How to Make Oatmeal Taste Good
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Do you want to know how to to make oatmeal taste good? Create the most delicious bowl of oatmeal with these tips and tricks, plus some healthy and nutritious add-ins! Oatmeal will quickly become your breakfast meal of choice!
When I was growing up, I pretty much had the same thing for breakfast from the time I was 5 to the time I was 18. And what was this wonderful dish that was the star of my breakfast for almost 15 years?
Oatmeal.
Yes, hot oatmeal.
And to this day, I have never gotten tired of it. I absolutely adore oatmeal. It’s delicious and creamy, hearty and satisfying. It’s also amazingly good for you: with 130-150 calories, 5g fiber and 5g protein for 1/2 cup of rolled oats (which makes up to 2 cups of cooked oatmeal).
The problem is most people don’t have the same affinity for oatmeal as I do. But because I’ve made oatmeal nearly everyday for almost my entire life, I know everything about how to make oatmeal taste good!
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It’s the perfect healthy breakfast, and I’m sure it will soon become a favorite of yours as well!
What Are The Different Types Of Oats?
When preparing your morning oatmeal there are many different varieties of oats to choose from. Choosing the type of oats that you prefer will go a long way in making your bowl absolutely perfect! All oats begin as oat groats, but the way that they are processed make them slightly different.
Steel-Cut Oats: Steel Cut oats are processed by chopping the whole oat groat into several pieces, rather than rolling it oat. The grain resembles rice. They are often referred to as Irish or Scottish oats. They take the longest to prepare, and should be cooked stove-top for best results.
Rolled Oats: Also referred to as old-fashioned oats, rolled oats are steamed to make them softer, then rolled out to look flat. They cook more quickly than steel cut oats, and hold their shape well during the cooking process.
Quick Oats or Instant Oats: Quick-cooking oats are the most processed. They are pre-cooked, dried, then rolled out so that they are thinner than whole oats. They cook even more quickly than rolled oats, but they don’t hold their shape as well, and have a somewhat mushy texture.
If you are giving oats a try again after a long hiatus I recommend using steel-cut or rolled oats. Rolled oats are always my default because they are versatile, have a nice texture, and don’t take too long to prepare.
Favorite Toppings for a Healthy and Delicious Bowl of Oatmeal
You don’t have to settle for plain oatmeal! There are so many different ways you can dress it up – the possibilities are endless.
- Milk: 1% organic cow’s milk, unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened soy milk, coconut milk
- Nuts: Walnuts and Almonds (two of my favorites)
- Fresh Fruit: Fresh Berries, Apples, Pears, Bananas
- Seeds: Chia seeds, Flax seeds, pumpkin seeds
- Spices like: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Unsweetened cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice
- Nut butters: Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Sunflower Seed Butter
- Refined Free Added Sweeteners: Agave, Honey, Maple Syrup
- Decadent Toppings: Dark chocolate chips, granola, brown sugar, shredded coconut, fruit butters
But there’s one combination of ingredients that I think really makes the perfect bowl of oatmeal. So here is my recipe for the perfect breakfast: Oatmeal with Berries, Walnuts, Spices, and Creamy Milk.
My Favorite Ways to Prepare Oatmeal
Once you’ve chosen the type of oats to use for your oatmeal it’s time to choose the best method of preparation.
Creamy Stove Top Oats: The most traditional way to prepare oats is on the stovetop. For one serving you’ll use 1/2 a cup of old fashioned oats, and 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until most of the water has been absorbed. This can take about 5-8 minutes.
Microwave: If you’re pressed for time, you can easily prepare your oats in the microwave. Add 1/2 cup of rolled oats and 3/4 cups of water to a microwave safe bowl. Cover with paper towel, and microwave on high for two minutes. Carefully take it out (the bowl will be hot) stir, and microwave an additional minute if necessary.
Overnight Oats: Another favorite way to prepare oats, cold overnight oats doesn’t require any cooking! Combine 1/2 a cup of rolled oats with 3/4 cup of your favorite milk. Add any other toppings you like. Stir together and refrigerate overnight. In the morning you’ll have a ready to go breakfast!
Instant Pot Oats: Making oatmeal for a large crowd? Using the instant pot is the way to go!
What Are The Health Benefits Of Eating Oatmeal?
- High in Protein: One serving of oats alone has 5 grams of protein. When you add in some protein rich foods, you get an extra protein boost. I suggest nut butters, seeds, chopped nuts, or even a tablespoon of protein powder to really amp up the protein content!
