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YouTube star and plant-based creator Merle O’Neal recently set out on a mission to level up her breakfast game with three viral vegan high-protein recipes circulating on TikTok. Her goal? More muscle, more energy, and no compromises on flavor.
O’Neal has been adapting her diet lately to support her resistance training and weightlifting. In a recent video, she shares: “There’s, like, a whole preconceived notion about how vegans and vegetarians must not get enough protein. I’m not out here saying that I’m struggling, I’m just out here saying I want to increase my protein ‘cause I’m starting to work out more and I want to gain muscle.”
Rather than reaching for the usual suspects – protein shakes and tofu scramble – O’Neal scoured TikTok to uncover three high-protein breakfast recipes that looked tasty and innovative. With a few personal twists, she gave each one a try and rated them accordingly. Here’s how they stacked up.
Read more: Need More Fiber In Your Diet? Try These Easy Recipes
Tofu avo toast: a creamy protein twist
Rating: 6.5/10
This isn’t your average avocado toast. The viral hack, originally from That Vegan Babe, calls for mashing firm tofu into your smashed avocado to seriously up the protein content. O’Neal tops it off with Ezekiel bread, known for its sprouted grains and nutritional density.
The twist? Tofu dilutes the creamy richness of avocado, so O’Neal seasons the mix generously with onion and garlic powder, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, and a splash of apple cider vinegar for tang. “It’s not bad, it’s a little weird,” she admits on first bite, adding that she still thinks it’s genius.
While she praises the concept, she recommends a 2:1 avocado-to-tofu ratio for better flavor and says blending could help with texture, but confesses she probably wouldn’t go through that effort first thing in the morning. Still, with around 24 grams of protein, it’s a solid start to the day.
Fluffy protein pancakes with vegan “caramel” sauce
Rating: 10/10
Next up is a showstopper from Vegan Zinga: high-protein pancakes topped with a surprisingly simple peanut butter–maple syrup sauce that she calls “caramel.”
To mix up her own tried-and-true fluffy vegan pancake batter, O’Neal uses soy milk, which contains eight grams of protein per cup, and apple cider vinegar to mimic buttermilk. The dry ingredients include all-purpose flour, baking powder and half a scoop of protein powder. For extra sweetness and flavor, she throws in a mashed banana and then tops the golden-brown stack with the caramel sauce.
“I think Vegan Zinga is a genius,” she says. “Holy moly. Wow. This is unreal.”
The banana helps offset the sometimes chalky taste of protein powder, and the pancakes turn out shockingly fluffy, even with all the tweaks. “I love you so much,” she says affectionately to her pancakes.
Sweet and simple peanut butter chia pudding
Rating: 8.5/10
The final recipe is a peanut butter chia pudding, also inspired by Vegan Zinga, and it’s the simplest of the three – but don’t let that fool you. With the power of chia seeds, protein plant-based milk, and a generous spoonful of peanut butter, this one packs a protein punch and is perfect for meal prep.
O’Neal mixes chia seeds with vanilla flavored protein plant-based milk. In a separate jar, she mixes maple syrup and peanut butter, then lets it all set overnight in the fridge. In the morning, she tops it with fresh fruit – blueberries and banana slices.
Although the chia pudding looks a little “unsightly and scary,” O’Neal ends up really enjoying the flavor.
“That…caramel sauce saves the day, it’s really delicious” she says, adding “I think you could probably eat almost anything with it and it’s going to be good.”
Hungry for more? Check out more recipes and videos on Merle O’Neal’s YouTube channel.
Read more: ‘I Tried TikTok’s Viral High-Protein Vegan Meals’
