Fall is here and how better to celebrate it than with pumpkin! Pumpkin catches the essence of fall beautifully. Starting your day with pumpkin oatmeal is the great way to embrace the spirit of fall.
Oatmeal is one of the ideal breakfasts. It’s not only nutritious but also keeps you full and energized for a longer period of time. Oats help increase your muscle mass and tone down the belly fat. But the best thing about oatmeal is that you can tweak the recipe and still get amazing results.
Pumpkin is also a very nutritious food that is good for your heart and vision. It improves your immune system and also makes your skin beautiful.
Pumpkin oatmeal is the perfect combination of the two healthy foods and gives you the best of both, while catering to your taste buds. So go ahead and give that classic oatmeal recipe a pumpkin twist. This hot porridge breakfast, with its familiar and comforting flavors, will provide you with warmth this chilly fall.
Here are two quick recipes to make pumpkin oatmeal.
Method 1: Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal
This recipe caters to vegans and uses almond milk instead of dairy.
Things you’ll need:
- Canned pumpkin puree – ⅔ cup
- Cinnamon powder – 2 teaspoons
- Clove powder – 1/8 teaspoon
- Ginger powder – ½ to ¾ teaspoon
- Nutmeg – ¼ teaspoon
- A pinch of salt
- Quick-cooking oats – 1 cup
- Water – 1 cup
- Almond milk – ¾ cup
- Medjool dates, pitted and chopped – 3 or 4
- Vanilla essence – 1 teaspoon
Step 1. Heat up the pumpkin puree
- Put ⅔ cup of canned pumpkin puree in a skillet and cook it over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Stir continuously to avoid burning it.
Cooking the pumpkin puree can get rid of the raw pumpkin taste that is sometimes present in the canned varieties.
Step 2. Add the spices
- Add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder to the pumpkin puree.
- Add 1/8 teaspoon of clove powder.
- Add ½ to ¾ teaspoon of ginger powder.
- Add in ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg powder.
- Stir in the spices, thoroughly incorporating them into the pumpkin puree.
Measure out the spices very carefully, as the wrong proportion may ruin the flavor of the oatmeal.
Step 3. Add salt and oats
- Add a pinch of salt, followed by 1 cup of quick-cooking oats.
Step 4. Add water and almond milk
- Pour 1 cup of water into the skillet.
- Pour in ¾ cup of almond milk as well.
If using homemade almond milk, you may need to adjust the proportion of the liquids depending upon the consistency of your almond milk.
Step 5. Cook the oats over medium heat
- Bring the contents of the skillet to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 6. Stir in the dates and cook
- When the oatmeal starts to thicken a bit, add 3 or 4 pitted and chopped Medjool dates.
- Stirring continuously, cook the dates for about 3 to 4 minutes.
The Medjool dates are one of the more pleasant varieties of dates. Their caramel-like flavor blends nicely with the other spices. This health-friendly sweetener is a great alternative to traditional sweeteners.
Step 7. Add vanilla essence
- Finally, add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
- Stir and cook for another 30 seconds before taking it off the heat.
Serve the oatmeal hot, garnished with chopped almonds and raisins. You can also top your healthy pumpkin oatmeal with fresh fruits and your choice of nuts.
Method 2: Pumpkin Oatmeal made with Dairy Milk
This yummy pumpkin oatmeal uses full-fat milk and is fast and easy to put together.
Things you’ll need:
- Full-fat milk – ¾ cup
- Cooked oatmeal – 1 cup
- Canned pumpkin puree – ½ cup
- Pumpkin pie spice – ¼ teaspoon
- Brown sugar – 1 teaspoon
Step 1. Warm up milk in a skillet
- Pour ¾ cup of full-fat milk into a skillet.
- Warm it up over medium heat.
Milk makes the oatmeal creamier and adds to its flavor. You can adjust the quantity of the milk according to the consistency you prefer in your oatmeal.
Step 2. Add in cooked oatmeal
- Add 1 cup of cooked oatmeal to the pan.
- Stir the oatmeal into the milk, mixing the two completely.
Step 3. Stir in pumpkin puree
- Next, add in ½ cup of canned pumpkin puree to the pan and give it a stir.
Step 4. Add pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar & cook
- Add ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the pan.
- Add in 1 teaspoon of brown sugar as well.
- Stirring the mixture occasionally, cook the oatmeal for 5 minutes before taking it off the heat.
The pumpkin pie spice goes well with the pumpkin in the oatmeal. The flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove in the pumpkin pie spice will enhance the taste of your pumpkin oatmeal.
While you can also use white sugar, brown sugar is healthier. You can also adjust the quantity of sugar, depending upon your taste.
Serve the pumpkin oatmeal hot. You can top it with nuts like walnuts or pecans. You can also drizzle honey or maple syrup over it to cater to your sweet tooth.
Tips
- When buying canned pumpkin purée, make sure that you get pure pumpkin as you don’t want to get stuck with sugar-loaded stuff that’s meant for making pies.
- If you find yourself unable to measure out smaller fractions of spices for the oatmeal, make a larger batch of the spices. You can use the spice blend in other pumpkin recipes like pumpkin pie.
- If you want a healthier option, you can use non-fat milk instead of full-fat. You can also substitute milk with water if going for an even healthier breakfast or an alternative vegan option.
- Both recipes can be made with either dairy or nondairy milks.