Delicious kale breakfast bowls are a hearty way to start your day! This breakfast kale salad is packed with veggies, bacon-y scrambled tofu, and a creamy, cheesy sauce.
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Kale breakfast bowls are an easy vegan breakfast or brunch option when you're craving veggies but still want the comfort of a more traditional breakfast-y meal. Think of it as a breakfast sandwich in kale salad form.
Massaged kale is topped with a bacon-y tofu scramble along with fresh tomato and creamy avocado. And you finish it off with a blender sauce that's cheesy, creamy, and contains even more sneaky veggies!
I came up with this recipe when my kid was a toddler who suddenly decided to shun all bread (why??). Our favorite brunch spot offered to put his breakfast sandwich toppings onto a bed of massaged kale. He loved it! And here we are.
Ingredients and substitutions
- carrot - A carrot gives this cheesy sauce a lovely color and texture!
- cashews - Soaked cashews make the cheesy sauce so creamy!
- lemon juice - For tang in the sauce and for massaging the kale.
- nutritional yeast - Gives the sauce its cheesy base flavor.
- miso paste - Adds a rich, umami flavor to the cheesy sauce. You can omit this, but I love the flavor profile it adds!
- tofu - Choose firm or extra firm tofu, and be sure to press it well. I like to press to tofu while prepping my veggies, to save time.
- vegan bacon - Use your favorite kind! I'm using store-bought, but homemade shiitake bacon is great in this, too. You can also use sausage instead of bacon, like my sausage mushrooms.
- soy sauce - Adds moisture and umami to the scramble.
- spices - Onion powder, garlic powder, and turmeric season the scramble and give it a nice, yellow color. You're also using onion powder in the cheesy sauce.
- black salt - This gives the tofu scramble an eggy flavor. You can use sea salt instead, if needed.
- olive oil - To cook the scramble and to massage the kale.
- kale - Use your favorite kind of kale! I like curly kale or dinosaur/lacinto kale for massaged kale salads like this.
- grape tomatoes - Adds texture and umami. You can omit or use other veggies, if you prefer, but tomato is such a breakfast sandwich classic!
- green onion - Adds crunch and umami to the kale salad. You can use other onion, like red onion, if you prefer.
- avocado - Creamy avocado just goes so well with all of these textures and flavors and, to me, is another breakfast sandwich must-have.
How to make a breakfast kale bowl
Make the cheesy sauce first.
Steam the carrots until they're fork-tender, about five to seven minutes. You can do this in the microwave, if you want to cook them even faster! Just add to a bowl with two tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave for 1 minute at a time until cooked. Drain and use.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients in your blender. Puree until smooth, adding a tablespoon of water at a time, as needed to reach a creamy consistency. With a high speed blender, I haven’t needed extra water, but with a regular blender, you might need a little bit of extra liquid to get things moving smoothly.
Stir in salt and pepper, to taste.
Now, make the bacon-y tofu scramble.
In a medium bowl, toss together the tofu, soy sauce, spices, and black salt listed under the scramble ingredients.
In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat the teaspoon of oil on medium high. Add the tofu mixture and the bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the bacon gets crispy edges, about seven minutes.
Assemble the breakfast kale bowls.
In a large bowl, toss together the kale, lemon juice, tablespoon of olive oil, and the salt. Massage the kale until it wilts, then toss in the tomato and green onion.
Divide the kale salad between your bowls, and top each with ¼ of the scramble and ¼ of the avocado. Drizzle with a tablespoon or two of the cheesy sauce, and serve immediately.
Helpful tips
- I recommend prepping all of the veggies while the cashews soak. That way, you can quickly massage the kale and toss the salad together while the tofu is on the stove. That will give the quickest prep time.
- Feel free to mix-and-match veggies in this recipe to use your favorite breakfast sandwich toppings! This is meant to be a breakfast sandwich in a bowl, so customize this breakfast kale bowl to your tastes.
Storage directions
Leftover massaged kale will keep for two to three days in the fridge. The leftover scramble and sauce will both keep for four to five days.
If possible, store the leftovers separately, so you can serve the warmed-up scramble over cool or room temp massaged kale.
Frequently asked questions
If you like kale, why not? This breakfast kale bowl uses kale as the base for what's essentially a vegan breakfast sandwich in bowl form. YUM!
Choose your favorite! If you're not sure, though, curly kale or lacinto/dinosaur kale are both great for kale salad.
You can sauté the kale instead! Either add it to the scramble and cook or cook it separately, if you still want this bowl on a bed of kale.
More savory vegan breakfasts
📖 Recipe
Kale Breakfast Bowls
Ingredients
For the Cheesy Sauce
- 1 large carrot chopped into 1" pieces
- ⅓ cup cashews soaked in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- extra water as needed
- salt and white pepper to taste – You’ll need more salt, if your cashew butter is unsalted.
For the scramble
- ½ block extra firm tofu pressed and crumbled
- 2.5 ounces vegan bacon chopped into 1" pieces
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black salt or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
For the Kale Salad
- 8 cups kale chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces, ribs removed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grape tomatoes sliced
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 1 Haas avocado chopped or sliced
Instructions
Make the cheesy sauce.
