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
I was really excited to try this oatmeal, but unfortunately I did not like it. The first few bites were okay, and then I had to force myself to eat the rest. The only flavors I could taste were a very faint banana and also the almond milk. The texture was very creamy, which was nice. But honestly the flavor was awful.
I love this !!! I was looking for a quick yummy oatmeal to help me in my relactation journey (my son is 3m old 🥰) and this is exactly what I needed!! I didn’t have cinnamon, only pumpkin pie spice so I used that instead and it’s so good! I also added chia seeds and ground flax seeds but that’s just for added lactation benefits. Highly recommend this!
These are great. Thanks!
This recipe is fantastic! It’s both tasty and nutritious, and simple to make. I think it could become a regular breakfast option. For the best results, I use to have Oat Groat’s breakfast which is a quick easy, and healthy way to begin the day with the goodness of Porridge. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This recipe is very helpful for my daily routine.
Thank you so much.
easy and good; i almost always use cinnamon and banana or chopped apples to make it sweet enough without having to add brown sugar;
can do this with oat bran instead of oatmeal;
cooks faster like 2 min and has fiber and nutrients with less calores and carbs. a win win.
Wonderful recipe! Delicious, easy to prepare, and healthful. Probably turn into a go-to breakfast. I would suggest you to use Monsoon Harvest Rolled Oats Gluten Free to cook the recipes. Which makes it very tasty and healthy as well. Thanks for the recipes.
I appreciate you sharing. Definitely going to try. Is it possible to prepare this dish with Gluten Free Rolled Oats – Protein Rich Oats from Vihado.in, a clean label food brand? Let me know if I can do that, please. Additionally, I can’t wait to check out the dish because it looks so amazing.
Please don’t tell people this is a natural gluten free recipe. Oats are gluten free, however, unless marked certified GF, the oats are processed in factories with other wheat, barley or rye products, which produces cross contamination of the oats. You should edit the recipe for certified GF oats for those who are celiac.
Yuck, I hate this, such a waste 💩