Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
Embrace fall with delicious pumpkin steel cut oatmeal that's not only easy to make with simple ingredients, but also filled with rich flavor and a perfectly creamy texture. It's sure to be your new favorite fall breakfast!
vegan • dairy free • easy
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Pumpkin stirred into a delicious bowl of steel cut oats is just what we need on cozy fall mornings. It's simple, adds a little richness to the oatmeal, and has a wonderful texture that feels hearty enough to keep you full through the morning, but creamy enough to feel like it's a real treat.
If you love comforting oatmeal, this matcha baked oats recipe is another one to try!
And, if you can't get enough pumpkin once fall arrives, you'll love pumpkin beer bread, cauliflower pumpkin soup, pumpkin spice sheet pan pancakes, and pumpkin banana bread (all vegan, of course!).
📝 quick recipe overview
- Skill level: Easy
- Taste: Rich pumpkin, warm spices, nuttiness from topping
- Waste: Low
- Sustainability: Moderate
- Cleanup: Easy
- Ingredients: Common, easy to source
- Equipment: Common, easy to source
- Time: 20 minutes
- Consistency: Creamy
- Kid-friendly: Yes
- Best for: Breakfast
❤️ what you'll love about these pumpkin steel cut oats
Delicious pumpkin flavor. Pumpkin adds delicious rich flavor to the oats, with a little earthy sweetness.
Easy to make. You don't even have to wait for the water to come to a boil before getting this started. Just dump, whisk, and start cooking!
Creamy texture. Between the cooking method, pumpkin puree, and plant-based milk, the oatmeal is super creamy! With such a luxurious texture, it makes the whole breakfast experience even cozier.
Vegan and customizable. We use completely plant-based ingredients, which can be adjusted to your liking. Prefer a richer flavor? Consider subbing more milk for the water. Add a little more pumpkin. Toss in some additional spices. While this recipe is delicious as-is, you can certainly take it to the next level in your kitchen.
No added sweeteners. This recipe doesn't cook with sweeteners, letting you control how much you'd like. I love adding a little maple syrup as a topping, but you might prefer stevia extract, coconut sugar, or your favorite sweet addition.
Small batch recipe. As written, this recipe serves two. Simply toggle the calculator in the recipe card if you'd like to adjust for a larger serving!
🥣 ingredient notes
Steel cut oats. I recommend organic, if that's available in your area. Follow the cook time on your package, as some steel cut oats are "quick cooking." This recipe was tested with oats that take about 20 minutes to cook.
Water. No need to heat the water first.
Plant-based milk. I used soy milk, but you can use the vegan milk of your choice. I recommend organic, unsweetened, and without other flavors so it doesn't interfere with the pumpkin flavor.
Pumpkin puree. Canned (or homemade!) pumpkin puree is what infuses the oatmeal with delicious pumpkin flavor, a hint of color, and a lovely texture. If using canned pumpkin, make sure you're using plain pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling.
Pumpkin spice. The pumpkin spice gives the oatmeal a more pronounced spice flavor. Pumpkin is earthy and subtle, so the pumpkin spice really rounds out the overall taste nicely.
Vanilla extract. Just like garlic, everything is better with vanilla. A little vanilla gives this more depth of flavor.
Salt. A bit of salt enhances the other flavors listed above.
🔪 equipment notes
- Saucepan.
- Measuring cups and spoons.
- Spoon for stirring.
- Whisk. Optional, for stirring together ingredients before cooking.
🧑🏽🍳 instruction notes
Whisk together all ingredients in saucepan except oats. Make sure the cooking liquid, pumpkin, and seasonings are evenly distributed.
Stir in steel cut oats and bring to a simmer. Cooking the oats from cold gives the finished oatmeal a creamy texture because it gives them time to release their starches, as opposed to adding them to hot water.
Simmer for 20 minutes and taste to make seasoning adjustments. Stir frequently to prevent sticking and continue encouraging the release of starches to create a lovely texture. Check both flavor and texture, adding a little more liquid, pumpkin, or seasonings to adjust taste or texture. Besides the oats, nothing else needs to "cook" at this point...only heat through.
Serve warm with the toppings of your choice. I love adding some chopped pecans, but you might enjoy other seeds, nuts, a little vegan yogurt, other seasonings and more. It's delicious on its own, too!
Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk together water, milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until evenly incorporated.1 cup water, ½ cup soy milk, ⅓ cup pumpkin puree, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stir in steel cut oats. Bring to a simmer over low heat.½ cup steel cut oats
- Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent oats from sticking or a skin forming on top of the mixture. Adjust any seasonings according to taste (after carefully tasting), which can include more pumpkin, spices, or vanilla extract.
