Easy Oatmeal Recipe (+ Best Oatmeal Recipes)

4.50 from 34 votes
Jump to RecipeEmail Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This is our go-to oats recipe. It’s so fluffy and perfectly smooth and creamy. For this healthy oatmeal recipe, you make it on the stove and need rolled oats, milk, and banana. We use this very recipe as the base recipe to so many other flavor variations here on Fit Foodie Finds. If you can make this version, you can make about 100 more flavors!

Scroll down for our best healthy oatmeal recipes to inspire you to start your day off right with the perfect bowl of oats!

An oatmeal recipe featuring bananas, blueberries, and walnuts.
email me this recipe
Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

This is our go-to oatmeal recipe on Fit Foodie Finds. So many readers have made this recipe and loved it so much and we hope you do too.

I became obsessed with oatmeal in college (hello 2008) and haven’t looked back since. While cooking oatmeal in the microwave is quick and easy, this stovetop oatmeal recipe is my go-to when I want a perfectly sweetened, fluffy bowl of oats.

The rundown: Simply combine rolled oats, milk, mashed banana, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt on the stovetop. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low and let simmer for 3-5 minutes or until thickened.

“Loved this recipe! Tasted delicious, simple to make and healthy. Likely to become a go-to breakfast. Added some blueberries on top making it even better. 🙂” – Kari

What You Need for this Oats Recipe

  • Rolled oats: we used rolled oats, but you can also use quick-cooking.
  • Almond milk: feel free to use any kind of milk.
  • Banana: we used mashed banana as an all-natural sweetener.
  • Flavors: we added a little vanilla, cinnamon, and salt
Oatmeal recipes featuring a tasty blend of oats, cooked to perfection in a pan and stirred with a wooden spoon.

Easy Oatmeal Flavor Variations

Below are some easy oatmeal recipe flavor variations. Just add the ingredients into our base recipe.

  • Apple cinnamon: 1/3 cup grated apple
  • Protein: 2 tablespoons protein powder
  • Pumpkin:1/4 cup pumpkin puree and replace the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice
  • Peanut butter: 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Do you make oatmeal with milk or water?

We prefer to make oatmeal with milk, but any kind of liquid will work! Milk adds a creamy flavor and texture, which is why we prefer it.

What is better, rolled oats or quick oats?

You can actually use either or in this recipe! We prefer rolled oats because you get more of a “bite,” but quick oats cook faster.

oatmeal recipe

More healthy Oatmeal Recipes

On Fit Foodie Finds we have upwards of 60 oatmeal recipes and we can’t wait for you to make them all. For starters, check out some of our top posts

4.50 from 34 votes

5-Minute Healthy Oatmeal Recipe

With just 5 simple ingredients you can make the most delicious oats recipe. This oatmeal recipe is a staple in my home and I often add other flavors and add-ins to make it even more delicious. PS: it's refined sugar-free and naturally gluten-free!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
email me this recipe
Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan and turn heat to medium/high.
  • Bring to a boil. Then, turn the heat down to low/medium and continually stir for around 3-5 minutes as the oatmeal cooks and thickens.
  • Once oatmeal is at the desired consistency, remove from heat, and serve immediately.

Watch It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”plXkYaqo” upload-date=”2020-07-31T00:27:21.000Z” name=”Best Oatmeal Recipe” description=”With just 5 simple ingredients you can make the most delicious stove-top oatmeal recipe on the planet. This oatmeal recipe is a staple in my home and I often add other flavors and add-ins to make it even more delicious. PS: it’s refined sugar-free and naturally gluten-free!”]

Nutrition

Calories: 238 kcal, Carbohydrates: 43 g, Protein: 7 g, Fat: 6 g, Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 9 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

love this? leave a comment below!

Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag #fitfoodiefinds, we’d love to see what you’re up to!

50 best oatmeal recipes

If you didn’t like that oatmeal recipe above, we’ve got a lot more inspiration where that came from! Now check out all of our best oatmeal recipes that will turn you into an absolute oatmeal lover…if you aren’t already there 😉

This list of healthy oatmeal recipes brings you all the oatmeal flavor combos you could ever imagine.

