Pumpkin Coconut Porridge (Core AIP Breakfast)
If you're eating an Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet and don't know what to have for breakfast, I got you! This cozy, hearty AIP breakfast coconut porridge is just like having a bowl of your favorite pumpkin spice oatmeal-without making your body angry. It's easy to make, super yummy, and 100% Core AIP compliant.
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Pumpkin Coconut Porridge
- ⏰ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- 🎃 Flavor Profile: Sweet, creamy, coconut-y, pumpkin-y, packed full of fall spices-basically pumpkin pie but make it an AIP breakfast!
- 💪 Core AIP Elimination Phase Compliant: Grain-free, dairy-free, seed-free, legume-free, nut-free, egg-free, nightshade-free, and is sweetened with banana and a light drizzle of maple syrup.
- 🥄 Good For: Cozy, comforting breakfasts while on the AIP diet!
- 🧡 Difficulty: As easy as making oatmeal.
"I've been on AIP for 2 weeks so far and have been struggling. I made this porridge today, and it was everything I was craving! From the first bite I could feel all the endorphins rushing through my brain! This is exactly the comfort food I've been craving and missing."
- SALIMA -
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🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hey. This message is for my fellow autoimmune warriors: if you're on the AIP diet, you know just how impossible breakfast can feel. No eggs? No grains? No oatmeal? Well, have no fear! I got you. I've done my fair share of time on the AIP diet sorting through my own food intolerances, and this coconut porridge was a staple during those strict years.
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- Core AIP Elimination Phase Compliant: All of the nourishing foods you can eat, none of the ones you can't.
- Cozy Oatmeal-Like Vibes: It's not exactly the same texture as oats, but it's got the hot breakfast cereal feeling to it. If you aren't AIP and want "real" oatmeal like this, try my Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats or my Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats.
- No Weird Ingredients: Eating AIP can mean some weird ingredients show up in your pantry. Not in this porridge. The weirdest thing in this recipe is coconut.
- The Best of Fall Flavors: Pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, oh my! This tastes like my homemade pumpkin pie recipe, just in an AIP-compliant breakfast porridge.
🎃 The Ingredients You Need
- Coconut and coconut flour: You can buy these separately, or you can just buy flaked coconut (make sure it's unsweetened) and then blitz it in a blender or food processor to make flour.
- Pumpkin puree: You can use store-bought or you can use homemade pumpkin puree.
- Vanilla extract: This ingredient is not strictly AIP-compliant due to the alcohol content, but because the recipe calls for cooking with the vanilla extract, the alcohol burns off, and I felt comfortable having small amounts when I was on AIP. If you want to be very strict, sub in vanilla powder or leave it out entirely.
- Banana: This porridge is sweetened with banana (and a small drizzle of maple syrup on top, if you like), so choose a more ripe banana.
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
🔁 Variations & Substitutions
- Use other milks: Coconut milk is a staple of the Core AIP diet, but you could also try banana milk or tigernut milk. If you are doing the Modified AIP diet, you could try hemp milk or rice milk.
- Make it apple cinnamon porridge: Use applesauce in place of the pumpkin puree.
- Change up the spices: if on Core AIP, try adding mace (a great nutmeg substitute). If on Modified AIP, you have many more choices. Try adding in nutmeg, allspice, star anise, or just a standard pumpkin pie spice blend (like the one I list in my pumpkin spice syrup recipe).
🥣 How to Make Pumpkin Coconut Porridge
Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a medium size saucepan over low heat.
Step 2: Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of oatmeal.
Step 3: Spoon into serving bowls and top with blueberries, coconut flakes, maple syrup, and/or coconut milk.
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🙋🏻♀️ AIP Breakfast FAQs
Breakfast on the Core AIP diet can be tricky. Some options include coconut porridge, coconut-milk based smoothies, coconut yogurt with fruit, sweet potato toast (with compliant toppings), sausage patties, breakfast hash made with sweet potatoes and sausage.
Unfortunately, oats are a no-go on both Core AIP and Modified AIP. You can have coconut porridge or rice pudding (Modified AIP only) for a similar cozy breakfast experience.
👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Coconut porridge thickens up quickly: Watch the pot like a hawk. Coconut porridge thickens up in the blink of an eye. If your porridge gets too thick, add in warm water or more coconut milk to thin.
- The toppings make the bowl: I like blueberries, coconut flakes, and a drizzle of maple syrup. If you're eating Modified AIP, this is so good with a puddle of melted ghee on top. If you've successfully reintroduced nuts, walnuts and pecans are also amazing!
- Sweeten to taste: This porridge is sweetened with banana. If you feel like it needs a little more sweetness, a light drizzle of maple syrup or honey on top is still AIP compliant.
🥣 More AIP Recipes
If you tried this Pumpkin AIP Breakfast Coconut Porridge or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Coconut Porridge (Core AIP Breakfast)
Ingredients
- 1 14- ounce can pumpkin puree about 1 ½ cups worth
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ⅔ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk this is my favorite brand
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract see notes about AIP-compliance
- Blueberries, coconut flakes, maple syrup, and/or coconut milk for serving
Instructions
- Combine the pumpkin puree, banana, coconut flour, shredded coconut, water, coconut milk, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and vanilla extract in a medium size saucepan over low heat.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of oatmeal.
