Spicy Oatmeal
My homemade, creamy, spiced oatmeal is like waking up to a bowl of a comforting Indian dessert (kheer!) - but made wholesome enough for breakfast. Packed with aromatic spices like cardamom, saffron, and nutmeg, my spicy oatmeal recipe is filling, balanced, and ready in just 15 minutes!
Servings: 1 bowl of oatmeal
Calories: 304kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1½ cups water
- 3 tsp ground flax seed
- 2-3 tsp slivered almonds
- 1 pinch saffron
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp coconut sugar or agave or honey
- ½-⅔ cup 1% organic milk the creamier you want the oatmeal, the more milk you should add
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 and the oats have a very creamy texture. Depending on your microwave, you might have to cook them for longer for them to become soft.
- Stir in the saffron, flax seed, and almonds. The heat of the oatmeal will help melt the saffron until it’s fully combined.
- Add the rest of the spices (salt, cardamom, nutmeg, stevia) and stir to combine.
- Stir in the milk until the oatmeal is the consistency you like.
- Heat the oatmeal again in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until it is hot and ready to eat.
Notes
Top Tips For Indian Spicy Oatmeal
- Bloom The Saffron: Don’t skip this step if you’re using saffron - blooming it in the warm oats is critical, because it needs heat to release its color and fragrance. I always stir it into the oats while they’re still hot for the best results.
- Microwave Power Varies: if your oats are still a bit firm, keep cooking in 30-second increments until done.
- Watch For The "Boil Over"! Because I add more water to these oats, depending on the size of the bowl you use, it may have a tendency to boil over in the microwave so I recommend watching it as it cooks so that you can stop the microwave if you see it starting to bubble up!
- Add The Milk Slowly: I’ve found that pouring in the milk a little at a time makes it easier to control the final texture. Some days I want it thick and hearty, other days a bit looser and more pudding-like - it’s totally up to you!
- Use rolled oats, not quick oats, for the best texture.
- Savory Version: Feel free to omit the sweeter spices to make this a bowl of completely savory oats. I recommend using cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and even a green chile if you want it to have a little heat!
Nutrition
Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 365mg | Potassium: 439mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g