Dive into the fall spirit with pumpkin oatmeal recipe. It’s the perfect way to start your day and is packed with pumpkin, maple syrup, and hearty rolled oats! Such a cozy fall breakfast you’ll love!

Ready for a totally vegan breakfast that’ll knock your socks off and leave your taste buds dancing? Pumpkin oatmeal does the trick. This delicious, warm bowl of pumpkin goodness is one of my favorite fall breakfasts. It’s quick and easy to prepare, making it an awesome pre-work or before school meal.
To start, you’ll need some rolled oats. Emphasis on rolled! Though you could technically use instant or steel cut oats, these cook at different speeds and could result in a soggy or undercooked oatmeal. For the perfect texture, I recommend rolled oats.
I use nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon to add flavor to pumpkin oats. But, you can mix it up! Anything will work, whether you use pumpkin pie spice, allspice, or a combination of the above.
Reader rating
“A KEEPER! My husband made this Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal for breakfast a few days ago. It was good, and left me feeling so satisfied. Perfect for fall.” —Kate
Ingredients in pumpkin oatmeal
Pumpkin oatmeal comes together with water, rolled oats, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and of course, pumpkin puree. Together, these flavors taste like the ultimate autumn meal. Pair it with a PSL, and oh, boy. You’ll be the embodiment of fall!
- Water: Start with 3 cups of water. Mixed with the other ingredients, this will help to create 3 servings of oatmeal.
- Rolled Oats: Next, add heartiness to the recipe with 1½ cups of rolled oats. (What’s the difference between rolled and steel cut or instant oats? Answers this way).
- Pumpkin Puree: 1 cup of pumpkin puree adds that delicious pumpkin flavor! Feeling adventurous? Make your own pumpkin puree!
- Maple Syrup: Sweeten things up by including ¼ cup of maple syrup, or you can use brown sugar instead.
- Vanilla Extract: ¼ tsp of vanilla extract adds delicious flavor.
- Spices: Finally, spice things up with a pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, along with ¼ tsp of salt.
How to make this pumpkin oatmeal recipe
Ready to get things rolling? Get it? It’s…a rolled oats pun. Anyway… Get excited because this is a simple one pan, two step recipe. It takes about 7 minutes from start to finish! Easily double the recipe if serving a crowd.
- Cook the oats: In a medium saucepan, stir together all of the ingredients. Set the pan over medium heat and bring it to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the oats are cooked through. Take a bite, they should be soft.
- Add toppings and serve: Serve warm, optionally topped with brown sugar and pecans.
Hint: You can add some yummy spicy flavor by including pumpkin pie spice or allspice!
Additional Toppings
As you can see above, I sprinkled pecans on my oats for the perfect final touch. You can also use walnuts or almonds, or any type in a glazed form! That tastes extra yummy, I must say.
You can also sprinkle on chia or flax seeds for extra nutrients or add chocolate chips for a sweet touch.
Variations
- To make this with steel cut oats, cook for 25 to 30 minutes, adding more water as needed.
- To make this with instant oats, cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- To make this in the microwave, cook on high for 3 minutes.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water 680 mL
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats 570 g
- 1 cup pumpkin puree 220 g
- ¼ cup maple syrup can sub brown sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- Pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
Instructions
- Cook: In a medium saucepan, stir together all ingredients. Set over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until liquid has been absorbed and oats are cooked through (take a bite, they should be soft).
- Serve: Serve warm, optionally topped with brown sugar and pecans.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
She’s learning how to “leave it”, but those eyes are demanding a treat in exchange.
Kate Nowga says
A KEEPER!
My husband made this Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal for breakfast a few days ago. It was good, and left me feeling so satisfied. Perfect for fall.
He did double the vanilla, and substituted 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for the 3 pinches of spices.
Also recommended bringing everything except the oatmeal to a boil, then add the oats–less likely to scorch.
It was nice garnished with chopped pecans, dried cranberries, or maple granola (we experimented with different toppings).
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear it, Kate!! Thanks for letting us know those tips, that’s super useful for folks making this! 😀