- Spoon into serving bowls and top with blueberries, coconut flakes, maple syrup, coconut milk-whatever makes you happy!
Video
Notes
- Vanilla extract is not Core AIP compliant as is due to the alcohol content. But because this recipe cooks the vanilla, the alcohol cooks off, and I consider it compliant. If you want to be very strict, sub in vanilla powder for the extract or leave it out entirely.
- If you're eating Modified AIP, add ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg to really round out the pumpkin spice flavor.
- This is very lightly sweetened on it's own-it really shines topped with some hot maple syrup!
- Coconut porridge tends to go from too-thin to too-thick in a heartbeat, so if you need to thin it out, just add a touch more water.
- If you're in the AIP reintroduction phase or eating Modified AIP, this is really good with a little puddle of ghee on top.
I was prepared to love this, but just didn’t. The first words out of my 5 year olds mouth when he tasted if, “This is horrible!” (My kids love oatmeal). It tasted a bit like baby cereal with coconut in there. Will not be making again.
Hi Deborah! We're sorry it wasn't a hit with the fam. It's definitely a different texture for folks used to oatmeal. We tried to get at that in the post when we said, "It’s not exactly the same texture as oats—especially if you’re used to the chewy texture of steel cut oats or old fashioned oats—but it’s got the hot breakfast cereal feeling to it. And it totally hit the spot." But for anyone looking for a hot, comforting, cozy breakfast that can't have oats, it really hits the spot!
Fantastic recipe that I've already made a few times. I reduce the ingredients for a single serving and it's just the most delicious & warming comfort food I've eaten on AIP so far!
Would this work with almond milk? I cannot have coconut.
Hi Hannah! The base of this recipe is shredded coconut and coconut flour, so swapping in almond milk will only eliminate a portion of the coconut. I think this Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats recipe might be a better breakfast option for you if you're trying to avoid coconut altogether. If you were really hoping for something warm, you can definitely heat the oats up! I hope this helps! =)
The AIP diet has been incredibly challenging, to say the least! thank you for offering some thing that is truly comforting and delicious.
That's so wonderful to hear, Tina! Therapeutic diets can be very challenging, and AIP is no exception! We're happy this helped you find something comforting and delicious that hopefully helps make it a little easier for you. You've got this! =)
This is amazing! I cook a big pot of it each Sunday and warm it up and eat it almost every morning during the week! So easy and delicious. Lately, I have been mixing in peanut butter - which sounds weird with the pumpkin, but tastes really good! Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Yay! Thanks, Sarah! We're so glad you love it. Making a big batch on the weekend is such a great timesaver during the week. We hadn't thought to add peanut butter—we'll have to give it a go! Thanks for sharing =)
Firstly, I’ve been on AIP for 2 weeks so far and have been struggling. I made this “porridge” today and it was everything I was craving! From the first bite I could feel all the endorphins rushing through my brain! This is exactly the comfort food I’ve been craving and missing. I didn’t add any maple syrup just blueberries on top and it was perfect. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
You're so very welcome, Salima! We're so happy to hear that this hit the spot. Best of luck on your AIP journey!
I am pregnant right now and not finding much foods appealing. This hit the spot though.
Yay—we're so happy to hear that, Ruth! Pregnancy appetites (or lack thereof) sure can be funny things! We're glad you found something that's working for you. Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy! =)
The vanilla isn't listed in the "Instructions" section. And I'm assuming since this is heated, you can use regular liquid vanilla extract with alcohol?
Yes, sorry we missed it in the instruction, mix it in at the end! And yes, the alcohol mostly cooks off, or if you want to be 100% compliant, you can use vanilla powder instead.
What could be used instead of a banana?
I've never tested this with anything except banana, so I don't have any options, sorry! If you try something else, let me know.
This is so delicious, and the texture is actually quite similar to oatmeal. I had it with raspberries and coconut cream - yum!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi - I wanted to make this to bring to a potluck brunch - if I'm preparing ahead of time, do I cook the porridge before storing overnight, or just combine all the ingredients? I wanted to cook it on the stovetop the morning of, when I arrive at my friend's house.
I thought we couldn't use vanilla extract during the AIP elimination phase because it comes from a bean. This recipe uses 1 teaspoon. Can you please clarify? I feel there should a notation next to it in the ingredient list warning AIP followers. Thank you
Hi, Wendy! We always recommend discussing things like this with your health care team and following their expert advice! That said, it's our understanding that whether or not vanilla extract is AIP-friendly during the elimination phase depends on how its used. It's the alcohol in vanilla extract that's the issue, and heating it cooks that off. So if the recipe you're using the extract in is cooked, as this one is, it's fine to use vanilla extract in small amounts during the elimination phase. If you want to be extra safe, though, you can use an equal amount of vanilla powder in its place!
This looks AH-mazing, I cannot wait to try it. Thanks so much for the inspiration - I know everyone in the family is going to love it.
Holly from The Art of Being Holly xo
This looks simply delicious and healthy,already have lots of pumpkin,Thanks for sharing