Stovetop Oatmeal Recipes

Stovetop oatmeal recipes take a little extra effort, but they make your oatmeal extra fluffy and delicious. Check out some of the best stovetop oatmeal recipes on the internet below!

stovetop oatmeal recipes

Overnight Oatmeal Recipes

Overnight oats are an easy way to meal-prep your breakfast for the week. You only need a few staple ingredients and then different add-ons to make a breakfast that tastes like dessert, but that’s actually healthy!

overnight oatmeal recipes

Baked Oatmeal Recipes

Oatmeal doesn’t have to be boring! Make one of these amazing baked oatmeal recipes for a crowd-pleasing breakfast.

baked oatmeal recipe

Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipes

Throw all of your ingredients for one of these slow cooker oatmeal recipes into your crock-pot and you’ve got a healthy breakfast recipe waiting to be eaten.

slow cooker oatmeal recipes

Similar Recipes:

About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

4.5 26 votes
Recipe Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
Recipe Rating




Recipe Rating

115 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Katie @ Veggie and the Beast
October 29, 2015 11:48 am

After eating oats almost every morning for 5 years straight I’ve had to take a breather for the past year or so, but just this week I’ve started up again. Love all these ideas!

And great job opening up about the breakup – I know that can’t be easy to share. So glad you’re doing well and loving life!

Laura
Laura
October 29, 2015 11:15 am

All the power to ya! Breakups are HARD AF. After going through my latest break up, I hated hearing all you need is time, but like you said it really is all that works! This is definitely the time to DO YOU,

Oh and i LOVE oatmeal and eat overnight oats every morning (seriously, its been 3 years and still going strong) so I’m pumped to make ALL of these!

Mary @ The Kitchen Paper
October 29, 2015 10:30 am

Oy – having also recently gone through a breakup (and then having to figure out how/if to share it on the blog), I feel ya! Glad you’re making the best of it, and healing up!

Also: SO MANY DELICIOUS OATMEALS! Thanks for the great roundup! xo

Anja Skrba
Anja Skrba
October 29, 2015 10:18 am

OMG! … (heavy breathing) …

Best. Post. Ever.

Anja Skrba
Anja Skrba
October 29, 2015 10:56 am
Reply to  Lee Funke

F course not! ;D

It’s for all these oatmeal recipes I want to try out , like, right now! Don’t care if I turn myself into an oatmeal at the end! lol

xx
Anja

Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog
October 29, 2015 9:51 am

Definitely dropped the f-bomb in my head when I read you were quitting your blog. So glad that’s not the case and even happier that you’ve found happiness. Thanks for including my black forest overnight oats in this incredible round-up!

Davida @ The Healthy Maven
October 29, 2015 9:16 am

LOVE YOU OOOOOODLES. So proud of you <3 -the mave

Natalie @ A Fit Philosophy
October 29, 2015 8:46 am

Breakups suck big cohones, but your friends and family were totally right! TIME heals everything, although when you’re going through something like that each day seems like freaking eternity! Good news is you freaking rock and you’ll be just fine! This is totally YOUR time now! Time for you to focus on you! 🙂 P.S. Awesome recipe round-up, as per usual 🙂

Julie @ Table for Two
October 29, 2015 6:35 am

I’m so glad you posted this round-up because I’m trying to incorporate oatmeal more into my mornings but I’m always stumped what to do with them. They’re a blank slate but I never think outside the box! Thank you for this!! 🙂 ALSO – I’m SOOO glad you’re healing and took the time to do so. I remember talking to you in the beginning and I knew you would be ok with time and enjoying life. You’re so independent and you’re a lot of fun! You deserve it all and I’m so happy for you that you’re happy 🙂 xoxo

lindsay
October 29, 2015 6:25 am

i was going to ask but didn’t want to invade any privacy. So glad you are happy now! that’s what you deserve. Mwah!

lindsay
October 29, 2015 7:09 am
Reply to  Lee Funke

haha, fine! yes, now I will pry into all your life. YOU”VE BEEN WARNED! 😉

Kristina
October 29, 2015 5:47 am

Wow, eventhough I knew it was impossible, I had a little heart attack when I read that “you’re quitting your blog”. I think a person needs to be really brave to present it’s heart on a silver plater (as we say it). It’s so nice to hear you’re ‘healing’ and enjoying life.

1 2 3 9