What better way to start your day than with these healthy oatmeal recipes? Whether it’s classic stove top oats, overnight oats, baked oats, or waffles, we’ve got all your oatmeal needs covered!
The other day I shared my go-to recipe for how to make oatmeal. When you’re not sure what to make for a healthy breakfast, having a classic oatmeal base recipe in your back pocket is essential.
With that being said, oats are really just the base for all those delicious ingredients. Rather than overload you with how-to posts, I wanted to share some of my favorite oatmeal recipes including granola bars, oatmeal, rolled oats, and rolled oats. But just to review some important information:
3 different types of oats
- old fashioned oatmeal – These are the classic oats you imagine when you imagine oatmeal. With oatmeal, the oat groats are steamed and rolled (hence the name “oatmeal”), so they’re a little more processed, but still a very healthy breakfast option. Steaming and rolling oats helps speed up the cooking time, so it’s a great option for busy mornings.
- steel cut oats – These are the least processed of all oat varieties. In this case, the oatmeal has been cut into 2 or 3 parts, but the other parts remain intact. This makes them the healthiest option and the one with the highest fiber content, but they do take longer to cook.
- Quick or ready-to-eat oats – These are the most processed of all oat varieties. Just like old-fashioned rolled oats, rolled oats are steamed and rolled, but in this case they are rolled more and then cut into smaller pieces. This means they cook very quickly, but I also find the texture a bit mushy and you don’t get the creamy oatmeal we all know and love.
Oat ratio
Your oats to liquid ratio will depend on the type of oats you use. If you are using For old fashioned oats or quick cooking oats your ratio is 1:2. If you are using For steel cut oats your ratio is 1:3.
oatmeal ingredients
- fruit – Apples, bananas, and berries are my top choices, but you can use any fruit you like. Dried fruit works great too!
- spices – Cinnamon is my go-to when it comes to spices in oatmeal, but feel free to add whatever spices you like. Nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom are all great additions!
- Nuts and seeds – If you want to add a little crunch, you can’t go wrong with nuts and seeds. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and even cashews are delicious. You can also have a dollop of any nut butter.
- yogurt – For a boost of protein and a little creaminess, add a spoonful of your favorite yogurt.
- protein powder – You can always add your favorite protein powder to your oatmeal. Note that sometimes protein powder can make oatmeal a little dry and stringy, so you’ll need to add a little extra liquid.
- sweetener – Brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup and even date syrup are all delicious ingredients in oatmeal recipes.
- fiber reinforcement – Chia seeds and ground flax seeds are great options to add fiber to your oatmeal.
If you’re looking for some inspiration for your next healthy breakfast recipe, these 25 oatmeal recipes are perfect to get you started.
