The best breakfasts for high cholesterol are low in saturated fat and high in fibre: porridge or overnight oats, beans on wholemeal toast, smoked salmon on rye, yoghurt with fruit and nuts, or an egg-white omelette. The ones to cut back on are the fry-up, buttery pastries and cheese on toast, which can carry 7 to 14g of saturated fat before the day has started.
Below are 14 ideas with the saturated fat for each, three simple recipes, and the breakfasts worth keeping for the weekend.
General information, not medical advice
If your doctor or dietitian has given you specific limits for fat, salt, sugar or calories, follow those. Nutrition figures in this article are estimates from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values and vary by brand.
What makes a breakfast good for cholesterol
- Low saturated fat. Saturated fat is the main dietary driver of LDL. The American Heart Association suggests keeping it to about 6% of calories (around 13g a day on 2,000 calories), and the NHS sets an upper limit of 20g a day for women and 30g for men. See how much saturated fat per day for more.
- Soluble fibre. Oats, barley, beans, apples and berries contain soluble fibre, which helps your body clear cholesterol. About 3g a day of oat beta-glucan is linked to lower LDL, and breakfast is the easiest place to get it. More in our guide to soluble fibre and cholesterol.
- Protein that doesn't bring saturated fat with it. Fish, beans, egg whites, tofu and fat-free yoghurt keep you full until lunch without the saturated fat of bacon and sausages.
14 breakfast ideas for high cholesterol
Saturated fat is per portion, worked out from USDA FoodData Central values. Slices of bread are 40g (wholemeal) or 32g (rye).
| Breakfast | Portion | Saturated fat | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porridge with skimmed milk | 40g oats + 250ml milk | 0.6g | About 1.5g of oat beta-glucan |
| Porridge made with water, with berries | 40g oats + 80g blueberries | 0.5g | 6g of fibre for under 200 kcal |
| Apple and cinnamon overnight oats | 1 serving (recipe below) | 1.2g | Make it the night before |
| Homemade smoky beans on toast | 1 serving (recipe below) | 1.1g | 16g of fibre, no added sugar |
| Baked beans on wholemeal toast | 1/2 tin + 2 slices | 0.7g | Pick reduced sugar and salt tins |
| Smoked salmon on rye with cucumber | 50g salmon + 2 slices | 0.9g | Omega-3 fats; it's salty, so keep to 50g |
| Spinach and mushroom egg-white omelette | 4 whites + 1 slice toast (recipe below) | 1.0g | 23g of protein, no dietary cholesterol |
| Boiled egg with wholemeal toast | 1 large egg + 1 slice | 1.9g | Fine for most people; skip the butter |
| Half an avocado on wholemeal toast | 70g avocado + 1 slice | 1.8g | Mostly unsaturated fat, 7g of fibre |
| 0% Greek yoghurt with berries and walnuts | 150g + 80g raspberries + 10g walnuts | 0.8g | Protein plus plant omega-3 |
| Shredded wheat with skimmed milk | 2 biscuits + 200ml | 0.3g | Whole grain with no added sugar or salt |
| Wholemeal toast with peanut butter and banana | 1 slice + 1 tbsp + 1 banana | 2.1g | Peanut fat is mostly unsaturated |
| Tofu scramble with spinach | 150g firm tofu + 1 tsp oil | 2.5g | Soy protein instead of eggs |
| Berry, oat and soya milk smoothie | 200ml + banana + berries + 20g oats | 0.8g | Breakfast you can drink on the way out |
Eggs: it's what comes with them
A large egg has about 1.6g of saturated fat. Two sausages and two rashers of bacon have around 14g. For most people the egg is not the problem; the fry-up around it is. Read more in how many eggs a day you can eat with high cholesterol.
Three easy low-cholesterol breakfast recipes
Each recipe keeps saturated fat under 2g per serving. Nutrition figures are estimates per serving from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values.
1. Apple and cinnamon overnight oats
Serves 2 · Prep 10 min · Chill 6 hours or overnight
- 80g / 1 cup rolled oats
- 200ml / generous 3/4 cup skimmed milk or unsweetened soya milk
- 100g / scant 1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 medium apple
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 15g / about 7 halves walnuts, roughly chopped
- In a bowl or two jars, stir together the oats, milk, yoghurt, chia seeds and cinnamon.
- Coarsely grate in the apple, skin and all, and stir in the honey.
- Cover and chill for at least 6 hours, or overnight, so the oats and chia soak up the liquid.
- Stir, add a splash more milk if it is too thick, and top with the walnuts. Keeps for 2 days in the fridge.
Per serving (approx.): 355 kcal · 10g fat (1.2g saturated) · 5mg cholesterol · 54g carbs · 9g fibre · 21g sugar · 16g protein
Why it helps: 40g of oats per person gives about 1.5g of beta-glucan, half the daily amount linked with lower LDL, and the apple adds pectin, another soluble fibre. Most of the sugar comes from the apple and milk. Leave out the honey to cut it to about 15g.
2. Smoky homemade beans on toast
Serves 2 · Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 x 400g / 14oz tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (about 240g drained)
- 200g / 7oz chopped tomatoes (half a 400g tin)
- 40g / 1.5oz baby spinach (a large handful)
- Black pepper
- 4 slices wholemeal bread
- Heat the oil in a small pan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the beans and tomatoes and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, crushing a few beans with a fork to thicken the sauce. Season with black pepper.
