When you hear the word 'autumn,' what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Maybe it's the warm sweaters that you can finally take out of your closet or cozy nights spent in front of the fireplace, or maybe, it's the beautiful foliage that decorates the outdoors. For me, it's all about the delicious seasonal produce and flavors, and while pumpkin spice is one of my favorite fall flavors, there are so many other tasty spices and ingredients to use for creating delicious autumnal dishes.
But who has the time and energy to spend hours making a recipe with over 20 ingredients especially in the morning. Mornings can be hectic and rushed, but I still want to have a hearty breakfast that will keep me moving throughout the day. I bet this is true for most college students so I decided to make a list of my favorite fall-inspired breakfast recipes that only use 5 ingredients and perfect for autumn mornings.
#SpoonTip: I am not counting oil, salt, and pepper as ingredients since these are staple ingredients in most kitchens.
Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal
- Prep Time:2 mins
- Cook Time:10 mins
- Total Time:12 mins
- Servings:1
- Easy
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1/2 freshly chopped apple
Ingredients
Add the oats, cinnamon, and milk into a saucepan then place it over a low heat. Stir the oats until they thicken up and absorb a majority of the milk, which should take about 10 minutes. Transfer the oats into a bowl, and top them off with big dollop of almond butter and a freshly chopped apple. This is the perfect bowl for a cozy day in.
Spinach Mushroom Toast
- Prep Time:5 mins
- Cook Time:13 mins
- Total Time:18 mins
- Servings:8
- Easy
- 8 slices toasted sourdough bread
- 8 oz white button mushroom
- 6 oz fresh spinach
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 10 oz plain goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons oil plus salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients
On a low to medium heat, add oil to a pan. Toss in the chopped white button mushrooms with dried sage, salt, and pepper then sauté the mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until is the spinach is wilted. Then transfer the mixture into a small bowl with goat cheese, and mix the ingredients until well combined. Spread the mushroom and spinach mixture on two slices of toasted bread and enjoy with a warm cup of tea.
Spiced Banana Pancakes
- Prep Time:2 mins
- Cook Time:13 mins
- Total Time:15 mins
- Servings:1
- Easy
- 2 medium ripe bananas
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon oil
Ingredients
In a small bowl, mash up two small ripe bananas, and whisk in an egg. Toss in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped pecans into the mixture then stir until well combined.
On a low to medium heat, add oil to a non-stick pan and pour the batter onto the pan. Cook the pancakes for 7 minutes or you start to see bubbles formed then flip them over and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes,. Place the pancakes on a plate and garnish them with your toppings of choice. I like to add a bit of greek yogurt for some protein.
Baked Sweet Potato
- Prep Time:10 mins
- Cook Time:40 mins
- Total Time:50 mins
- Servings:4
- Easy
- 1 small butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
Ingredients
This combination might sound a bit weird but trust me when I say that's it tastes heavenly.
To start, wash a small butternut squash and cut to it in half. Brush the inside of each half with oil then sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and dried rosemary. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the squash face down and bake for 40 minutes at 350F. Allow the squash to cool for 10 minutes before top it off with sunflower seed butter, chopped hazelnuts, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Savory and sweet for the win.
Breakfast Harvest Hash
- Prep Time:5 mins
- Cook Time:20 mins
- Total Time:25 mins
- Servings:1
- Easy
- 1 tablespoon oil plus salt and pepper
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 oz broccoli
- 1 eggs
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Ingredients
Cut a small sweet potato into bite-size cubes then toss the sweet potato into an oiled pan over a medium to low heat. Cook the sweet potato for 8 minutes before seasoning it with dried oregano, salt, and pepper. After another 5 minutes of cooking the seasoned sweet potatoes, toss in the broccoli and cook for another 2 minutes.
Transfer the veggie mixture into another bowl and use the same oiled pan to fry an egg. Cook the egg for 5 minutes or until preferred doneness. Top off the veggie hash with the egg and sprinkle on some pumpkin seeds for an additional crunch factor. This is better than regular potato hash, if I may say so myself.
Autumnal Yogurt Bowl
- Prep Time:5 mins
- Cook Time:0
- Total Time:5 mins
- Servings:1
- Easy
- 1 cup plan greek yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 freshly pear chopped
Ingredients
In a small bowl, mix together the greek yogurt and cinnamon until they are well combined. Top the yogurt with dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and a freshly chopped pear. And breakfast is served!
Autumnal Avocado Toast
- Prep Time:10 mins
- Cook Time:0
- Total Time:10 mins
- Servings:1
- Easy
- 1/3 fresh baguette
- 1 peeled garlic clove
- 1/2 mashed avocado
- 1 cooked and sliced beet
- 2 oz feta cheese
Ingredients
Cut a baguette in half and toast it so that it's nice and crispy. Next, take a peeled garlic clove and rub it on both halves of a baguette. Then, spread some mashed avocado on top of both slices and top off each half with sliced beets and feta cheese. This flavor combo is truly out of this world.
These dishes are just a few of my favorite autumn inspired breakfast recipes. I really hope that you give them a try and enjoy them as much as I do. Also, make sure to check out this article for more information about autumn produce and delicious ways to use them. Bon appetit!