Pie for breakfast! This pumpkin pie baked oatmeal is easy, vegan and even has an oatmeal ‘crust’.
Pumpkin pie! Pumpkin pie! Does anyone not love pumpkin pie?
Uh, that wasn’t a rhetorical question. Does anyone not love – or, dare I say it, dislike – pumpkin pie?
While my parents’ favorite is apple pie (actually, make that an apple and rhubarb pie for my Dad) and my Grandpa was a big fan of pecan pie, if you ask me, pumpkin pie takes the cake. Or takes the pie.
This Thursday is Thanksgiving – or ‘Turkey Day’ – in the USA. So I imagine plenty of pumpkin pies will be baked, sliced, topped with Cool Whip, eaten, stashed in the fridge because an eager host made way too much food… and so on.
As much as I love pumpkin pie, I have to mention here (because I also love history) that it’s very, very unlikely that pumpkin pie was part of the First Thanksgiving. In a nutshell, the First Thanksgiving was feast enjoyed in November 1621 by Pilgrims and members of the Native American Wampanoag tribe in celebration of the Pilgrims’ first successful harvest.
While it is possible – maybe even likely – that pumpkins or other squashes were eaten, they couldn’t have been made into pies. Why? No wheat flour or butter to make the crust. So no pies for anyone.
But you know what? They ate some weird things in 1621. Like swans.
And pumpkin pie was apparently key to the Thanksgiving menu by the early 18th century. In fact, the town of Colchester, Connecticut, postponed its Thanksgiving by a week in 1705 because there weren’t enough molasses to make pumpkin pie. That is some serious pumpkin pie love (which I completely approve of).
The way I see it, the addition of pumpkin pie to a ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving menu simply represents progress.*
So, as I said earlier… pumpkin pie!
*The marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole might be a step too far though. Maybe.
If you’re looking to start the day off with pumpkin pie – but feel as though grabbing a slice pie for breakfast may garner some odd looks – then here’s my solution for you: pumpkin pie baked oatmeal!
This recipe was inspired by (1) my love of eating dessert for breakfast, and (2) recipes from The Oatmeal Artist and Chocolate Covered Katie.
One thing I knew I wanted – make that needed – in my version of pumpkin pie baked oatmeal was a crust. Admittedly, the crust is probably my least favorite part of pumpkin pie (I’m all about the creamy filling). But you know what? The crust is still important.
While I love making crustless pies (see Exhibits A and B), in the end, is a pie really a pie without the crust?
Clearly, the crust was important. Even if this is oatmeal.
Last but not least, I hope everyone celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday has a wonderful day. I also hope that everyone – whether they’re celebrating Thanksgiving or not – enjoys a big slice of pie this week. (You don’t need a reason to eat a piece of pie).
Question of the Day
What’s your favorite type of pie?
- For the pumpkin layer
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ cup almond milk
- ⅔ cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
For the crust layer- 2 tablespoons applesauce
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two ramekins.
- For the pumpkin layer: In a bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Stir in the almond milk. Add the rolled oats, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined.
- For the crust layer: In another bowl, combine the applesauce, almond milk, vanilla extract and maple syrup (if using). Add the rolled oats, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined.
- To assemble: Divide the crust layer between the prepared ramekins. Top with the pumpkin layer.
- Bake for 28 - 32 minutes, or until the tops are dry and a little firm. If removing the baked oatmeals from the ramekins, allow them to cool for 5 minutes first. Enjoy!
You can replace the applesauce in the crust layer with Greek-style yogurt. If using a sour/tart yogurt, don’t omit the maple syrup!
Ramekins
I used two 1 cup capacity (8oz or 240mL) ramekins.
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