- Stir in the spinach until it wilts.
- Toast the bread and spoon the beans over. It doesn't need butter.
Per serving (approx.): 430 kcal · 6g fat (1.1g saturated) · 0mg cholesterol · 73g carbs · 16g fibre · 8g sugar · 24g protein
Why it helps: beans are one of the richest sources of soluble fibre, and this version has none of the added sugar in most tinned baked beans. About half of the 745mg of sodium per serving comes from the bread, so a lower-salt loaf brings it down.
3. Spinach and mushroom egg-white omelette
Serves 1 · Prep 5 min · Cook 10 min
- 4 large egg whites (about 130g / 1/2 cup from a carton)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 60g / 2oz mushrooms, sliced
- 30g / 1oz baby spinach
- 60g / 2oz cherry tomatoes (about 5), halved
- Black pepper
- 1 slice wholemeal bread, to serve
- Heat half the oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the mushrooms for 3 to 4 minutes until golden. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook for 1 minute until the spinach wilts, then tip onto a plate.
- Whisk the egg whites with a little black pepper until frothy.
- Add the rest of the oil to the pan, pour in the whites and cook over a medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, drawing the edges into the middle, until almost set.
- Spoon the filling over one half, fold the omelette over and slide it onto a plate. Serve with the toast.
Per serving (approx.): 240 kcal · 6.5g fat (1g saturated) · 0mg cholesterol · 23g carbs · 4.5g fibre · 5.5g sugar · 23g protein
Why it helps: egg whites are almost pure protein with no fat or cholesterol. If you prefer the taste of yolk, use 1 whole egg and 2 whites: that adds about 1.6g of saturated fat and 185mg of cholesterol, which still fits a cholesterol-lowering diet for most people.
See what your breakfast does to your numbers
Save these as recipes in Heart Tracker and log them in seconds. The app counts your saturated fat and fibre each day and keeps your lipid panel results alongside, so you can see whether changes like these are moving your LDL.
Download Heart Tracker FreeBreakfasts to limit if you have high cholesterol
None of these is banned, but they are where saturated fat adds up fastest. They are best kept for the occasional weekend. For more swaps, see our list of 100 food swaps that lower cholesterol.
| Breakfast | Saturated fat | Easy swap |
|---|---|---|
| Two pork sausages and two rashers of bacon | About 14g | Homemade beans on toast with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes |
| Butter croissant (60g) | About 7g | Wholemeal toast with peanut butter and banana |
| Cheese on toast (40g cheddar) | About 7.8g | Smoked salmon on rye |
| Two slices of toast with 10g butter | About 5.7g | Mashed avocado or a thin layer of peanut butter |
| Granola made with coconut or palm oil | Varies: check the label | Plain oats or no-added-sugar muesli |
Reading breakfast cereal labels
Most cereals are low in saturated fat, but some granolas, clusters and breakfast biscuits are baked with coconut oil, palm oil or butter. Look at the saturates line: under UK labelling rules, 1.5g or less per 100g counts as low and more than 5g per 100g counts as high. Fibre matters too: 6g or more per 100g counts as high fibre. For a step-by-step method, see our guide to reading a heart-healthy food label. To compare popular brands side by side, see our ranking of the best cereal for high cholesterol.
Low-cholesterol breakfasts: quick answers
Is porridge good for high cholesterol?
Yes. Oats contain beta-glucan, a soluble fibre that helps lower LDL cholesterol, and about 3g a day is the amount linked with a benefit. A 40g bowl of porridge gives roughly 1.5g. Make it with water, skimmed milk or unsweetened soya milk, and top it with fruit rather than cream or lots of sugar.
Can I eat eggs for breakfast if I have high cholesterol?
For most people, yes, in moderation. A large egg has about 1.6g of saturated fat and around 185mg of dietary cholesterol, and for most people saturated fat has a bigger effect on blood cholesterol than dietary cholesterol does. What you eat with the egg (bacon, sausages, butter) usually matters more. If your doctor has given you a limit on eggs, follow it.
Is smoked salmon good for cholesterol?
Smoked salmon is low in saturated fat (under 0.5g in a 50g portion) and contains omega-3 fats. It is salty, though: 50g has around 340mg of sodium by USDA figures, and many brands have more, so keep the portion modest and skip extra salt.
Is avocado on toast good for cholesterol?
Yes. Most of the fat in avocado is monounsaturated, and half an avocado on a slice of wholemeal toast has about 1.8g of saturated fat and 7g of fibre. Swapping butter for mashed avocado cuts saturated fat.
What is the best cereal for high cholesterol?
Plain oats, shredded wheat, bran flakes and no-added-sugar muesli are good choices because they are high in fibre and low in saturated fat. Some granolas are baked with coconut or palm oil, so check the saturates line: in the UK, 1.5g or less per 100g counts as low.
Planning the rest of the day? Try our easy low-cholesterol dinners, the low-cholesterol snacks list, or browse every recipe on the low-cholesterol recipes page.
Sources
- NHS: Fat, the facts
- American Heart Association: Saturated fat
- NHS: How to read food labels
- USDA FoodData Central (nutrition values for ingredients)
- Whitehead A, et al. Cholesterol-lowering effects of oat β-glucan: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014.
- Blesso CN, Fernandez ML. Dietary cholesterol, serum lipids, and heart disease: are eggs working for or against you? Nutrients. 2018.