11 Sports Team Breakfast Ideas

If you are in charge of planning breakfast for a sports team, it can be helpful to have a variety of easy ideas to choose from.

Check out these 11 sports team breakfast ideas which can help ensure that athletes are fueled to perform at their best.

Sports Nutrition Needs of Athletes at Team Breakfasts

When planning a team breakfast, it is important to keep the sports nutrition needs of athletes in mind.

If the breakfast is going to be eaten as the team’s pre-game meal, aim to schedule the breakfast 3-4 hours prior to the start of the game. This allows time for digestion and for the athletes to go to the bathroom, if needed, before the start of the game.

Carbohydrate-rich foods should be at the foundation of the team breakfast. Carbohydrates provide athletes with the energy needed to perform at their best.

There are a variety of ways to add carbohydrates to the team breakfast, including:

• Dairy: Milk and yogurt
• Grains: Bread, wraps, tortillas, bagels, oatmeal, grits, breakfast cereal, quinoa
• Fruit: Fresh fruit, dried fruit, applesauce, 100% fruit juice, fruit smoothies
• Starchy Vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans

In addition to carbohydrates, the team breakfast should contain a moderate amount of lean protein.

When selecting the breakfast menu, I recommend limiting items that are high in saturated fat. This includes items such as: greasy foods, fried foods, gravy, and high-fat breakfast meats (pork sausage and bacon).

Healthy Beverages with the Team Breakfast

When planning the breakfast for the sports team, don’t forget to consider what beverages will be served with the meal. Hydration is important for an athlete’s health as well as sports performance.

Ideas for healthy beverages to offer with the team breakfast include:

• Water
• Low-fat milk
• High-protein milk
• Low-fat chocolate milk
• 100% fruit juice
• 100% vegetable juice

Sports Team Breakfast: Food Allergies and Special Diets

When planning breakfast for a sports team, make sure to find out if any athletes or staff have food allergies. If so, it is important for all food items to be clearly labeled and to identify potential food allergens.

Also find out if anyone on the team follows a special diet that needs to be planned for. This may include athletes following a vegetarian diet or athletes who follow a gluten-free meal plan.

11 Sports Team Breakfast Ideas

Now that you are aware of key nutrients to include in a team breakfast, let’s explore 11 easy breakfast ideas for sports teams.

Sports Team Breakfast Ideas: Build Your Own Bars

Providing athletes with the option to customize or “build their own breakfast” from a selection of items is a great way to meet the unique tastes and nutrition needs of a sports team.

Here are a variety of build your own breakfast bars that are great options for sports teams.

#1 Breakfast Sandwiches and Wraps

Breakfast sandwiches and wraps can be an easy option for a team breakfast. You can simply provide all the fixings and allow the athletes to build their own breakfast sandwich.

• Bread and Wraps: Offer a variety of bread, bagels, English muffins, and wrap options, including whole grain varieties
• Protein: Scrambled eggs, turkey or chicken sausage, turkey bacon, sliced ham, sliced cheese
• Veggies: Spinach, tomatoes, red onion, sliced avocado, salsa

Make sure to have a toaster available for those who prefer their sandwich bread toasted. In addition, having a sandwich/panini press is a great option for a fun twist on the classic breakfast sandwich.

#2 Build Your Own Breakfast Bowl

Providing athletes with the option to build their own breakfast bowl, I find to be a popular option with athletic teams. Athletes can easily build a bowl that provides carbohydrates as well as lean protein that supports their nutrition needs.

Possible items to offer for the breakfast bowls include:

• Lean Proteins: Scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, diced ham or turkey, chicken or turkey sausage, turkey bacon
• Carbohydrates: Quinoa, brown rice, roasted breakfast potatoes, diced sweet potatoes
• Veggies: Spinach, diced tomatoes, onions, bell peppers
• Healthy Fats: Sliced avocado

On the side, consider offering an assortment of fresh fruit, such as bananas, berries, grapes, and sliced melon.

#3 Smoothie Bar

A fruit smoothie bar is a great option to include at a team breakfast. Although it may sound complicated, it is actually easy to set-up. Just make sure you have a couple of good blenders ready to go.

Possible fruit smoothie ingredients include:

• Fresh banana or frozen banana slices
• Frozen fruit: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango, pineapple, peaches
• Low-fat milk, high-protein milk, unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened oat milk
• Fresh spinach, kale, avocado
• Greek yogurt
• Nut butter, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, honey, maple syrup

To go with the smoothie bar, consider offering protein muffins (check out the muffin mixes from Kodiak Cakes®), bagels with nut butter, or one of the breakfast buffets suggested below.

#4 Build Your Own Omelet Station

Although an omelet station requires more work to implement, it is definitely an athlete favorite.

Ideas for ingredients to include in the omelet station:

• Eggs: Whole eggs, egg whites, vegan egg substitutes
• Protein: Diced ham, turkey or chicken sausage, turkey bacon, shredded cheese
• Vegetables: Spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini
• Additional Items: Sliced avocado, salsa

On the side offer fruit, as well as an assortment of bagels and whole grain breads, to boost the carbohydrate content of the breakfast.

#5 Build-Your-Own Breakfast Tacos

Providing all of the fixings for athletes to build their own breakfast tacos can be an easy team meal option.

Consider including the following items in a build-your-own breakfast taco bar.

• Scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions
• Turkey or chicken sausage links, turkey bacon, diced ham
• Roasted breakfast potatoes
• Whole wheat tortillas, corn tortillas
• Sliced avocado, shredded cheese, salsa, pico de gallo

Make sure to offer an assortment of fresh fruit on the side for athletes to enjoy with their tacos.

