Creative Ways to Make Oats for Breakfast

By: Bob's Red Mill | March 30 2018

Since breakfast has long been considered one of the most important meals of the day, it’s crucial you make good food choices. Oats are an excellent option, for a wide variety of reasons. Whole grain oats are a great source of soluble fiber, which offers health benefits like lowering cholesterol and evening out blood glucose levels. They are also a great source of insoluble fiber too, which is what helps keep your bowels moving smoothly and improves the health of your gut.

Oats are nicely balanced nutrition, offering both fiber and protein, and when combined with a healthy source of fat become plenty to power you through your day right on into lunch. So . . . just how many ways can you make oats? More than you might think, in fact. From oatmeal in a cup when you’re on-the-go or even cereal bars, there are so many ways you can incorporate quick oats into your breakfast. To get you started, here are a handful of creative ways to prepare your next oat-filled breakfast.

Easy Overnight Oats

These easy overnight oats are perfect for those busy morning when you are in a hurry and just want to grab something and go. You can make these oats the night before, and they are ready to rock by morning. This recipe makes one portion and prep time is a mere 5 minutes.

All you do is combine gluten free rolled oats with almond milk, almond butter, organic chia seeds, a sliced banana, and a scoop of Almond Protein Powder. Mix all ingredients into a Mason jar (or whatever you’ve got on hand), seal and shake it, then refrigerate it until morning. Easy, peasy.

Savory Oatmeal with Baked Eggs

Creative Ways to Make Oats forBreakfast _ Bob’s Red Mill

If you prefer steel cut oats, you will love this savory oatmeal with baked eggs recipe. Prep time is 5 minutes, cook time is 12 minutes, and it makes about four servings. Note that you may need a Philips Multi-Cooker to prepare these oats.

Green onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and chicken broth are all cooked with the eggs and oats for a breakfast that is hearty and filling. You can serve this dish with a drizzle of soy for more flavor, alongside a salad of fresh arugula. Other garnish items that are a hit with this dish include avocado, tomato, bacon bits, and grated Parmesan cheese. No matter what you serve alongside it, this is a breakfast for champs.

Whole Grain Cereal Bars

Sometimes you just want something super easy to make and highly transportable (in other words, not messy). These homemade whole grain cereal bars are just the ticket. This recipe makes a whopping 30 bars, and it only requires about 15 minutes of prep time and 25–30 minutes to cook.

The cereal bars are dairy free, soy free, and vegan, not to mention delicious. They are made with Scottish oatmeal and 5 grain rolled cereal, along with whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, flaxseed meal, and shredded coconut.

Goodies like chocolate chips and cranberries along with cane sugar and vanilla extract add sweetness, while salt helps to bring out the flavors. These are a perfect, nutritious, meal-on-the-go for those who lead active, busy lifestyles, but still aim to be healthy.

Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie

When it comes to breakfast (or lunch or dinner, for that matter), smoothies can make an excellent meal replacement option, or even just a great mid-day snack. The nice thing about smoothies is that you can mix it up and easily customize them in a seemingly endless amount of ways.

This recipe is super simple and makes one serving. Just combine a scoop of Almond Protein Powder with pitted dates, regular rolled oats, milk, sweetener of choice and vanilla extract. Add ice, and blend until cold and smooth. If it’s too thick, just add more milk, or add water.

You can also change it up and add other ingredients, like bananas or a scoop of your favorite nut butter, or even try it with a dollop of honey. Or you can change the recipe completely and use  chocolate protein booster and frozen strawberries. Truly, the versatility of smoothies is amazing, and oats are a wonderful addition that can be adapted to almost any flavor you’re in the mood for.

Note: Eating raw oats is generally safe, but may cause digestive issues or increase the risk of foodborne illness.

9 Comments

  1. jean squires
    Interesting.
    Reply
  2. Ivonne Teano
    need more ideas
    Reply
  3. Stephanie
    On the package for steel cut oats there is a recipe for Oregon orchard oat Brûlée. The directions say “bring water and Oats to a boil. Add salt and cream. Cook 17 to 18 minutes.” Should the heat be reduced, or should you actually boil for 17 to 18 minutes?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Stephanie - great question. You should bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 17-18 minutes.
      Reply
  4. cheryl Demmon
    My daughter-in-law uses the recipe for oatmeal on the box or bag, it is in the fridge over night, or can be there several days.it has nuts and other things.
    So is this recipe on the container?
    Thank you
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Cheryl, sounds like you're thinking of overnight oats. You can soak oats and milk/water with your favorite toppings in the refrigerator overnight to enjoy in the morning. They last about 3 days in the refrigerator. If stored longer, they start to get a little mushy.

      Bob's Red Mill Recipes: Overnight Oats
      Reply
  5. Thomas Van Dyke
    Dear Bob:

    I love your steel cut oats but a recently found a faint blue/greenish color on product after cook a fresh pot. Can you tell me wheee that comes from?

    Thomas
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Elisabeth Allie
      Hi Thomas! Please email [email protected] for assistance.
      Reply
  6. David Rafeedie
    I have an easy recipe for batch-cooking oatmeal.
    1 cup of rolled oats
    1 cup of steel-cut oats
    6 cups of water
    2 very ripe bananas (fresh or frozen)
    Ciniminon to taste (other spices as well - pumpkin pie or nutmeg, etc.)
    Vanilla to taste
    6 to 8 Dates (checked for pits)
    Roasted Cocoa beans (optional, I use 6)
    In a high-speed blender, blend together everything but the oats until well blended.
    In Instapot, add the oats and blended liquid. Set on manual for 1 minute. Let the pressure reduce naturally. Once the pressure has been released, add in your favorite things.
    I normally add an assortment of toasted nuts (about a cup worth), a mixture of ground flax, hemp seeds, ground chia seeds (about a 1/4 cup of each), and a cup of raisins.
    Mix it all together and then divide it into 5-6 containers for later use. Warm up in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and serve with fresh fruit. I usually use a mixture of berries and a dollop of plant-based yogurt.
    Vegan and whole food, plant-based.
    Reply

Add Your Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *