How to Make Oatmeal

Here’s how to make oatmeal! This master recipe makes rolled oats with the best chewy texture. It’s the ideal healthy breakfast.

The ideal healthy breakfast? Oatmeal. We are big fans in this household. Why? It’s whole grain, filling, healthy, gluten-free and plant-based. It powers us every day! (In fact, you really could say this website is powered by oats.) We’re also pretty opinionated about our oatmeal. No gloppy or soggy oats allowed. Oatmeal with a chewy texture and a toasty flavor is what makes our perfect bowl. Here we’ll break down the different types of oats and share our master recipes for how to make the best oatmeal around.

Want some fun variations? Try Easy Oatmeal Bars, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars or Fluffy Oatmeal Pancakes.

Types of oats

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

• Rolled oats: Rolled oats are whole oat grains that are pressed flat with rollers. Pressing them flat shortens the cook time vs steel cut oats. This is what you’ll typically think of when you think of oatmeal. There are a few types of rolled oats:
  • Old Fashioned oats: These are the whole, circular oats with the most texture. These are our preferred oats for all of our oat recipes.
  • Quick cooking oats or Instant oats: These oats are rolled thinner and cook faster, but they have powdery texture and can become mushy when cooked. We suggest avoiding this type of oats.
• Steel cut oats: Steel cut oats are whole grain oats that are cut into nubs: they look like brown rice or barley. These oats take 30 minutes to cook, and have a very chewy texture.

Can you substitute steel cut oats for rolled oats? No! Steel cut oats are more like rice and need to be cooked for at least 30 minutes. Rolled oats cook much faster. The amount of liquid needed for each are also different. Do not substitute one for the other!

Steel cut oats vs rolled oats: which is better?

Steel cut oats and rolled oats are made out of the same whole grain oatmeal. Nutritionally, steel cut and rolled oats have the same benefits: lots of fiber and plant-based protein to start your day. A possible benefit of steel cut oats is that since they are processed the most minimally, they may have a lower glycemic index. This may allow you to feel fuller and have less of a “spike” of energy after eating. But the overall differences are very slight! Go to Steel Cut vs Rolled Oats.

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

The master method for how to make oatmeal uses Old Fashioned rolled oats. Here’s the way we like our oatmeal: with a chewy texture and lightly toasted flavor. This method is less creamy and gloppy, 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 oats in butter for 2 to 3 minutes. This enhances the flavor and makes your kitchen smell amazing! Use coconut oil for vegan.
• Add water and milk and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Then add the liquid, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. No need to stir! This results in the tastiest, chewiest most delicious oatmeal recipe you can imagine.
• Stir in a little more milk to make it creamier if desired. You can stir in a little more milk for a creamier texture.

Oatmeal recipe variations:

• Best Vegan Oatmeal
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal
• Creamy Banana Oatmeal
• Savory Oatmeal

2. How to make oatmeal in an Instant Pot (10 minutes)

You can also use your Instant Pot to make oatmeal! We love this method because it’s totally hands off: it’s great for make-ahead breakfasts or for entertaining company. Here’s the method that uses Old Fashioned oats:

• Easy Instant Pot Oatmeal

3. How to make oatmeal in the microwave (2 minutes)

An even quicker way of how to make oatmeal is 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 impressively delicious: and flavored naturally.

• DIY Instant Oatmeal Recipe

4. How to make overnight oats (2 minutes)

There’s no cooking involved in this way to make oatmeal! In fact, you can mix up a jar in just 2 minutes. Leave rolled oats in the fridge overnight with milk, and it magically makes them into a sort of porridge. Eat them cold topped with berries or nut butter and they’re absolutely fantastic! Here’s the recipe:

• Overnight Oats

5. How to make baked oatmeal (1 hour)

Another way of how to make oatmeal is baked oatmeal! Baked oatmeal is baked with milk, eggs and a little sugar so that it solidifies into a solid texture. You can cut it into pieces and serve it on plates or in a bowl. It’s incredibly tasty and great for making ahead. It takes 45 minutes to bake the oatmeal, so we prefer making it in advance. You can add any sort of fruit or nut mix-ins. Here are our favorite baked oatmeal recipes:

• Everyday Baked Oatmeal Our master recipe! Cinnamon-spiced and cozy. It’s got apples and pecans, but you can change up the fruit: blueberries, raspberries, etc.
• Banana Baked Oatmeal Vegan and plant based, full of big banana flavor. A hands down favorite!
• Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal When it’s the right season, this cozy, spiced oatmeal hits the spot.

6. How to make steel cut oats (30 minutes)

Steel cut oats have a texture like rice: they’re very tough and require a good simmering on the stove. The main steel cut oats ratio is 4 cups liquid to 1 cup steel cut oats. Steel cut oats have a much chewier texture than rolled oats: you’ll feel a little like you’re eating porridge or a bowl of barley. But cooked up with a creamy texture, they’re just as tasty! You can make them on the stove or in a pressure cooker. Here are our favorite steel cut oatmeal recipes:

• Perfect Steel Cut Oats (Stovetop)
• Apple Cinnamon Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats

7. How to make baked steel cut oats (1 hour)

You can also make baked steel cut oats! It’s the same method as baked oatmeal. Bake them with milk, eggs and seasonings, and they come out with a texture almost like a gooey cake. Here are a few of our favorite baked steel cut oats recipes:

• Pumpkin Baked Steel Cut Oats Tastes like pumpkin pie! Beautifully moist and pumpkin-spiced.
• Carrot Cake Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal Same idea as above, but with carrots and spices! So delicious.

Is oatmeal healthy? Nutrition info

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

• Oats are high in plant based protein. 1 cup of raw oats have 11 grams protein. That’s about 20% of your daily need!
• Oats are high in fiber. 1 cup of raw oats have 8 grams of fiber, which is about 30% of the daily value.
• Oats are very filling: they may reduce appetite and help you eat less calories.

For more benefits, go to Oats 101: Nutrition Facts.

Best oatmeal toppings

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

• Maple syrup & cinnamon
• Peanut butter and strawberry jam
• Toasted coconut
• Fresh raspberries or blueberries
• Glazed pecans
• Banana slices and toasted almonds
• Blueberry compote
• Greek yogurt mixed with maple syrup
• Strawberry sauce and chopped pistachios
• Almond butter and dried cherries
• Chopped apples and cashew butter or pecan butter
• Raspberry compote or raspberry sauce

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

This oatmeal recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For plant-based, dairy-free and vegan, see the substitutes below.

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