Can you feel the chill in the air? That’s right, my friends; it’s almost time for flannel, cozy fires, and pumpkins. And what better way to celebrate than to look at some sweet and spiced breakfasts? If you’re anything like me, you can’t wait to break out your boots and watch the leaves change. So, as the mornings grow colder, why not indulge in something more hearty to help you survive until lunchtime? That could include a stack of pumpkin pancakes, one or two sticky maple buns, or a bowl of nutty homemade granola.
1. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
These pumpkin muffins are light, fluffy, and wonderfully moist. Of course, that has a lot to do with the oil and pumpkin puree in the batter. So, you could make these without the filling, and they’ll still be tasty, That said, why wouldn’t you want a surprise inside? The sweet cream cheese gives these spiced muffins a lovely tang and helps to balance out the crunch of the streusel topping.
2. Pumpkin Pancakes
Making pumpkin pancakes isn’t quite as easy as adding pumpkin puree to your favorite batter. The added moisture will likely make those buttermilk babies dense and rubbery. Instead, you need to make a few adjustments and include some spices to boot. The first thing you’ll notice is that these include less milk (by around half). That will prevent these from being too runny as you whisk in the pumpkin. This recipe also has a bit more baking powder to help them lift, and it uses maple syrup instead of sugar. As always, try to avoid over-mixing your pancake batter. Lumps are a good thing, I promise!
3. Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin and dark chocolate is a fall-fave combination in my house. The rich and sweet chocolate against the spices just makes everything that much more delicious. It works especially well here because this pumpkin bread also includes orange juices. The flavor is very subtle, but you can boost it with some orange zest if you want. As you can see from the picture, it makes this loaf dreamy and tender.
4. Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
There are sticky buns, and then there are these maple and pecan sticky buns. Soft, tender, nutty, spiced, and insanely buttery, you’ll never want to make anything else again. As with any good sticky bun recipe, this takes a bit of time. You’ll need to let the dough rest for an hour or two before rolling it out and spreading the filling over the surface. Once cut and covered in the pecan topping, there’s another rest to let them rise again. I like to make mine the day before and pop them in the fridge overnight. Then, pull them out of the fridge and pop them into the oven with a tray of boiling water underneath. Don’t turn the oven on and let them sit with the steam until they’ve risen. A word of warning: you’ll want to dive right in the second these come out of the oven. They smell unbelievable, but you need to be patient; otherwise, you’ll burn your tongue!
5. Easy Breakfast Quiche
Eggs are a great source of protein, and they’ve been proven to keep you fuller for longer. Still, there are only so many days I can face a bowl of scrambled eggs. But I could probably eat this amazing quiche every day for a month and not get bored. Loaded with mushrooms, bacon, onion, and cheese, it’s salty, earthy, cheesy, and silky smooth. Plus, you can start with a frozen pie crust that’s buttery, tender, and keeps the prep quick. Not only that, but it’s pretty easy to modify this recipe. Looking for something meat-free? Try adding roasted squash instead!
6. Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
If you’d rather make something you can eat on the go, these gluten-free oatmeal bars are for you. The blend of gluten-free oats, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, chia seeds, and pumpkin pie spice is close to what you would see in those popular TikTok baked oats. Unlike the baked oats you eat out of a bowl, this recipe is more like a cake bar, which you can slice and take with you.
7. Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats with Chia
Since they’re cold, I usually only eat overnight oats until October, when I switch to warm. So, before it gets too chilly, how about a portion of spiced oats with pumpkin and chia seeds? If you’ve ever made overnight oats and not loved the texture, it could be that you didn’t include chia seeds. Once they’ve sat in the liquid, they turn soft and give this a very pudding-like texture. I find it very satisfying, but it’s optional. This is a great base recipe, and you can throw in any extras you want, from chopped nuts and chocolate chips to dried fruits and peanut butter.
8. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Not only will you include pumpkin pie seasoning in the filling for these cinnamon rolls, but you’ll also blend pumpkin right into the dough. The pumpkin flavor is quite subtle, though the spices give you that lovely pie taste. If you want to up the pumpkin flavor, you could try using pumpkin butter in the filling. Trader Joe’s has a fantastic ready-made option, or you can make your own.
9. Perfectly Spiced Pumpkin Scones
Scones are one of my favorite bakes, and I love that you can tailor them to the seasons. For example, in spring, I like to make lemon and blueberry. Then, when the berries are in season, I just love these strawberry scones with sweet vanilla glaze. These pumpkin scones are deeply flavorful, using puree, spices, brown sugar, and molasses. They’re also darker in color, which makes the two glazes pop. The first glaze is a simple sweet glaze used to give you a white canvas. Then, you’ll drizzle over a spiced glaze that has pumpkin in the mix, too. If you’re looking for something savory, try these sensational pumpkin, Gruyère, and sage scones!
10. Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins
I almost always add crumb toppings to my muffins or sweetbreads. Not only does it make them look more enticing, but it gives added texture, which I just adore. Since the muffin recipe uses oil, you could add mashed bananas or flax eggs to make these vegan. Then, swap the milk for dairy-free, and be sure to use vegan butter in the crumb. If you’re making the maple glaze, please ensure you buy real maple syrup. Pancake syrup is not the same and has a very synthetic taste.
11. Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Do you like your smoothies thick or thin? I’m a fan of something thick and creamy, but I know plenty of people prefer them to be lighter and more liquid. This recipe calls for frozen bananas, which add sweetness and make this very thick and decadent. If you don’t like it that way, just use regular bananas or add in some extra milk. The nut butter is optional, so if you have an allergy, go ahead and leave that out, too, though I think it makes all the difference in this recipe!
12. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Do you eat a whole loaf of banana bread in a day, or do you have willpower? My sweet tooth just can’t resist the tender, sweet, chocolatey goodness, and I usually end up eating it, little by little, throughout the day. Once you’ve creamed the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, incorporate the eggs in your mixer and then grab a spatula. I always stir the dry mix by hand to keep this from getting too tight.
13. Pumpkin French Toast
French toast is made up of thick slices of bread coated in sweet custard. After the bread has sat for a few seconds under the egg liquid, you’ll fry or grill it until it turns golden. This version uses a pumpkin spiced curated that actually has pumpkin right in the mix. Just blend eggs and milk with pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Another way to ensure you get as much pumpkin flavor as possible is to use this pumpkin brioche to make the toast.
14. Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
The recipe above takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. The most you’ll have to do is whisk the custard and dredge the bread. Then, it only needs a few minutes in a hot pan, and it’s ready to serve. However, if you’re feeding a crowd, you’ll spend a lot longer at the stove. Although this recipe (and most French toast/bread pudding recipes) should be made the night before, so the bread can soak up all the custard, it’s easy to feed more people this way. Just pull it out of the fridge and bake for around 50 minutes as soon as you get up.
15. The Very Best Granola
Granola should be crunchy, crisp, sweet, nutty, and preferably loaded with tasty extras, like dried fruits or coconut. You probably know that it’s pretty expensive to buy in the store, especially if you want something healthy. But when you look at the ingredient list, you’ll see that it’s easy to make this at home and keep it affordable. This recipe calls for coconut oil, maple syrup/honey, and vanilla, so it’s mild and naturally sweet. The key to getting the most out of the flavors is to bake everything! That also adds to the crunch.
16. Homemade Pumpkin Bagels with Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter
You should definitely make the whipped cinnamon and honey butter, even if you don’t have time to make the bagels. It’s amazing on everything from pancakes to baked sweet potatoes. Like bread, bagels need a few steps to get them just right, and yes, you really do need to boil them. That’s what gives them the signature chewy texture! When portioning, I like to weigh mine rather than roll and cut and roll again. The more you handle them, the tougher they’ll be, after all. Just weigh the whole thing and then divide by 12. Next, roll into balls and leave to rest. Finally, instead of rolling into strips, press two fingers through the middle and move your fingers until the hole is a few inches wide.
17. Pumpkin Spice Latte
Although this recipe is more than just pumpkin spice syrup and coffee, it’s actually quite simple. All you’ll need to do is warm your choice of milk with pumpkin puree and sugar. I used brown for a deeper, more caramel taste, but white is excellent, too. When hot but not boiling, take the pot off the heat and whisk in vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and strong, brewed coffee.
18. Pumpkin Mini-Muffins
These are also called ‘pumpkin donut holes,’ but it’s kind of hard to bake donut holes. So instead, you’ll need a mini muffin tin to make these. If you want to use pumpkin pie spice, feel free. I know that’s easier and saves a step or two. But if you can’t find it (I couldn’t on my last trip to Europe), you’ll need a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. These would be adorable with a dollop of cinnamon cream cheese frosting on top. But the cinnamon sugar coating is what gives them the donut hole taste.
19. Homemade Pumpkin Waffles
As with the pancake recipe up top, you can’t just mix pumpkin puree into your favorite waffle recipe. Waffles are a little trickier than pancakes (in my opinion) because the batter needs to be thick enough not to spill out, but not so thick that they come out tough and dense. Again, this recipe has less milk in the mix to account for the added moisture you’ll get from the pumpkin. That whipped cinnamon and honey butter would be incredible on these, along with some maple fried chicken.
20. Pumpkin Coffee Cake
If you’re in a book club or host any kind of coffee morning at your house, this pumpkin coffee cake is the best way to wow your guests. There’s no need to worry about any fancy decorations with this simple sheet cake. It looks terrific with the crumble on top. Of course, a sweet glaze wouldn’t hurt! I’ve been known to scatter mini-chocolate chips and chopped pecans over the top, too, for color and added decadence. Click on a star to rate it!
Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1 No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
Share on social media: Let us improve this post!
