Welcome to a complete information to oatmeal! If you happen to’ve ever puzzled tips on how to make oatmeal, you’re in the suitable place.
To get straight to the purpose –> the best and most foolproof technique to make oatmeal is on the stovetop. The ratio is 1 cup liquid to 2 cups rolled oats. Merely deliver it to a boil over excessive warmth after which scale back to low and let simmer for 3-5 minutes till thick.
9 days out of 10, I’m making oatmeal for breakfast. Some could name it an addition, however I name it a way of life 😛 Oatmeal is a fast and simple, 100% entire grain breakfast. You can also make one serving or meal-prep it for the week. You can also make it as fundamental as you need, or add flavors equivalent to nut butter or banana to make it style like dessert!
I’m a fundamental oatmeal queen and often use the microwave within the morning, but when I’ve the time, you possibly can’t go mistaken with stovetop oatmeal — thick, fluffy, and completely cooked.
Now we have examined each technique of constructing oatmeal together with all of the various kinds of oats to provide the greatest ratio of liquid to oats and cooking directions. This submit is extraordinarily thorough, so in the event you’d like our go-to stovetop oatmeal recipe, jump to the recipe card here!
Kinds of Oatmeal We Examined
We performed round with 3 completely different variations of oatmeal oatmeal as a result of there may be all the time a time and a spot for each.
- Steel-cut oats are basically entire oat groats reduce into 3 or 4 items to create smaller oat groats. Metal-cut oats are additionally known as Irish or Scottish Oats. They really feel like thick items of rice when raw and their cooked texture has a chewy chew to it. A typical bowl of stovetop steel-cut oats can take round 40 minutes to prepare dinner as a result of it’s much less processed than rolled or quick-cooking oats.
- Quick-cooking oats or “Prompt Oats,” are probably the most processed byproduct of the oat groat, however take the least period of time to arrange. Primarily fast oats are simply rolled oats which have been chopped into smaller items in order that they prepare dinner quicker. When cooked, they’ve a creamy texture and may be cooked as quick as 2 minutes within the microwave.
- Rolled oats are one other by-product of the oat groat. They’re steamed after which rolled to provide a skinny, flat, rolled oat. Rolled oats are additionally known as old style oats. Such a oatmeal cooks a lot quicker than steel-cut oats and is definitely discovered at just about each grocery store in America.

Totally different Oatmeal Cooking Strategies We Examined
There are lots of alternative ways to arrange oatmeal. From the stovetop to the microwave to the Prompt Pot, we’re going to show you tips on how to prepare dinner oatmeal in each method attainable!
- Range-High
- Gradual Cooker
- In a single day
- Prompt Pot
- Microwave

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Stovetop Oatmeal
Trying to learn to prepare dinner oatmeal on the range? If you happen to’ve obtained the time, stovetop oatmeal is the easiest way to get fluffiest oats on the earth. Since you continually have to combine stovetop oatmeal, the end result is ethereal, fluffy oatmeal that everybody will love.
Excellent news, you possibly can simply make quick-cooking oats, rolled oats, and steel-cut oats on the range. Maintain studying to search out the usual ratio of oats to liquid.
Recipe utilized in pictures: Banana Bread Stove-Top Oats.
Stovetop Metal-Lower
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 3 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup steel-cut oats and three cups liquid right into a medium pot. Deliver to a boil over excessive warmth whereas constantly stirring. Then, scale back warmth to low and let simmer, uncovered, for 20-Half-hour, stirring every now and then. Prepare dinner till steel-cut oats are thick and creamy.
Stovetop Rolled Oats
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup rolled oats and a couple of cups liquid right into a medium pot. Deliver to a boil over excessive warmth whereas constantly stirring. Then, scale back warmth to low and proceed to stir for round 3-5 minutes, or till oats have thickened.
Stovetop Fast-Cooking
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 2 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup quick-cooking oats and a couple of cups liquid right into a medium pot. Deliver to a boil over excessive warmth and constantly stir for 1-2 minutes or till oats have thickened.

