Happy October pumpkin spice month!
One thing I love about cold weather is that oatmeal becomes my favourite breakfast all over again. I tend to opt for fruit all summer long, but as soon as those leaves start falling, I get a serious hankering for good ol’ fashioned oatmeal.
Since I’m pretty much a daily oatmeal eater in the winter I have discovered 2 must do oatmeal perfecting tricks, and it’s time I share them with you.
Oatmeal Perfecting Trick #1:
Always use old fashioned large flake rolled oats. Don’t use quick cook oats. Rolled oats only take about 5 minutes to cook anyways, and they make for such a better texture, not so mushy like the quick oats.
Oatmeal Perfecting Trick #2:
Dates. When it comes to breakfast I prefer to keep it on the healthier side, so I chop up dates into little pieces and cook it along with the oatmeal. This makes for perfectly gooey pockets of caramel, and naturally sweetens the oatmeal. No need to buy expensive medjool dates here, I buy the cheapest dates at my grocery which conveniently come pitted. Perfection.
Now that you’ve mastered oatmeal 101, it’s time to introduce you to the most perfect autumn oatmeal: Vegan Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal.
It’s like a pumpkin spice latte but dare I say better!? I know, blasphemy. Give me a “woot woot!” in the comments if you would like to see my recipe for a homemade vegan pumpkin spice latte (can be made with or without an espresso machine).
In the meantime, I just need to dive into this warm, satisfying breakfast. I’m in love with the bursting pumpkin flavour, the warming seasonal spices, and of course those gorgeous caramel date bites throughout. So easy to whip up a breakfast that feels completely decadent!
Just toss all the ingredients into a pot. Cook over medium heat until it thickens and most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve with a splash of milk, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a couple of pecans if desired.
The perfect quick, easy, hearty and healthy breakfast for autumn. Takes just 5 minutes to make! Great for Thanksgiving breakfast.
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (plus more for serving)
- 2/3 cup large flake rolled oats
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup dates , pitted and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
- A handful of pecans (optional)
- Add everything except for the maple syrup and pecans to a pot and put over medium heat. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes until the oatmeal has thickened and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- You can enjoy as is, or splash on a little extra non-dairy milk, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a sprinkle of pecans. Bon appetegan!
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Fabulous. I added my morning ground flax to these, after cooking of course. It made everything richer, very nice on a cool morning but I might try it again next time without, just to experience the original recipe. used 2 dates with no extra sweetener, my pumpkin was pureed butternut squash, very creamy and sweet. Great recipe, to be repeated.
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it so much, Karen 🙂
I’m a little surprised you suggested adding milk to this recipe, on a vegan website….
I’m referring to non-dairy milk such as soy or almond 🙂
I was just wondering if you can leave the dates out?
Absolutely! They just add a bit of sweetness which is nice.
Can you make this ahead of time, put it in the fridge, then heat up the next morning? I’m the worst morning person, but this looks amazing! I am starting a new “non-processed” attitude toward food, so I can no longer have [nut]milk and cereal for breakfast, but I need to be able to throw things together quickly in the morning.
Hi Bailee, yes add a splash of water to loosen it up and you can reheat it. Enjoy!
I’ve been making the “regular” oatmeal version you describe and it’s so satisfying, especially with banana slices and pecans. The date pieces are genius! Mmmmm. :-9
Yay! Thank you! I just had some date oatmeal myself 🙂
Have you ever tried adding a mushy banana (fresh or frozen) to the oats? It sort of dissolves into the oatmeal as it cooks and adds natural sweetness and creaminess to the oatmeal. I think I’ll try it with your pumpkin recipe and see if it gets TOO sweet!
Oooh that sounds yummy too! I sometimes have date and banana oatmeal with coconut flakes. yum!
I tried pumpkin pancakes… not too successful…. oatmeal sounds so much more promising and tasty…. and a woot woot for the PSL recipe. ☕
Haha! Awesome. I actually have a pumpkin pancake recipe in my upcoming cookbook, and it works perfectly every time! …But you will have to wait until it’s released for that, so in the meantime oatmeal!! 🙂
Pumpkin pancakes sounds wonderful! I can’t wait for your cookbook!
Yay!
Woot Woot 🙂
Haha! 🙂
Yumberinos!!
p.s. Woot woot.
Haha love it!
OMG this looks so awesome. I’m a huge oatmeal eater – overnight in the summer time (straight out of the fridge with lots of fruits on top), and warm and spicy with nuts in the winter time 🙂
Woot woot for the Vegan PSL !
Haha! A real oatmeal addict. Love it! Thanks for your woot woot!
WOOT WOOT x 1000 for the PSL recipe
Haha love it!
I have a question about the dates. Are these fresh? I bought some and they look like dehydrated and gummy. Is that right?
Yep those sound like normal dates to me. Sometimes dates will come plumper and juicier, and other times more dried out like you have. It just depends on the variety and how fresh they are. Just remove any pits, chop them up, and toss them in your oatmeal. 🙂
OMG! I usually don’t eat breakfast during the work week, but I’m making this on the weekend. Totally agree about regular oats. My family eats instant oatmeal but I can’t stand the texture.
I didn’t even know there were dates other than medjool. Haha! Looking forward to finding some cheaper dates.
Definitely a woot woot for the PSL recipe. I have a Keurig and a Nespresso espresso machine. I’ve tried making a pumpkin spice syrup and a couple recipes. I just can’t seem to figure it out.
There are actually tons of different kinds of dates, though I’ve never seen d’noir. There’re deglet, honey, halawi sp?, and tons more. There’s a date of the month club.
Yes, so many kinds of dates just like Bethery. I think thats true of any fruit or veg really. Just like there are so many kinds of apples! Since medjools are pricey, I like to save them for when they are needed only. Hope you love the oatmeal and thanks for your woot woot! 🙂
Please, please give us your recipe for homemade vegan pumpkin spice latte.
Woot woot! 🙂
I was just thinking the other day that I’m sick of green smoothies for breakfast and really want oatmeal! I’m going to try this recipe asap. Two quick questions: 1.) do you ever use steel cut oatmeal? I know it’s supposed to be healthier but takes much longer to cook, and 2.) when is it appropriate to use medjool dates? I bought a big bag the other day and hadn’t realized how expensive it was. They tasted pretty good by themselves but when I used it in a recipe for vegan “brownies” I couldn’t really taste the difference between a medjool date and the cheap dates I previously used from my local grocery store.
I have tried steel cut oatmeal, and yes it’s slower to cook, but also the pieces are smaller, so once cooked it just felt more like instant oatmeal to me. I wasn’t a fan personally.
Medjool dates are awesome because they are so sticky and gooey. So I save them for recipes that require that goo power, such as my 4 Ingredient Granola Bars and my Medjool Date Caramel Apples. If a recipe doesn’t specifically require them, then I would use cheaper dates.
Thank you for the advice– very helpful! I’ll have to try the oatmeal both ways and figure out which works best for me. I’m sure either way it’s going to taste great!
Just made this recipe with steel cut oats and I really like it! Since the oat to liquid ratio is different for steel cut oats than rolled oats, I modified the pumpkin to 1/8 c and waited to add it and the other ingredients in the last 5 minutes of cooking. It came out beautifully!
So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Cannot WAIT to try this!!! My bff/co-worker is a double oatmeal + pumpkin spiced everything fiend, so I’m going to surprise her with a batch asap! I’m slowly introducing my office to the joys of vegan eating 🙂 So far, everyone has been pleasantly surprised! I love your recipes!!
….can’t forget my “woot woot” for the pumpkin spiced latte!!! I’m hoping to bring the ingredients to work with me and use our Keurig to concoct one for us all! 🙂
Yay thank you! So happy you are enjoying my recipes so much. I hope your bff loves her surprise!! Thanks for the woot woot 🙂
This oatmeal looks amazing! And definitely Woot Woot for the Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe!!! Love, love, love your recipes!
Aww thank you so much Kathy!!! I hope you enjoy the oatmeal and the latte when it comes 😉
Thanks for the tip about the choice of dates for adding to cooking. We do LUV medjools and a big fat pecan half tucked in for pecan pie bites. Here’s my wootwoot for your pumpkin spice latte recipe… now… to convert it to add to my cold brew. 🙂
You can totally use medjools if that’s what you have, they are just a bit more pricey. Hope you love the oatmeal and thanks for your woot woot! I will keep in mind to make it cold brew friendly!
Love your recipes, oatmeal freak myself 😉 Would love to see your recipe for the vegan pumpkin spiced latte!
Thanks so much Jen! Noted 🙂