One of the biggest struggles with eating on the AIP diet is breakfast. Basically, name a breakfast food, and chances are, you won’t be able to eat it on the AIP diet. Eggs. Pancakes. Toast. Oatmeal. With the flip of the AIP switch, pretty much all my favorite breakfast choices were off the menu.
This didn’t seem like a big issue at first, but then cool weather came, and with it came a big ole hankerin’ for a cozy, comforting bowl of oatmeal. More specifically, a bowl of pumpkin oatmeal spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and drizzled with some really great maple syrup.
Yeah, that wasn’t happening.
Instead of getting are kerfuffled over the fact that I couldn’t dive face first into my favorite bowl of oats, I instead headed to the kitchen, strapped on my apron, and got to work figuring out a bowl of “oats” that I could eat with my dietary restrictions. And voila, coconut to the rescue!
Coconut flour and shredded coconut form the grain-like base of this breakfast porridge. 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.
When you’re eating AIP, you strip almost all added sugars (even the natural ones) from your diet, so your palate tends to become incredibly sensitive to the sweet stuff. That’s why the base of this breakfast porridge is only lightly sweetened with mashed banana—then you drizzle on hot maple syrup to taste. I also like to put big, juicy blueberries and flaked coconut on top. If you aren’t eating AIP, walnuts or pecans would be awesome, and of course, butter and heavy cream. YUM. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Spice Coconut Breakfast Porridge
This Pumpkin Spice Coconut Breakfast Porridge meets all the requirements of the AIP diet, but is so delicious, you won't feel like you're missing out on anything!
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cups worth)
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk (this is my favorite brand)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 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, and cloves in a medium size saucepan over low heat.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of oatmeal. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Spoon into serving bowls and top with blueberries, coconut flakes, maple syrup, coconut milk—whatever makes you happy!
Notes
- If you aren’t eating AIP, add 1/4 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, this is really good with a little puddle of ghee on top.
- This is a GREAT meal prep recipe—think of it like overnight oats, but without the oats! Double or triple the recipe, store in wide-mouth pint glass jars with plastic caps, and then grab-and-go before work or school. You can eat it cold or nuke it for a few minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 533Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 36gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 126mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 10gSugar: 20gProtein: 7g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
