A naturally sweet, warm and comforting breakfast, this Pumpkin Paleo Oatmeal is the perfect way to start your day. Made with a combination of egg whites, almond milk, flax seeds and pumpkin, it’s a voluminous Paleo and Whole30-friendly dish that will fill you up without weighing you down.
Question: Do any of you guys regularly have the remains of a can of pumpkin covered in your fridge waiting to be used this time of year? It seems like 99 percent of pumpkin-based recipes out there do not require the use of an entire can of pumpkin so I continually find myself holding onto a small amount of pumpkin with the hope that I will find some new way to use it up.
If you hate throwing away food but aren’t sure what to do with a small, slightly awkward amount of pumpkin, let me help you out! Say hello to Pumpkin Paleo Oatmeal. The answer to all of your “How do I use the rest of this can of pumpkin?” problems.
A couple of years ago I shared a recipe for Oatless Oatmeal on this blog that went on to become one of the most popular recipes I’ve shared on PBF to date. It’s sweet, voluminous, warm and comforting. The perfect cold-weather breakfast. It’s a breakfast I continue to make regularly and when I was whipping up a batch late last week, I realized I was out of zucchini. Zucchini isn’t imperative to the recipe – you can completely omit it without it altering much of anything – but since I love the idea of sneaking vegetables into my breakfast whenever I can, I began sifting through my refrigerator and pantry for inspiration. I bet you can guess what I found: A half-used can of pumpkin covered in foil. Pumpkin. How seasonally appropriate, right!?
Truth be told I wasn’t sure how the pumpkin would taste in this oatless Paleo oatmeal recipe but it far exceeded my expectations. It made the oatless oatmeal taste even creamier and I loved the festive fall flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The oatless oatmeal blended together to create that perfect Cream of Wheat texture but without the wheat. Yep, this recipe is 100 percent Paleo and Whole30-approved for those of you looking for grain- and dairy-free breakfast options that don’t involve eating eggs over and over again on repeat.
It’s also a fantastic vehicle for all of those toppings you know you love to throw on top of a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning. I love adding a combination of pumpkin seeds and crushed walnuts for extra crunch but unsweetened coconut and cacao nibs are also a personal favorite.
Pumpkin Paleo Oatmeal
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Pumpkin Paleo Oatmeal
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 12 mins
- Yield: 1 voluminous serving 1x
- Category: breakfast, Paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free
Description
A naturally sweet, warm and comforting breakfast, this Pumpkin Paleo Oatmeal is the perfect way to start your day.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup egg whites (I use egg whites from a carton)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1/2 large (very ripe) banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon pumpkin
- 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Combine mashed banana and pumpkin in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine egg whites and almond milk in a small saucepan and stir with a spatula over medium heat. Stir continually to prevent separation. As egg whites and almond milk begin to thicken, add flaxseed and continue stirring until mixture begins to thicken further. Make sure to use the spatula to continually scrape the sides of the saucepan so mixture doesn’t adhere to the pan. Add pumpkin pie spice and stir.
- Add banana-pumpkin mixture and stir constantly as oatless oatmeal begins to thicken. (Do not walk away!) Reduce heat and continue to stir until oatless oatmeal reaches desired level of thickness.
- Top with desired toppings (pumpkin seeds, nuts, berries, nut butter, unsweetened coconut) and enjoy!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! And I hope it helps you put some of that leftover pumpkin chillin’ in your fridge to good use!
Nutritional Information
For entire recipe (one large serving): Calories: 239 / Fat: 7g / Sodium: 441mg / Carbs: 22g / Fiber: 6g / Sugars: 10g / Protein: 24g
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Yum! I frequently have that half used can in the fridge lol, I will have to give this a try next time. Thank for sharing!
Hope you love it!!
I have just about that amount right now! Can you sub anything for the flaxseed?
I haven’t tried to make it with anything else but would be a bit nervous about substations negatively impacting the texture. If you do try something else, please let me know how it goes!!
I was going to ask the same question! Please report how it goes!!
Yum! I don’t think I’ve ever made pumpkin oatmeal and I always have leftover pumpkin in the fridge!
oh my goodness, this looks amazing! I have spare pumpkin in my fridge right now lol.
Oh my gosh your recipes are all just outstanding!!! Everyone I serve them to loves them and my boyfriend I think loves me a little more since I gluten freeified (is that a word? lol) your banana bread! Cannot wait to make this esp since it is gluten free and starting to get cold and JUST what I need xoxo
This looks so comforting! I love adding egg whites too- super fluffy!
