Are you trying out an autoimmune protocol (AIP) or paleo diet, hoping to reduce inflammation, heal your gut, identify foods that trigger symptoms, and boost your energy? Achieving these very desirable results can be challenging when it means giving up so many familiar foods. Having to strike your favorite breakfasts off the menu, even temporarily, can leave you feeling deprived. Happily, it’s possible to indulge a little and still stay within the AIP/paleo guidelines. 

What Are the Goals of the AIP Diet?

The AIP diet may be helpful for people with autoimmune diseases. The main goal of the diet is to nourish the body and improve its ability to heal itself. Like the paleo diet, the AIP diet emphasizes whole foods and nutrient-dense sources of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. It also places a strong emphasis on antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods.

The AIP diet consists of an elimination phase, a reintroduction phase, and a maintenance phase. It is possible this lifestyle intervention may prevent the need for medications for some autoimmune conditions.

Our Go-To AIP Breakfast Recipes

Here are nine of our favorite go-to, non-bland AIP breakfasts and easy-to-follow recipes to satisfy your cravings when you’re in the elimination phase of the AIP diet. Feel free to check out the linked websites for even more breakfast ideas! 

Blueberry Turkey Breakfast Sausage

Source: Lichen Paleo, Loving AIP

This blueberry turkey breakfast sausage is a delicious grain-free option. As an added bonus, this recipe is also paleo and AIP compliant! While some berries are excluded from AIP and paleo diets, blueberries (which happily are available nearly year-round) are welcomed.

Blueberries are high in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C. They are also helpful for digestion, treating and reducing inflammation, and preventing conditions like heart disease and cancer. (Source)

Blueberries are at their most delicious when fresh, but frozen berries are nearly as good. This recipe is also super easy to make — you just need to mix together the ingredients, form into patties and fry them! Pair this breakfast sausage with the bagel recipe below.

Ingredients: ground turkey, blueberries (fresh or frozen), dried sage, ginger powder, cinnamon, salt, coconut oil

Peach and Ginger Oatmeal

Source: Healing Family Eats

Oatmeal is such a classic breakfast option, and you shouldn’t have to miss out just because you’re on the AIP diet! This oatmeal is modified to be AIP compliant with spaghetti squash and coconut.

Shredded coconut, as called for in this recipe, contains coconut oil. Coconut oil is considered a good substitute for butter, as it raises total and low-density lipoproteins (“bad” cholesterol) less than butter does. However, coconut oil raises total and low-density lipoproteins more than vegetable oils, which may be still healthier. (Source)

You can customize your oatmeal with any AIP compliant toppings you like, such as peaches and ginger. Peaches are a great option because they are sources of vitamins and antioxidants. Ginger has been used for many years as a flavoring agent, as well as for treating nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy or motion sickness. It also has purported antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. (Source, Source) 

Ingredients: spaghetti squash, shredded coconut, coconut milk, peaches, powdered ginger, salt

Pumpkin Cranberry Bagels

Source: Gutsy By Nature

These vegan and nut-free bagels are the perfect alternative to store-bought bagels. Bagels are some of the best foods when you want a quick to-go breakfast, and you can make them in bulk for the upcoming week! Put a sausage in the bagel, or use an AIP compliant filling. This is a great recipe to knead with your hands and get them a bit dirty!

The two ways to shape bagels are the “snake” and “poke” methods. The snake method calls for looping the dough around your hand, while the poke method involves making a bagel shape and poking a hole in the middle. Let us know in the comments which method works best for you! 

Ingredients: warm water, maple syrup, active dry yeast (optional), tigernut flour, cassava flour, arrowroot starch, salt, pumpkin puree, unsweetened dried cranberries

Wild Salmon and Prosciutto Cups

Source: Healing Family Eats

If you love salmon and prosciutto, this recipe is for you! You can also pick and choose what you want to include in this recipe. If prosciutto isn’t for you, bacon also works. These little bites are good as snacks for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or the times in between meals. 

Regular consumption of salmon has been shown to decrease blood pressure, triglycerides, and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Olives are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), fiber, and vitamin E. MUFA play a role in preventing cardiovascular risk factors, and vitamin E protects the body from oxidative damage. (Source, Source)

Ingredients: prosciutto, salmon, olives, cilantro, red onion, fish sauce, lemon, kelp flakes, pumpkin puree, coconut oil

Sweet Potato Tater Tots

Source: Meatified

Sometimes we just have cravings for foods like tater tots! Simple and easy to make (and to eat lots of) in a skillet, this is the perfect side to your main breakfast meal. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as containing a large amount of starch. Paleo-friendly fats include coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil. Most oils are to be avoided, but studies show these oils may have an overall beneficial effect in autoimmune diseases. (Source, Source) 

Ingredients: yellow sweet potatoes, paleo-friendly fat (such as coconut oil), salt

Tropical Papaya Smoothie Bowl With Ginger and Tumeric

Source: Meatified

Smoothies are easy to make and easy to customize with toppings to your liking. Smoothie bowls have been the rage recently for good reason — they’re delicious and easy to make, as well as being pretty to look at!

Papaya is a great fruit with anti-inflammatory properties, and is rich in vitamins and minerals. If you don’t like papaya, feel free to try this with other tropical fruits. You can also add any toppings you like, such as honey, coconut flakes, or anything else that’s AIP friendly. (Source)

Ingredients: papaya, pineapple, banana, avocado, coconut milk, water, lime, ginger, ground turmeric, fruits of your choosing

Chicken Bacon Ranch Breakfast Casserole

Source: Unbound Wellness

Breakfast casseroles are such a great way to meal prep! This AIP friendly breakfast casserole doesn’t include eggs or cheese, and lasts 2 to 3 days. Poultry meats have a good overall nutritional profile: a high level of protein, vitamin, and mineral content along with a low fat content. Studies also show that an adequate consumption of chicken has a neutral or positive role in managing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. (Source)

Ingredients: sweet potato or regular potato, chicken breast, coconut milk, ranch dressing, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, avocado oil, bacon, chives, green onion, salt, pepper

Freezer Sausage Breakfast Burrito

Source: Unbound Wellness

This is another recipe that works great as a meal prep! Some useful tips: You can soften your wrap by heating it in a pan; you can crisp the wrap if desired; and be sure you don’t overfill your burrito wrap! These are freezer friendly, so make one today and keep the rest for the following days. Cassava tortillas from Siete are AIP friendly, and can be purchased from Amazon or your local grocery. 

Ingredients: sweet potato, pork sausage, bacon, mushrooms, Siete tortillas, chimichurri, avocado oil, garlic powder, cilantro, salt

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No Egg Waffles

Source: Don’t Eat the Spatula

This dense waffle-like recipe is definitely a breakfast standard. This could also be made into more of a pancake-like consistency if that’s something that you prefer! Cassava flour is often used to prepare gluten-free recipes. Cassava roots are rich in carbohydrates, and thus cassava flour has a high nutritional value. Small studies show that arrowroot may be effective as treatment for diarrhea in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. (Source, Source)

Ingredients: cassava flour, arrowroot starch, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, maple syrup, avocado oil, water

The Bottom Line on AIP Breakfasts

If you’re on the AIP diet, it’s important to get the proper nutrition and start off the day on the right foot. Breakfast is especially important as it comes after our longest fast of the day, the time when we sleep. 

Hopefully, these recipes give you an idea of potential AIP breakfasts to try and websites to explore!