What are the Benefits of Eating Pumpkin?
Here’s why you might want to eat more pumpkin:
It’s a good source of beta carotene, which your body can turn into Vitamin A. This vitamin may help to strengthen the immune system and fight infections. In one meta-analysis, researchers found that people with higher intakes of beta carotene and vitamin A may have a lower risk of age-related cataracts, which is a common cause of blindness. Pumpkin is high in carotenoids, which are thought to act as antioxidants in the body. Carotene intake has been associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, stomach cancer, and pancreatic cancer. It’s also a great source of potassium, which has been linked with a lower risk of stroke and may also help to lower blood pressure levels.
If you roast your own pumpkin, don’t forget to save the seeds. Roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious, and contain plenty of nutrients, too!
How to Make the Best Pumpkin Oatmeal
This recipe is super-easy and ready in less than 10 minutes for a fast breakfast. All you have to do is combine the ingredients in a saucepan, and bring it to a boil, stirring often. If you don’t have a store-bought spice blend, you can make your own pumpkin pie spice to keep on hand.
Pro Tip: Always add a pinch of salt to your oatmeal. If you think it tastes bland, that’s probably what it’s missing! For creamier oats, you can cook them in almond milk, oat milk, or hemp milk, or you can simply use water. I find that oats become gluey if you cook them in dairy milk, so I prefer the non-dairy alternatives, but feel free to experiment with it! Once the oatmeal mixture is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the oatmeal has thickened, about 5 minutes. If you use quick-cooking oats, it will be done even faster than that. Make sure you stir often, so the oats don’t start to stick to the bottom of the pot.
Want to use steel cut oats? Try my Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats tutorial, and add in the pumpkin & seasonings after the oatmeal is cooked. Prefer overnight oats? To make overnight oats, use only half the liquid called for in the recipe below, mix it all together in a jar with a lid, then store it in the fridge to thicken overnight. No cooking required!
How to Make Oatmeal Not Chewy
If you prefer a creamy bowl of oatmeal, I recommend adding the water and oats to the pan together, then bringing the mixture to a boil. This will help the oats become more tender, and create an overall creamy texture. For oatmeal with more “tooth” or chew to it, bring the water to a boil first, then add in the oats and lower the heat to a simmer. The oats won’t get quite as creamy this way, leaving you with more texture to chew.
How to Serve Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin oatmeal is a super-easy holiday breakfast or brunch option. You can make a huge batch (hover over the servings in the recipe card below to increase the ingredients amounts) then serve it as a “breakfast bar” with all of your favorite toppings laid out.
Here are some oatmeal topping ideas:
Dried cranberries Raisins Pecans Walnuts Pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) Maple syrup Almond milk, oat milk, or hemp milk Leftover cranberry sauce (seriously good on this!) Sliced banana
Keep the oatmeal warm in a slow cooker if you need to leave it out for a while, and add a splash of water or milk and give it a stir if it starts to look too thick.
If you try this Pumpkin Oatmeal recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience. – Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite holiday breakfast? My Vegan French Toast, Sweet Potato Hash, and Vegan Bread Pudding are also big hits!