But the yolks are so nourishing and creamy!
I need to try this…we have the remains of a COSTCO size can of Libby’s pumpkin in our fridge because my husband decided I make so many muffins and pumpkin bread, it would be more cost effective. However, one loaf of pumpkin bread and two batches of muffins later, there’s still a little left! And you know that will happen with the other two cans too…
In college, I used canned pumpkin (less perishable) to bulk up my oatmeal. I think I used too much pumpkin as an ingredient though because my hands were turning orange… I went back to bananas..
Can I sub flax seed for chia or omit? Thank you! <3
I don’t think you can sub chia because it might be too gummy and honestly the ground flax helps give the recipe the “wheat-like” texture of Cream of Wheat/oatmeal so I would be hesitant to completely omit it. If you do try leaving it out or substituting something else, please let me know how it turns out!
This is not oatmeal related…BUT I made your cornbread this week and OH MY GOSH, it’s soooo good. That is my go-to cornbread recipe from now on, thanks for sharing it!
Hooray! I’m so glad you liked it!!!
This looks so good! I’m definitely going to need to try this!
The timing of this post couldn’t be more perfect – I literally just complained to my hubs the other day about how recipes never use the full can of pumpkin, and I’m always stuck with a random amount. I usually just stir some into my morning oats, but I’m definitely going to try this out for a little variety!
ohhhh, LOVE this recipe. I will have to try it!
Yum! I’ve been getting a little tired of my usual eggs in the morning and think I’ll give this a whirl. Love the idea of oatless oatmeal!
I just tried your egg white oatmeal and now I am excited to try this.
Awesome! Really hope you like it!
This is fantastic! I not only have half a can of pumpkin, but also a bag of flaxseed that have been sitting in my fridge for the longest time. Thanks for sharing!
Ooooo, this looks so delicious! I love scrambling egg whites and adding in banana, but this definitely takes it up a notch. Yum!
Why is is called oatmeal if there isn’t any oatmeal in it?
There are a bunch of Paleo “oatmeal” recipes out there that are just mock oatmeal/oatmeal imitations and this was my take on the trend!
Do you think this could be made the night before then warmed up in the morning?
Thoughts?
This recipe will be great tomorrow morning!! However, it is NOT Whole30 friendly. Whole30 does not allow recreations of technically compliant- paleo baked goods, oatmeal, porridge, etc.
★★★★★
Any idea how this reheats? I work at 630am and usually eat breakfast at work–prepped the night before.
It reheats well!! I’ve doubled the recipe to have leftovers to eat the next day and after a minute or so in the microwave, it’s great!
Can’t wait to try this. You are totally right that most recipes use less than a can of pumpkin. This will be the perfect way to use the remainder. Thanks for sharing!
This looks good, but with actual oatmeal haha. I do have some pumpkin I need to use.
What if you don’t keep egg whites in a carton about how many eggs worth of white would the recipe require? I’ll just add the yolks to my kids scrambled eggs thanks this looks delicious.
Sounds so comforting!!
This is perfect! Plus nut butter and yum!
This looks delish! Pumpkin anything is the best this time of year, especially since the weather finally feels like fall
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been following the Whole 30 for the past 10 months, and I’ve been craving oatmeal! Much appreciated!!!
Yes! But I usually give the leftovers to my dog or I freeze them in ice cubes for pumpkin coffee smoothies!
Can you make this ahead of time, chill it, then microwave it? Hoping this can be work friendly!
I made this today for my sister and myself after working out. I really liked it! I just added a few chocolate chips to sweeten it up a smidge since I don’t like coconut!
I started making this recently, I have changed up the recipe a bit. I skipped the pumpkin, and since I’m seed cycling right now and in the luteal phase I did 1 Tbsp. sunflower and 1 Tbsp sesame seeds instead of flax. I love it! Once I’m into the other cycle, I’ll switch to my Flaxseed and Pumpkin seeds.
I add in vanilla and cinnamon since I love those flavours. It’s a delicious breakfast, thankyou!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Ruth! I’m glad the recipe is working well for you and thank you for commenting with your substitutions. They sound great!
Looks great, julie, but why egg whites only?
I add vanilla, pink sat and a 1/2 scoop of collagen peptides. This is so good and totally comforting! FANTASTIC recipe
★★★★★