When I think about the Jewish holidays, I feel like the meal that gets overlooked the most is breakfast. Sure, we’ve got bagels and matzo brei – but a lot of recipe energy goes into the dinner options. It makes sense considering that Jewish holidays start at sundown, so the celebration meals would begin at sundown around dinner time.

But I’ve always wanted to carry the symbolize over into every meal, including breakfast! For me, it can make other meals feel special too and provide more opportunities to reflect on why I’m celebrating the holiday in the first place. So, I started working on Tu B’Shevat breakfast ideas.

Luckily, the Seven Species of Tu B’Shevat lend themselves pretty easily to breakfast! You can learn more about the Seven Species here, but basically it’s the seven produce that are specifically mentioned in the Torah as part of the Tu B’Shevat celebrations. This includes barley, wheat, olives, grapes, pomegranates, figs, and dates.

Now, you might be asking how some of these fit easily with oatmeal… That’s what I thought at first too! But, olives can also include olive oil, which I used in the delicious and sweet pomegranate sauce I made. And for the wheat, I included some salty whole wheat crackers on the side that I dipped into my oatmeal. I was a little surprised by how well the salty and sweet went together. The added crunch of the crackers was also a great bonus!

The recipe below is fairly simple – cook the barley and blend up the pomegranate seeds and oil, then add all your toppings. You can definitely make this oatmeal your own by adding additional toppings or flavors. For example, cinnamon would be a great addition to the barley oatmeal. You could also try a different sweetener than maple syrup, or add some fresh fruit on top.

If you’re looking for ways to extend your celebration of the birthday of the trees, give this Tu B’Shevat Barley Oatmeal a try! I would love to hear how this recipe turns out for you and what changes you made to it. Let me know in the comments or message me at @thejewishvegan on Instagram. And, as always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Now, let’s get started!

Print Recipe

Vegan Tu B'Shevat Oatmeal

Mix up your morning routine in celebration of the trees! Featuring all of the seven species - barley, wheat, grapes, olives, dates, figs, and pomegranates - this recipe is definitely a sweet way to start your day.

Cook Time35

Total Time35

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Jewish

Keyword: jewish food, jewish holidays, jewish vegan food, jewish vegan recipes, oatmeal, tu b'shevat, tu b'shevat recipes

Servings: 2 servings

Equipment

blender

Ingredients

Barley Oatmeal

½ cup pearled barley
2 cups unsweetened vegan milk
1-2 tbsp maple syrup to taste

Pomegranate Sauce

1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 tsp olive oil

Toppings

dried figs sliced in half
dried dates quartered
wheat crackers
California and/or golden raisins

Instructions

Bring the barley and milk to a boil, then simmer for 35 minutes, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't boil over.
Blend the pomegranates with the olive oil.
When the oatmeal is done, mix with the desired about of maple syrup. Add more or less to achieve the desired sweetness level.
Put together your oatmeal by mixing in the raisins (or placing on top of the oatmeal), drizzling the pomegranate sauce on top, then adding the dates, figs, and crackers. The crackers taste especially good dipped into the oatmeal. Enjoy!

BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL, YOU’LL ONLY RECEIVE EMAILS FROM MADDIE – NO SPAM (PINKY PROMISE)!