Easy Oatmeal Recipe (+ Best Oatmeal Recipes) (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good oatmeal? ›

When in doubt, add nut butters for creaminess, sweetness, and plenty of good protein. We like crunchy peanut butter for added texture, almond butter, cashew butter, and even tahini. Throw a chopped banana and a smudge of vanilla paste into stovetop oats for creamy, delicious, banana bread oatmeal.

Milk is rich in fats, calcium, and Vitamin D that complements the nutrients in oats. Thus oats cooked in milk have benefits over oats cooked in water. Milk has fats, calcium, and Vitamin D that is normally absent in processed oats. Apart from adding a flavour, it also helps in keeping your muscles and bones healthy.

Add different spices, such as nutmeg, ginger, allspice, or cloves. Add different sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, or coconut sugar. Top your oatmeal with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or fresh fruit. Add a dollop of yogurt or Greek yogurt to your oatmeal for extra creaminess and protein.

One of my favorite ways to make oatmeal taste good without adding any sugar is to add a super ripe mashed banana to the bowl before adding the oats and milk. It makes it nice and sweet and creamy! I also love adding berries to oatmeal (if they are frozen, add them before cooking, otherwise, add them after it's cooked).

Opt for plain or unsweetened varieties to avoid added sugars. Customize your oatmeal with fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, or a drizzle of natural honey for sweetness. Choose whole rolled oats or steel-cut oats over instant oats, as they are less processed and retain more nutrients.

The Bottom Line

Oatmeal's high fiber content and prebiotic qualities may benefit your body in more ways than one. Making oatmeal a regular part of your menu can potentially lower your disease risk, help your gut health thrive, make bowel movements easier and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

A cup of cooked oatmeal (1/2 cup of dried oats) contains approximately 30 grams of carbs, which can fit into a nutritious meal plan for people with diabetes. Oatmeal is high in fiber and nutrients but low in saturated and trans fats and sugar and can help you maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

Do you eat eggs with oatmeal? ›

Yes, oatmeal and a hard-boiled egg can make for a healthy breakfast as they both provide a good source of nutrients. Oatmeal is a good source of fiber, protein, and several important vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, and B vitamins.

"By eating oatmeal every day, you can lower your total cholesterol level, reduce the 'bad' LDL cholesterol, and increase your 'good' HDL cholesterol levels," says Megan Byrd, RD, The Oregon Dietitian.

Whether it's steel-cut or rolled, quick-cooking or instant, oatmeal is good for you, experts say—with a few caveats. Oatmeal is rich in fiber, which promotes fullness, eases the insulin response, and benefits gut health. It's also a source of vitamins B and E, and minerals such as magnesium.

Steel-cut oats, also called Irish oatmeal, are the whole oat kernel that has been cut into two or three pieces using steel disks. This type of oats contains the highest amount of fiber, as it is least processed. Steel-cut oats take a little longer to cook, and result in a creamy and chewy porridge.

The key to getting a creamy, not-gluey bowl of oatmeal is using enough water. Notice we said water—cooking oatmeal in milk tends to make a stickier, thicker oatmeal. Follow the directions on the canister using H2O, then add a splash of milk or almond milk in the bowl.

"Salt really brings the flavor of oats to life so don't skip this step when cooking and don't wait [until] the oatmeal is done to just sprinkle it on top," says Michalcyzk. Instead, stir in a pinch while you cook the oats, this way you can monitor as you go and get the right amount of salt.