This cauliflower protein porridge bowl aka. “noats” is loaded with protein and delicious peppermint and mocha flavour! It is also a great recipe for those who are plant based, gluten free, low carb, and grain free!
Raise your hands if you look forward to Starbucks’ holiday drinks?
One of my favourites is their Peppermint Mocha Latte. OMG. That combination of peppermint, coffee and chocolate is legit EVERYTHING I’m living for right now.
So why not put those comforting flavours into a big bowl of peppermint mocha goodness in the morning? YES PLEASE! Introducing this delicious protein porridge with a TWIST. This festive protein porridge ups the fibre content in a serious way by using cauliflower instead of oats.
Table of contents
What are “NOATS”?
Noats are a fun play on the words “no oats”. Basically it’s like oatmeal without any oats! Now, I LOVE oatmeal and oats, but I also love the idea of sneaking extra protein, healthy fats and veggies into my morning for satiety.
Key Ingredients
Egg whites – to make this protein porridge chalk full of protein, I whip in eggs whites. Trust me, they don’t alter the flavour in any way and will make this porridge thick and fluffy.
Hemp hearts – hemp hearts are another one of my favourite hacks to add more protein to my meals. Did you know that two tablespoons of hemp hearts provides a whopping 7 grams of protein?
Cauliflower Rice – This is the key to making this “noats” protein porridge. While you can absolutely use oatmeal in this recipe (and trust me, I have), but if you are following a low carb or keto diet, OR you just want to up your veggie intake in a fun and creative way – cauliflower rice is a pretty amazing hack.
Non dairy milk – I like to use coconut milk for this recipe because it adds a natural sweetness. You can also use almond, soy or oat milk if you want to keep it dairy free – or you can go ahead and stick with regular cows milk. It’s really up to your own preference!
Espresso – I prefer to use espresso to make this protein porridge, but you can totally use drip coffee instead. If you want to make this bowl at any other time of the day (like as a festive night time snack), use decaf instead.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Combine the cauliflower rice, hemp hearts, cocoa, salt, milk, and espresso in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Stir until the cauliflower thaws and everything mixes together. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens, about 7-8 minutes.
Step 2: Reduce heat to low, and add in the frothy beaten egg whites, whisking continuously for about 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add in the peppermint and vanilla extract, pop the lid on the pot and let sit for 1 minute. Serve as is or top with candy canes, chocolate chips and additional non dairy milk.
Expert Tips
This recipe for oat free protein porridge was kind of the love child of my original protein oatmeal recipe and my cauliflower oats recipe that became popular with my low carb and keto followers.
The idea is that you can whip egg whites until fluffy (like a meringue), and then basically whip them into your oatmeal or no oatmeal base. In this case, the base is a combination of cauliflower rice for some fibre and veggies, and hemp hearts for healthy fats, protein and fibre.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. You can go decaf or you can omit the coffee all together!
Definitely! it makes no difference, although I do find that fresh cauliflower oats take longer to cook so just be mindful of that.
This has only 16 grams of carbs in it so it is low carb and depending on your plan, it also can be keto friendly.
This protein porridge is completely gluten free since there is no actual oatmeal or grains in it! So yes, this is safe for people with gluten intolerance and celiac.
You can make a big batch of this protein porridge, cool it in the fridge and then rewarm it whenever you want a quick breakfast.
More Porridge Recipes You Might Like
Tiramisu Protein Overnight Oats
Chocolate Cherry Cobbler Overnight Oats
Chocolate Zucchini Bread Oatmeal
Now loves, tell me – what would you put in your protein porridge?
Cauliflower Protein Porridge Peppermint Mocha Bowl (Gluten Free, Plant Based, Grain Free)
Ingredients
- 500 g 4-5 cups frozen cauliflower rice
- 1/2 cup hemp hearts
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- Pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups coconut soy or almond milk
- 2 tbsp 1 oz brewed espresso
- 4 egg whites beaten until frothy
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Sugar syrup or sweetener, to taste (optional)
- Crushed candy canes optional
- Dairy free mini chocolate chips optional
- Additional non dairy milk optional
Instructions
- Combine the cauliflower rice, hemp hearts, cocoa, salt, milk, and espresso in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Stir until the cauliflower thaws and everything mixes together. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens, about 7-8 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, and add in the frothy beaten egg whites, whisking continuously for about 30 seconds.
- Add in the peppermint and vanilla extract, pop the lid on the pot and let sit for 1 minute.
- Sweeten to taste, if desired.
- Serve as is or top with candy canes, chocolate chips and additional non dairy milk.
Video
Nutrition
Have you ever tried making porridge without oatmeal? Leave me a comment below with your thoughts!
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Auggie.G says
Labeling this recipe as “vegan” is not accurate considering it calls for eggs. Regardless of the fact that you used dairy free milk and chocolate, the addition of the eggs makes this recipe unsuitable for vegans.
Abbey Sharp says
You’re absolutely right! Sometimes things get missed when updating blog posts so thanks for pointing that out.