10 Condiments You Probably Never Thought To Add To Breakfast

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day — but it's also the best one. Not only is breakfast food delicious, but it runs the gamut from sweet, savory, spicy, and everything in between. Whether you have hours to come up with a creative dish straight out of a Michelin-starred kitchen or are just grabbing a toaster waffle out of the freezer on the way to work, there is a breakfast food out there for you. And these foods are no match without their trusty and beloved companion: condiments. 

Condiments are designed to enhance the food that they're paired with, rather than distract from it or upstage it entirely. If you're no stranger to breakfast food, you're probably also no stranger to the condiments typically paired with it: ketchup on eggs, maple syrup on pancakes, and jam on toast. But what if there were a world of new, exciting, and fun condiments that can elevate your breakfast in ways that you never thought possible? 

We made a list of some of the most unconventional and under-the-radar condiments that are worth using on or with your breakfast favorites. It turns out that some of the condiments and ingredients we love to pair with lunch or dinner fare can actually make compelling additions to breakfast foods — you just have to have some insight into how and when to use them.

Chili crisp: If you know, you know. This beloved Asian condiment, often sold by brands like Fly by Jing, is like a spicy assault on your taste buds in the best way possible. The exact recipe will vary based on the brand that's selling it (or the recipe you're using), but it typically contains some aromatics, like ginger or garlic, chili oil, and fried chili peppers. It's bold, both in terms of its aroma and its flavor, making it a decadent condiment to add to your favorite breakfast dishes.

There are also numerous ways to incorporate chili crisp into your meal. If you're experimenting with it for the first time, we recommend trying it on a simple recipe first, like eggs or a breakfast sandwich. From there, you can scale upward and drizzle it over other breakfast favorites. We recommend pairing it with a chicken and waffle recipe. You can add the condiment to your egg dredge to season the chicken, or simply slather it on your golden brown chicken after you pull it from the fryer. Not only does it offer a delectable contrast to the succulent chicken, but it also cuts through the richness of the waffle. Alternatively, you can swirl together chili crisp and maple syrup for a spicy-sweet twist. You aren't tied to just adding this condiment to your breakfast favorites after they're finished cooking, either. Try frying your eggs in the chili crisp itself to infuse them with a piquant, sinus-clearing flavor. 

Harissa is a spice blend that may not be on your radar but really should be. The spice blend is often used in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines, which is why you tend not to see it paired with American breakfast favorites. It combines roasted red peppers, garlic, caraway seeds, and paprika, and it is often made into a paste with oil or lemon juice. Its bold color, strong aroma, and bright flavor make it a tasty pairing for meat, and, if you can think outside of the box, some other tasty breakfast foods, too. 

Harissa is a great one-and-done spice to add to your eggs as they're cooking — seeing as how it's warming, bright, and refreshing. Though, it's one of the more approachable condiments worth trying if you're heat-averse. You can balance its bold complexity with cooling ingredients, like avocado or mayo. A harissa aioli smothered on a breakfast sandwich would be lovely, just as a simple avocado toast seasoned with harissa, poached eggs, and something acidic, like pickles, would offer an upgraded take on a breakfast favorite. 

Another place where harissa shines is in shakshuka. This egg dish is packed with bright flavors, including paprika and garlic, so it's easy to see how harissa could be used as a catch-all seasoning in it. While shakshuka takes a little more time to make than a ho-hum plate of scrambled eggs, its layered flavor and comforting warmth make it a breakfast dish worth trying. (Or you can try this shakshuka shortcut to help simplify this elaborate dish.)

There are so many opportunities to incorporate pickles into your next breakfast. While most people might think of pickled cucumbers (and they're certainly not wrong), those are far from the only options you can play with. Pickled jalapeños, pickled red onions, and yes, pickled cucumbers, can all make tasty, acidic additions to breakfast dishes.

One of the reasons we love using pickles is because they lighten the bite of even the densest breakfast foods. Not only do they offer the perfect crunchy contrast to soft breakfast foods like eggs and sausage, but they also cut through the grease and balance its richness. The type of pickle you select depends on the dish you're pairing it with. Pickled red onions, for example, are an excellent topping for avocado toast or a breakfast sandwich, while pickled jalapeños can add a hint of spice to your carb-heavy potato hash. Pickled mushrooms can add a delectable umami contrast to avocado toast, and kimchi will impart a fiery, crunchy bite to an omelet.

You don't even have to stick to just pickled veggies for your breakfast. Pickled peaches, paired with freshly whipped ricotta, make a sweet, satisfying toast topping. You could also opt for a salty pickled fish on your bagel or open-faced sandwich. Pickled fish will add a fabulous umami flavor and decent amount of protein to help you start your day off right. 

Condiments don't always have to be savory or umami. One of our favorite sweet and unconventional condiments to use in place of plain maple syrup — or the fake sugarfest that is pancake syrup — is walnut syrup. This syrup is derived from black walnut trees and has a more complex butterscotch-forward flavor than traditional maple syrup, which is more oaky and brown sugar-esque. As such, you can use walnut syrup in almost any instance where you would use maple syrup, including as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or French toast. It would be decadent just served with a pat of melty butter or a little bit of whipped cream, though you could also pair it with fruit like apples, figs, bananas, and stone fruit. 

You can also use this condiment as a drizzle on hot or overnight oatmeal, in a yogurt bowl, or on a slice of banana bread, a biscuit, or a muffin. You could even use it in place of honey for crepes; it's a great complement to classic sweet fillings like berries and whipped cream. While you could add black walnut syrup to your favorite breakfast baked goods as well, it's important to note that its properties are not the same as regular sugar, seeing as it's a liquid. It's more easily substituted for maple syrup. The two liquid sweeteners have around the same sugar content. 

Chutney is such a beautiful condiment; though, you may have never thought to pair it with breakfast food before. Like curry, the definition of what constitutes a chutney is broad. The relish appears often in Indian cuisines and is made with fruit, an acid (like vinegar or citrus juice), and bold spices. One of the most popular types of chutney is made with mango and is used as a condiment for an array of dishes, including on charcuterie boards, on sandwiches, and, of course, with breakfast foods. You can use tangy mango chutney in your favorite wraps, sandwiches, or just alongside eggs for a spicy and fresh take on breakfast. It's also an excellent condiment to spruce up a normal slice of toast and can be used in place of preserves or jam. Spread cream cheese or ricotta on top of your slice, then layer on the chutney. A drizzle of honey can add extra sweetness, while a spicy condiment like hot sauce can draw more attention to the chutney's piquant and warming spices. 

Chutney pairs especially well with other Indian spices. If you want to add chutney to your breakfast burrito, consider dicing up some potatoes and seasoning them with chili powder and turmeric. They're a flavorful match for both the eggs and the chutney. Besides mango chutney, you'll also find condiments made with tomato (perfect as a substitute for ketchup) and peanut chutney, which would be excellent on toast or a savory bagel. 

Don't get us wrong, we love peanut butter. But that doesn't mean there is any shortage of other options to explore when it comes to nut and seed butter. If you like the texture of peanut butter but are looking for something with a more nuanced flavor, turn to tahini. It walks a thin line between being savory and sweet. Since its most prominent flavor is its nuttiness, you can play around and add it to other condiments, or stick to adding it solo to your favorite breakfast foods. 

Tahini works best with other neutrally-flavored foods. That way, you won't lose its subtleness and its nuttiness can still complement any other flavors that you're working with. For example, you can add a drizzle of tahini to your bowl of oatmeal and top it with fresh nuts, dates, apples, and cinnamon. The richness will balance out the sweetness of the other components and its creamy texture will lend itself well to the bite. You can also use tahini to add fat to your smoothies or yogurt bowls; try pairing it with banana, maple or date syrup, and your favorite Greek yogurt. 

One of the other ways that we love to use this sesame spread is in breakfast-adjacent baked goods like banana bread, muffins, and oatmeal bars. The subtle nutty notes are the perfect complement to super-sweet add-ins like chocolate, and the thick consistency will help thicken the batter and keep it moist. 

Pesto on pasta makes total sense, but why would anyone ever want to try pesto for breakfast? Well, when you think about it, breakfast foods tend to lack an earthy and herby punch (when was the last time you decided to add a few sprigs of fresh parsley or cilantro to your greasy breakfast sandwich?), and pesto can provide just that. This traditional Italian spread, which toes the line between being a condiment and a sauce, is a fantastic addition to savory breakfast foods like eggs, breakfast sandwiches, toast, and more.