Gradual Cooker Oatmeal
Slow cooker oatmeal is one among my favourite methods to prepare dinner steel-cut oats as a result of it’s very hands-off and simple to make. Add your steel-cut oats and liquid to the sluggish cooker, give it a combination, flip it on and in only a few hours you’ll have a hearty breakfast able to go!
Whereas you may make each immediate oatmeal and rolled oatmeal within the sluggish cooker, we solely suggest cooking metal reduce oats due to the quantity of labor it eliminates within the cooking course of.
Recipe utilized in pictures: Crockpot Maple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats.
Gradual Cooker Metal-Lower Oatmeal
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 4 cups liquid
Directions: First, spray the sluggish cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Then, place 1 cup steel-cup oats and 4 cups liquid into the sluggish cooker and blend. Cowl and prepare dinner for 4 hours on excessive or 8 hours on low. If attainable, stir steel-cut oatmeal each hour or so to forestall sticking. Take away from sluggish cooker as soon as thickened.
Gradual Cooker Oatmeal Recipes

In a single day Oats
Overnight oats are a enjoyable twist on traditional oatmeal. Soak your oatmeal for not less than 2 hours or in a single day with milk and chia seeds and also you’ve obtained your self a chewy, wholesome breakfast possibility!
We love in a single day oats as a result of they’re served chilled as an alternative of sizzling and we suggest all the time utilizing chia seeds throughout this course of in order that they get good and fluffy! Excellent news, you need to use all 3 sorts of oats for in a single day oats. Maintain studying to find out how.
Recipe utilized in pictures: Classic Vegan Overnight Oats.
In a single day Metal-Lower Oatmeal (or quick-cooking steel-cut)
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup steel-cut oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1.5 cups liquid right into a glass container and blend. Place within the microwave and prepare dinner on excessive for 1 minute. Combine once more. Then, cowl and place within the fridge for not less than 2 hours or in a single day.
In a single day Rolled Oats
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1.5 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup rolled oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1.5 cups liquid right into a glass container and blend. Cowl and place within the fridge for not less than 2 hours or in a single day.
In a single day Fast Cooking
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1.5 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup quick-cooking oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1.5 cups liquid right into a glass container and blend. Cowl and place within the fridge for not less than 2 hours or in a single day.

Prompt Pot Oatmeal
Instant Pot steel-cut oatmeal and Instant Pot oatmeal are an effective way to chop the cooking time down, whereas nonetheless getting that chewy scrumptious texture you get from the stovetop or sluggish cooker.
Whereas you may make quick-cooking oatmeal within the Prompt Pot, we solely suggest cooking metal reduce oats and rolled oats due to the quantity of labor it eliminates within the cooking course of.
Recipe utilized in pictures: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats.
Prompt Pot Metal Lower Oats
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 3 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup steel-cut oats and three cups liquid into Prompt Pot and blend. Shut Prompt Pot and switch the valve to seal. Set Prompt Pot to excessive stress for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, fast launch by opening the valve to vent. Combine steel-cut oats and serve.
Prompt Pot Rolled Oatmeal
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup rolled oats and a couple of cups of liquid into the Prompt pot and blend. Shut the Prompt Pot and switch the valve to seal. Set the Prompt Pot to excessive stress for 3 minutes. When the timer goes off, fast launch by opening the valve to vent. Combine oatmeal and serve.

