This story is part of the 2018 Feel Good Food Plan, our two-week mind-body-belly plan for starting the year off right.
Oatmeal is one of the great “healthy” breakfasts for good reason: It’s cheap, quick, and full of the nutrients you need to start the day off right. Unfortunately, oatmeal can also be super underwhelming. Nobody wants to eat the same thing every day, especially when it’s a bowl of sorta-gluey beige mush. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right choice in cooking liquid, plenty of toppings, and a bit of technique, oatmeal can be straight-up dreamy. Here are some of the BA staff’s favorite ways to make oatmeal live up to its fullest, most delicious, potential.
Soak your oats—even if it’s just on your way to work. Soaked oats cook faster and won’t boil over in the microwave as quickly.
Use an unexpected, savory cooking liquid like chicken stock, vegan broth or dashi for a warming, umami-packed breakfast.
Drizzle some of your morning chai into the oats (or use a premixed concentrate like Dona Chai) for nuanced, aromatic oats. Or, replace your usual cooking liquid with herbal tea for a perfumed flavor.
Add other grains like millet, amaranth, and buckwheat for textural interest.
Alex Lau
Pair oats with roasted squash, sweet potatoes, puréed pumpkin, or homemade applesauce for an extra creamy punch.
Add a spoonful of ghee for a beautifully rich and grassy flavor. Bonus: ghee’s good-for-you-fats will keep you full until lunch.
Drizzle date syrup, agave nectar, or buckwheat honey for a more nuanced sweetness than straight-up sugar.
Cook oats with fresh fruit like blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries for added texture, flavor, and plenty of beautiful color.
Kimberley Hasselbrink
The right ratios (and plenty of delicious toppings) make overnight oats exciting—and the ultimate no-brainer breakfast.
Mix yogurt into stovetop oats for extra creaminess. Any yogurt in your fridge will do, but we’re partial to this super-probiotic coconut yogurt.
Don’t forget salt. It’s the difference between toothsome oats and a bowl of paste. Just ask Ina Garten.
Add miso to oats or braised greens for an extra savory flavor. Top it off with crumbled nori, dukkah, or furikake.
Alex Lau
Stash frozen fruit in your freezer. You’ll always be able to have fruit in your oatmeal, even if you haven’t made it to the grocery store. Add them to the mixture straight away—they’ll defrost by the time the oatmeal is ready and infuse the oats with their juice.
Sprinkle in homemade granola. Double the oats, double the texture and flavor.
Add vegetables. Grated carrots have a natural sweetness, and make a beautiful bowl of carrot cake oatmeal. Beets work well, too.
Alex Lau
Treat oatmeal like any other grain and use it to build a satisfying grain bowl. Eggs, braised greens, mushroom crisps, and feta are all great additions.
Add some shakes of everything spice and a teaspoon of cream cheese for oatmeal that tastes like a bagel. Smoked salmon, avocado, and a soft-boiled egg take it to the next level.
Dried fruit like mulberries, goji berries, jujube, and dates lend chewy texture in addition to fruity flavor.
Top with nuts and seeds for an extra crunchy, extra hearty bowl of oats. We like hemp seeds, toasted sesame seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, and toasted coconut.
Alex Lau
Overnight oats don’t have to be eaten cold. Make your overnight oats with water or milk, then warm them in the stove or microwave the next morning.
Stir in an egg white or two. You won’t taste the egg, but they’ll add protein and make the oats big and fluffy. Save the yolks for aioli!
Instead of using sugar, boil your water with chopped dates, apricots, or diced apple for sweetness before adding the oats.
Stir in spices like cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, nutmeg, or even Ras al Hanout.
Alex Lau
Add a broken poached egg. The runny yolk will infuse the oats with rich, eggy goodness.
When in doubt, add nut butters for creaminess, sweetness, and plenty of good protein. We like crunchy peanut butter for added texture, almond butter, cashew butter, and even tahini.
Throw a chopped banana and a smudge of vanilla paste into stovetop oats for creamy, delicious, banana bread oatmeal.
Alex Lau
- Try any of these topping combinations:
Tamari + Toasted Sesame Oil + Chopped Scallion
Use this sesame oil. Just trust us.
Chopped Pistachios + Dates + Flaky Salt
Go easy on the dates—they’re sweeter than you’d think.
Sautéed Apples + Cinnamon Butter + Toasted Walnuts
To make cinnamon butter, just mix in ¼ cup room-temperature butter, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch salt, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup.
Shaved White Chocolate + Macadamia Nuts + Dried Cranberries
Go easy on the white chocolate. Or don’t!
Maple Syrup + Fried Egg
Decidedly not for those averse to mixing savory and sweet—but totally delicious.
Pumpkin Purée + Curry Paste
Start your morning with a kick.
Coconut Milk + Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Double the coconut, double the fun, right? Be sure to shake the milk before opening it—the cream and water naturally separate.
Sriracha + Fried Garlic
Just don’t forget to brush your teeth afterwards.
Brown Sugar + Toasted Hazelnuts + Sliced Strawberries
Toss the strawberries in sugar and let them sit for a few minutes before adding to the oats.
Ground Cinnamon + Ground Nutmeg + Cashew Butter
Frankly, this is also good without the oats.
Molasses + Candied Ginger
Go easy on the molasses—it’s strong stuff.
Lemon Zest + Butter + Grated Parmesan
If it’s good on pasta, it’s good on oatmeal.
Pomegranate Molasses + Feta
A little tangy, a little salty, a little sweet. The heat of the oatmeal will partially melt the feta—which is a very good thing.
Crumbled Sausage Patty + Toasted Fennel Seeds + Sautéed Onion
Crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder if you have the time. Skip this step if you’re lazy.
Ricotta Cheese + Pumpkinseed Oil + 1-2 Sliced Dried Figs
Pumpkinseed oil has a low smoke point, which makes it ideal for drizzling, not cooking.
