HEALTHY OATMEAL (EASY + CUSTOMIZABLE)

Healthy Oatmeal with oats, vanilla, and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and toppings of choice is an easy recipe made in 1 pot on the stovetop, Instant Pot, or slow cooker!

Today I am sharing with you my favorite go-to healthy oatmeal that’s both quick and super easy to customize with a variety of toppings! It’s one simple oatmeal recipe with plenty of ideas to make many different variations.

Although oatmeal is healthy, on its own it’s nothing to get excited about. This is where the toppings come in, adding spices, fruits, nuts, seeds, and drizzle of maple syrup and non-dairy milk takes it from plain to delicious!

Oatmeal is great all year long, but during the fall and winter I especially eat this on a regular basis. It’s warming, fills that morning hunger, and supplies enough good carbohydrates to keep me going for a good part of the day.

And this healthy oatmeal isn’t just for breakfast either and is perfectly acceptable for lunch or dinner too. In fact, it’s good for you anytime of day!

If you love oatmeal, be sure to take a look at this Overnight Steel Cut Oatmeal, Cinnamon Oatmeal, Pumpkin Oatmeal, or Apple Baked Oatmeal. Or see all the Oatmeal recipes on TSV!

Oatmeal Base Ingredients

In this recipe, heart healthy oats are cooked with water and optional spices, then topped with a variety of healthy toppings for an easily customizable oatmeal you will never get tired of.

Here is a rundown of the ingredients you’ll need:

• Oats – Use The old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. Steel cut oats take longer to cook, so this recipe won’t work with them.
• Water – I prefer to cook my oats with water, stirring in a little plant milk after cooking if needed or topping my assembled oatmeal with a drizzle.

Flavor enhancers:

• Vanilla – A perfect flavor enhancer and will go well with every combination of toppings I lay out in the recipe. Of course, it can also be optional.
• Spices – Flavorful cinnamon and cardamom are warming spices and both hold health benefits. They are delicious together and will add flavor to plain oatmeal. Use one or the other, or don’t use any at all. Spices can be added with the oats before cooking or sprinkled overtop your assembled bowl of oatmeal.

Healthy Oatmeal Toppings

How to make healthy oatmeal taste amazing? Here you’ll find a variety of toppings to mix and match as you like:

• Sweetener: Pure maple syrup is my sweetener of choice and contains a good dose of manganese and zinc. Feel free to use coconut sugar, organic pure cane brown sugar, date sugar or coconut nectar.
• Milk + Cream: For the milk, I use unsweetened almond milk but you can use your favorite non-dairy milk. For decadence, use coconut cream or homemade vegan cream.
• Fruit: I usually always add in some sort of fruit, whether fresh or dry. Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are low in sugar, making them a healthy option. Also, sliced banana, diced apple or applesauce is great too. If using dried fruit, stick with unsweetened such as raisins, currants, barberries, blueberries, or cranberries. Chopped dates, apricots and cherries are also great.
• Nuts + Seeds: The addition of nuts, seeds, or nut butter will add protein. Many nuts and seeds contain essential omegas that are heart healthy making them another good reason to add a small handful. You can use any combo of pecans, walnuts, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), almonds, hemp hearts, and chia seeds.

How to Make The Healthy Oatmeal

With just a few adjustments, this oatmeal recipe can be made in an Instant Pot, microwave, slow-cooker, or on the stovetop. This is a simplified overview of making oatmeal, you can find the full printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

• Instant Pot: Combine 2 cups of oats and with 3 ½ cups of water (or double the amounts) in the bowl insert, and then cook for 1 minute on HIGH pressure and let the pressure natural release for 5 minutes. Total time, including coming to pressure, is about 17 – 20 minutes.
• Stovetop: Bring water and oats to a boil in a saucepan, reduce heat and cook over a gentle boil for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Slow Cooker: Combine 2 cups of oats and 3 ½ cups of water in a slow cooker. A small slow cooker is best for this oatmeal. Cook on low without stirring. Cook on low for eight hours. Finish with cream and sugar. Once the oats are cooked, add a bit of cream and brown sugar and stir to combine.
• Microwave: Add water and oats to a microwave safe bowl, and microwave on HIGH for 5 – 7 minutes (maybe a little longer if the water is cold), stopping to stir every 45 – 60 seconds. To prevent the oatmeal from boiling over, be sure to use a larger, wider bowl.

Favorite Healthy Oatmeal Variations

Here are a few of my favorite flavor combinations at the moment:

• Strawberries and Cream: Top oatmeal with fresh sliced strawberries, coconut cream or Vegan Cream, pure maple syrup, and sprinkle of cardamom. It’s so simple, yet utterly decadent!
• Blueberry, Pecan & Applesauce: Top with fresh blueberries, pecans, Unsweetened Applesauce, drizzle of pure maple syrup and coconut cream or almond milk.
• Peanut Butter, Banana + Chocolate Chips: For a healthy, protein rich oatmeal, serve with 2 – 3 tablespoons of Almond Butter over top with sliced banana, sprinkle of chocolate chips (or cacao nibs), drizzle of maple syrup and coconut cream (or almond milk).
• Berries and Cream: Top oatmeal with raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries with a sprinkle of cardamom or cinnamon, and drizzle with coconut cream (or plant milk) and maple syrup.
• Peanut Butter & Jelly: Another protein rich oatmeal with 2 – 3 tablespoons of your favorite Almond Butter and Berry Chia Jam or Blueberry Compote with a drizzle of pure maple syrup and coconut cream or plant milk.
• Cherry, Chocolate & Coconut: Serve with dried cherries, mini chocolate chips (or cacao nibs), toasted or shredded coconut, and drizzle of maple syrup and coconut cream.

If you have a favorite combo, I’d love to hear what your favorite oatmeal toppings are. Have fun coming up with your own personal oatmeal combinations!

Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions

• Gluten-Free: For gluten-free oatmeal, make sure the oats are labeled gluten-free, meaning they are processed in a facility that does not also process foods containing gluten.
• Low-Fat: For healthy low-fat oatmeal, skip the nuts and seeds, or limit them to 1 tablespoon. Skip shredded coconut. Also, use plant milk instead of any type of cream.
• Low-Sugar: To keep your bowl of oatmeal low sugar, use low sugar fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries. Stick with using unsweetened dried fruit. Limit maple syrup to 1 tablespoon. You may want to be sure to add vanilla and spices for added flavor.
• Nut-Free: Use seeds only, such as pepitas, chia seed, or hemp seeds.

How To Store + Reheat

• Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days. For easy grab and go meals, mason jars are perfect.
• Freezer: Healthy oatmeal is freezer friendly and can be stored for up to 2 – 3 months in the freezer. To freeze, let cool completely and transfer to multi-use freezer safe containers or ziplock bags. Let thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
• Reheat: Reheat oatmeal on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of non-dairy milk or water, until warmed through. Alternatively, warm in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warmed through.

More Healthy Breakfast Recipes

• Simple Tofu Scramble
• Crispy Breakfast Potatoes
• Chickpea + Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
• Mini Chickpea Flour Frittatas
• Vegan Pancakes

If you try this healthy oatmeal recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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Updated: Healthy Oatmeal was originally published in November 2014. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in October 2020. This recipe has been changed, see the original here: Everyday Oatmeal

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