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Warm up inside and out with a hot bowl of wholesome Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal for breakfast. If you haven’t tried the combination of chocolate and pumpkin spice, now is the time. This easy recipe tastes decadent, but packs in plenty of healthy whole grains, plus some sneaky veggies and protein!
Easy Pumpkin Oatmeal – With Chocolate!
You are not going to believe that this bowl of rich, chocolaty oatmeal is totally healthy (and gluten free as long as you check that your oats are gluten free). Which means that you can feel good about indulging in chocolate for breakfast on a dail basis.
I’ve been known to add Mexican spice and cocoa powder to my oatmeal. But when I ran out of my Mexican Chocolate Spice Mix, I found a container of pumpkin spice in my pantry. That’s when I decided to change it up with some fall flavors!
So how do I make it rich and satisfying? Well, the cocoa powder gives it that indulgent chocolatiness. But my other secret is egg whites! After you cook your oatmeal to your desired texture, slowly stir in some egg or egg whites (the pateurized ones in a carton work fine too). It gives the pumpkin oatmeal a rich, creamy, pudding-like texture, plus a nice dose of protein to keep you totally satisfied.
Talk about a homerun way to start your day!
Ingredients
Here is a quick list of what you’ll need to make this chocolate pumpkin oatmeal recipe. Keep reading for some extra tips, or scroll down to the recipe card for the full quantities and detailed directions.
- Old fashioned oats: be sure to use certified gluten-free oats, if needed. If you want to make this with quick oats, you’ll need to adjust the liquid and cooking time based on the package directions.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Sweetener: Sweeten to taste with sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or and equivalent sugar free sweetener of your choice.
- Pumpkin pie spice: You cna buy a bottle or make your own blend. If you buy it, stick with a brand like McCormick that is gluten free.
- Salt: Just a pinch to enhance the sweet and chocolaty flavors.
- Water: You can use a bit more and cook it longer if you want a softer, creamier consistency.
- Milk: I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but it can be made with any dairy or nondairy milk you prefer.
- Pumpkin puree: Not pumpkin pie filling
- Egg whites: Fresh or the equivalent amount of pasteurized egg whites form a carton. A single whole egg can be used too, the egg whites have a more neutral flavor.
- Butter: Optional, but feel free to stir in a pat when serving for a little extra richness.
How to Make Pumpkin Oatmeal
This oatmeal recipe comes together quickly. Here’s what to do.
Boil the oats. Combine everything except the egg whites and optional butter in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Simmer till creamy. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes, keeping an eye that it doesn’t boil over. You may want to tip the lid to the side a bit so some steam can escape. You want the oats to reach your desired tenderness, but you want a little extra moisture to remain.
Add the egg whites. Reduce heat to low. Slowly pour in egg whites while stirring constantly, then cook for another minute or two until it slightly thickens.
Serve and enjoy. Eat right away while still hot, adding a pat of butter or coconut oil if you like, or even a sprinkle of more pumpkin pie spice or mini chocolate chips.
Tips for Success
- Oats too tough? Add a little extra water or milk and cook longer to get your desired consistency.
- Out of pumpkin? You can omit the pumpkin puree and make it with just the pumpkin spice to get the warm spiced flavor.
- Don’t like chocolate and pumpkin? Leave out the cocoa powder and enjoy a steamy bowl of simple pumpkin spice oatmeal.
- Egg allergy? You can skip the egg whites. It simply adds protein and gives it a thicker, more pudding-like consistency. You can also stir in a little almond butter to make it more rich and satisfying.
- Want it thicker? Pop the cooked pumpkin oatmeal in the microwave for 30 seconds to help it set up a bit more like a baked oatmeal.
- Short on time? Prep your oatmeal the night before and reheat it in the microwave in the morning. Or use quick oats, but adjust the amount of liquid based on the directions on the package.
More gluten free pumpkin breakfast recipes
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Overnight Oats
- Almond Flour Pumpkin Crumb Cake
- Mini Nutella Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Pumpkin Smoothie
Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats gluten-free, if needed
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or equivalent sugar free sweetener of choice
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- pinch salt
- 2/3-1 cup water the more water you use, the creamier it will be, but you will have to cook it longer
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk or your dairy or nondairy milk of choice
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten or 1/3 c pasteurized egg white from a carton (can also use one lightly beaten egg, but I prefer the more neutral taste of just the whites).
- A little butter for serving if desired
Instructions
- Combine the oats, cocoa powder, sweetener, pumpkin pie spice, salt, water, milk, and pumpkin puree in a saucepan, and cover with a lid.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low to keep mixture at a simmer.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes, keeping an eye on it to make sure the mixture doesn't boil over, or until the oatmeal is cooked to desired doneness, but a little excess moisture remains (you can add more water if the liquid evaporated before the oats were as soft as you like).
- Reduce heat to low. Slowly pour in egg whites while stirring constantly.
- Stirring constantly, cook for another 1-3 minutes, or until mixture slightly thickens.
- Top with a pat of butter, if desired.
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
I would have never believed that the oatmeal would cook up so well. I used McCanns quick oats and even the option of one cup of water. I did microwave longer maybe 8 minutes in all to get it thick but it worked. I also never thought I would like chocolate oatmeal but I had a craving for chocolate pudding and would rather eat something that has more substance with oatmeal. This was wonderful and I have made it two days in a row. Will now check out your other recipes. Not sure how I found this one in the first place-may have been on Spark People blog or Fittness Pal as a suggestion for breakfast. Glad I found it.
I’m so glad to hear that you are enjoying the chocolate pudding oatmeal, Frances, and thank you for stopping by. I hope you find more recipes to love here!
Yummy! Pinned and tweeted. Lou Lou Girls
Thanks!
That looks soon delicious! I love it! Also wanted to let you know about a link party on Wednesday. Can’t wait to party with you at http://homeschoolapalooza.wordpress.com 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Not much for pudding oatmeal, but this looks good.
Ih you should try it. The creamy texture is so nice for a breakfast treat.
Oh for yummy! this looks so so good. Thanks for sharing. I think I will try making it tonight.
Julia Kristina
http://juliakristina.com/blog
Enjoy!
Oh noooo….hope he’s all okay now. Big hugs for you, Brianne. Hope you get plenty of rest. And this pumpkin spice oatmeal is an eye-opener. I love oatmeal and literally have oatmeal for breakfast on weekdays. This will brighten up my day even more.
He is doing great, actually! Thanks! And I eat oatmeal everyday too!
Sounds so yummy!! I have never heard of egg whites in oatmeal. What is the purpose of them. thanks for sharing.
The egg whites at some protein and give it a more custard-like texture.