My Fav Pumpkin Breakfasts
I sometimes get sad when it’s the end of summer, but then I remember what the next season is… fall! Running through our beautiful neighborhood filled with vibrant yellow and red leaves, getting to wear cozy sweaters and make all things pumpkin? Yeah, that thought will cheer up a girl FAST!
Below are some of my go-to pumpkin breakfast recipes. I make them year round but way more often come fall and winter. There is something about those seasons that put me extra in the mood to have our house filled with the smell of pumpkin pie spice! Some of the recipes are from other bloggers while some are creations of my own. Enjoy!
Pinch of Yum’s Pumpkin Energy Bites
I eat these babies for snacks, for dessert and sometimes a couple for breakfast. It’s basically a bowl of oatmeal in a ball! To beef up my breakfast and add more holding power, I sometimes crumble one of these energy bites on top of an oatmeal bowl.
In this picture, for the base I had mixed 1/3 cup each of milk, vanilla yogurt and oatmeal. I then added 1 tablespoon chia and 1 teaspoon cinnamon before topping with the energy bite. Let it all mingle in the fridge overnight and, come morning, breakfast is easy peasy! I love getting creative in the kitchen! Topping oatmeal with pretty and delicious things is my happy place.
The link to the full recipe can be found here!
Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 dash ground ginger
½ cup chia seeds
½ cup nuts, chopped (I like walnuts or almonds)
2 Tbsp cocoa (optional) — You can add cocoa to this to make it chocolate pumpkin flavor, but it’s also yummy without!
Directions:
Mix all together. Put in fridge overnight. In the morning, top with maple syrup.
Maple Pumpkin Overnight Oats
Ingredients:
¾ cups oats
¾ cups milk
1 Tbsp cinnamon (I LOVE cinnamon so you might want to reduce this, if you aren’t as passionate about that flavor.)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp chia seeds
⅓ cup pumpkin
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup almonds
Directions:
Mix ingredients. Store in fridge overnight.
**Sometimes I make this without the pumpkin, and it’s delish too — definitely an overnight oat recipe I make often! It tastes like fall or Christmas in a bowl.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 frozen ripe banana, thawed thirty seconds in the microwave
¾ cup milk
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp almond butter
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp pumpkin spice
¼ cup vanilla extract
pinch of salt
½ cup pumpkin
Directions:
Mix ingredients together in a blender, and enjoy!
Sometimes I add 1/2 cup of pulsed oats to this. It adds a nice hearty texture and makes me feel like I’m drinking a bowl of oatmeal. Sometimes I leave out the oats. It just depends on the day and how I’m feeling. Be sure to pulse the dry oats first before adding the other ingredients to your blender. It has an oatmeal cookie taste to it, especially if you leave the pumpkin out. Sometimes I eat this at breakfast, or sometimes we will have french toast or pancakes with a side of this! Isn’t breakfast for supper so fun?! I sometimes will add a scoop of vanilla protein powder, if I did a hard workout and feel like I need some help recovering my muscles from it, or if I’m in one of those days that I just can’t stay full for long.
Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
I love warming these things up in the microwave then topping with peanut butter. Is there anything better then melted chocolate and peanut butter? I certainly don’t think so.
Also, what the heck is vital wheat gluten? You may notice that ingredient below. Basically, it makes whole wheat baking have the texture of regular flour baking. I found it in the speciality section of my grocery store by the gluten-free stuff. You might have to ask the avid baker in your life if they know where to find it where you live.
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup canola oil
½ cup honey
1 cup sourdough stater
1 cup pumpkin
¾ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup vital wheat gluten**
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Directions:
Mix wet ingredients in a bowl. Mix dry ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to the dry, and combine. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cook 23 minutes @ 350 F in sprayed/greased muffin tins.
**You would definitely notice if you left this ingredient out of the recipe. Because you are adding in extra liquid from the sourdough starter, the wheat gluten helps to not make your dough watery. Be careful to not use too much wheat gluten! I have gotten “wheat gluten happy,” and oh BOY! Were those muffins ever … chewy? Mega dense? Hockey puck like? Whatever the right adjective was, fluffy and light was NOT it! Ha! So don’t use ½ cup like I did once! Ha!
Bonus Recipe!
Beautifully Broken’s Pumpkin Chili
Okay, this isn’t a breakfast recipe, but it is pumpkin! So, it sort of counts! I have a favorite chili recipe, but sometimes I want to do something unique. Enter, pumpkin chili! It’s good when you are just in the mood for something a bit untraditional. The hubs didn’t like it, but I did! He said he prefers my old school sweet chili. To each their own! Recipe can be found here!
P.S.- Many of the ingredients in these recipes can be swapped out for alternatives. You could easily swap in honey for maple syrup and vise versa. Just use what you have on hand and honor your preferences. Don’t like almond milk? Use cow milk or cashew milk or whatever floats your boat! Not a fan of bananas? Sweeten one of the recipes with dates or another fruit. I’ve created new recipes many times by swapping in different things. Sometimes what you end up making hardly uses any of the original ingredients. It’s so fun to create new things! Maybe you are a strict recipe follower, and you are like, “Nyla! Stop messing with recipes! Picturing you doing that STRESSES ME OUT!” Lol. A friend told me that once when she found out I don’t always measure and sometimes just throw things in spur of the moment. Just do what suits you best!
I’m so glad I can talk about food, especially carbs, in a joyful way these days. That wasn’t always the case. If you’d like to read more about my food freedom story, head to the link below. It will take you to my book The Bible, Your Bod & Broccoli, where I teach you how to eat in a simple way that aligns with the Bible. I share what God taught me so I could overcome an eating disorder, poor body image and more.
The best part? This memoir is also a workbook! At the end of each chapter there are reflection questions and worksheets, so you can do some personal work in the areas of food and body image talked about in the last chapter. You can do it solo or with some friends!
The way you think and talk about food and your body can change. May this book remind you that God is strong and wise enough to heal any food story, just like He healed mine. Check out my book here!