Cool Breakfast Recipes for Hot Weather

In much of the country, we’re already at the point where you’re timing your daily exercise against the heat. Can you make it for a jog before the sun comes up? A power walk after it goes down? How sweaty are you going to get? (Answer: So much sweatier than you thought.)

With that in mind, start your day cooler, man. No matter how ambitious you’re feeling, these aren’t the days for massive baking projects at 6 a.m. (Little ones, we approve of, though.) Keep yourself cool as a cucumber with açai bowls brimming with berries. Make smoothies and parfaits, eat yogurt popsicles with the kids on the deck and have plenty of wet rags to clean everybody up, including yourself. Spill the coffee; let the stains stay on the porch a minute. It’s summer. Build in time to breathe. Everyone will love you for it.

1. Smoothie Pops

When was the last time your kid looked at you with extra-adoring eyes, knowing that you, yes, you were a wild genius solely devoted to her happiness? Such is the effect of Star Wars smoothie pops. Or unicorn ones. All you need is your favorite smoothie recipe, rainbow sprinkles, and a working knowledge of your kid’s favorite characters.

2. Fresh Bluice

Thirsty? Let’s talk about Bluicing. It’s all the rage these days, and for good reason: It simply means “blend and juice.” But you can do it all in one space-saving mega-gadget: the Breville 3X Bluicer Pro. It’s got more features than you can shake a stick at, like quiet blending, super-smooth elixirs, crushed-ice and self-cleaning mode, and (ahem) a frozen cocktail button. And not to worry: You’re essentially cold-pressing the juice at home, because Breville uses a nearly heatless technology. That’s what, hundreds of dollars off your fresh juice habit saved? Buckle up.

3. Veggie Smoothie

Raise your hand if you’re the sort of person who looks at the clock at 5 p.m. and realizes that hey-o, you are not even close to your RDA of two to three cups of vegetables. So start the morning with veggies. You can do it and have things still tasting amazing; we promise. The key is fresh spinach plus sweet and creamy fruits (you need those, too!) like pineapples and bananas. Throw oranges, grapes and carrot in there, grab a good blender, and you’re off to the races. This is the recipe you want.

4. Smoothie Bowl

Some of us need a little more texture than “just smoothie.” For those folks, there exists the smoothie bowl. It’s as tasty as it is good-looking, so you can maybe even convince your produce-phobic partner to give it a whirl. Almond milk and maple syrup give this bowl a silky texture and subtle sweetness. Toasted pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes lend earthiness and texture. It’s divine.

5. Summer Fruit Parfait

Light, light, light. Wonderfully customizable to suit whatever you grabbed at the farmstand or market on the way home, this breakfast will leave you feeling like you’re floating. (If you need more earthiness, here are our excellent granola recipes!) If you follow the recipe, you’re in for a treat, too: Honey encourages strawberries, kiwifruit, blueberries, nectarines and peaches to release their juices. A bit of yogurt and thyme give the whole thing a savory note. Goodness, what a breakfast.

6. Chia Pudding

Be the envy of everyone at work (or on the work Zoom call) with chia pudding jars. Invariably, someone will ask where you bought them, so be prepared to brag! We love that this recipe makes multiple chia pudding bases for multiple bowls, so you can knock out three breakfasts’ worth of prep at once. Chia seeds, for those unfamiliar with their charms, are tiny whole grains that carry a big nutritional punch. Here they mingle with almond milk and maple syrup, getting a flurry of toasted coconut and fresh berries to finish. Mix up the toppings by the day. Marvel at how good starting your morning this way feels.

7. Berry-Acai Bowl

Don’t know your açaí yet? It’s a berry and a powerhouse, high in omega fats; low in carbs and sugar. Filling yet light, it’s the beautiful base of this pretty bowl, which shimmers with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, goji berries and banana. It’s so very pretty, too, that you might (although we can’t make any promises!) convince the kids that they can eat this for breakfast, too.