How to Make Oatmeal (6 Ways!)

This is how oatmeal is made! This staple recipe makes oatmeal with the best chewy texture. It’s the perfect healthy breakfast.

The ideal healthy breakfast? groats. We are large fans in this household. Why? It’s whole grain, filling, healthy, gluten-free, and plant-based. It feeds us every day! (In fact, you could actually say that this site is powered by oats.) We also have pretty strong opinions about our oatmeal. Sticky or mushy oats are not allowed. Oatmeal with a chewy texture and toasty flavor defines our Perfect Bowl. Here we’ll break down the different types of oats and share our top recipes for making the best oatmeal.

Want fun variations? Try plain oatmeal bars, peanut butter oatmeal bars, or fluffy oatmeal pancakes.

oat varieties

There are two main types of oats that you can use to make oatmeal: rolled oats or rolled oats. There are a few subtypes of oatmeal that you can find at the store. Here’s a breakdown:

• Oatmeal : Rolled oats are whole oat grains that are pressed flat with rollers. Flattening reduces the cooking time compared to steel cut oats. This is what usually comes to mind when you think of oatmeal. There are different types of oatmeal:
  • Old-fashioned oats: These are the most textured whole, circular oats. These are our favorite oatmeal for all of our oat recipes.
  • Quick Oats or Instant Oats: These oats are thinner and cook faster, but they have a powdery texture and can get mushy when cooked. We recommend avoiding this type of oatmeal.
• Steel cut oats: Steel Cut Oats are whole grain oats that are cut into pieces: they look like brown rice or barley. These oats take 30 minutes to cook and have a very chewy texture.

Can you replace oatmeal with oatmeal? nope! Steel cut oats are more like rice and should be cooked for at least 30 minutes. Oatmeal cooks much faster. The amount of liquid required is also different. Don’t substitute one for the other!

Steel Cut Oats vs. Rolled Oats: Which is Better?

Rolled oats and rolled oats are made from the same whole grain oat flour. Oatmeal and oatmeal have the same nutritional benefits: lots of fiber and plant-based protein for a great start to the day. A possible advantage of steel oats is that they can have a lower glycemic index because they are processed as little as possible. This can leave you feeling fuller and less energetic after eating. But overall the differences are very small! Go to Steel Cut vs. Oatmeal.

1. How to make oatmeal: master method! (10 mins)

The master method of using oatmeal Old fashioned oatmeal. This is how we like our oatmeal: with a chewy texture and a lightly toasted flavor. This method is less creamy and sticky, more textured and chewy. If you’ve never tried it this way, we promise it’s worth a try. Here’s the basic method (or jump to the recipe below);

• Toast the rolled oats in the butter for 2 to 3 minutes. This enhances the flavor and makes your kitchen smell amazing! Use coconut oil for vegans.
• Add water and milk and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Then add the liquid, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stirring is not necessary! The result is the tastiest, fluffiest, and most delicious oatmeal recipe imaginable.
• Stir in a little more milk to make it creamier, if you like. You can add a little milk for a creamier texture.

Variants of the oatmeal recipe:

2. Preparing Oatmeal in an Instant Pot (10 minutes)

You can also use your Instant Pot to make oatmeal! We like this method because it’s completely autonomous: it’s ideal for a pre-prepared breakfast or for social conversations. Here’s the method using old-fashioned oats:

3. Prepare oatmeal in the microwave (2 minutes)

Oatmeal is even faster in the microwave! Mix up a batch of our Instant Oatmeal, which is like a homemade version of those packets you can get at the store. Add water and microwave for 2 minutes! It comes out incredibly delicious: and of course flavored.

4. How to Make Oatmeal Overnight (2 Minutes)

No cooking is required with this way of preparing oatmeal! In fact, you can blend a glass in just 2 minutes. Leave the oatmeal in the fridge with milk overnight and it will magically turn into a kind of porridge. Eat them cold with berries or nut butter and they are absolutely amazing! Here is the prescription:

5. How to bake oatmeal (1 hour)

Another way to make oatmeal is with baked oatmeal! Baked oatmeal is cooked with milk, eggs, and a little sugar so that it sets into a firm texture. You can cut it into pieces and serve it on plates or in a bowl. It’s incredibly tasty and great to prepare. Oatmeal takes 45 minutes to cook, so we prefer to prepare it ahead of time. You can add any mix of fruits or nuts. Here are our favorite baked oatmeal recipes:

• Everyday Baked Oatmeal Our main recipe! Cinnamon-spicy and cozy. There are apples and pecans, but you can change fruit: blueberries, raspberries, etc.
• Banana Baked Oatmeal Vegan and plant-based, full of great banana flavor. An undoubted favourite!
• Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Seasonally, these flavorful and cozy oatmeals are perfect.

6. How to Make Steelcut Oats (30 Minutes)

Oatmeal has a texture similar to rice: it’s very hard and needs a good simmer on the stovetop. The main ratio of steel-cut oats is 4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of steel-cut oats. Steel cut oats have a much chewy texture than rolled oats: they’ll feel a bit like porridge or a bowl of barley. But cooked with a creamy texture, they’re just as delicious! You can cook them on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker. Here are our favorite steel-cut oatmeal recipes:

7. How to Make Baked Oatmeal (1 Hour)

You can also make baked oatmeal! This is the same method as baked oatmeal. Bake them with milk, eggs, and spices, and they come out with a texture that’s almost like a gooey cake. Here are some of our favorite baked oatmeal recipes:

Is Oatmeal Healthy? Nutritional Information

Yes, oatmeal is part of a healthy diet. Here are some of the key nutritional benefits of oats (source):

• Oats are rich in vegetable protein. 1 cup of raw oats contains 11 grams of protein. That’s about 20% of your daily needs!
• Oats are rich in fiber. 1 cup of raw oats has 8 grams of fiber, or about 30% of the daily value.
• Oats are very filling: They can reduce appetite and help you eat fewer calories.

For more benefits, check out Oats 101: Nutrition Facts.

Best Oatmeal Toppings

Once you master how to make oatmeal, you get the fun part: all those toppings! Here are our favorite oatmeal toppings:

What’s your favorite combination? Let us know in the comments below.

This oatmeal recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten free. See Substitutes below for information on plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan products.