How To Make Perfect Oatmeal
+ 3 Ways To Enjoy It !
Today I’m sharing how to make perfect, creamy oatmeal and 3 delicious ways to enjoy this breakfast staple. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow @HealthyGroceryGirl on Instagram for more plant-focused recipes! For our oatmeal today, we are going to be using organic, old-fashioned rolled oats. But all of these recipes would be delicious with any type of oats.
Different Types of Oats
Old-fashioned Rolled Oats: You might not know this but oats are pre-cooked. They are steamed and then rolled thin and flaked. Old-fashioned are my favorite type of oats for making oatmeal, they are easy to cook and produce oatmeal with a good balance of creaminess and chewy texture.
Extra Thick: As you might guess, these oats are simply flaked thicker. I find they take longer to cook and create much chewier more textured oatmeal, not my personal go-to for oatmeal, but great in cookies!
Quick Cooking: These oats are flaked the thinest, so that they cook… quick. They also produce a creamier oatmeal.
Instant Oats: These oats are fully cooked, dried and them chopped up so that they can be made into oatmeal by simply adding hot/boiling water. Since they are the most processed they do contain a little less nutrition and individually packaged oatmeal made with instant oats often have added sugar and salt. So as always… read your nutrition labels!
Steel Cut: Also called Scottish or Irish oats, this type of oat are not flaked, but chopped with steel blades. They take the longest to cook and produce the most textured type of oatmeal. I LOVE steel cut oats, but often find myself without the time to properly cook them. One tip is to make them overnight in a slow cooker to eat for breakfast, but that is a recipe for another post!
The Nutrition Of Oats
Oats are ah-maaah-zing! They have two times the protein of brown rice and since they are a complex carbohydrate, oats will keep you feeling full for a long time! Oats contain iron, thiamin, zinc, magnesium, and selenium. In addition to oatmeal, oats are great as a breading, ground into flour for baking and in soup or stew!
They are naturally gluten-free, but are often processed in the same facilities are wheat. So if you are celiac or gluten intolerant, look for certified gluten-free oats.
How To Cook Perfect Rolled Oats
When making rolled oats, I like to do twice as much water as oats. So for each serving, that is half a cup of oats and one cup of water. Add the oats and water together in a pot and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Once you get a strong boil going, give the oatmeal a really good stir, cover and drop the heat to low for about 5 minutes. If you like your oats even more cooked, simply turn the heat off but let the pot sit, covered for 5 minutes more. Perfect oats every time!
3 Ways to Enjoy Oatmeal
When making oatmeal you cannot go wrong if you include at least one item from these four topping categories. A fruit, a sweetener, a spice/flavor and a protein such as nuts or nut butter. Today we will be making Apple Walnut Spiced Oatmeal, Lemon Blueberry Banana Oatmeal and Pumpkin Pecan Cardamom Oatmeal!
Apple Walnut Spiced Oatmeal
Apple Walnut Spiced Oatmeal
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 apple
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Add the oats and water together in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.
- Once you get a strong boil going, give the oatmeal a really good stir, cover and drop the heat to low for about 5 minutes.
- If you like your oats even more cooked, simply turn the heat off but let the pot sit, covered for 5 minutes more.
- Dice the apple and toss with the pumpkin pie spice.
- Add the oatmeal to a bowl and top with apples, walnuts, chia seeds, and maple syrup.
Lemon Blueberry Banana Oatmeal
Lemon Blueberry Banana Oatmeal
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
- Add the oats and water together in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.
- Once you get a strong boil going, give the oatmeal a really good stir, cover and drop the heat to low for about 5 minutes.
- If you like your oats even more cooked, simply turn the heat off but let the pot sit, covered for 5 minutes more.
- Add the oatmeal to a bowl and top with blueberries, sliced banana, sliced almonds, chia seeds and lemon zest, enjoy!
Pumpkin Pecan Cardamom Oatmeal
Pumpkin Pecan Cardamom Oatmeal
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup flaked coconut
Instructions
- Add the oats and water together in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.
- Once you get a strong boil going, give the oatmeal a really good stir, cover and drop the heat to low for about 5 minutes.
- If you like your oats even more cooked, simply turn the heat off but let the pot sit, covered for 5 minutes more.
- In a small bowl mix the pumpkin, maple syrup and spices together.
- Add the oatmeal to a bowl and top with the pumpkin mix, coconut, pecans and enjoy!
More Recipes With Oats From The HGG Blog!
Blueberry Cardamom Baked Oatmeal
Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oats
If you try these recipes and enjoy them as much as my family does! Tag me on Instagram @HealthyGroceryGirl
