as much as possible.

This is easier for me because breakfast is mostly kid-friendly foods and the kind of dishes that my picky-eaters love.

So I focus a lot on breakfast. My kids fix their own lunches, and dinners are usually very simple at our house (salad, protein, and some kind of healthy carb).

We make simple, budget-friendly breakfasts made with real food. Typically, I make a lot of one thing and we eat it the next few days. This saves me time and energy in the mornings!

10 Great Breakfast Ideas to Eat Before School

These back-to-school breakfasts focus on simple foods and budget-friendly ingredients. You can even make them ahead of time at the beginning of the week!

1. Oatmeal, Eggs, Fruit (I taught my 1st grader how to make his oatmeal in the microwave!)
2. Baked Oatmeal, Eggs/sausage, fruit
3. Yogurt, Granola, Fruit
4. 5-Minute Egg & Cheese Muffins
5. Cheese toast and fruit
6. Overnight Oats
7. Breakfast Sandwich (egg, bacon/cheese)
8. Sheet Pan Pancakes
9. Quick bread (like banana bread or pumpkin bread) and a peice of clean sausage
10. Smoothie, bagel with cream cheese

Make-Ahead Breakfast Tip:

At the beginning of the week, make a batch of baked oatmeal and whatever else you want to make homemade. Generally, the more I can make homemade, the less it costs and the healthier and cleaner it is. I have recipes for all kinds of Make-it-Yourself recipes! Find what works for you and what helps you save the most money and keep it simple.

• Easiest Homemade Bread Ever
• Baked Oatmeal
• Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
• Whole Grain Bread (Non-Crumbly!)
• Instant Pot Yogurt
• Easiest Sourdough Bread
• Sheet Pan Pancakes
• How to make cheap smoothies
• Homemade 5-Ingredient Sausage
• One-Bowl Granola

Quick Healthy School Breakfasts for Students

Depending on your child, you might need to feed them on the way out the door, or maybe they’re just inclined to skip breakfast. For my kids, I try to feed them breakfasts that have quick energy, healthy fats, and some protein. This way breakfast gives them quick energy to start their day, but it also sticks with them so they aren’t hungry a few minutes later.

Here are 10 On-the-Go Breakfasts for School Mornings:

1. Overnight Oats
2. Breakfast Sandwich or Wrap (eggs, bacon/cheese)
3. Smoothie, bagel with cream cheese
4. Yogurt, Granola, Fruit
5. Toast and Spreads (go here for tons of ideas!)
6. Cheese toast and fruit
7. Cheese Sandwich (my 11-year-old doesnt like breakfast food! He would rather eat a lunchmeat and cheese sandwich for breakfast than anything else)
8. No-Bake Energy Bites
9. 3-ingredient Berry Whip
10. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (try it with natural peanut butter and chia jam!)

What Can an 11-Year-Old Cook for School Breakfast?

Okay, my younger kids still like me to prepare breakfast for them. But my oldest? He’s independent. We encourage our kids to be independent and knowledgeable when it comes to feeding themselves good food.

This means we teach them how to cook.

We give them recipes they can make themselves (here are 20 healthy recipes kids can make!).

And then we let him make his own breakfast.

Here are 10 School Breakfasts my Tween can make:

1. Overnight Oats
2. Breakfast Sandwich or Wrap (eggs, bacon/cheese)
3. Smoothie, bagel with cream cheese
4. Yogurt, Granola, Fruit
5. Toast and Spreads (go here for tons of ideas!)
6. Cheese toast and fruit
7. Cheese Sandwich (my 11-year-old doesnt like breakfast food! He would rather eat a lunchmeat and cheese sandwich for breakfast than anything else)
8. No-Bake Energy Bites
9. 3-ingredient Berry Whip
10. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (try with with natural peanut butter and chia jam!)

You might have noticed it’s the exact same list as above! That’s because these breakfasts are easy for kids to make, even though they are made with real food.

10 Make Ahead Breakfasts for Back-to-School

Here are 10 more breakfast ideas you can make ahead of time then pack in the freezer or fridge and feed your kids all week!

• Sneaky Veggie Baked Oatmeal
• One-Bowl Healthy Banana Bread
• Instant Pot Overnight Oatmeal (make it overnight, as opposed to packing it in the fridge or freezer)
• One-Bowl Healthy Pumpkin Bread
• Chocolate Chip Mookies (muffins without the clean up!)
• Real Food Breakfast Apple Crisp
• Mix-in-the-Pan Oat & Berry Bars
• Breakfast Burritos
• Mix-in-the-Pan Apple Crisp Bars

Whether you’re making breakfast for your littles before school or empowering your tweens and teens to start the day right, we hope these breakfast recipes help you save money and eat healthy!