- Healthy Fats: Oatmeal is low in cholesterol but does have a few grams of healthy fats. Add in your favorite nuts, seeds, or nut butters, and you’ve got yourself a well rounded meal.
- High in Fiber: Oats are a great way to add some extra fiber to your diet, with 4 grams per 1/2 cup dry serving.
Top Tips for How to Make Oatmeal Taste Good
- Choose an oat with good texture. Quick oats don’t take long to cook, but they become mushy in the process. If you prefer a chewier texture, choose steel-cut oats, if you prefer a creamy texture choose rolled oats.
- The cooking method matters! I have found that microwaving my oats creates the fluffiest texture, whereas stovetop helps them retain their shape better. Choose the cooking method that will result in your taste preference.
- Have fun adding your favorite toppings! While the foods you add to your oatmeal will really make them delicious, be careful not to go overboard! Don’t take a healthy bowl of oatmeal and turn it into a dessert! Add a touch of natural sweetener if you prefer, play with different spices, and add lots of fresh fruit. Topping your oats with chopped nuts gives it a nice texture, while stirring in a touch of nut butter makes it creamy and nutty.
My Perfect Bowl of Oatmeal
While we all have our tastes and preferences, I wanted to share with you my favorite combination of flavors for what I call “my perfect bowl of oats.”
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Rolled Oats: I opt for rolled oats because I like the way they retain their shape and texture, and take less than 10 minutes to cook.
Frozen Blueberries: I like using frozen, organic, wild blueberries: they’re a little smaller than regular blueberries, they’re a superfood, and I’ve heard they have more antioxidants than regular blueberries. Why do I buy them frozen? Because: 1) They’re fresh year-round 2) They become all melty and warm in the oatmeal and 3) They never go bad!
Walnuts: Walnuts are another great superfood because they have tons of Omega 3 healthy fats, and they add a nice texture to the oatmeal too.
Flax Seeds: This adds a bit of texture to the oats, a nutty flavor, and is a great source of Omega 3 healthy fats!
Cinnamon: It’s a calorie free way to add some warmth and flavor.
1% Organic Milk: I love creamy oats, so adding a bit of milk is a must! Plus I get a bit of extra protein and calcium. If you’re vegan, just use your favorite plant based milk.
Pinch of Salt: This brings out the natural sweetness in the rest of the ingredients and helps to balance all the flavors.
Honey: Last but not least, a little drizzle of honey adds a touch of sweetness that brings all the flavors together. For a vegan option, use agave or coconut sugar.
This whole recipe is about 350 calories, with about 9g fiber and 13g protein. It truly is the perfect morning breakfast.
Tools and Equipment
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the oats with the water in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, and cook again in the microwave for 1-2 minutes more until all the water is absorbed.
Step 2: Stir in the blueberries, cinnamon, flax seed, and walnuts.
Step 3: Stir in the the milk and agave/stevia/honey until the oatmeal is creamy and the consistency you like. Reheat the oatmeal as needed until it’s at a desired temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Is oatmeal gluten-free?
Oats are naturally gluten-free. However, if you have a sensitivity to gluten it is a good idea to buy certified gluten free oats, as many brands are cross contaminated.
Is oatmeal vegan?
Depending on what you choose to put in your oatmeal, yes, it is vegan. When making a creamy oatmeal use non-dairy milks and yogurts to make it vegan.
Can I use fresh fruit?
Yes! Of course you can add fresh fruit instead of frozen!
More Healthy Breakfast & Delicious Oatmeal Recipes to Try!
- Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal with Berries
- Bananas And Cream Oatmeal
- Masala Oats
- Matcha Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Chip Baked Oats
- Vegan Baked Oatmeal
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Oatmeal
- 21 Easy Breakfast Recipes
If you have tried this recipe for the perfect bowl of oatmeal, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!
🎥 Watch How to Make It
How to Make Oatmeal Taste Good: The Perfect Bowl of Oats
Do you want to know how to to make oatmeal taste good? Create the most delicious bowl of oatmeal with rolled oats, blueberries, walnuts, and milk! It's a simple recipe that's a winner every time!
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 349kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats To make this gluten-free, just use gluten-free certified oats
- 1½ cups of water
- ½-¾ cup frozen organic wild blueberries
- 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup 1% organic milk or ½ cup unsweetened soy milk, or ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- Optional: Agave, or Honey to taste No more than 2 tsp honey or agave
Instructions
- Cook the oats with the water in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, and cook again in the microwave for 1-2 minutes more until all the water is absorbed
- Stir in the blueberries, cinnamon, flax seed, and walnuts.
