Vegetarian English Breakfast

The classic traditional English breakfast, but vegetarian! This Vegetarian English Breakfast is the heartiest breakfast ever.

With tons of protein, fiber, and vitamins, this vegetarian full English breakfast is going to power up your day like no other breakfast! I fully admit this is not a super simple, easy breakfast. There are a lot of components! It does come together pretty quickly, but in my opinion, it’s more of a weekend or special occasion breakfast.

Table of Contents

The Story Behind the Recipe

Last spring, we were lucky enough to get to spend a week in London. Oh my gosh – London is NOT overrated. What a great city!

One day, we had tickets to tour the inside of Buckingham Palace (which was so cool!) We decided to start out early by hitting a cafe in Kensington, then taking a stroll across Hyde Park toward our tour at Buckingham.

I started researching cafes, and came across one called Ffiona’s. One of our dogs is named Fiona – just one F, but we still had to go. It was a cute, quirky little cafe with the best breakfast I’ve ever had! Seriously. I ordered their vegetarian English breakfast with warm havarti cheese, perfect eggs, grilled toast, tangy beans, creamy avocado … oh my gosh. SO GOOD.

I live in the U.S., nowhere near London (sadly), so obviously I needed to recreate this amazing vegetarian English breakfast experience at home. AND obviously I needed to share it with you!

Ingredients

• Hashbrown patties – In the UK, they seem to use these triangular hash brown patties that are delicious! I’ve not been able to find them in the US, but frozen hash brown patties that are found in the freezer section of most grocery stores (Trader Joe’s has a good one) work great.
• Baked beans – You can grab canned vegetarian baked beans at the store, or try my vegetarian skillet baked beans for an easy homemade version.
• Olive oil – For frying the toast + sautéing the mushrooms + cooking the halloumi, eggs, and tomato.
• Bread – I like to use sourdough, but your favorite rustic bread will do just fine.
• Mushrooms – I prefer plain old white button mushrooms, but cremini mushrooms are great too.
• Tomato – For English breakfasts, tomatoes are cut in half and cooked briefly in the skillet to slightly brown and warm the tomato.
• Halloumi – Halloumi cheese is a salty, hard cheese that keeps its shape when warm. It’s the perfect addition to an English breakfast.
• Eggs
• Avocado
• Salt & pepper – to taste.
• Parsley – Optional, but makes a pretty garnish.

Adaptations/Variations

• Vegan English Breakfast – Omit the halloumi and eggs.
• Gluten-Free English Breakfast – Leave off the toast or use GF bread.

Tips for Success

• Prep ahead. Once you start cooking things in the skillet, the process goes quickly.
• Start the hash browns first. For us, those take the longest to cook.
• Use a nice, roomy nonstick skillet to accommodate everything.

I hope this Vegetarian English Breakfast satisfies that full traditional English breakfast craving, but without the meat! For me, it definitely hits the spot. Though I’ll be honest, I’d rather be eating it in London … but I’ll take what I can get!

More Hearty Breakfast Recipes

Vegetarian Full English Breakfast

A meatless version of the traditional super-hearty English breakfast! No sausage or bacon, instead we have salty warmed halloumi cheese, avocado, and vegetarian baked beans – among all of the other elements of the classic English breakfast. Perfect for long, lazy weekend mornings or special occasions.

• 2 hashbrown patties (here in the U.S. Trader Joe’s hash brown patties are a pretty good substitute for British triangular hashbrowns)
• 2 cups baked beans (approx 1 [15-ounce] can or homemade)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 2 slices sourdough bread (or another favorite artisan bread)
• 6 white button mushrooms (sliced; about 1 cup)
• 1 tomato (halved horizontally)
• 4 slices halloumi cheese (about 4 ounces or half a block cut into 1/2-inch slices)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 avocado (sliced)
• salt & pepper
• chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

Bake or air-fry the hash brown patties

Make the rest of the breakfast

• Set a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the bread to the skillet and cook on both sides, flipping, until toasty and golden. Set out two plates and place one piece of toast on each plate.

• Add another tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the mushrooms along with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes until they begin to soften. Move them aside, and place the tomatoes sliced-side down in the skillet. Put the lid on the pan. Cook for 2-3 more minutes until the tomatoes are lightly browned and warmed through. Divide the mushrooms and tomato between the two plates.

• Fry the halloumi on each side for 1-2 minutes until golden. Place two slices on each plate.

• Scoop the warm beans into the middle of each plate.

• Add the last tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Fry the eggs to your liking (for photos sunny-side up would be great). Arrange an egg on each plate.

• Add the sliced avocado to each plate.

• Sprinkle the egg, avocado, and veggies with salt and pepper. Add a little bit of parsley for garnish if desired. Serve.

Serving: 1plate, Calories: 859kcal, Carbohydrates: 93g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 29g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 181mg, Sodium: 1510mg, Potassium: 1504mg, Fiber: 20g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 823IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 207mg, Iron: 8mg

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