US Consumer Approach to Breakfast Report 2025
Two thirds of adults eat breakfast on most mornings, confirming breakfast's status as an important way to start the day.
Two thirds of adults eat breakfast on most mornings, confirming breakfast's status as an important way to start the day.
Two thirds of adults eat breakfast on most mornings, confirming breakfast’s status as an important way to start the day. Still, the broader blurring of the line between meals and snacks is changing the shape and size of breakfast. Older adults remain committed to a more traditional full breakfast at home and bring a long list of priorities to the table, most notably healthfulness. Younger breakfast eaters, on the other hand, take a more fluid approach, more likely to eat on the go, to prefer snacking during the morning to a full breakfast and to be open to more adventurous flavors.
While breakfast is largely a matter of routine – one that most breakfast eaters enjoy, economic uncertainty and the threat of tariff-driven price increases will compel many breakfast eaters to reconsider their routines. While some may cut back on restaurant breakfasts others will look for ways to save on breakfast at home. Brands and retailers that can offer cost-effective, convenient and tasty options that meet breakfast eaters’ health priorities stand to gain.
Breakfast may still be the most important meal of the day, but routines and preferences are evolving, with even greater emphasis on convenience, health and cost.
John Owen, Associate Director – Food and Retail
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
This Report explores a variety of issues related to breakfast including what consumers eat for breakfast and what motivates them to purchase breakfast foods, the importance of convenience and nutrition at breakfast, as well as various attitudes and behaviors related to the breakfast occasion.