Think of your favorite egg-related breakfast: an omelet, eggs Benedict, avocado toast, scrambled eggs, the list goes on. Now think of how many eggs you crack in the pan to make your morning meal.
Is it two? We wouldn’t be surprised if it was. For many of us, two eggs feels like the Goldilocks number—just right. Maybe one egg won’t fill you up, and three feels a bit “excessive.” But nutrition scientists would encourage you to think again.
If you rely on two eggs in the morning for your protein fix, you likely aren’t getting enough of the macronutrient, according to Keri Gans, RDN, a New York City–based certified dietitian and author of The Small Change Diet.
“A protein-rich meal keeps you fuller longer and helps maintain steady energy,” Gans says. “Two eggs provide roughly 12 grams of protein, which is a solid start but falls short of the typical 30-gram recommendation per meal.”
Research shows that eating about 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal optimizes your body’s process of repairing and building muscle, Gans explains. All too often, we assume that a scoop of tuna at lunch or some chicken at dinner will be enough to hit that minimum. But that’s easier said than done.
Having protein at breakfast has benefits in and of itself, too: Having a lot of protein at breakfast, or eating more protein in the morning than in the evening, may increase muscle size, according to a 2025 review in Nutrition Reviews. It can also help you feel fuller longer and improve concentration before lunch, according to a 2024 study in the Journal of Dairy Science.
And what if you don’t hit those numbers? Not getting enough protein can cause muscle loss, slower recovery from illness or exercise, fatigue, brittle hair and nails, and a weakened immune system, according to Gans. In older adults especially, too little protein raises the risk of frailty.
Want to up your protein intake for the most important meal of the day? You don’t need to guzzle five eggs. Here’s something that may sound slightly more palatable: making additions to your two-egg breakfast so it’s closer to the recommended 30 grams per meal. Here are a handful of ideas dietitians and experts recommend for a well-rounded, filling dish.
1. Cottage cheese
An easy way to double the protein content of your breakfast is to add a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese to the pan while scrambling your eggs, according to Erin Davis, MS, RDN, CDCES, registered dietitian and diabetes educator. “It adds flavor and major staying power to your meal,” she says. A 1/2 cup of cottage cheese packs roughly 12 grams of protein, according to the USDA.
2. Greek yogurt
Gans recommends eating a single-serving container of Greek yogurt on the side of your two eggs. Plain Greek yogurt that’s either 0% or 2% fat adds 15 to 20 grams of protein to your meal, depending on the brand, she says. For instance, a five-ounce serving of plain Fage Total 2% has 15 grams of protein and plain Fage Total 0% has 16 grams of protein per serving. A 6-ounce serving of plain Oikos Pro has a whopping 25 grams of protein.
3. Smoked salmon
Salmon is loaded with omega-3s, monounsaturated fatty acids that have been proven to lower inflammation and improve heart health, according to a 2024 review in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN.
