Breakfast is the meal most likely to get skipped or bought on the way to work. A coffee-shop muffin and a drink can cost more than a whole week of homemade breakfasts.
Prepping breakfast takes very little time and gives you something to grab on the way out the door. These five ideas cost roughly $1 per serving or less using US store-brand prices in 2026 (rough estimates, so your store may differ). Most can be made in 20–30 minutes on a Sunday.
1. Overnight oats
The easiest breakfast prep there is. No cooking at all.
Per jar: ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup milk (or water), a pinch of salt, plus one flavor below. Stir, cover, fridge overnight. They keep about 4 days.
| Flavor | Add per jar | Rough cost per jar |
|---|---|---|
| PB + banana | 1 tbsp peanut butter + ½ banana | $0.55 |
| Apple cinnamon | ½ grated apple + pinch of cinnamon | $0.60 |
| Berry | ⅓ cup frozen berries | $0.75 |
| Cocoa | 1 tsp cocoa powder + 1 tsp sugar | $0.45 |
2. Egg muffins
Makes 12 (about 4 servings of 3). Whisk 10 eggs with a splash of milk, salt and pepper. Stir in a cup of chopped vegetables (frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed, or diced onion and peppers) and ½ cup shredded cheese. Pour into a greased 12-cup muffin pan and bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes, until set in the middle.
Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze and microwave for about a minute. Rough cost: around $1.10 per serving of three.
future you will love present you for this.
3. Freezer breakfast burritos
Makes 8. Scramble 10 eggs. Mix with 2 cups diced cooked potatoes (or frozen hash browns, cooked), a can of drained black beans and 1 cup shredded cheese. Divide between 8 tortillas, roll tightly, wrap each in foil and freeze.
To eat: unwrap, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave 1–1½ minutes per side until hot all the way through. Add salsa if you have it. Rough cost: about $1.10 per burrito.
These are the same idea as the bean burritos in our cheap freezer meals for one, just made for the morning.
4. Baked oatmeal
Makes 8 squares. Mix 3 cups oats, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisk 2 mashed ripe bananas, 2 eggs, 1½ cups milk and 2 tablespoons sugar. Combine, pour into a greased 8×8 pan, bake at 350°F for 35–40 minutes. Cut into squares. Rough cost: about $0.45 each.
Eat warm, cold, or with a spoonful of yogurt or peanut butter on top. They freeze well too.
5. Yogurt parfait jars
Buy a large tub of plain or vanilla yogurt rather than single cups. Layer ¾ cup yogurt with frozen fruit (it thaws overnight in the fridge) and a spoonful of oats or granola. Add the crunchy part in the morning if you don't like it soft. Rough cost: about $0.90 per jar.
A 30-minute Sunday breakfast prep
| Time | Task |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Heat oven to 350°F; grease a muffin pan |
| 0:05 | Whisk eggs, add veg and cheese, fill muffin cups |
| 0:08 | Egg muffins into the oven (18–22 min) |
| 0:10 | Make 3 jars of overnight oats in different flavors |
| 0:20 | Hard-boil a few extra eggs if you like them |
| 0:30 | Muffins out, cool, store in a container |
That covers six or seven breakfasts with almost no effort. Add a batch of freezer burritos once a month and you'll always have a backup.
A sample breakfast week
| Day | Breakfast |
|---|---|
| Mon | PB + banana overnight oats |
| Tue | 3 egg muffins + fruit |
| Wed | Apple cinnamon overnight oats |
| Thu | 3 egg muffins |
| Fri | Breakfast burrito from the freezer |
| Sat | Cocoa overnight oats |
| Sun | Fresh pancakes or eggs on toast (you've earned it) |
What to buy
A basic breakfast prep list for one person for the week:
- Oats (a big tub lasts weeks)
- Eggs, 1–2 dozen
- Milk
- Bananas and apples
- Frozen fruit or spinach
- Cheese
- Tortillas (if making burritos)
- Peanut butter
If you're short on staples, our budget pantry staples list covers the basics, and the grocery list builder keeps track of the cost.
Make breakfast part of your routine
Breakfast prep fits easily into a bigger prep session. If you're already cooking lunches and dinners, add the egg muffins to the oven while your chicken roasts. Our guide to cheap meal prep for one shows how to put it all together, and the $20 meal prep for the week plan is a cheap place to start.
Quick checklist
- Make overnight oats for 3–4 days
- Bake a tray of egg muffins
- Freeze a batch of burritos once a month
- Buy yogurt in a big tub, not single cups
- Use frozen fruit to save money and waste
- Keep one slow breakfast for the weekend
