24 Asian side dishes for Breakfast

24 Asian side dishes for breakfast: recipes that make the most of simple ingredients and take your morning meal to the next level.

Jump to:

• Fruits
• Bread
• Pancakes
• Mushrooms
• Congee
• Noodles
• Others
• Drinks

Asian breakfasts are typically savoury, unlike the Western meal of cereals or bread. These easy Asian side dishes for breakfast only need a handful of ingredients, are simple to make and are a great way to start one's day!

For more Asian sides, check out this list of Taiwanese side dishes! If you're looking specifically for traditional Chinese breakfasts, check out this link.

Fruits

Instead of Greek yogurt with fruit compote, why not try some Japanese fruit jelly salad?

Mix your favorite fruits with fibre-rich (almost zero-calorie!) konnyaju jelly cubes to make this healthy and delicious fresh fruit salad, which is one of the healthier options out there. Add some citrus fruits- the tangy flavor is a perfect way to awaken your taste buds and start the day on a good note!

Expert tip: They can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days, so you can prepare these sweet treats the night before.

Or turn your fruits into a drink- starting the meal with a filling fruit beverage helps to pad your stomach and make sure you don't overeat!

Bread

Skip the scones, cinnamon rolls and sticky buns for your breakfast meal: why not try some soft Asian bread instead? You can dip them in brown sugar, condensed milk, maple syrup, Gula Melaka caramel or, if you prefer a savoury breakfast, an olive dip or curry!

In my opinion, they're some of the best breakfast side dishes ever, especially since they're easy to batch make and freeze, and can be steamed from frozen. No need to fuss about defrosting so early in the morning!

Expert tip: These Chinese buns can also be popped into the air fryer.

If you don't fancy mantou bao buns, why not try 1 of these 11 different Asian breads? The Japanese milk bread would taste delicious with this olive cream cheese spread!

Pancakes

Instead of a sweet German pancake, try these savoury spring onion pancakes! They're soft and flaky on the inside, but crispy on the outside- a great side dish with sausages or Canadian bacon!

Expert Tip: Like the mantou, these freeze well, and you can cook them directly from frozen.

Or, if you like to start your day on the sweet side, how about these sweet South East Asian pandan & coconut rolled-up crepes?

Mushrooms

Give the standard English big breakfast a twist by serving caramelized bacon, golden brown sweet potato hash, Chinese sausage patties and butter soy mushrooms- these mushrooms are literally the easiest thing you could cook early in the morning, making them a great side dish for lazy people like me!

Expert Tip: you can cut the mushrooms the evening before, so you only have to fry them in the morning.

If soy and butter aren't your thing, you may want to check out this list of 19 Asian mushroom recipes. (If it is your thing, you may like this soy butter popcorn recipe!)

Congee

Asians love their breakfast hearty- instead of oatmeal porridge, we often have a bowl of rice porridge (or even noodles!) early in the morning!

Expert tip: You can leave the pot of rice porridge simmering on the stove, and just give it a stir every now and then, allowing you the time to get ready for the rest of your day.

P.S. Here are some of the best condiments to top your congee with.

Noodles

Breakfast is a very important meal of the day, so one must make sure it's filling and what better way than a piping hot bowl of noodles?

P.S: OK, to be honest, I'm not sure congee and noodles would actually count as breakfast side ideas rather than main dishes? But they're certainly very popular breakfast choices in Singapore and other Asian countries, so I couldn't leave them out!

Others

Instead of fried potato hash browns, why not try this healthier baked butternut squash? (You can also use sweet potatoes for the recipe) They're the perfect accompaniment to the traditional fried eggs.

Drinks

A boost of caffeine helps to get the day off to a good start!

What are your favorite Asian side dishes for breakfast? ? Let me know if I've not mentioned it above. If this list has been helpful to you, I'd be grateful if you would share it on your social media pages!