Microwave Oatmeal
Solely have a few minutes for breakfast? Make both rolled oats or quick-cooking oats within the microwave in beneath 2 minutes!
Recipe utilized in pictures: Cookie Dough Microwave Oatmeal.
Microwave Rolled Oats
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 and 1/3 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup rolled oats and 1.33 cups liquid right into a microwave-safe bowl. Then, microwave on excessive for 1 minute. Take away from microwave and stir. Place again into the microwave for one more 1 minute on excessive.
Microwave Fast-Cooking
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 and 1/3 cups liquid
Directions: Place 1 cup quick-cooking oats and 1.33 cups liquid right into a microwave-safe bowl. Then, microwave on excessive for 1 minute. Take away and stir.
How you can Serve Oatmeal
Oatmeal doesn’t should be bland and boring. That’s the place add-ins and toppings are available!
All-Pure Sweeteners
We love utilizing all-natural sweeteners in our oatmeal over refined sugars not solely as a result of it’s higher for you, nevertheless it simply tastes higher! Actually, is there something higher than the candy and savory style of maple syrup? Listed below are a few of our favourite approach to sweeten oatmeal utilizing all-natural sweeteners.
- Mashed banana
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Coconut sugar
Toppings & Combine-Ins
We’re all in regards to the toppings and mix-ins as a result of it offers your oatmeal texture and a further taste profile. From pureed fruits and veggies to nuts and seeds, there are such a lot of alternative ways to “boost” your oatmeal!
- Recent fruit
- Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and many others.)
- Seeds
- Brown sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and many others.)
- Nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, and many others.)
- Extracts
- Chocolate chips
- Nuts (pecans, walnuts, peanuts, and many others.)
- Coconut flakes
- Protein powder
- Dried fruit
Diet & Well being Advantages of Oatmeal
Are you questioning…is oatmeal good for you? Is oatmeal wholesome? The fast reply is YES! On this part, we’re going to look at why oatmeal is wholesome and what sort of diet you get from a single serving of oats.
Oatmeal Diet
Whether or not you’re a steel-cut lady or a quick-cooking oats form of lady, all 3 sorts of oatmeal have related well being advantages.
- Energy: Oatmeal is a nutritionally dense entire grain, however decrease in energy in comparison with many different grains. Per 1/2 cup of raw rolled oatmeal, there may be solely 150 energy in comparison with 1/2 cup raw white rice the place there may be 360 energy.
- Sugar: Oatmeal is low in sugar with simply 1g sugar per serving.
- Protein: Per serving, rolled oats have 5g protein which is a superb quantity of protein to start out your morning off!
- Fiber: Certainly one of oatmeal’s greatest attributes is its fiber content material. Per serving you get 4g of fiber, which actually helps preserve your physique regulated.
- Energy: Oatmeal is a nutritionally dense entire grain, however decrease in energy in comparison with many different grains. Per 1/2 cup of raw rolled oatmeal, there may be solely 150 energy in comparison with 1/2 cup raw white rice the place there may be 360 energy.
- Sugar: Oatmeal is low in sugar with simply 1g sugar per serving.
- Protein: Per serving, rolled oats have 5g protein which is a superb quantity of protein to start out your morning off!
- Fiber: Certainly one of oatmeal’s greatest attributes is its fiber content material. Per serving you get 4g of fiber.
Your Q’s Answered
Is oatmeal gluten-free?
Oatmeal is simply gluten-free if the product is licensed gluten-free that means that it was produced in a 100% gluten-free facility. Whereas oats are naturally gluten-free, oftentimes grains can get cross-contaminated exterior within the fields or within factories with different non-gluten-free grains.
Is oatmeal wholesome?
Oatmeal is wholesome as a result of it’s a 100% entire grain, excessive in fiber, low in sugar, and has a wonderful quantity of protein in it.
What’s the distinction between oats and oatmeal?
Oats and oatmeal are the identical precise factor! Simply ensure you know what sort of oats you’re making an attempt to purchase equivalent to steel-cut, rolled, or quick-cooking.
How do you make oatmeal style good?
You can also make oatmeal style good by including completely different sweeteners, equivalent to maple syrup or honey, fruit, nuts, nut butter, seeds, spices, and many others.
Which sort of oatmeal is healthiest?
All three sorts of oatmeal are wholesome and have related diet profiles. Nonetheless, if we have been to counsel which one is the healthiest, we’d say steel-cut oatmeal attributable to the truth that it’s the least processed.
How do I determine what kind of liquid to make use of in my oatmeal?
Unsweetened almond milk is our go-to for oatmeal, however you need to use any kind of milk you’d like! Whether or not cashew milk, dairy milk, or oat milk is your go-to, any of those will work simply nice. Or, in the event you don’t tolerate non-dairy or dairy milks, subbing equal components water to your liquid additionally works, however will end in a much less creamy oatmeal.
Widespread Taste Combos
By no means get sick of oatmeal for breakfast with these scrumptious oatmeal taste mixtures that you’ll completely love!
Extra Wholesome Oatmeal Recipes
In search of extra wholesome oatmeal recipes? Try a few of our different fashionable posts about oatmeal beneath.
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