September 26, 2013
(last updated February 22, 2024) 
Well, no less than two weeks after bragging about how I’m still hooked on summer flavors, and not at all ready for fall, it’s happened: pumpkin. Lots and lots of pumpkin. In my apartment. Now.
While it’s sad to part ways with berries and basil and other summer treats, it’s hard to top the joy of hot cereal in the morning, pumpkin and cinnamon in anything and everything, or weather cool enough to inspire a craving for soup. It’s all happening now, and while DC will stay fairly temperate through October, I’m officially excited for the change of seasons. I thought I’d kick off pumpkin season with this easy recipe, which happened sort of by accident yesterday morning: almond pumpkin porridge. My latest, and possibly greatest use for almond pulp!
Almond pulp is the soft, fluffy stuff that’s leftover when you make homemade almond milk, then strain it. I have a lot of different uses for almond pulp, ranging from bread/crackers to raw hummus to macaroons. Now that my schedule has changed, and I work from home some days again, I can put more time into making homemade nut milks, which means more of the pulp in my fridge, and more motivation to find creative uses for the stuff.
This particular idea is probably the simplest I’ve had, and it’s probably my favorite so far. (More proof, as if we needed it, that simple is best.) You mix canned pumpkin and almond pulp, add some flax (or chia seed) meal, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and almond milk, and heat it gently over the stove. It’s incredibly quick, gluten free, grain free for those of you who don’t eat grains, and easy to customize, of course.
I’ve made it so far with cinnamon, maple syrup, and sometimes a sprinkle of walnuts, but it would also be lovely with some hemp protein stirred in, some cacao nibs, or some raisins or chopped dates. While “almond pulp porridge” isn’t the most appealing name for a breakfast recipe, I can assure you that this creamy concoction is delicious and bursting with seasonal flavor. Try it. Seriously.
Almond and Pumpkin Breakfast Porridge (gluten free, grain free, vegan)
Author -Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup almond pulp leftover from making homemade almond milk
- 1 heaping tablespoon ground flax or chia seed
- 1/3 cup almond milk plus extra as needed
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup if desired
- Toppings: chopped nuts cacao nibs, dried fruit, etc.
Instructions
- Add the pumpkin, pulp, flax or chia meal, almond milk, sea salt, and cinnamon to a small sauce pan. Whisk the ingredients together and heat over medium flame till they're starting to bubble.
- Reduce porridge to a simmer for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and drizzle with maple syrup. Sprinkle with toppings as desired, and serve.
- Makes a single serving.
As noted in the recipe, you can of course use a pumpkin puree that’s homemade, though the canned stuff is great for convenience. Just be sure to get pumpkin, rather than pumpkin pie mix. If you don’t happen to have almond pulp, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of almond butter and then increase the flax meal a bit (or use ground psyllium husks) for extra thickness.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
So, I’m gearing up for Expo East tomorrow in Baltimore. I’ll be going for the day to check out what’s new in the realm of natural products, supplements, and so forth. If you have any special requests for things you’d like me to keep an eye on, let me know. I’m usually all over up-and-coming chocolate 🙂
Happy Thursday,
xo
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Made this m the morning and absolutely loved it! It was a great alternative to my morning oatmeal. I added a little bit of nutmeg and topped it with almond butter. Thanks for the great recipe Gena!
So glad that you enjoyed it, Brielle!
A friend forwarded this meal to me as I’m currently experiencing the Whole30 & eating too much egg as I’m unsure what else to do for 1st Meal of My Day. I’m not vegan or vegetarian but this sounds & looks decidely tasty. I have a few questions. 1) I love almond milk, in general, but almonds make me gassy. Does this problem become moot if I make my own almond milk? 2) Is there a brand of almond butter you recommend as the ones I’ve looked at have ingredients off-limits during the Whole30.
I’m not super creative cooking wise but this porridge might shift me into actually looking up recipes for things.
Hi there!
1. I’m not sure if your response to almonds would be the same or different with homemade milk and 2) I use many different brands and like a lot of them (Maranatha, Justin’s, Woodstock Farms). I’m not familiar with the Whole 30 protocol, but the Woodstock Farms smooth, unsalted almond butter is very minimally prepared.
G
Thanks so much for the response. For some reason I didn’t get it until coming to get this recipe as I’m about to embark on food shopping. I love chicken and fish too much to fully go vegan but there are certainly so many yummy vegan meals I’m excited to try my hand at and diversify my eating habits. 🙂
Oh my god , this looks really good. I will have to make this.
This looks delicious and is never a combination I would have considered making for breakfast. So comforting and thick – I’d still like to eat this even on cooler, grey days in Spring!
Just recently decided to go back to being a vegan and came across your website. I LOVE this breakfast porridge!!!! I look forward to trying many of your other recipes. Thank you for taking the time to make these wonderful recipes available to us.
This recipe looks great…. why canned pumpkin tho?? Particularly when it’s in season? Anyways…. Here in Oz canned pumpkin is not a thing, but fresh pumpkin is a staple. I shall give this a try with the fresh stuff instead I think!
this looks delicious! thanks for sharing!
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This is absolutely delicious! I made my own coconut milk and had leftover coconut pulp that I was wondering what to do with. I came across your site and I’m so glad I did! I decided to use coconut pulp in place of almond pulp, but kept everything else the same. I didn’t add any sweetener but I did top it with raisins and pecans. It tastes like pumpkin pudding! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
This was delicious Gena! But I actually found it wasn’t sweet enough for my tastes; I used 1 tablespoon maple syrup plus 1 tsp agave, and mixed those in while the pumpkin filling was warming.
Hi Gena, I’m wondering if you think this would work with pulp from making rice milk? Or does it need the fat of the almonds for consistency?
I always make rice milk just because buying large quantities of rice is dirt cheap, and almond milk is unfortunately a little too expensive for me right now. Also, I’m worried about fat intake (I know healthy fat is good, but you can have too much of a good thing, which I’m known to do!).
Thoughts?
Thanks for this delicious and creative breakfast idea!
Marissa
This recipe looks amazing! Do you think almond flour/meal would be a good sub for the pulp? If so, how much would you recommend using? Thanks so much!
This was delicious. I made it on saturday and topped it with raspberries and cacao nibs. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked it!
Love the idea of reusing the almond pulp!
I absolutely love your creativity. Now I knew pumpkin was quite versatile, but not this versatile. Can’t wait to try this 🙂
Oh my. That is one big bowl of deliciousness right there. Yum!
This is delicious, Gena! I just finished eating a bowl topped with walnuts, maple syrup & cacao nibs. This will be in our breakfast rotation. And now, I need to go out and buy some more pumpkin! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
I’m so happy you liked it!
This looks wonderful for fall and a clever use for pulp, thanks!
Love the beautiful photography in this post! You are an artist 🙂
Delicious! I did it with pecans, maple syrup, digs and blueberries. Loved it!
Awesome!
This looks delicious. I can’t wait to make it. Thanks for another great use for almond pulp 🙂
I love it. Hope you agree!
What a great idea!
I’m with you on the reluctance to begin the pumpkin craze because I’m holding onto summer, but boy… I am excited to start using pumpkin! I just love the almond pulp idea as a way to have a breakfast bowl that is gluten free 🙂
Just finished making this – perfect for a fall morning which happened to be our first frost of the year. So rich, festive – perfect for fall. Thank you for sharing beautiful recipes like these with the world, you are incredible!
Oh, Hannah, thank you so very much!
Gena, this looks sooo delicious! Really excited to try it out. Also, have fun at Expo East!
It must be universal harmony – I just figured out that I could use my almond pulp leftover from your amazing almond creamer recipe in my oatmeal! It hadn’t occurred to me to just do away with the oats altogether 🙂
I will be trying this recipe stat, I just gave up gluten so I’m always on the lookout for grain-free recipes!
Looks amazing ! Just wondering – I just made homemade brazil nut/flax seed milk do you think it would still be good with the leftover pulp from that?
Perfect timing on this one. Over the last week I went through a simular transformation where I’ve been craving all sorts of root veggies. This sounds good, once my vitamix, Louise, returns from being repaired I look forward to trying this.
This looks so good. What would you suggest if I can’t make my own almond milk and therefore not having the leftover almond pulp? Maybe there is no replacement and I’ll just have to drool on my keyboard until I have a real kitchen again.
Rachael,
I’d try 2 tbsp almond butter and extra flax and/or ground psyllium husk for thickness. See what happens 🙂
G
Hey Gena… Love this recipe! Wondering if almond flour would work too? Maybe not a full 1/3 cup, but a few TBSP’s?
Yes, I think so! 2-3 tablespoons should work, Lauren. I actually have a pudding quite like that coming up tomorrow.
Hi Gena,
I’ve attempted veganism back and forth for the last few years as my awareness surrounding how my food is grown and processed and grown….. I just love, love the vision of veganism, being that’s its compassionate humane, and kind and want to encompass that in my own life. I wanted to make a 100% plant- based diet work, and nourishing concoctions such as above are enticing but I have to be totally honest…… I felt completely terrible on it. The 6 mts were ok but then I started to feel fatigue, brain fog, energy slump, weak, blistered hands, confused, and flighty on a daily basis. My bone mass was deteriorating as time passed even though I was nourishing myself super well and supplementing with quinoa, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, tempeh, avocado, coconut oil, beans, plenty of dark leafy greens and salads….. I was doing anything and everything in my power to try to make it work but my lab tests came back showing I was low in zinc and iron even though I was getting substantial servings of all of the above. The above breakfast wouldn’t have been enough for me, also, and I’m wondering if you ate something else alongside with it, or suggest something. Thanks, Gena~ xo
Hi Michelle!
Thanks for asking. This would qualify as a light breakfast for me–something I might make if I eat breakfast on the later side, and lunch is soon to come. On days when I’m headed to work early, I do tend to rely on warm grains (oatmeal, quinoa flakes, etc.) because they’re more filling and hold me over till lunch. And I did actually stir in some pumpkin seeds (probably something I ought to have noted, given that I like to mention the “balance your plate” concept in my posts, but it was a decision I made after photographing!).
