TrakMac
What is a good high-protein holiday breakfast?
The easiest high-protein holiday breakfasts are built on eggs, Greek yogurt, smoked salmon or a breakfast meat. Using USDA FoodData Central numbers, a cup of egg bake (bread, cheese, milk and meat) has 19g of protein for 287 calories, and adding two turkey sausage links brings the plate to 27g of protein. Two eggs scrambled with cheese plus two slices of Canadian bacon give 29g of protein for 272 calories. A 6 oz cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt has 18g of protein for 100 calories, and 2 oz of smoked salmon adds 10g to a bagel with cream cheese, bringing it to 23g. The classic holiday sweets are lower in protein: a frosted cinnamon roll has 4g and two pancakes have 7g. Keep them and add one protein food alongside.
Holiday breakfast foods ranked by protein per 100 calories
| Food | Serving | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Protein per 100 cal | FDC ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg whites | 3 egg whites (99g) | 51 | 11g | 2g | 0g | 20.6g | 2707170 |
| Canadian bacon | 2 slices (46g) | 67 | 13g | 1g | 1g | 19.4g | 2705884 |
| Greek yogurt, nonfat plain | 6 oz container (170g) | 100 | 18g | 6g | 1g | 17.5g | 2705424 |
| Smoked salmon | 2 oz (57g) | 67 | 10g | 0g | 2g | 15.6g | 2706292 |
| Cottage cheese | 1/2 cup (105g) | 108 | 12g | 5g | 4g | 11.3g | 2705748 |
| Turkey or chicken sausage | 2 breakfast links (40g) | 77 | 8g | 0g | 5g | 10.2g | 2706200 |
| Greek yogurt, whole milk plain | 6 oz container (170g) | 160 | 15g | 8g | 7g | 9.3g | 2705422 |
| Hard-boiled eggs | 2 eggs (100g) | 143 | 12g | 1g | 10g | 8.7g | 2707154 |
| Scrambled eggs with cheese | 2 eggs (120g) | 205 | 16g | 2g | 15g | 7.8g | 2707212 |
| Bacon | 2 medium slices (16g) | 77 | 6g | 0g | 6g | 7.7g | 2705885 |
| Egg bake (bread, cheese, milk, meat) | 1 cup (164g) | 287 | 19g | 17g | 16g | 6.5g | 2707192 |
| Yogurt parfait with fruit | 1 parfait (150g) | 156 | 8g | 24g | 3g | 5.0g | 2705450 |
| Eggs Benedict | 1 egg on a muffin half (155g) | 446 | 21g | 13g | 34g | 4.8g | 2707180 |
| Quiche with meat | 1 individual quiche (113g) | 437 | 18g | 14g | 35g | 4.0g | 2708731 |
| French toast | 2 slices (130g) | 355 | 14g | 42g | 15g | 3.8g | 2708335 |
| Bagel with cream cheese | 1 regular bagel (105g) + 2 tbsp cream cheese (30g) | 380 | 13g | 56g | 11g | 3.4g | 2707684,2705760 |
| Pancakes | 2 medium pancakes (100g) | 282 | 7g | 35g | 12g | 2.6g | 2708304 |
| Coffee cake | 1 piece (65g) | 257 | 4g | 33g | 12g | 1.6g | 2708079 |
| Cinnamon roll, frosted | 1 medium (90g) | 407 | 4g | 44g | 24g | 1.0g | 2707668 |
Source: USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS 2021-2023 survey foods (release 2024-10-31), retrieved 2026-11-04. Each row is USDA's per-100g value times the serving weight shown; FDC IDs let you look up any row yourself. The bagel row adds two USDA rows (bagel FDC 2707684 + cream cheese FDC 2705760).
Six holiday breakfast plates, with totals
Built from the rows above. Totals add the rounded table values.
| Plate | What's on it | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg bake + sausage | Egg bake (bread, cheese, milk, meat), 1 cup (164g) + Turkey or chicken sausage, 2 breakfast links (40g) | 364 | 27g |
| Scrambled eggs + Canadian bacon | Scrambled eggs with cheese, 2 eggs (120g) + Canadian bacon, 2 slices (46g) | 272 | 29g |
| Smoked salmon bagel | Bagel with cream cheese, 1 regular bagel (105g) + 2 tbsp cream cheese (30g) + Smoked salmon, 2 oz (57g) | 447 | 23g |
| Greek yogurt + cottage cheese bowl | Greek yogurt, nonfat plain, 6 oz container (170g) + Cottage cheese, 1/2 cup (105g) | 208 | 30g |
| Cinnamon roll + Greek yogurt | Cinnamon roll, frosted, 1 medium (90g) + Greek yogurt, nonfat plain, 6 oz container (170g) | 507 | 22g |
| French toast + Canadian bacon | French toast, 2 slices (130g) + Canadian bacon, 2 slices (46g) | 422 | 27g |
The cinnamon roll plate is the point: you don't need to give up the cinnamon rolls. Adding a 6 oz cup of Greek yogurt takes that breakfast from 4g to 22g of protein.
Make-ahead options for a crowded kitchen
Holiday mornings are busy, so the best high-protein breakfast is one you prep the night before:
- Egg bake or strata. Assemble it the night before and bake in the morning. USDA's egg casserole row has 19g of protein per cup.
- Yogurt parfait bar. Put out plain Greek yogurt, fruit and granola and let everyone build their own. Plain nonfat Greek yogurt has 18g per 6 oz, compared with 8g in a 150g fruit parfait.
- Hard-boiled eggs. Two eggs have 12g of protein and keep in the fridge for days.
- Smoked salmon platter. No cooking at all, and 2 oz has 10g of protein.
For a sense of how much protein to aim for at breakfast, see the 30g protein per meal rule.
Quick answers
How much protein is in an egg bake? About 19g per cup (287 calories) for an egg casserole with bread, cheese, milk and meat, per USDA.
Is quiche high in protein? It has a fair amount, 18g in an individual quiche, but it's also 437 calories, so it ranks low on protein per calorie.
How much protein is in smoked salmon? 2 oz has 10g of protein and 67 calories.
What is the highest-protein breakfast meat? Canadian bacon: two slices have 13g of protein for 67 calories, compared with 6g and 77 calories for two slices of regular bacon.
How many calories are in a cinnamon roll? A medium frosted cinnamon roll is 407 calories with 4g of protein.
Logging it without the homework
In TrakMac you just say what you had out loud, like "a cup of egg bake, two turkey sausage links and a cinnamon roll," and it logs the calories, protein, carbs and fat for you. No searching a database, no guessing at portions. You can also ask the TrakMac Coach whether it fits the rest of your day, and it answers using your own logs.
These are close-enough numbers for everyday tracking, not medical or dietary advice. Homemade recipes vary a lot, so treat these as close-enough averages from USDA data.