How To Make Creamy Oatmeal • Kath Eats

Since the beginning of the (blog) era, I’ve been making the perfect bowl of oatmeal. Here are some tips on how to make creamy oats that aren’t gummy or dry.

Nobody likes gummy oatmeal.

Back in the days when I ate oatmeal all the time, I would mention it in conversation and some people would say “ewwww oatmeal.” The associations of it were generally of cooking rolled oats added to boiling water that were gummy, watery and/or dry. “This is not that!” I would say. My whipped banana oatmeal recipe is anything but gummy or dry. Don’t let a package of instant oatmeal prepared with warm water at a hotel put you off food!

I have always made oatmeal with milk, heated it slowly while stirring gently over medium heat and added very thinly sliced ​​super ripe bananas. Bananas not only serve for flavor but also for texture. In fact, when I was doing my dietetics studies, I did a research project to demonstrate the effects that milk, bananas, and stirring had on the final consistency of the bowl of oatmeal. (Spoiler alert: all three make it creamier!)

How to make creamy oatmeal

What type of oats is best for creamy oats?

I’m partial to old-fashioned rolled oats because of their balance of cooking time and texture to produce a very creamy bowl of oats! Steel cut oats are also great for this, but since they take longer to cook, I don’t tend to choose them as often.

What type of liquid is best for creamy oats?

I’ve always used a combination of half milk and half water which I found to be the perfect combination of flavor and creamy texture, but of course all milk works too. Try not to use just water unless necessary – the flavor is very mild! You can use dairy-free milk like coconut milk, soy milk, oat milk (!), or almond milk, but I typically use full-fat dairy milk for its staying power in protein and fat content.

What temperature is ideal for cooking oatmeal?

I have always used medium heat so as not to burn the milk! I also want the oats to be able to release their starches slowly without boiling off too much liquid, resulting in a drier product. I tend to put out the fire alone before The oats reach the desired consistency because they will continue to thicken slightly as they cool in the bowl.

What can I add to oatmeal to give it a sweet taste?

I’m leaning toward thinly sliced ​​ripe bananas in the recipe above! Bananas have the ability to emulsify things (i.e. smoothies) unlike any other fruit. This dramatically affects the creaminess of the final product. They also sweeten the oats naturally and provide a delicious flavor! Check out this post on Healthy Ways to Sweeten Oatmeal for more flavor ideas, including cinnamon, vanilla extract, brown sugar, dried fruit, maple syrup, coconut milk, and one of my favorite toppings, peanut butter.

Can you make creamy oats in bulk?

YEAH! You can make a big batch of oatmeal to reheat on busy mornings. Your oats will cool until they form a large block. When you’re ready to reheat, the key is to add a little milk to rehydrate and reheat in the microwave or on the stove. The more you stir when reheating, the creamier they will become.

My favorite oatmeal toppings

• Big wave
• nut butter
• Fresh fruit
• Dried fruit
• coconut flakes
• chia seeds
• Cereal
• Muffin
• PB&J
• crumbled anything
• anything crunchy

My favorite oatmeal ingredients to mix together

• Banana slices (to blend!)
• Chia seeds to thicken
• Pumpkin
• Curd
• greek yogurt
• Fruits of all kinds (dried like raisins or fresh like chopped pear)
• A pinch of salt (always!)

What is the healthiest type of oats?

This is a trick question! All types of oats are still just oats and they all have the same nutritional profile. The difference is in their surface and light processing, such as steaming them so they cook faster. I prefer old-fashioned rolled oats for their combination of texture and quick cooking time. All different varieties of oats have the same nutrition, but what varies is the surface area and cooking time.

• Steel cut oats: These are whole grain oats that have been cut only. They have a longer cooking time, close to 20 minutes, because they have the least surface area exposed to liquid and heat and therefore take longer to decompose. I’ve made steel cut oats in my rice cooker and Instant Pot so I can go hands-free! Check out this Spiced Chai Instant Oatmeal recipe.
• Old-fashioned oatmeal: These oats have been cut and flattened with a rolling pin so that their surface area is greater and that makes them cook faster!
• Quick oats or instant oats: These oats have been cut, rolled, and steamed, which in a way precooks them. Instant oatmeal gets a bad rap because you often see it in individual packets that come with a lot of sugar, but they’re not bad on their own! Look for low or sugar-free options.

More oatmeal variations:

This creamy oatmeal recipe combines rolled oats, milk and banana. The banana infuses the bowl with a natural sweetness and makes the oats incredibly creamy! This recipe serves one, but you can easily double or triple it and reheat it throughout the week too! Just add a splash of milk when you make it.

Ingredients

• ripe

Instructions

Step 1: Combine oats and liquid in a saucepan.

Start by combining rolled oats, water, and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Let warm up.

Step 2: Cut the banana into thin slices

Cut a banana into VERY fine pieces, leaving only a few larger pieces.

Step 3: When the oats are steaming, start stirring

Once it starts to steam or bubble, stir vigorously from time to time to “whisk” the banana into the oats. It will take about 5 minutes for the oats on medium heat from start to finish to completely absorb the liquid. They will be ready when they reach the desired consistency!

Step 4: Add Vanilla and Any Other Mixture

Add the vanilla (and often the pumpkin or cottage cheese) and pour it into the bowl.

Step 5: Add Ingredients

Add any toppings you like, like dollops of almond or peanut butter, walnuts, granola, coconut, crumbled granola bars or trail mixes, with dark chocolate chips! Or check out all the combos listed below.