Breakfast Foods With Sky-High Calorie Counts

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Breakfast is one meal that we often don't give much thought to as we're rushing to get out the door. And while nutritionists continue to debate whether the first meal of the day is the most important, most of us prefer to have something to eat to get us through the morning — the amount of calories each breakfast option contains varies widely. To help you figure out where your morning meal weighs in, we listed the most common breakfast foods over 200 calories using the USDA's Food-A-Pedia guide, which allows you to compare the nutrition information on thousands of foods.

Doughnut

Serving Size: 1 Doughnut (3¼" across)
Calories: 226
Calories from Saturated Fat: 35

A classic American breakfast favorite, doughnuts pack a big caloric punch for such a small package — especially considering they usually show up by the dozen. Extreme varieties aside, regular cake, glazed, or powdered versions usually ring in around 226 calories, but once you venture into glazed and ones with custard or jelly filling, you can tack on an extra 15 to 25 calories for each one.

Croissant

Serving Size: 1 Medium Size
Calories: 231
Calories from Saturated Fat: 60
Despite their light and flight appearance, croissants are made with plenty of butter and milk — no wonder they taste so good — which translates to more calories. If you opt for a chocolate croissant, you're usually looking at around 9 more calories. And the popular ham-and-cheese croissants contain around 338 calories.

Cold Pizza

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of 12" pie)
Calories: 233
Calories from Saturated Fat: 35
A favorite quick breakfast option among teens, college students, and — well, quite a few adults — cold pizza packs in the calories, even with just one slice. But you wouldn't want those leftovers from your favorite pizza place to go to waste, right?

Avocado Toast

Serving Size: 1 Slice of Toast, 1/2 Avocado
Calories: 250
Calories from Saturated Fat: 30
Avocado toast is an inexpensive and flavorful breakfast option to make at home — even if some people think millennials are spending too much money eating it at brunch. Avocados are filling and packed with plenty of nutrients and healthy fats, the key to keeping the calories down is just not going overboard with too much.

Cinnamon Bun

Serving Size: 1 Medium Bun
Calories: 262
Calories from Saturated Fat: 65
Often a tempting breakfast pastry to grab on the go, cinnamon buns sneak in quite a few calories (not to mention sugar). Even if you skip the frosting, the calorie count is still around 223.

Huevos Rancheros

Serving Size: 2 Eggs, Salsa, 2 Tortillas
Calories: 278
Calories from Saturated Fat: 36
A Mexican-inspired breakfast and brunch favorite, huevos rancheros offer a substantial amount of calories, but are also particularly filling and will last you until lunch.

Omelet

Serving Size: 2 Large Eggs
Calories: 282
Calories from Saturated Fat: 98
Since they typically contain cheese and butter, omelets tend to bring quite a few calories to the table. When you add the ever-popular ham to the mix, the count jumps to 464. If you're looking to reduce the calorie count, consider opting for one without cheese or fat and add in vegetables for a 171 calorie option. When you use egg whites, the count drops to just 24 calories.

Bagel with Cream Cheese

Serving Size: 4-ounce Bagel, 1 Tablespoon Cream Cheese
Calories: 320 (270 + 50)
Calories from Saturated Fat: 29 (4 + 25)
A hugely popular breakfast staple — especially on the East Coast, but really all across the country these days — bagels may be delicious but they also contain quite a few calories. And cream cheese adds on an extra 50 calories per tablespoon. One bagel is roughly the caloric equivalent of eating four ½ pieces of bread.

Hash Browns

Serving Size: 1 Cup
Calories: 410
Calories from Saturated Fat: 26
Hash browns deliver plenty of flavor, but also a generous dose of calories — especially considering they're typically just a side dish to what is probably already a hearty breakfast. If you're still craving a potato as part of your breakfast routine, consider trying a baked one, which only contains around 159 calories — that is without adding butter or sour cream.