- Stir in the the milk and agave/stevia/honey until the oatmeal is creamy and the consistency you like. Reheat the oatmeal as needed until it’s at a desired temperature.
Notes
Top Tips for How to Make Oatmeal Taste Good
- Choose an oat with good texture. Quick oats don’t take long to cook, but they become mushy in the process. If you prefer a chewier texture, choose steel-cut oats, if you prefer a creamy texture choose rolled oats.
- The cooking method matters! I have found that microwaving my oats creates the fluffiest texture, whereas stovetop helps them retain their shape better. Choose the cooking method that will result in your taste preference.
- Have fun adding your favorite toppings! While the foods you add to your oatmeal will really make them delicious, be careful not to go overboard! Don’t take a healthy bowl of oatmeal and turn it into a dessert! Add a touch of natural sweetener if you prefer, play with different spices, and add lots of fresh fruit. Topping your oats with chopped nuts gives it a nice texture, while stirring in a touch of nut butter makes it creamy and nutty.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl of oatmeal | Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 484mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 14g
My dad aye porridge every morning the Scottish way, made with water and a pinch of salt. I prefer it made with milk, cinnamon and banana and I have to admit to making it in the microwave these days. 2 minutes and it’s done! Your recipe sounds good too. I like the addition of walnuts.
Milk cinnamon and banana is a great combo too! Can’t wait to hear how you like this version when you try it!
Looking forward to enjoying this for breakfast tomorrow morning; loved your tips for frozen blueberries for littles ones! Such great advice!
Thanks so much Sara! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you!
Such wonderful tips for making oatmeal taste delicious! Thanks so much for sharing them.
Thanks so much Denay!! Glad you found it helpful! 🙂
My oats overflowed in the microwave! Oops! It’s very good but the after adding the frozen blueberries the oatmeal was ice cold and I had to heat it up again!
Good point Lisa! I usually have to reheat my oatmeal as well. I just added a note about that in the recipe too! For overflowing oats, try a bigger bowl 🙂 Or try heating them and then stopping part way through, stirring, and then continuing to heat them in the microwave. Hope that helps!
is it reheatable?
I make a big pot of oatmeal & portion it out to send to work with my husband. He leaves really early on his long commute& prefers to have breakfast after he arrives at work.
Always afraid frozen blueberries would get all mushy. He loves blueberries but doesn’t do mush.
Would I cook them into the weekly batch or add them frozen to that day’s portion before he leaves?
I add cinnamon, nutmeg, organic raisins (in lieu of a sweetner) while cooking the oats & a little vanilla after it cools a little. Vanilla seems to enhance the sweetness. I cover the pot as it cools and get a creamier texture than without the lid.
I use flax meal often as an egg substitute, never thought of adding it to oatmeal.
Didn’t read all the comments but did see someone suggest savory oatmeal. Use keyword “skirlie” to get some ideas. I modified skirlie to make in-bird stuffing and it looks like rice. Quite tasty. I used steel-cut oats (because I didn’t like them as breakfast), onion, garlic, sausage & chicken broth -basically, my recipe with oats instead of bread crumbs. Pre-cook the oats a little and use about 1/2 the liquid. Very good, nothing “oatmeal-y” about it.
Hi Franki! If you’re making this ahead of time, I’d add everything except the blueberries – I agree they will get mushy. All of the other ingredients will be fine though and will actually taste better once they’ve spent time in the fridge! What I’d do is make a big batch of all of the ingredients except blueberries, and when you take out a portion for the day, add in the frozen blueberries to that day’s portion before your husband leaves for work. Love the idea of savory oatmeal too — there are so many ways to make it and I agree it doesn’t taste like a breakfast meal at all!
Can bananas be added also?
Absolutely! I add chopped bananas to this every day for Layla (my daughter 🙂 )
I love your blog title because it fits my situation to a tee! My toddler is so fussy but he just loves oatmeal more than anything (even more than cake, haha!) I always try to incorporate other foods into the oatmeal like fruits etc so he’s getting enough vitamins. I’ll try this berry oatmeal for him tomorrow morning 🙂
Haha! So glad to hear that Janelle 🙂 That’s awesome that your toddler loves oatmeal – what a great thing to love! Hope he enjoyed this recipe when you made it for him – my daughter eats this up every morning!
