And if oatmeal for breakfast isn’t your thing, maybe you would like these Homemade Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping, Fluffy Toasted Coconut Pancakes, or Cinnamon French Toast instead! In this post, I’m sharing my favorite basic oatmeal recipe so you can know how to make oatmeal so it actually tastes good. Ditch the packets of instant oatmeal with their fake flavors and enjoy oatmeal made the old-fashioned way!
How to Make Oatmeal Taste Good
I’ll admit that I hated oatmeal as a kid. The only thing that rivaled my dislike of oatmeal was carrots. Honestly, even as a grown-up oatmeal hasn’t been my favorite thing. Oatmeal has always been reserved for cookies, granola, and granola bars, and that’s about it for me. Except I decided a while back that I was going to try it again as an adult and see if I could figure out a way for how to make oatmeal and enjoy it. Turns out it’s the microwavable packets of oatmeal that come in flavors like peaches & cream that I really don’t like. Regular, old-fashioned oatmeal that you cook in a pot on the stove and then top with real actual fruit and other yummy toppings is a whole different ballgame for me. Dare I say I even like it? Not that I’m going to eat it every day, but man, add some fruit and maybe drizzle some cookie butter on top and I’m game! Turns out oatmeal isn’t the worst! Who knew?! This is a staple recipe for oatmeal using old-fashioned oats or rolled oats and it is the perfect backdrop for dressing up your breakfast with all your favorite fruits, nuts, and other, more indulgent toppings like brown sugar and cookie butter (yes, cookie butter).
How to Make Oatmeal on the Stove
My personal favorite approach for how to cook oatmeal is to do it in a pot on the stovetop, the old-fashioned way. It takes all of about 5 minutes and I feel like I have the most control over getting my oatmeal to just the right consistency for my personal tastes (not too thick, thank you very much). Start by combining old-fashioned or rolled oats, not instant, quick, or steelcut oats, (more on those in a bit), in a medium pot with milk and water. It’s a 1:2 ratio where you use 1 cup of oats to 2 cups of liquid. You can use all water, if you want, but the milk makes it creamier and more delicious. I also always add ground cinnamon and a little bit of salt since a common problem with oatmeal is that it is so, so bland. Give everything a stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then drop the heat to low and simmer for just 3-5 minutes until the oatmeal is the thickness you like. Remember that as the oatmeal cools, it will continue to absorb the liquid and thicken even more.
How to Make Oatmeal in the Microwave
Making oatmeal in the microwave is pretty much just the same as on the stovetop. Use a large microwave safe bowl and stir the liquid, oats, cinnamon, and salt together. Then microwave on HIGH power for 2 minutes without a cover.
Types of Oatmeal
If you aren’t big on eating oatmeal (like me for the longest time), you might find it confusing looking at the different types of oatmeal available at the store. There are 3 main types to be aware of, but all start off as “oat groats”.
My Big List of Our Favorite Oatmeal Toppings
By combining 2 or 3 of the choices below, you can have a different oatmeal flavor every day! I almost always use some kind of sweetener like maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey, along with nuts (for crunch), and some kind of fruit. For some toppings like peanut butter and cookie butter, you can try stirring it into the bowl of oatmeal, or you might want to microwave it and drizzle it over the top.
Sweeteners: Maple syrup, brown sugar, and honey are the most popular choices. Nuts & seeds: Candied walnuts, chopped pecans, sliced almonds, ground flax seeds, coconut chips, or pepitas all give great addition crunch, protein, and healthy fats to your oatmeal. Fresh or dried fruit: Sliced strawberries or peaches are my favorite, but we also like chunks of apple, pineapple, freshly blueberries or blackberries, and sliced bananas in oatmeal. Dried blueberries, cranberries, and raisins are also good choices. Something indulgent: Okay, I’ll admit that cookie butter is my favorite oatmeal topping. You can either melt a tablespoon or two of it in the microwave first and drizzle it over the top, or add a scoop to the hot oatmeal and stir it in. Same with peanut butter or nutella. Mini chocolate chips are fun, and my dad always puts sprinkles on oatmeal when he makes it for his 8 granddaughters (which kinda grosses me out, but they love it!). Spices: I always add cinnamon to my oatmeal as it cooks, but it isn’t a strong cinnamon flavor. You can sprinkle on more cinnamon, or add other warm spices like cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg.
Looking for more oatmeal recipes?
Baked Oatmeal with Apples Pecans and Cranberries Raspberry Almond Baked Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Oatmeal Pancakes Oatmeal Waffles
More delicious recipes that use oats
Easy Apple Oatmeal Muffins Oatmeal Rolled Sugar Cookies Sweet Molasses Brown Bread Best Homemade Granola Bars Easy Homemade Granola Recipe Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
Toffee Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Homemade Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Carmelita Bars
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
