Thanksgiving weekend is approaching, so we demand pumpkin flavoured everything all the time – and that includes breakfast.
You’re bound to be eating a ton of food this weekend (double servings of stuffing am I right?) so it’s nice to start off the day with something a little bit lighter, compensating for what’s to follow.
Enter the pumpkin pie granola yogurt parfait. Yes, you heard that right. As I kid, I was obsessed with fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts, and this recipe is exactly that, only if the bottom was actually pumpkin pie. I know what you’re thinking: how the hell is this light? Well, there’s absolutely no refined sugar in these bad boys, it’s all maple syrup and honey. Also, the granola is filled with nuts rather than oats, so it will leave you feeling full but not heavy.
This is also a great recipe to kick off your Thanksgiving #SundayFunday, if you have friends or family coming for brunch. It’s easy to make and you can assemble them in advance, just topping them with the granola before serving. Trust us, both your mom and pals will be impressed by your efforts.
- 3 cups of plain yogurt (or vanilla, but the granola and pumpkin pie layer are already sweet)
- 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin granola
- 1 cup of pumpkin pie filling
- Jars or glasses
For the granola:
We love this pumpkin granola recipe from She Knows, but we had some ideas for how to make it even better (no offence to them, they make a damn good granola), so we adjusted a handful of ingredients. We swapped the oats for a variety of nuts, seeds and uncooked millet to make it super crunchy. Here’s the lowdown:
- 1 cup of chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup of pepita seeds
- 1/2 cup of chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup of hemp hearts
- 1/2 of uncooked millet
- 1 cup of dried cranberries
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/3 cup all natural pumpkin puree (don’t use pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbs of honey
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the pumpkin pie layer:
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup of maple syrup (or you can use honey as a substitute)
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Start by making the granola:
- Preheat oven to 325 F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; put it off to the side
- In a large bowl, combine the pecans, almonds, hemp hearts, millet, pepitas, cranberries, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Leave it to the side for now
- In a small saucepan, combine the pumpkin puree, water, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently along the way
- Pour the pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients and toss together until all ingredients are coated
- Spread onto the baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the mixture browns evenly
- Remove from the oven and let cool
While the granola is in the oven make the pumpkin pie filling:
- In a small saucepan, combine the pumpkin pie filling, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once boiled, remove from the heat and let cool
Then, assemble the parfaits:
- Fill the bottom of your jar (or glass) with the pumpkin pie filling
- Next, layer the yogurt on top, leaving an inch or two from the top
- Fill to the top with the pumpkin granola
- Dig in!
We’ve got the perfect beverage to pair with these bad boys – a Spiked Pumpkin Spice Latte. This combination makes for the perfect fall brunch. You can grab the recipe for the latte here.
Not to brag, but we’ve got a great fall soundtrack! It captures the perfect brunch vibes. Whether you’re with your besties or your grandma – these tunes will have you covered.