Hello Anjali…I’m not an oatmeal eater (prefer Cream of Wheat). However, I’m trying to develop a taste for oatmeal as I’ve recently started Dr. Ian Smith’s shred diet. I tried this recipe a few minutes ago and was pleasantly surprised that the taste was do-able. 🙂 However, my oatmeal was very runny even after cooking in microwave for the full time you suggested (and I added 1/2 cup of soy milk after adding blueberries and cinnamon). Do you think I should cut back on the amount of water or increase the cooking time? Also, is there a reason why you don’t just cook the oatmeal in the soy milk (or milk of preference)? I’m new to making oatmeal but normally cook my cream of wheat in milk. Thanks so much for sharing. I think once I can figure out the consistency this will be a great addition to my morning regime.
Hi Ayanna! I’m so glad that this recipe made you enjoy oatmeal a little bit more! Hmm that’s strange that your oatmeal ended up runny. I’d try decreasing the water first, and then try increasing the cooking time if the change in water content doesn’t make a difference. You can cook your oatmeal directly in the milk of your choice — but I’ve found that water helps to increase the volume of the oats and adding milk after they are cooked tastes just as good 🙂 But yeah I’d just recommend playing with different combinations of water/soy milk/oats/blueberries until you get the consistency you like!
I loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing! I reblogged this article, check it out: https://www.tackletwenty.com/food/2015/3/19/spotlight-blog-the-picky-eater
Thanks so much Lily!
I usually eat my oatmeal with walnuts and a smidge of Nutella. Don’t the walnuts cancel out the bad effects of the Nutella?? Anyway, this morning I was thinking about using frozen blueberries, but I wasn’t sure at what point to add them in the cooking process. Googled and ended up here – your recipe sounds perfect! Love all the add-ins. I’m going to go try this right now. Oh, and by the way, I have the same kind of blueberries. Costco?? 🙂
Haha I wish walnuts canceled out Nutella 🙂 Wouldn’t that be awesome?? 🙂 I got my blueberries from Trader Joe’s actually – but I wouldn’t be surprised if Costco had the same ones!! Can’t wait to hear how you liked this recipe – hope it has made it into your regular breakfast rotation from now on!
This is so good! I usually just eat packaged oatmeal for the sake of time because I eat at my desk.. But I’m happy to say I took 5 minutes to make mine with strawberries, nuts, milk & honey. So good! Thanks for your tips.
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that Vicky! And yes, isn’t it so worth it just taking a few extra minutes in the morning for some healthy add-ins like fruit and nuts? 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
For parents out there- adding frozen blueberries to oatmeal is also a great way to cool it down quickly for little mouths. I always add either blueberries or applesauce to my son’s oatmeal and he loves it.
Oh that’s a great tip and totally true! Thanks for sharing Muriah!
Here’s my version of oatmeal for any meal of the day.
1 cup water in a saucepan, over burner.
Bring to a boil, add 1 teaspoon vanilla,
level teaspoon cinnamon, sprinkle of nutmeg,
Add 2/3 cups oatmeal, 3-4 walnut halves, chopped
burner turned OFF!
Cover saucepan with lid, let sit for 3-4 minutes
Spoon into a bowl, add 1/2 banana, diced.
A bit of milk, enjoy! No need for sugar or other
sweetener! Been eating my oatmeal this way
for years. I am 86 years young.
Enjoy! No need for sugar Often add raisins, to boiling water. Any dried fruit can be added.
Thanks for sharing Doris! This sounds great!
For some reason I thought you wrote 4-5 walnut halves, is that the same thing as a tablespoon or more?
Hi Lucie! Honestly I think it depends on how big your walnut halves are… but if you end up using 4 walnut halves – that’s about 2 walnuts, which chopped could be about 1 Tbsp. It’s hard to be exact but it should be somewhat close I think! Hope that helps!
Thank you for the recipe! I liked the walnuts (I thought I didn’t like nuts in oatmeal until now! hehe)
Hooray!! So excited that this made you like nuts in oatmeal too! 🙂
Your oatmeal recipe rocks! I eat oatmeal pretty much everyday myself and I tried your recipe and it was delicious! I usually add ground flaxseed meal to my bowl but I will try the chia seed.
Thanks!
Yay! Thanks Marco! I’m so happy you liked it 🙂 Ground flaxseed and ground chia seed are both awesome additions. But for the chia seed – make sure you add it ground up – otherwise it gets gelatinous which gives the oatmeal a tapioca-like consistency (and that can be weird!)