If you’re trying a grain-free diet like Paleo, SCD, or a Whole30, breakfast often feels like the most affected meal.
Consider average breakfast fare, especially the quicker/easier options:
- cereal or homemade granola
- toast
- bagels
- quick breads and muffins
- oatmeal
- eggs
- bacon
There are good grain-free granola options, but on a Whole30 even those are usually out because of sweeteners – and most bacon is too! So you end up with eggs. Followed by eggs. With eggs the next day cooked slightly differently. Then a banana. Then more eggs.
This recipe has been a lifesaver for those times when we choose to eat grain-free, and it’s also become one of our baby’s favorite breakfasts. Observe:
Oh yes, my friend, we’re suffering from “my own bowl” syndrome over here. And there’s no time for baths after every meal, so we get a lot of crunchy hair after our best attempts at cleaning him up. Mmmmm…save a little in your ear for later, little buddy. 
Luckily the sponsor of this post, Squooshi, has a fix for that.
But first, the recipe! This baby is so versatile, you can truly skip or adjust amounts on pretty much every single ingredient, which rocks. It’s a great one to assign to kids (as long as they don’t measure teaspoons of salt like tablespoons – which happened this weekend on some pancakes! Caught in time, luckily, and we just had to quadruple the batch to compensate…).
I decided to let it out of The Healthy Breakfast Book this morning! I’m a big fan of getting some veggies in breakfast, though, so we always default to this one. I bake up and puree lots of butternut squash in the fall so I have a stash in the freezer until about May, depending on how often we make this recipe and these easy, low-carb pumpkin pancakes.
Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Porridge
- 2 c. pumpkin, sweet potato, or winter squash of any kind, pureed
- 1 c. whole milk or coconut milk
- ½ c. unsweetened applesauce
- 2 Tbs. maple syrup (optional)
- 2 Tbs. butter or coconut oil (optional)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- ½ tsp. cloves
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ c. + 1-2 Tbs. packedcoconut flour (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!)
- Toppings:
- raisins
- pecans and walnuts
- butter
- milk
- maple syrup
- shredded coconut (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!)
- Whisk everything except the coconut flour (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) together in a medium pot.
- Heat over low to medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- As the porridge warms up, add a quarter cup coconut flour and stir it in; continue to heat a few minutes, stirring often, and evaluate the texture.
- If you would like the porridge thicker, add coconut flour ½ tablespoon at a time until you like the consistency.
- Serve warm with raisins, chopped pecans and/or walnuts, an optional pat of butter on each bowl, optional milk, and optional extra syrup for pure decadence.
- Store leftovers in the fridge up to 5 days. Heat or serve cold as desired. (You can also freeze it in a Squooshifor a quick travel meal if you thaw in the fridge the night before!)
* For a Whole30, omit the vanilla extract and maple syrup and use the dairy-free milk and fat options.
* Just about every ingredient can be optional on the list, except maybe the orange veggie and the milk, and there's even some leeway there. If you don't have one thing or another, don't sweat it.
* Add 2 eggs for extra protein.
* If it seems bland, add salt, just a little at a time. You can also increase the spices, but tread lightly.
* Spice variations: Try 1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice, 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon only, or any pumpkiny blend you'd like to try.
* Sub for coconut flour: you can just use shredded coconut (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!), run through a dedicated coffee grinder like some people have for milling flax seeds, or whizzed up with a high-powered blender.
* Inspired by Sweet Basil and Spice.
Trouble Getting Healthy Food on the Table Every Day?
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Real Plans is an online meal planning software & app that is probably smarter than I am.
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Real Plans takes the stress out of meal planning and puts the nourishing food BACK on your table. There’s a plan for every diet type, including GAPS, Paleo, AIP, Whole30, vegetarian and more!
I’d like to offer you a free printable version of this Pumpkin Pie Grain-Free Breakfast Porridge, taken straight from The Healthy Breakfast Book so you can get a feel for the style the recipes in the book are written. Click to get the printable recipe right away, and we’ll send it to your inbox for later so even if you are on mobile and can’t print it right now, you’ll have it available when you’re ready for it. When you grab the full version of The Healthy Breakfast Book, you also get a 50% off coupon for The Healthy Lunch Box, arguably one of the most used books in our family!
If you’re looking for more ways to spice up breakfast – and streamline your cooking and planning time – you’ll love The Healthy Breakfast Book, which is allergy-friendly and packed with recipes and techniques to help you avoid cereal every day.
Baby Proof
And now to fix the messy problem. The recipe is so great for babies and toddlers, but once they want to “do it myself” it gets a little crazy. The porridge is definitely thick enough for little ones TO feed themselves – but how thick is your patience?
If you’d rather spend an extra minute doing dishes than an extra few minutes cleaning up a writhing, screaming baby – because we all know getting one’s face washed is the biggest disaster ever to hit a one-year-old’s life – might I recommend this?
The grain-free porridge goes great in a Squooshi, our favorite reusable food pouch, and you could mix it with a little yogurt to get probiotics in or thin it out.
Happy baby, happy mama:
Just don’t let the baby walk around on the carpet with the Squooshi, especially if they might have a naughty tendency to shake it really hard as they see you attempting to swoop down and remove them to the kitchen. Just sayin’. It could be not your favorite part of the day if that rarity would happen to you…
Pin for later!
Goldnrod says
You say add 2 eggs for extra protein, but don’t give directions. Plus, with eggs, wouldn’t you want to heat to a certain temperature?
Diane says
When would eggs be added -during cooking?
Judith Martinez says
I would also like to know how to add eggs and how to leave out the coconut flour! 🙂
Alissa says
It might be a GAPS holdover, but we are still doing soups for breakfast. Once a month cooking, in the freezer, then in the slow cooker the night before. Baby loves it too! Will have to try out this recipe, looks delicious and will be a great change in our menu. Thanks!
Cindy A says
I’ve made this twice over the past few weeks and love it! Why limit it to breakfast??!! I’ve eaten it as a dessert, and I am eating some right now for lunch : ) I used pumpkin both times, but I will try sweet potato next time. This is such a flexible recipe, one that fits all my allergies! Thank you for this recipe…it was just what I was looking for!
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
That’s wonderful Cindy, so glad you found it! 🙂 Katie