Pumpkin Coconut Breakfast Porridge

One of the biggest struggles with eating on the AIP diet (you can read more about what it is and why I’m on it here) 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.

Pumpkin Coconut Breakfast Porridge

Pumpkin Coconut Breakfast Porridge

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 oatsโ€”especially if you’re used to the chewy texture of steel cut oats or old fashioned oatsโ€”but it’s got the hot breakfast cereal feeling to it. And it totally hit the spot.

Pumpkin Coconut Breakfast Porridge

Pumpkin Coconut Breakfast Porridge

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 bananaโ€”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 Coconut Breakfast Porridge

Pumpkin Spice Coconut Breakfast Porridge

Yield: 4
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

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

  1. 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.
  2. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of oatmeal. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
  3. Spoon into serving bowls and top with blueberries, coconut flakes, maple syrup, coconut milk—whatever makes you happy!

Notes

  • If you arenโ€™t eating AIP, add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg to really round out the pumpkin spice flavor.
  • This is very lightly sweetened on itโ€™s ownโ€”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 youโ€™re in the AIP reintroduction phase, this is really good with a little puddle of ghee on top.
  • This is a GREAT meal prep recipeโ€”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 serving
Amount 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.

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21 Comments

    1. 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! =)

  1. The AIP diet has been incredibly challenging, to say the least! thank you for offering some thing that is truly comforting and delicious.

    1. 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! =)

  2. 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 ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. 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 butterโ€”we’ll have to give it a go! Thanks for sharing =)

  3. Firstly, Iโ€™ve been on AIP for 2 weeks so far and have been struggling. I made this โ€œporridgeโ€ 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 Iโ€™ve been craving and missing. I didnโ€™t add any maple syrup just blueberries on top and it was perfect. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

    1. You’re so very welcome, Salima! We’re so happy to hear that this hit the spot. Best of luck on your AIP journey!

      1. Yayโ€”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! =)

  4. 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?

    1. 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.

    1. 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.

  5. This is so delicious, and the texture is actually quite similar to oatmeal. I had it with raspberries and coconut cream – yum!

  6. 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.

    1. 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

      1. 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!