Pumpkin Oatmeal Bowl, a simple steel cut or rolled oats plant-based breakfast bowl with pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice blend with protein powder for a balanced morning meal. A plant-powered taste of autumn to start your morning!
Love pumpkin season? Start your day out with a pumpkin-spiced oatmeal bowl! Made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice blend, plant-based protein powder to increase satiety, and a touch of maple and vanilla, this bowl is perfect for cozy fall mornings. Top it with pumpkin seeds your favorite nut or seed butter for extra flavor and nutrition!
👉 Ready to learn how to make a pumpkin oatmeal breakfast bowl in less than 10 minutes? Let’s do it!
🥣 Ingredients
- Oatmeal: Both rolled oats and steel cut oats will work for this recipe (instructions for each in recipe card)
- Pumpkin puree: A touch of pumpkin puree adds creaminess, flavor, and a bright orange color
- Pumpkin spice blend: easily found in most spice sections in the fall, it usually combines cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
- Protein powder: this is optional, but I add a scoop to my daily oats to increase my protein intake and to have a balanced, complete morning meal (here’s my favorite vegan protein powder)
- Water: Water is used to cook the oats, though you could use milk or a milk alternative for a creamier texture
- Seasonings: A touch of maple syrup, vanilla extract, a bit of salt for balance
- Toppings: I love adding pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of nut butter
- Recommended tools: medium pot or sauce pan, large wooden spoon, bowls for serving
👩🍳 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Add ingredients to pot
First, add oats and double the amount of water to a medium pot or sauce pan. Add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of maple syrup, and a dash of vanilla extract. Stir to mix the ingredients.
2️⃣ Step Two: Cook oats
To cook oats over the stovetop, bring the pot with oatmeal ingredients to a low boil over high heat. Then reduce to a low simmer and cook until the oats are soft.
Cooking time with depend on what type of oats you are cooking:
- Rolled oats cooking time: about 5 minutes
- Steel cut oats cooking time: about 10 minutes
👉 Can you microwave oats? Yes! Cook rolled oats in the microwave for about 2 minutes, and steel cut oats for about 5 minutes. Make sure to cover the oats and stir once throughout cooking.
3️⃣ Step Three: Add the pumpkin and protein powder
Once the oatmeal is almost finished cooking, stir in pumpkin puree, the protein poweder, and a dash of pumpkin spice blend. And watch the oatmeal take on a beautiful orange color!
4️⃣ Step Four: Transfer to bowl and add toppings
When oats are done, transfer to bowls for serving. Then you can top the oatmeal with a drizzle of nut or seed butter, a sprinkle of nuts or seeds, and a sprinkle of ground flax seeds.
🧊 How to store + reheat
- Refrigerator storage: Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Freezer storage: I do not recommend freezing, the texture won’t be great after reheating.
- Reheating: To reheat, simply stir in a tablespoon or two of water into the oats and reheat on the stovetop in small pot, about 3-4 minutes, or in a bowl in the microwave, about 2 minutes. Stir once while cooking to heat throughout.
👩🍳 How to meal prep and store
I’m all about meal prep around here, so here are my tips for prepping and storing:
- How to ingredient prep: Portion out the oats ahead of time so cooking is quick and easy.
- Meal prep: I don’t recommend prepping this oatmeal bowl as the oats will become very thick and dehydrated over time. However, you can also make this as a pumpkin overnight oats that’s perfect for prep.
- Storage: I do not recommend refrigerating or freezing after making, as the oat texture won’t hold up. This is best made right before eating!
👉 More autumn oatmeal recipes
Want more oatmeal bowl recipes for crisp fall mornings? Try Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bowl and Cranberry Oatmeal Bowl.
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Pumpkin Oatmeal Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup oats, rolled or steel cut, see notes
- 1 cup water
- 1 small pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice blend
- 1 scoop vegan protein powder
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, as garnish
- 1 tablespoon nut butter, of choice
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a pot: In a medium pot, add oats, water, a pinch of salt, maple syrup, and vanilla.½ cup oats, 1 cup water, 1 small pinch salt, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cook oats: Bring oats to a boil over high heat on the stovetop, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until oats are soft. This is usually 5 minutes for rolled oats, and 10 minutes for steel cut oats. When the oats are almost done, stir in the pumpkin puree, protein powder, and the pumpkin spice blend until well combined.¼ cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice blend, 1 scoop vegan protein powder
- To serve: Transfer cooked pumpkin oatmeal to a bowl. Top the oatmeal with a pumpkin seeds and optionally drizzle of nut or seed butter and a sprinkle of ground flax seeds.1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, 1 tablespoon nut butter
- Microwave cooking instructions: Alternatively you can also cook oats in the microwave. Cook rolled oats a microwave safe bowl for about 2 minutes, and steel cut oats for about 5 minutes. Make sure to cover the oats and stir once throughout cooking.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in December 2023 and was updated in October 2024 for clarity. I also updated the recipe to include protein powder, to make this a more complete meal.
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