Delicious High-Calorie Weight Gain Breakfast Ideas

Article written by Katie Dodd, MS, RDN, CSG, LD, FAND. Photos and recipes created by Jordan Wood (Welch), RD. Updated/reviewed by Aly Bouzek, MS, RDN.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And if you are struggling to gain weight, weight gain breakfast ideas can be the perfect way to start your day off with an extra boost of calories.

The most effective way to gain weight is to eat more calories. In this article we share our top weight gain breakfast ideas. From high calorie hot cereals to egg dishes to baked goods to delicious smoothies. There are so many options for high calorie breakfasts that can help with weight gain or stop unintended weight loss.

Table of Contents:

Hot Cereals
Egg Dishes
Baked Goods
Beverages
Weight Gain Breakfast Ideas: Recipes
— Breakfast Casserole Cups
— Banana Cream Overnight Oats [Vegan]
— Peach Cobbler Muffins
Additional Weight Gain Tips
Conclusion

Hot Cereals

Our go-to of all the weight gain breakfast ideas are hot cereals. Primarily because there are so many high calorie foods that can be added to hot cereals.

Types of Hot Cereals

There are many types of hot cereals. And despite its name, they can be served hot or cold. Overnight oats have become all the rage. They are delicious and pretty darn easy to make.

Be sure to check out our overnight oat recipe toward the end of the article!

Common Types of Hot Cereals:

• Oatmeal
• Cream of Wheat
• Grits

A cup of cooked oatmeal provides approximately 158 calories, cup of cooked cream of wheat provides approximately 133 calories, and cup of cooked grits provides approximately 143 calories.

While there are calories in cereals, the key to making them the best weight gain breakfast ideas are the high calorie add-ins.

High Calorie Add-ins

You can add so many different things to hot cereal. You can go sweet or go savory. Most people go sweeter with oatmeal and lean towards savory with grits. But you do you!

• Dried fruit
• Bananas
• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Honey
• Whole milk
• Half and half
• Nuts
• Coconut
• Chia seeds
• Seeds
• Nut butter
• Butter
• Cheese
• Bacon/Sausage

For oatmeal you can add butter, half and half, brown sugar, raisins, and walnuts. It’s going to be tasty and very high in calories.

For grits you can add butter, half and half, cheese, and bacon. Again, super tasty and will help you gain weight.

Egg Dishes

A traditional American breakfast often includes eggs. There are plenty of ways to prepare eggs and great opportunities for adding extra calories to the egg dish. Eggs are also typically served with high calorie sides like toast (add on the butter!) and breakfast meats.

Types of Egg Dishes

• Scrambled eggs
• Omelets
• Poached eggs
• Fried eggs
• Souffles

For reference, a large egg contains approximately 80 calories.

High Calorie Add-ins

Depending on how you are preparing your eggs you may be mixing in high calorie add-ins or sprinkling them on top once the eggs are done cooking.

A pro tip is to use butter or margarine to coat the pan instead of zero calorie cooking spray. The eggs will absorb some of these extra calories!

High Calorie Add-ins for Egg Dishes:

• Butter
• Cream
• Cheese
• Sour cream
• Avocado
• Breakfast meats

For an omelet you can coat the pan in butter, add in some cream to the eggs, fold in some bacon or ham, and top with cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

For fried eggs you can coat the pan in butter and sprinkle the eggs with a generous and delicious serving of shredded cheese. Make sure to avoid reduced fat cheese- this is lower in calories.

Be sure to check out our high calorie breakfast casserole recipe below!

Baked Goods

Nothing says breakfast like the smell of baked goods in the oven (or on the stove top!). Baked good can be prepared in advance or right before breakfast. They can be added along with other breakfast items like eggs or a smoothie.

Types of Baked Goods

There are limitless types of baked goods, but here are some common ones for weight gain breakfast ideas!

Common Types of Breakfast Baked Goods:

• Pancakes
• Waffles
• French toast
• Coffee cake
• Pastries
• Muffins
• Breads
• Bagels

The larger the serving size, the more calories. But the best technique is to maximize the calories in the baked good without adding more volume. We do this with high calorie add ins and by selecting higher calorie ingredients (avoid low fat or diet food options).

High Calorie Add-ins

Depending on what baked good you are making, the high calorie add-ins may be mixed into the baked good or added on top when it’s done cooking. Or both!

High Calorie Add-in for Baked Goods:

• Butter
• Whole milk
• Cream
• Cream cheese
• Jam
• Syrup
• Honey
• Dried fruit
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Chocolate chips
• Peanut butter chips
• Butterscotch chips

For pancakes coat the pan with butter, use whole milk or cream instead of water, top with more butter, and syrup. You can add dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips into the pancake mix too!

Be sure to check out our high calorie muffin recipe below!

Beverages

High calorie beverages are one of my favorite ways to help with weight gain. Drink these beverages along with eating your high calorie breakfast foods to add even more calories!

Types of High Calorie Beverages

I have written an entire blog article dedicated to high calorie drinks. You can learn more at the blog, but here are some common high calorie beverages.

