Winter may be on its way out, but some mornings my family still craves a warm, nourishing breakfast. Since I found out I’m allergic to eggs, my no-oat oatmeal is out and we wanted another healthy and hearty breakfast option.
Of course, we don’t do oatmeal around here and I’m not about to give my kids Cream of Wheat, so I love serving up a big bowl of this delicious coconut chia porridge. It’s grain free and the figs, pistachios, and vanilla beans give it a real depth that everyone in my family appreciates.
The best part: You can even combine the seeds and coconut ahead of time in a jar with your own choice of spices and dried fruit for an easy, ready-to-go, hot “cereal” mix.
As always, I buy all my ingredients in advance here so I can save money and time — I hope you and your family enjoy this hearty breakfast as much as we do!
Coconut Chia Porridge Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 TBSP ground flax seed
- 1 TBSP chia seeds
- 1 TBSP hemp seeds
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- a pinch of sea salt
- pistachios dried figs, and raw honey to garnish
Instructions
- Pour the almond milk into a small saucepan.
- Slice vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and scrape seeds into milk.
- Warm the milk over medium heat until it comes to a gentle boil.
- Add the flax, chia, hemp seeds, and coconut and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir until porridge thickens.
- Season with a small pinch of salt. Serve immediately with pistachios, figs, and honey drizzled over top.
Notes
Nutrition
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What is your best hearty breakfast recipe?
This recipe was absolutely delicious. I’m determined to buy your cookbook this weekend and I am just wondering if this porridge could be made, say in the beginning of the week, and then refrigerated and some be reheated every morning? That would be so incredibly convienent but I am not used to dealing with these kind of ingredients and would like some insight. Thank you!
i LOVE this combo already. thanks Katie. I have been looking for a way to make chiaseeds work like this. because everyone raves about chocolate banana chia pudding. but thats just gross. Definitly doing this.
I love oatmeal and cream of wheat… I’m Irish, what can I say? Lol but i also love coconut. I just made this, and I could definitely eat this. I used coconut milk because that’s what I had, but it would probably be better with almond. The coconut milk can be a bit “slimy?” Also I added raisins and cinnamon… Cause raisins and cinnamon… But overall, I’d make this again. Going to give it to my toddler tomorrow. Thanks 🙂
I’ve tried a few recipes to replace my beloved steel cut oats in order to cut out some grains from my diet. I have not been able to find anything nearly as satisfying until coming upon your recipe! I made a batch, but instead of cooking it I stirred it together intermittently while prepping other and let it sit in the fridge over night. I used vanilla extract and added half a banana along with the figs and it was amazing! My boyfriend (who is skeptical of my grain-free alternatives) had a bite and said he loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you like it!
Just perfect for breakfast. I want to start my day with something clean and wholesome like this Coconut Chia Porridge. Whenever I want to have the right boost for a loaded day I just cook you recipe, thanks a lot.
My favorite AIP “oatmeal” recipe involves “riced” cauli, grated apples, shredded coconut, simmer until cooked through. Top with fruit, honey, cinnamon, nuts etc. Giving up oatmeal was the hardest thing for me. I still crave it, but having something like this helps.
Hi
I love your website, I make this for breakfast but also add buckwheat or gluten free oats, nursing gets me really hungry lol
Thanks for this great recipe Katie! I recently switched to the grain-free diet, and love a bowl of something warm to eat for breakfast. With oats out of the question, this was a yummy and filling alternative. I didn’t have vanilla beans, but added vanilla extract and cinnamon and it was delicious. I also didn’t have almond milk, so used cashew milk instead. The figs and honey were a great touch as well. I’ll be sharing this recipe on my pinterest = D
So glad you liked it!
Hi Katie, thanks for this recipe, it looks delicious. I was wondering if you know of any store-bought or online coconut or almond milks that are healthy. I have a newborn and a toddler and struggle to find the time to make my own. Please let me know, thanks! Ps- I made your coleslaw last week and it was delicious- best we’ve had, thanks so much!
I’m not Katie but I’ve been buying my coconut oil & shredded coconut from Tropical Traditions and have been buying my almonds from Bremner Farms (I believe that’s the name – info was saved on other laptop that I had to send in for repairs) – This farm has Unpasteurized Almonds. almonds sold thru stores have to be pasteurized & therefore are no really ‘raw’ (also these almonds won’t be available until July/August so you have to keep checking or leave email for info. You also need to be read to purchase because they don’t last long. I usually buy 10 lbs.
Hope this helps.
Hi Kirsten. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find a truly healthy Almond milk but unfortunately they all have something in them that is non-healthy, the price we pay for convenience. Here is three of the top brands and their ingredient listings.
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original-
Purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E).
Pacific unsweetened original-
Organic Almond Base (Water, Organic Almonds), Organic Rice Starch, Sea Salt, Organic Vanilla, Natural Flavor, Carrageenan, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2.
Silk unsweetened original-
Filtered Water, Almonds, Sea salt, Locust bean gum, Sunflower lecithin, Gellan gum & Natural flavor.
It looks to me like Blue Diamond brand is the most objectionable. It’s kind of a toss up between the other two.
If anyone reading this knows of a better one, I’d love to know.
Just found a very clean almond milk called new barn they have unsweetened I believe only sold in whole foods. I am allergic to wheat, oats and corn which is in everything. New barn has only clean products check it out
adding to my previous comment- Just found two great Coconut milks! I know we’re talking almond milk here but coconut milk is another great substitute for dairy. “AROY-D” and “Chaokoh” both available at amazon.com. Pure water and coconut! The container is BPA free as well. I can’t believe I found this! Had to share. Also, you can get a lot of info on these brands at importfood.com
I use So Delicious because it doesn’t contain carrageenan (a known carcinogen that most non-dairy and dairy milks contain). It’s also very yummy!
I would like to know why you don’t eat oatmeal because I thought that was pretty healthy and cream of wheat which I love but never cook. Once in a while if I go out for breakfast and they have cream of wheat , I will order it because I never make it at home. But would love to hear your feedback ! Thanks.
Marcia
Wheat and oats are grains, and we avoid them for these reasons: https://wellnessmama.com/575/problem-with-grains/
I agree with you and I also heard from other websites & the TV show “Know The Cause” with Doug Kaufman. I’ve been on the Phase 1 diet for almost a year then began using some Phase 2 foods. So now has been just over a year that I began. Have lost 30 lbs without trying. (Even though I cheated here & there)
So I’ve been stricter on my diet than most non-grain people.
No grains. No sugar (I use xylitol or stevia -without nothing else in it; will use honey some later -because Honey is so great, I may eat too much,,,), I eat Buckwheat, Quinoa, Amaranth, Tapioca, ALL Seeds, ALL Nuts (except pistachio & peanuts -both prone to fungus), ALL berries, Lemons, Limes, Apple Cider Vinegar with The Mother (I prefer Braggs), Veggies (try to always eat Organic when possible) and Chia – love to make a gel with these seeds – AND
I am definitely going to try your porridge recipe. Yummy….