- Steam the carrots until they're fork-tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. You can do this in the microwave, if you want to cook them even faster! Just add to a bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave for 1 minute at a time until cooked. Drain and use.
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in your blender. Puree until smooth, adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time, as needed to reach a creamy consistency. With a high speed blender, I haven’t needed extra water, but with a regular blender, you might need a little bit of extra liquid to get things moving smoothly.
- Stir in salt and pepper, to taste.
Make the scramble.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the tofu, soy sauce, spices, and black salt listed under the scramble ingredients.
- In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat the teaspoon of oil on medium high. Add the tofu mixture and the bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the bacon gets crispy edges, about 7 minutes.
Assemble the breakfast kale bowls.
- In a large bowl, toss together the kale, lemon juice, tablespoon of olive oil, and the salt. Massage the kale until it wilts, then toss in the tomato and green onion.
- Divide the kale salad between your bowls, and top each with ¼ of the scramble and ¼ of the avocado. Drizzle with a tablespoon or two of the cheesy sauce, and serve immediately.
Bev
I would like to try the cheesy carrot sauce recipe but I didn't want to spend $30 for a bag of nutrional yeast and then not like the recipe. Can the yeast be omitted? What exactly does it do for the recipe? As I am not an experienced cook, I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you may have. Thanks.
Becky Striepe
Oh dear! I'm sorry that nutritional yeast is so pricey where you are. At the grocery store near me, it is available in shakers for around $5-6. This is the brand that I find at Kroger or Whole Foods near me: https://amzn.to/3ukEOs4
You could omit it, but the nooch is what gives this sauce its cheesy flavor. I can't vouch for the recipe with a major ingredient omitted, unfortunately.
Elizabeth
What could I use instead of carrots? I'm trying to avoid high-carb and high sugar-content vegetables. Thank you. --Elizabeth
Becky Striepe
Roasted red peppers might be a good sub, but I can't guarantee results, since I haven't tested this recipe with other vegetables.
Anonymous
Thanks, Becky. I just ended up using peanut butter, milk, and a bit of almond flour to bind for the sauce. Probably horrifying to you. But it actually worked fine. The combo of the kale, oo, lemon (lime in my case), and the subtle hint of soy sauce (I was tempted to pour it on to make it less dry, but resisted, and am glad I did) was surprisingly delicious. Thank you!
Critter
Delicious and rides and tastes like comfort food! Thanks for the recipe.
Critter
Made it today. So delicious!
Becky Striepe
Oh yay! Thank you for taking the time to come back, rate, and comment. That means a lot to me!
RW
Made this tonight as a first foray into meatless eating, lured by the promise of a creamy sauce :) VERY tasty & soooo filling, could not finish dinner portion & i’m a glutton! Taste buds satisfied & hunger signals switched off completely which is a lovely & rare experience. Will be making again, thank you!
Becky Striepe
I'm so glad that I could make your first meatless meal a satisfying one! Thank you for coming back to leave such a thoughtful comment, RW!
Sarah
Jonathan is a bread hater so he might be on board with this!!! And I'm excited that you used cashew butter in this—I bet I could sub tahini butter in the cheese sauce to keep it nut free? Yum, yum, YUM!!!
Becky Striepe
You definitely can!
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes
OMG! I'm dying over that picture of your toddler. He is absolutely adorable. Oh and that cashew carrot sauce is screaming my name! looks absolutely delicious! Can't wait to give it a try.
Becky Striepe
Aw, thank you! He is 3 1/2, and so much fun! I mean, he's still a toddler. But overall a joy. :D
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
I love mixing it up for brekkie!! I often do veggie stir fries and potatoes but this looks amazing. And that little guy is too cute!
Becky Striepe
Thank you! I think so too and am not biased at all!
The vegan 8
That carrot sauce looks wonderful and delicious!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Brandi!
Cadry
Now, this is the way to start a day!! I always feel like it sets such a good tone when I get greens in first thing. But I could happily eat this salad any time, day or night.
Becky Striepe
I know what you mean. Meals feel more complete to me with some greens in there.
Dianne
I'd have salad for breakfast every day, if they all looked as good as this!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Dianne!
Aimee | Wallflower Kitchen
I want that misadventures of flapjack tshirt!! Also, this sounds amazing. I love the idea of a breadless sandwich bowl.
Becky Striepe
I am so jazzed that you're a Flapjack fan! I feel like that show didn't get the following it deserved.
Mel | avirtualvegan.com
I love this breakfast idea. Who says you have to eat toast and oatmeal for breakfast everyday? I would love to start my day with this. it looks so tasty! Loving your mug too by the way ;O)
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Mel! The mug is one of my faves. It was a hostess gift from a good friend, and it was made by a local crafter!
Jenn
I agree about bread. I mean, I love bread, but most restaurant sandwiches use that super thick bread that takes over the whole sandwich. You almost can't taste anything else. I love the idea of a breakfast sandwich in a bowl. Give me all the toppings! And double the sauce please! :)
Becky Striepe
Haha I'm glad I'm not alone! :D