Tean Breakfast Ideas: Buffet Line

Aside from build your own breakfast bars, there are numerous breakfast buffet options that can make a great team meal.

#6 Continental Breakfast

A continental style breakfast can work great for a team breakfast. By providing an assortment of items, athletes can build a breakfast suited to their individual preferences.

• Breads and Cereals: English muffins, bagels, whole grain bread, protein muffins, breakfast cereal, granola, oatmeal
• Fruit: Fresh sliced fruit, mixed berries, bananas, grapes, raisins
• Lean Proteins: Hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, nut butter, nuts
• Condiments: Honey, jelly, low-fat cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon

I find that individual containers of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are a convenient, mess-free option for a team breakfast.

#7 Traditional Team Breakfast

A team breakfast centered around a selection of carbohydrate-rich items, lean proteins, as well as fresh fruits can help ensure that athletes are optimally fueled for their upcoming competition.

In addition to the items listed above for the continental breakfast, consider the following items to include in the team breakfast buffet.

• Carbohydrates: Pancakes, French toast, waffles
• Lean Proteins: Scrambled eggs, turkey/chicken sausage, turkey bacon, sliced ham
• Sides: Breakfast potatoes, fresh sliced fruit, Greek yogurt parfaits

For the pancakes and waffles, consider using a protein mix, such as those available from Kodiak Cakes®. If you have several waffle makers available, athletes may enjoy making their own waffle at the buffet.

#8 Greek Yogurt Parfaits and Overnight Oats

If you are looking for a team breakfast idea that can be prepared in advance, Greek yogurt parfaits and overnight oats are both great options.

When preparing the parfaits, I suggest using a variety of berries. Berries are packed full of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the body (1).

Top the parfaits with whole grain granola or breakfast cereal for added crunch and flavor.

Meal Prep Overnight Oats

Individual containers of overnight oats can easily be meal prepped in advance and provided as a nutrient-rich breakfast for the team. 

There are numerous ways you can boost the protein content of overnight oats to make a power-packed breakfast for athletes. Ideas include: Greek yogurt, high-protein milk, nuts, and nut butter.

By mixing in different types of fruits and spices you can prepare a variety of flavors of overnight oats. This will allow athletes to have several options of overnight oats to choose from.

Sports Team Breakfast Ideas: Restaurant Catering

In addition to the ideas above, there are many restaurants that offer easy, affordable catering options for team breakfasts.

Below are a few restaurant suggestions if you are looking to cater breakfast for a sports team.

#9 Panera Bread

Panera Bread offers a variety of catering options that can be a good breakfast choice for a sports team.

One of my favorite breakfast catering options at Panera is their Parfaits, Fruit & Bagels Bundle. The bundle comes with individual Greek yogurt parfaits, a fruit bowl, and assortment of bagels.

Panera also offers breakfast boxes which include a choice of breakfast sandwich and side item. The breakfast boxes can be a convenient option if you are looking for a meal the athletes can eat on the bus.

#10 Jason’s Deli

Similar to Panera, Jason’s Deli also offers a variety of breakfast catering options that can be used for a sports team.

They offer a variety of breakfast sandwich and wrap trays, which can be a convenient way to provide the team with a hot breakfast when you have limited time available.

If you purchase the hot breakfast sandwich or wrap tray, consider getting a fresh fruit tray as well for the athletes to enjoy with their breakfast.

Jason’s Deli also offers hot breakfast boxes that come with a choice of breakfast sandwich or wrap and a fresh fruit cup. Consider ordering an assortment of sandwiches so athletes have a selection to choose from.

#11 Einstein’s Bros Bagels

Finally, Einstein’s Bros. Bagels can be an easy solution when you need to provide a quick breakfast for a sports team.

Ordering a box of assorted bagels along with one of their reduced-fat shmears can be a great option for a breakfast-on-the go. As an added benefit, the leftover bagels can be enjoyed as a high-carb snack later in the day.

Einstein’s Bros. Bagels also offers Egg Sandwich Nosh Boxes, which include an assortment of egg breakfast bagel sandwiches.

If picking up Einstein’s Bros. Bagels for the team, I would suggest bringing along fresh fruit for the athletes to eat with their bagel. Also consider bringing a container of nut butter that athletes can use as an alternative topping for their bagels.

Sports Team Breakfast: Food Safety Considerations

When planning breakfast for a sports team, it is important to keep food safety in mind.

Holding food at the correct temperature is an important aspect of food safety. Hot food should be held hot, and cold food should be held cold.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines the temperature range between 40°F and 140°F, as the “Danger Zone” in which bacteria can rapidly grow. 

Perishable foods should not be left sitting in the temperature danger zone for more than 2 hours. This includes foods such as yogurt, cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and sliced fruit.

Food left in the temperature danger zone over 2 hours should be thrown away. This is an important step you can take to reduce the risk of athletes getting a foodborne illness.

11 Sports Team Breakfast Ideas

You are now set with 11 sports team breakfast ideas to help ensure athletes are fueled to perform at their best.

For additional meal planning tips for sports teams, check out my blog with ideas for healthy team dinners.

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About Mandy

Mandy Tyler is a Sports Dietitian Nutritionist in the San Antonio, TX area. She is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Licensed Athletic Trainer, and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine.  Mandy has experience working with athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. She believes the key to reaching one’s full potential, both in everyday life and in sports performance, relies on a healthy nutritional foundation. 

If you are looking to take your performance to the next level, make sure to check out my new Sports Nutrition Game Day Guide. This downloadable guide is written to help athletes develop an individualized plan to achieve peak performance on game day.