Common Types of High Calorie Beverages:

• High calorie shakes
• High calorie smoothies
• Fortified milk
• High calorie cocoa
• Commercial nutrition shakes

High Calorie Smoothies

High calorie smoothies are a great weight gain breakfast idea. You can add fruits, veggies, dairy, and tons of high calorie add-ins. Check out our High Calorie Smoothies for Weight Gain article for tons of ideas and five delicious recipes.

Weight Gain Breakfast Ideas: Recipes

I know I’ve shared some weight gain breakfast ideas, but I wanted to give you some specific recipes.

Breakfast Casserole Cups

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 ½ cups frozen shredded hash browns
• 1 pound of sausage (or bacon)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350^o Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Begin melting butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Once butter is melted and pan is hot, add frozen hash browns. Sauté until golden brown and crispy. About 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add sausage to the same skillet. Break up the sausage and cook until brown. About 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Evenly distribute cooked hash browns into each muffin cup.
7. Evenly distribute the sausage into each muffin cup.
8. Pour egg mixture over the hash browns and sausage.
9. Sprinkle each muffin cup with shredded cheddar cheese.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese becomes golden brown and bubbly.
11. Allow the egg cups to cool in the muffin tin for at least 5 minutes before removing.
12. Enjoy hot or cool to room temperature and freeze for future breakfasts.

Nutrition Facts:

Recipe yields 12 servings

• Serving Size: 1 egg cup
• Calories per serving: 231
• Protein per serving:3 grams

Banana Cream Overnight Oats

Note: This recipe is vegan.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 1 sliced banana
• Optional toppings: shredded coconut, banana chips, chia seeds, etc.

Directions:

1. In a bowl or mason jar, stir together oats, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla and salt.
2. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
3. In the morning, stir the oats. This recipe can be enjoyed cold or if you prefer warm oatmeal, feel free to microwave or heat on the stovetop.
4. Mix in sliced banana and add any desired toppings.

Nutrition Facts:

Recipe yields 2 servings

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories per serving: 256
• Protein per serving:2 grams

Peach Cobbler Muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins

• 2¾ cups Bisquick baking mix
• ½ cup sugar
• 1½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ cup whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 medium peaches, peeled and diced

Cobbler Topping

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbs. salted butter, softened

Directions:

5. Preheat oven to 350°
6. Using either a large 6 cup muffin pan or a regular 12 cup muffin pan, spray the pan with cooking spray or line with cupcake liners.
7. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Bisquick, sugar and cinnamon.
8. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the milk, eggs and vanilla.
9. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. Next, gently fold in the peaches.
10. Divide the batter into the muffin cups, filling about ⅔
11. Next, prepare the cobbler topping. Start by adding the flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter to a bowl.
12. Using a fork, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly texture is reached.
13. Top each muffin with the cobbler topping.
14. Place muffins in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
15. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing.

Nutrition Facts:

Recipe yields 6 servings (large muffins)

• Serving Size: 1 large muffin
• Calories per serving: 495
• Protein per serving:5 grams

Additional Weight Gain Tips

Gaining weight doesn’t have to be reserved for your breakfast meal. If you tend to eat a small breakfast, and then a larger lunch and dinner, consider making your breakfast just a little bit bigger. By bigger we mean more calories, not necessarily more volume.

Think of adding an extra spoonful of peanut butter to your oatmeal. Or how about an extra pat of butter to your egg dishes? Even adding a smoothie or other nutritional drink can help bring your calories (and your weight) up.

Another way to think about adding more calories to your day (without filling you up too fast), is to break your meals down into 4-5 meals and snacks throughout the day. This can seem more manageable and less overwhelming.

To gain weight, you need to eat an extra 500 calories per day. This equates to 3,500 additional calories per week and one pound of weight gain per week. A goal of 3-4 pounds of weight gain per month is a great goal!

Again, break up the extra 500 calories throughout the day by adding about 100 extra calories to each meal and snack. The trick is to make this a sustainable habit that will benefit you throughout your weight gain journey.

Weight Gain Breakfast Ideas: Conclusion

I hope that this article gave you some great weight gain breakfast ideas! If you are struggling with unintended weight loss or need to gain weight, these high calorie foods and recipes can help. There are limitless opportunities for high calorie breakfast ideas.

Be sure to check out our High Calorie RECIPES e-Cookbook which has an entire section dedicated to high calorie breakfasts including:

• Summer Vegetable Frittata
• Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
• Peach Cobbler Muffins
• Vegan Chia Pudding Parfait
• PB Stuffed French Toast
• Breakfast Casserole Cups
• Cheesy Breakfast Grits
• Fall Pumpkin Bread
• Banana Overnight Oats
• Baked Berry Oatmeal Bars
• Easy Cherry Parfait
• Blueberry Muffins
• Protein Fruit Salad
• Banana Nut Muffins

We also sell a High Calorie SHAKES e-Cookbook. There are lots of high calorie options for you to stop unintended weight loss and promote weight gain.

Best of luck to you!!