Blueberry Muffin

Serving Size: 1 Medium Muffin (113 grams)
Calories: 426
Calories from Saturated Fat: 27
Muffins are one of those grab-and-go breakfast items that seem like a healthy option, but deceptively contain a lot of calories. Even with otherwise healthy ingredients like blueberries, cranberries, bran, and carrots, you're still looking at well over 400 calories.

Steak and Eggs

Serving Size: 1 medium steak, 2 eggs
Calories: 505 (363 + 142)
Calories from Saturated Fat: 62 (34 + 28)
Once a breakfast staple of classic American diners, steak and eggs have largely fallen out of fashion, at least amongst the brunch crowd. But that's not to say they don't occasionally show up on a menu, tempting you with a hearty, high-calorie option. They're both also a good source of protein and nutrients, so you might not rule them out completely. Though if you're watching the calories, you may skip the extra fat or at least not choose the Southern favorite of chicken-fried steak, which contains 649 calories alone.

Granola

Serving Size: 1 Cup
Calories: 597
Calories from Saturated Fat: 45
At first glance, granola seems like a healthy, low-calorie option, but most store-bought and even homemade recipes are really high in calories thanks to added sugar and saturated fats. Thankfully, there are plenty of low-calorie granola recipes out there, so you can still get the health benefits of oats, nuts, seeds and other healthy ingredients without the unnecessary calories.

Breakfast Sandwich

Serving Size: 1 Sandwich
Calories: 584
Calories from Saturated Fat: 120
Breakfast sandwiches are a convenient way to grab a bite on the go, but for those built with sausage, egg and cheese, not to mention bread, you're also bringing a lot of calories with you. If you're looking to cut down on the count, consider skipping the meat and cheese and opting for a scrambled-egg-only version with less than half the calories (230).

Breakfast Burrito

Serving Size: 1 Medium Burrito with Sausage, Egg, Cheese, Beans, and Salsa
Calories: 602
Calories from Saturated Fat: 94
Breakfast burritos can be a tempting, hearty option in the morning, but those loaded with eggs, cheese, sausage, beans, and salsa also have quite a lot of calories. If you're looking for a lower-calorie version, consider skipping the meat and cheese, and add in more vegetables with egg whites.

Chilaquiles

Serving Size: 1 Cup
Calories: 677
Calories from Saturated Fat: 130
Another Mexican-influenced popular breakfast option — featuring eggs, cheese, salsa, and tortilla chips — chilaquiles are delicious, but they also tend to offer up a lot of calories for breakfast. Consider skipping the cheese or at least sharing it with friends if you don't aim to consume all of those calories yourself.

Quiche

Serving Size: 1 Slice (1/8 of 9-inch quiche)
Calories: 697
Calories from Saturated Fat: 272
Quiche may appear to be a refined and dainty breakfast option, but it is typically made with plenty of cheese, milk, and eggs — which means lots of calories. The popular quiche Lorraine, which typically contains bacon or another meat, clocks in at 739 calories. To cut down on the calories, look for a meatless one without cheese that contains vegetables.

Eggs Benedict

Serving Size: 2 Large Eggs, 2 Pieces Canadian Bacon, English Muffin
Calories: 821
Calories from Saturated Fat: 223
A long-standing brunch and breakfast staple, eggs benedict is a calorie monster thanks to the inclusion of eggs, Canadian bacon, and rich Hollandaise sauce — which contains egg yolks and butter and accounts for 162 calories in just two tablespoons. For a healthier rendition, try a recipe that swaps the bacon for spinach and uses a Greek yogurt-based Hollandaise.

Related: 13 Simple Ways to Cook Eggs

Denny's Lumberjack Slam

Serving Size: 2 Eggs, 2 Slices of Bacon, 2 Breakfast Sausages, Grilled Ham, 2 Pancakes with butter and syrup, hash browns, toast, plus coffee
Calories: 1,500
Calories from Fat: 840
While most of us aren't typically ordering the insanely massive Lumberjack Slam, we thought it would be a helpful contrast to know that such a heavyweight exists as a breakfast option. You may want to consider bringing the whole baseball team if you order it, though.