Add a drizzle of your homemade or favorite store-bought pesto to scrambled or fried eggs after you pull them off the heat. Not only will you get the delicate flavor of fresh basil but also the umami punch of Parmesan, punchy garlic, and lemony undertones. You can also spoon a little on a piece of hearty multigrain or sourdough toast; pair it with a poached egg for extra protein. We also love adding pesto to bagels (either as a topping or in the dough before baking). It adds a savory flavor that pairs well with classic bagel toppings, including eggs, bacon, cheese, sausage, or plain cream cheese. And if your bagel and cream cheese is looking a little uninspired, consider swapping out the cream cheese for fresh slices of mozzarella and tomato, and then add on a drizzle of pesto and a sprinkle of sea salt before serving.

Hot honey, how beautiful art thou! We have so many creative ways to use hot honey on retainer, including as a topping for burgers, pizza, hummus, and more. Your homemade hot honey recipe will also shine paired with both sweet and savory breakfast staples. It has the perfect balance of heat, from the chili peppers, and sweetness from the honey base. This combo allows it to elevate dishes where just adding heat by way of hot sauce or chili crisp wouldn't be suitable. We love adding a drizzle of hot honey to bacon because its sugary sweetness counteracts the bacon's greasiness and heaviness, elevating the bite. You can add this hot honey-coated bacon to breakfast sandwiches. Or serve it as a side dish to a sweet plate of pancakes or French toast. 

Another place where hot honey shines is with fried chicken and waffles. The greasiness of the fried chicken, paired with the sweetness of the maple syrup on the waffles, can be overwhelming. Using hot honey instead of the standard syrup will channel a hotter and more piquant bite, helping to uplift the palate and balance out the heaviness of the chicken. If you're after something slightly simpler, consider drizzling hot honey on your ricotta toast or bagel and cream cheese. For a complementary flavor, try adorning it with a drizzle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil and a couple cracks of black pepper to even out the sweetness and provide more peppery undertones. 

If your breakfast isn't complete without a drizzle of hot sauce, you're going to love this condiment: gochujang. The Korean red pepper paste is a funky ferment that does not skimp on the heat. It has some of the same salty undertones as miso, but it's the heat that makes it unmistakably unique. 

Since gochujang has a rather thick texture and unrelenting flavor, it's best to mix it with another sauce or condiment to make it easier to use. You can mix it with a little bit of soy sauce or sesame oil and use it to season your scrambled eggs as they're cooking, or try a spin on a spicy mayo by combining the paste with mayonnaise and spreading it on your breakfast sandwich of choice. It would be great with other Asian-based condiments and toppings, like kimchi, as well as fatty or rich ingredients that can distribute its heat, including avocado and cream cheese. Spread it on a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel or your favorite veggie-based sando creation. 

If you're partial to Southern breakfast foods, you may want to try adding a little gochujang to your next batch of shrimp and grits. You can coat the shrimp in the condiment, alongside honey, salt, and pepper, then char the shellfish on a grill or in a cast iron skillet to get the perfect contrast. The relatively bland shrimp is the perfect conduit for the gochujang's flavor, which will be even more delicious eaten alongside the buttery grits. 

The only thing better than picking a ton of apples at the orchard is making something even more delicious with the fruit. If you find yourself with a ton of apples that look a little worse for wear — maybe with irregular shapes or bruises — you can always turn them into apple butter. This creamy, sweet condiment is like a more caramelized version of applesauce. It's sweeter and more complex, and it's jam-packed with the spices you love, including cinnamon and nutmeg. 

Apple butter can also be used as a replacement for jam in your favorite recipes. Brush some on a fresh stack of pancakes or French toast for a subtle, autumnal flair, or spoon some on toast with a drizzle of honey for a quick breakfast bite. Its texture is thick, making it conducive to adding to a bowl of oatmeal as well. Pair it with fresh, crunchy apples for a textural contrast, add a drizzle of maple syrup for even more sweetness, and top with walnuts or pecans for a complementary crunch. 

If you have a little more time on your hands, you might also want to consider adding apple butter as a filling for your homemade crepes. The eggy batter is a great conduit for the butterscotch and cinnamon undertones of the apple butter. As with a bowl of oatmeal, you'll want to add some sort of textural contrast, like sticky honey, crunchy nuts, or your favorite granola, to switch up the bite.