Wholesome & Delicious Papaya Breakfast Bowls

Spring is here and Summer is on the way which means that fresh, cool breakfasts are on the menu. At nearly every cafe and restaurant here in Hawaii you can get a Papaya Bowl as a breakfast item, and it’s always like $15, which is stupid because these fruits are so inexpensive here and there is basically nothing to it. So I decided to make my own, and inspire you to use your papayas in this fun way for breakfasts and brunches throughout our warmest months.

Papaya grows readily in our islands, and it’s a mild-tasting and overall cooling fruit. The texture is like a super ripe cantaloupe, and the color is a vibrant bright orange. I like to eat chilled papaya plain, or drizzled with a squeeze of lime, but this recipe takes it up a notch with locally-made coconut yogurt (you can also make your own coconut milk yogurt!) To make it extra awesome, I’ve made one of my favorite granola recipes that features nuts, seeds, and dried fruits and does not require cooking. This No-Bake Granola is great here or as a snack on it’s own. You can use whatever type of granola you have on hand, or make your own homemade granola.

How to Make Papaya Breakfast Bowls

You’ll need 1 or 2 ripe papayas

Some delicious yogurt—try with the Koko Kai Vanilla Coconut Yogurt, made fresh here on Oahu!

Some fresh bananas or other fruits for garnish

Homemade No-Bake Granola, or another granola of choice

Drizzle of honey

How to Make No-Bake Granola

1 cup whole raw almonds (or other nuts)
½ cup dates (pit them if necessary)
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup pumpkin seeds
⅓ cup almond butter
¼ cup liquid coconut oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
A generous pinch sea salt

1. Add nuts to processor and grind to a powder. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add oats to processor and grind until fine, add to ground nuts.
3. Add dates to food processor and pulse to mince (do not over-process). Remove from processor and add to the oats and nuts.
4. Use your fingers to coat the date pieces in oat/almond flour. Add pumpkin seeds and stir.
5. Add almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt to processor and blend until creamy. Pour over granola mixture, and mix with a large spoon to coat.
6. Let stand at least an hour for flavors to meld and for oats to soften.
7. Serve cold with your favorite non-dairy milk, as a topping for oatmeal, or sprinkled over fresh fruit. Store mixture for up to a week in an airtight container on the shelf, or keep for up to a month in the fridge.

This yields about 3 cups of granola.