So you had a bone scan at the start and end of the six months and there had been significant deterioration? I’d have to know a lot more to give you an answer about what happened, including how often you were menstruating, and a fuller sense of your caloric/dietary intake each day. Iron deficiency, I should note, is very common for young women, so while your dietary change may have been related, it may also not have been. But in any case, this would be a question for me to answer in my capacities as a nutritionist, which would demand me looking more closely at what you ate than I can via comments 🙂
Sorry not to be more helpful!
G
Hi Michelle,
I just read your post about your experience with veganism. While I know quite a few people who are doing very well with a vegan diet, I myself wasn’t feeling too good after nearly a year of a strict organic vegan diet. I have changed my diet to a so-called Paleo diet (no grains, no starches, no sugar, no legumes (no soy, no beans etc.), no dairy products, but a lot of animal protein) 5 months ago and have to admit that I have never felt better. My conclusion is now that in my vegan diet I had too much grains and legumes, esp. soy is a no-go for me now! Maybe you are, too sensitive to lentils and beans or had too much gluten in your nutrition? Since I am passionate about environmental issues it wasn’t an easy step to decide to eat meat again and I very well understand the decision to stay clear of animal products… Nevertheless personal health is also an important factor to consider and if you are wondering what to try next I would recommend you to read a book about Paleo nutrition and maybe try it out for a few weeks… The breakfast recipe in this post would be an example for a great Paleo breakfast – simply add a lot of nuts and dryfruits and you won’t stay hungry even without the grains! All the best, Helen
This looks AMAZING Gena ! 🙂 I have stocked canned pumpkin in my cupboards and filled my counters with fresh ones:) I can’t get enough of pumpkin OR squash:) I made squash soup today, plus a sugar-free pumpkin frosty I posted on my blog today. I think my skin is not only looking better, but also getting that classic Vitamin A glow to it:) Great recipe AS ALWAYS!:)
Looks delicious. Perfect warm treat to go into the fall. I love the idea of using almond pulp cause I haven’t found a use to it till now. Thanks for the great recipe.
Perfect!!! I decided to try going gluten-free for a month (starting in October) to see if it helps with my digestion issues. I usually have toast for breakfast (with avocado or peanut butter) so I am a bit anxious to find enough quick things to replace it with. I can’t wait for this to be the first meal of my gluten-free experiment 🙂 Thank you!
I can’t wait to make almond milk so this can get in my belly!
In this weather, I am resisting fall foods very easily. 😉 But I wanted to say I love that you found a new way to use almond pulp. This looks delicious.
You’re right, this is the perfect way to usher in chilly, cuddle-up-with-a-warm-bowl-of-yum mornings! Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Wow what a great idea! Sounds like the perfect little meal now in the fall. Yumm!
It never fails to amaze me what you use pumpkin for in America!! Here it’s very much soup and as part of roasted vegetables only. I am always looking for ways to use up that almond pulp though so this looks great 🙂
What a great idea! I feel like making almond milk just to have the pulp for this recipe. I haven’t been making it so much recently because I was concerned about it not being fortified, unlike store-bought. Any thoughts?
It just so happens I do have thoughts, Ms. Emma! But I’m going to save those thoughts for an upcoming post on calcium and bone health 🙂 Stay tuned.
Super! Thanks so much Gena 🙂
I will be looking for this post too Gena! And thanks for asking about this Emma. I am always asked about Ca and lack of fortification when I mention that I make my own nuts and seeds milks at home.
Looking forward to Gena’s post!!
Oh, and this porridge idea is incredible, I am definitely trying it this weekend after I make almond milk with my nuts that are soaking 🙂
Ana
I third the thrill re. your upcoming bone health post, Gena! Perhaps not the sexiest or trendiest subjects, but in my experience, probably the most crucial subject for this particular demographic, most of whom still have a small window of time to restore/build bone mass that was lost through ED related illness, or simply low body weight, during their pre-adolescent and teenage years when peak bone building occurs.
Have fun at your expo this weekend, Gena!
AH! This is so creative, Gena. Love it! Can’t wait to give it a try once I’m organized in my kitchen and making homemade almond milk. 🙂
I’m so glad to find another use for almond pulp! I don’t make almond milk too often, but when I do, I’m like–great, now what to do with the pulp??
Also, I’ll have you know I bought 25 pounds(!) of organic chia seed all because of you! I realized if I want my kids to be eating chia pudding & I need much more than a pound of chia at a time. I got it on sale (since I bought in bulk), for about $6 a pound, which is a pretty good price. 🙂
That’s so exciting! I tend to purchase a lot of chia at once, too, since I know it’s not going to be wasted.
This looks so yummy, Gena, and the perfect welcome to the colder weather that is upon us. I think I’ll finally try my hand at homemade almond milk now that I have access to a high speed blender. I made your cauliflower and parsnip soup last weekend in the Vita and it was perfectly creamy–a favorite, for sure!
Hooray! Glad you liked it.