Easy Oatmeal Recipe (+ Best Oatmeal Recipes)
Published 11/9/2023 • Updated 6/17/2024
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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!
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.
Featured Comment
“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
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.
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
5-Minute Healthy Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk, any kind of milk works
- 1 medium banana, mashed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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!
- Fluffy Banana Bread Stove Top Oats
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Oatmeal
- Superfood Oatmeal Bowl
- Srawberries and Cream Oatmeal
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!
- Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
- Coconut Latte Overnight Oats
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oats
- Birthday Cake Batter Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Chia Overnight Oats
- Espresso Overnight Oats
- Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats
- Brownie Batter Swirl Overnight Oats
- Maple French Toast Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Cover Strawberry Overnight Oats
- Vegan Chocolate Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
Baked Oatmeal Recipes
Oatmeal doesn’t have to be boring! Make one of these amazing baked oatmeal recipes for a crowd-pleasing breakfast.
- Dark Chocolate Berry Oatmeal Bake
- Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Bake
- Apple Chai Oatmeal Cups
- Best Baked Oatmeal
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.
- Crock-Pot Samoa Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Crock Pot Maple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Pie Slow Cooker Oatmeal
- 10-Minute Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
- Instant Pot Oatmeal
Very detailed recipes and I just started to eat oats almost 6 months ago.
I make oats paratha for breakfast by adding vegetables in the dough, which is very tasty and healthy as well.
Thanks for so many recipes.
Thank you for sharing. Will definitely try. Can I use Gluten Free Rolled Oats – Protein Rich Oats from True Elements – a clean label food brand Gluten Free Rolled Oats – Protein Rich Oats for preparing this recipe? Please let me know if I can do that? Also the recipe looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try this out !! YAYY !
Burner cereal plans require some additional work, however they make your oats extra soft and delectable. Look at probably the best burner oats plans on the web beneath!
For oatmeal with palatable texture, DO NOT STIR CONTINOUSLY on the stovetop. Just a quick swirl when you add the oats to make sure they are all free to swim and then leave it alone until the timer goes off. Stirring releases the oat starch into the water and makes a slimy mess. Eww. This simple change will make a world of difference in the texture of your rolled oats. Also, Snoqualmie Falls brand rolled oats are superior (no compensation) and have outstanding texture, though they are pricey.
Oats are NOT naturally gluten-free. I’m a celiac disease patient that needs to eat gluten-free and the ingredients that get contaminated with gluten are endless. Oats are grown on the same plot of land that barley is grown. Barley contains gluten. Please donco’t nfuse the celiac audience with the false info
I feel it is a bit unfair to say the author is wrong and trying to confuse the celiac audience with false info. The keyword used is “naturally”. Cross contamination is NOT natural. It is the responsibility of consumers to read labels and warnings which will state any information about the processing facility or other situations that would cause said contamination.
Great post except for your unnecessary use of nasty words, are they really necessary?
Lol what nasty words? Poop?? Grow up lol!!
Bland. Tasted like hospital food. I’m trying to convince myself to eat oatmeal more often for breakfast and this was not the recipe to do it.
How long can I store it?
Amazing ! it is great for people who work or study.
I did the first recipe. The instructions and everything was perfect. I juts thought it tasted too plain. Maybe because i’m not used to eating anything plain. Overall I just didn’t like the finished product.
It looked and smelled great though! Great for insta!
Same for me. Somehow even the banana seemed to lose it it’s flavor. It was a bowl of warm flavorless mush 🙁