Best Creamy Oatmeal Recipe

For a healthy breakfast, start the day with this easy recipe for creamy oats. Old-fashioned rolled oats and a bit of milk are all it takes to get the creamiest oatmeal you’ll ever have. It’s my favorite way to kick off my morning routine. Let me show you how to make this simple recipe to give you the best creamy oatmeal base that you can pile up with your favorite toppings! The best part, it’s ready in just 5 minutes, and you won’t even dirty a pot.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick and easy: The cooking time for this creamy oatmeal recipe is literally seconds when you use the microwave. Then, in minutes, your instant oats turn into the perfect delicious breakfast.
• Creamy texture: If you hate lumpy and dry oatmeal, then this will turn you into the biggest fan of this healthy breakfast staple.
• Customizable: This creamy oatmeal can be topped with your favorite toppings like peanut butter, dry fruit, or fresh fruit to give it new flavors every time. 

Nutrition For Mental Health

When I was in grad school for nutrition, I fell in love with how food can improve your mood!

One-half cup of dry oats contains 27.4 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 5.3 grams of protein, and 2.6 grams of fat. Oats are rich in manganese. They are also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, and vitamin B1. Oats also contain smaller amounts of iron, folate, calcium, potassium, and vitamins B5, B6, and B3.

A cross-sectional study found that dietary zinc, copper, and manganese intake was associated with lower symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, more studies are needed.

How Much Oatmeal Is In One Serving?

Half a cup of quick-cooking oats, old-fashioned oats, or steel-cut oats is the proper measurement when you want to make one serving of oatmeal. (This recipe specifically calls for rolled oats.) If you want to make a bigger batch for the family, you’ll need to increase it, along with the measurements for the other ingredients. 

Ingredients + Notes

This easy recipe will truly give you the best oatmeal. You only need four simple ingredients that you’ve likely already got on hand in your kitchen, and just a short amount of time until a healthy breakfast is served!

• Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are the best kind to get the creamiest oatmeal. With my quick cooking recipe, you’ll have that perfect texture that oatmeal was destined to have. 

A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations

Whether you’re out of one of the listed ingredients or want to replace something for another reason, you can still create this creamy oatmeal recipe. These substitution suggestions will help you achieve oatmeal perfection.  

• Sweeteners: If you don’t have maple syrup, you can use monk fruit sweetener, stevia, or even brown sugar. For non-vegans, honey would work too. 
• Milk Alternatives: Any milk you choose will work here. That could be coconut milk, unsweetened almond milk, oat milk, or cashew milk. With that said, if you choose a different milk option from oat milk, you may feel the need to add more sweetener to this healthy oatmeal recipe because oat milk is naturally very sweet. (So, based on your personal preference, add more or less sweetener.)
• Vanilla Extract: Adding vanilla extract is always an excellent way to make oatmeal taste amazing. It has such warmth to it and gives it that sweet taste that will have you eating every last bit. 
• Oats: For this recipe, there are two types of oats you can use. I recommend you stick to whole-grain rolled oats. If you don’t have old-fashioned oats on hand, then quick oats will work just fine. Steel-cut oats will not work for this recipe. Only quick-cooking oats should be used. 

How To Make Creamy Oatmeal

You’ll love this easy recipe because it takes only seconds to prepare in the microwave. You can also use the stove if you prefer, but either way, you’re only minutes away from the creamiest oatmeal you’ve ever had. 

1. Pour the oat milk into a microwave-safe mug and microwave for 30-60 seconds. (Alternatively, you can heat the oat milk on the stove in a small saucepan until it just starts to simmer.)
2. Add rolled oats, maple syrup, and salt to a small bowl (cereal bowl size) and pour hot oat milk over top.

3. Let sit for 3-5 minutes until the oats have soaked up most of the liquid. (Because this recipe is made with heated milk, the oats will soak up a lot of liquid, but not all of it.)

4. Stir oatmeal and add your favorite toppings!

Serving Suggestions

Add some of your favorite toppings of choice to make your creamiest oatmeal even better!

Toppings

• Nut butter: Peanut butter, seed butter, or another nut butter will add more flavor and healthy fat to your breakfast.
• Fruit: Whether you use dry fruit or fresh fruits, you can add a sweet taste and more nutrition.
• Flax seeds: Flax seeds or any seeds you have will give your oatmeal a nice crunchy texture on top of the creamy stuff below.
• Cinnamon: Grate some fresh cinnamon sticks to add a burst of warming spice to this oatmeal recipe. 
• Jam: Drizzle some Raspberry Chia Jam or Strawberry Chia Jam over this instant creamy oatmeal recipe.

Sides

• Smoothies: Have a tasty vegan smoothie as a side to this oatmeal recipe. These easy Avocado Smoothie, Peach Smoothie, or Pineapple Green Smoothie are all great options.
• Scones: Enjoy seasonal Vegan Pumpkin Scones or Vegan Raspberry Scones with this easy vegan breakfast recipe.
• Muffins: Vegan Blueberry Muffins or Vegan Banana Bread Muffins are all great options to pair with a bowl of creamy oatmeal.

Storage Tips

I recommend making this creamy oatmeal in small batches because it tastes the best this way. Plus, it’s so easy to make in minutes that you can always whip it up easily. But if you have any remaining, here’s what to do!

• Fridge: This oatmeal will keep in your fridge for about 3-4 days if you store it in an airtight container. Again, it’s just so simple to make on the spot, but if any is left, you won’t have to let it go to waste. 
• Freeze: You can also freeze oatmeal, though if you’re going this route, I recommend putting it into portions. This way, it’s easy to reheat and serve. Packaged properly, your oatmeal can last up to 3 months in the freezer. 

If you tried this Creamy Oatmeal Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Recipe

Reference

Nakamura, M., Miura, A., Nagahata, T., Shibata, Y., Okada, E., & Ojima, T. (2019). Low Zinc, Copper, and Manganese Intake is Associated with Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in the Japanese Working Population: Findings from the Eating Habit and Well-Being Study. Nutrients, 11(4), 847. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040847