Don’t wrinkle your nose at the idea just yet. From miso in Japan and mohinga in Burma to lablabi in Turkey and blueberry soup in Sweden, cultures around the globe have been in on the “soup for breakfast” thing forever.
It may not be conventional for many of us, but slurping up a steaming bowl of comfort makes a lot of sense when temperatures get too cold for smoothies and juices. We’ve been missing out.
From generations-old recipes to modern concoctions, these breakfast soup recipes are a perfect way to warm up before you head out the door this winter.
1. Lablabi (Tunisian chickpea breakfast soup)
This spice-packed North African-inspired soup will wake you up even on the groggiest of mornings.
With chickpeas swimming in a garlicky, cumin-flavored broth, it’s delicious on its own, but even better with optional toppings like poached eggs, a dollop of yogurt, or pieces of crusty bread.
2. Mohinga (Burmese rice noodle soup)
This rice noodle and fish soup is one of Burma’s favorite breakfast dishes, and it might become one of yours, too.
Although the recipe calls for a lot of traditional ingredients, this blogger manages to simplify things using supermarket items that don’t compromise the characteristic sweet, sour, and of course, spicy flavors of the real deal.
3. Shakshuka soup with Swiss chard
Traditionally, shakshuka is a dish of poached eggs sitting in a tomato sauce that’s so tasty, most people want to eat it by the bowlful. With this recipe, they can!
Here, the blogger literally soups up shakshuka so that you can enjoy the goodness of the gravy to the fullest.
4. Tofu and mushroom miso soup
The Japanese warm up to bowls of this nutritious, probiotic-packed soup for any meal of the day, but it’s particularly popular at breakfast alongside a bowl of rice. Plus, miso is always a welcome addition.
With cubed tofu, an egg, and veggies, this recipe makes sure you’re getting your day started off with plenty of protein and fiber too.
5. Avocado soup
By now, we all know how incredibly healthy avocado is, but if you’ve slathered it on toast one too many times, switch things up and turn it into this soup instead.
Paired with chicken breast in a lime, ginger, and garlic broth, it has an entirely different flavor profile that’ll give you a whole new appreciation for its creamy goodness.
6. Changua (Colombian milk soup with poached eggs)
Do breakfast Bogota-style with this creation inspired by the blogger’s home country of Colombia.
Milk, cilantro, eggs, and bread may sound unconventional (unless you love bread pudding!), but try it once and you’ll see why it’s a cultural comfort food that’s been a favorite for generations.
7. Vegan creamy green soup
If you can’t fathom the thought of putting greens in your breakfast smoothie, stick ’em in this savory breakfast soup instead.
With green beans, broccoli, zucchini, and celery, it packs in at least a serving or more of veggies before noon (woot!).
8. Swedish blueberry soup
If you’ve ever ladled blueberry sauce onto pancakes or enjoyed warm blueberry compote for dessert, this blueberry soup is right up your alley.
The fresh blueberries are stewed into a thick puree and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg to give it some more depth of flavor. It’s best eaten warm on snowy mornings, but it’s also tasty served chilled on hotter days.
Plus, think of the possibilities with leftovers — slathered on toast, yogurt, and ice cream, or blended into a smoothie. Yum.
9. Chinese chicken congee
Give oatmeal a break and tuck into a bowl of this rice porridge. With scallions, shredded chicken, and ginger, it’s anything but bland.
If you really want to eat like the locals in Guangdong do, try finding some Chinese-inspired pickled cucumber to eat on the side.
10. Instant pho to go
We may turn to pho when we want Vietnamese-inspired food for dinner, but this lemongrass-scented noodle soup originated as a breakfast food.
Street food vendors in Vietnam take hours to perfect their broth, but for those of us who want a quicker-fix option, this faster version is a convenient alternative.
11. Turmeric carrot apple soup
Fight inflammation first thing in the morning with this golden yellow soup.
The ground turmeric is responsible for its color and immunity-boosting benefits, while apples and carrots provide a touch of sweetness, and coconut yogurt gives it a velvety texture.
12. Khao tom moo
The Thai cousin of Chinese congee, this Southeast Asian-inspired take on porridge uses jasmine rice and minced pork.
Fried garlic and pepper spice things up, making this a much more interesting way to get in your morning carbs than a humdrum bowl of cereal.
13. Silky gingered zucchini soup
Zucchini might be 90 percent H2O, but there’s nothing watery about this silky soup.
Pureed with garlic and onions and flavored with ginger and hot pepper, it manages to be nourishing and flavorful and free of common allergens like dairy, grains, and eggs all at the same time.
14. Spicy breakfast stew
You may already eat these foods for breakfast anyway, but now you can try them in soup form.
With chicken sausage, bacon, and poached eggs powering up this chunky tomato stew, there’s no way you’ll still be hungry after chowing down on a bowl.
It takes only 20 minutes to make, but to save time, you can easily prepare the stew in advance so all that’s left to do before eating is poaching the eggs.
15. Mercimek corbasi (Turkish red lentil soup)
With dried mint, chili flakes, and cumin powder, this Turkish-inspired dish is several notches above your standard, canned lentil soup.
Many Americans don’t eat legumes regularly, but if they all started making this for breakfast, that might turn around fast.
16. Caldo de costilla (Colombian beef ribs broth)
It doesn’t get more stick-to-your-ribs than a meat and potatoes meal, and this Colombian-inspired soup is just that: A hot, hearty concoction of simmered short ribs, spuds, and root veggies.
17. Butternut breakfast soup
Butternut squash soup doesn’t always have to mean a thick, bisque-like puree. This recipe goes the broth-based route, with chunks of the veggie soaking up a homemade chicken stock (made easy thanks to the Instant Pot) alongside chicken to make it filling enough for a meal.
18. Breakfast stoup
Doing Whole30 and sick of the endless eggs-for-breakfast routine? This hearty dish can lift you right out of your rut.
Packed with beef and stew vegetables but halfway pureed into a soup, it’s no wonder it’s called a “stoup.”
19. Ginger rasam (lentil ginger soup)
Down a bowl of this ginger-spiked soup before starting the day to get invigorated with anti-inflammatory energy. Plus, lentils add density so it feels super satisfying.
