Healthy Oatmeal (Easy + Vegan)

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!

Why We Love This Recipe!

Today I am sharing my favorite go-to healthy oatmeal that’s both quick and super easy to customize with various toppings! Plus, it’s 100% vegan using whole food plant-based ingredients!

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

Oatmeal is great all year long, but we love it, especially during the fall and winter. It’s warm, filling, and supplies good carbohydrates to keep me going for a good part of the day.

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

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

Vegan Oatmeal Ingredients

In this recipe, heart-healthy oats are cooked, then topped with various healthy toppings for an easy and customizable oatmeal you will never get tired of.

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

• Oats – Use old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. Steel-cut oats take longer to cook, so that 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 over the top of 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, containing healthy manganese and zinc. Feel free to use coconut sugar, organic pure cane brown sugar, date sugar, or coconut nectar.
• Milk + Cream: This oatmeal is made vegan by using unsweetened almond milk, but any non-dairy milk will do. For decadence, coconut cream or homemade vegan cream is amazing!
• Fruit: I usually always add some sort of fruit, whether fresh or dry. Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are low in sugar, making them a healthy option. 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 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 3 ½ cups of water (or double the amounts) in the bowl insert, 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 Flavor Variations

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

• Strawberries and Cream: Top oatmeal with fresh sliced strawberries, coconut cream or Vegan Cream, pure maple syrup, and a sprinkle of cardamom. It’s so simple, yet utterly decadent!
• Blueberry, Pecan & Applesauce: Top with fresh blueberries, pecans, Unsweetened Applesauce, a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and coconut cream or almond milk.
• Peanut Butter, Banana + Chocolate Chips: For healthy, protein-rich oatmeal, serve with 2 – 3 tablespoons of Almond Butter over the top with sliced banana, a sprinkle of chocolate chips (or cacao nibs), a drizzle of maple syrup, and coconut cream (or almond milk).
• Berries and Cream: Top oatmeal with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries. Sprinkle with cardamom or cinnamon, drizzle with coconut cream (or plant milk), and maple syrup.
• Peanut Butter & Jelly: This another protein-rich oatmeal using 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 a 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 Oatmeal: Make sure the oats are labeled as certified gluten-free, meaning they are processed in a facility that does not process foods containing gluten.
• Low-Fat Oatmeal: Skip the nuts and seeds, or limit them to 1 tablespoon. Skip shredded coconut, and use plant milk instead of any cream.
• Low-Sugar Oatmeal: Use low sugar fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries. Stick with unsweetened dried fruit. Limit maple syrup to 1 tablespoon. You can add vanilla extract and spices for added flavor.
• Nut-Free Oatmeal: 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: Cooked 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 oats 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: This recipe 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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