- Serve warm, topped with your favorite oatmeal toppings.
Nutrition
Notes
- Sub more of the water with milk, or use all water and omit milk entirely. Milk adds a creamier texture to the cooked oats.
- Add more canned pumpkin or spices as desired.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!🍽️ how to serve
Serve warm and enjoy immediately, or follow the instructions below to save for later. No matter when you enjoy this pumpkin oatmeal, here are some delicious topping ideas:
- Nuts: Pecans, walnuts, maple roasted cashews, or whatever you like! Bonus points if you give them a little toast first.
- Seeds: Pumpkin seeds would be a natural fit for this pumpkin version of steel cut oatmeal, but you could add some hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, to name a few.
- Dried, candied, or fresh fruit: Fruit adds a little sweetness. Banana is a natural choice (like these cinnamon air fryer bananas), but you might also like some chopped dates, dried pineapple, caramelized apples, or cranberries.
- Spices: Pumpkin spice is really a mix of spices (including cinnamon), but feel free to add a little more cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg for a little extra zest.
- Vegan dairy: Pour over a little more plant-based milk, or stir in vegan yogurt.
- Nut butters: Roasted pecan butter, peanut butter, or similar nut butters would add another level of flavor and creamy texture. I'd avoid a flavored nut butter (like blueberry peanut butter), and opt for something simple.
- Sweeteners: My favorite is pure maple syrup, but you can stir in stevia extract, coconut sugar, light brown sugar, agave syrup, or the sweetener of your choice! For this, my recommendation is something that has hints of caramel...slightly darker sugars than traditional granulated sugar.
🧊 storage
If you'd like to enjoy this later, refrigerate or freeze to extend its life. Oatmeal thickens as it cools, so when you're ready to eat, be sure to warm first and add a small amount of milk or water to make the oatmeal creamy.
Short-term storage. Refrigerate in an airtight container and use within 4-5 days.
Long-term storage. You can freeze for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container. Warm in a saucepan or microwave before serving. Check out Salt and Baker's tip to freeze these in muffin tins for individual servings!
✅ acceptable substitutions and variations
Cooking liquid. You can sub more of the water for milk if you'd like a creamier texture, or cook the oats in all water.
Spices. Pumpkin spice is a classic pairing, but you could add your favorite warm, cozy spices for the same vibe.
Pumpkin-oatmeal ratio. You can add a little more pumpkin, if you'd like! If you reduce it, the flavor gets a little too faint, in my opinion.
Vanilla extract. The vanilla is optional, but does round out the pumpkin oatmeal. You can make this without, if needed.
♻️ sustainability profile
sourcing
Organic ingredients. I would recommend buying organic and fair trade when possible. Here are some options you might like: organic steel cut oats, organic canned pumpkin, organic and fair trade vanilla extract, and unsweetened organic plant-based milk.
Make or grow your own! Try your hand at growing your own pumpkin or make your own homemade vanilla extract.
waste
This recipe doesn't produce any significant food waste besides packaging. Be sure to match your saucepan to the corresponding burner size on your stove to prevent energy waste while cooking. A small saucepan should be used on a small burner, and larger pots on larger burners.
❓ frequently asked questions
Do pumpkin and oatmeal go together?
Yes, pumpkin is a great addition to oatmeal, adding both creamy texture and earthy, sweet flavor. Puréed pumpkin can be mixed with oats at the start of cooking, or near the end to heat through. While the pumpkin is a tasty addition, the flavor is subtle and usually best when spices like cinnamon or pumpkin spice are added to enhance the fall flavor profile.
Should I rinse my steel cut oats before I cook them?
No, it is not necessary to rinse steel cut oats before cooking them. In fact, rinsing can wash away some of the starch that helps create a creamy texture. Instead of rinsing, some will soak steel cut oats overnight or in boiling water for up to a few hours to soften the texture and reduce cooking time.
How do I know when my steel cut oats are done?
You can tell when your steel cut oats are done cooking by stirring, observing the texture in the saucepan, and safely tasting them to make sure the oats are tender, not chewy. Look for most of the cooking liquid to be absorbed back into the oats so they look creamier and more full. When you give them a taste, you want a slight "pop" of resistance with a tender interior once you start chewing the oats. They shouldn't be chewy or hard, which means they need more time to cook.
How much pumpkin puree to add to oatmeal?
The amount of pumpkin puree you add to oatmeal depends on how pronounced you'd like the pumpkin flavor to be when cooked. A typical oatmeal-to-pumpkin ratio is one-quarter to one-third cups pumpkin puree per one-half cup of dried oats.
🎃 more pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin Spice Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Pumpkin Beer Bread
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Creamy Cauliflower and Pumpkin Soup
