• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Top Recipes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • 6 Ingredient Meals
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • By Course
      • Main Course
      • Side Dish
      • Dessert
      • Appetizer/Snack
      • More
    • By Diet
      • Gluten-free
      • Low-carb
      • Vegetarian
      • More
    • By Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Egg
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
      • More
    • By Cuisine
      • Cajun and Creole
      • Chinese
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Mexican
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • More
    • By Type
      • Burger
      • Cake
      • Cookie
      • Dip
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Salad
      • Sandwich
      • Soup
      • More
    • By Ingredient
      • Avocado
      • Bacon
      • Cauliflower
      • Mushroom
      • Pumpkin
      • Quinoa
      • Shrimp
      • Strawberry
      • More
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Oatmeal

[heart_this] · Jan 19, 2008 · 33 Comments

Oatmeal was one of my favorite breakfasts though I had not had it in a long time. I ate the instant oatmeal for breakfast pretty much every day throughout university but eventually I had had enough. I was taking a really long break from oatmeal until I came across this post about steel cut oatmeal. One of the reasons that I had continued to not eat oatmeal after university was that I knew that the instant oatmeals were not all that healthy. The steel cut oats with almost no processing promised to be pretty healthy so I had no excuse not to try them. I am glad that I did try the steel cut oatmeal as I enjoyed it and I have been eating fairly often since.

The first time that I cooked the steel cut oatmeal I followed the directions on the box. Simmer 1 cup of the steel cut oats in 4 cups of water for 30 minutes. The oatmeal came out perfectly. It was thicker that the instant oatmeal. I would describe it as “al dente”. It had a bit of bite and you could chew it. I really enjoyed the texture of the steel cut oatmeal. There was enough for 4 serving in the batch so I placed the other 3 servings into plastic containers and tossed them in the fridge. The next morning the oatmeal was almost solid when it came out of the fridge. I added a tablespoon of milk and put it in the microwave for a minute. I stirred the oatmeal and added another tablespoon of milk and put it back in the microwave for another minute. I stirred it and added another table spoon of milk and it was perfect. So if you cook a big batch of oatmeal one night it is super quick to reheat for breakfast.

I have a rice cooker with a timer and a porridge setting so I though I would try cooking the oatmeal in it. I placed 1/4 cup of the steel cut oats and 1 cup of warm water in the rice cooker and set it to porridge mode and set the timer the night before. When I woke up I could smell the oatmeal cooking and by the time I was ready for breakfast it was done cooking. I have to say that the rice cooker cooked the steel cut oatmeal perfectly.

Despite the fact that the steel cut oatmeal requires 30 minutes to cook there are two convenient ways to have it for breakfast even on a weekday.

Update: I tried toasting the steel cut oatmeal before cooking it and it turned out pretty good. When the oatmeal was cooking its nice aroma was stronger and nuttier. When it was done cooking it had a really nice flavour. I think that I will be toasting my steel cut oatmeal from now on.

Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

This was the first oatmeal that I tried as it was my favorite flavour in the instant oatmeals.

Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 serving oatmeal

Banana and Peanut Butter Oatmeal

This was my favorite one so far. The peanut butter and mashed bananas made this oatmeal was nice and creamy. The peanuts on top added a nice contrast in texture.

Banana and Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 banana (mashed)
1/2 banana sliced
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional depending on how sweet the banana is)
1 serving oatmeal
1 tablespoon peanuts for garnish

Strawberries with Sour Cream and Brown Sugar Oatmeal

I enjoy eating strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar and I though I would try adding those flavours to oatmeal.

Strawberries with Sour Cream and Brown Sugar Oatmeal

Ingredients:
2 strawberries (pureed)
2 strawberries (sliced)
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 serving oatmeal

Blueberry Oatmeal with Pecans and Maple Syrup

Blueberry Oatmeal with Pecans and Maple Syrup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon blueberries
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon pecans (chopped)
1 serving oatmeal

Apple Crisp Oatmeal

Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts and I thought that I would try making an oatmeal out of it. For this oatmeal I used the microwave cooking method so that the apples would get cooked in the microwave for two minutes and become just slightly tender but still firm.

Apple Crisp Oatmeal

Apple Crisp Oatmeal with Raisins

Apple Crisp Oatmeal with Cranberries

Ingredients:
1/2 apple cut into bite sized pieces
1 pinch cinnamon (optional)
1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
1 tablespoon dried cranberries (optional)
1 serving oatmeal

Pear Crisp Oatmeal

Once I had tried apple crisp oatmeal, pear crisp was not far behind.

Pear Crisp Oatmeal

Pear Crisp Oatmeal with Raisins

Pear Crisp Oatmeal with Cranberries

Ingredients:
1/2 pear cut into bite sized pieces
1 pinch cinnamon (optional)
1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
1 tablespoon dried cranberries (optional)
1 serving oatmeal

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal

When I saw this post about chocolate and peanut butter butter oatmeal I knew that I would have to try it. I decided to use nuttela as my source of chocolate. It turned out to be really good! It was nice and creamy and chocolaty and peanut buttery. Such a great combination of flavours.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon nutella
1/2 banana (mashed)
1/2 banana sliced
1 serving oatmeal

Chocolate and Banana Oatmeal

Having tried and enjoyed the chocolate and peanut butter oatmeal I though that I would try turning my favorite way to use nuttela into oatmeal. I like a nice and simple nuttela and banana sandwich. Nutella and bananas go really well together and the chocolate and banana oatmeal did not disappoint.

Chocolate and Banana Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon nutella
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 serving oatmeal
some peanuts for garnish
some hazelnuts for garnish

Banana and Cinnamon Oatmeal

Banana and Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 banana (mashed)
1/2 banana sliced
1 pinch cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional depending on how sweet the banana is)
1 serving oatmeal

Strawberry and Banana Oatmeal

Strawberry and Banana Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 banana (mashed)
1/2 banana sliced
2 strawberries (pureed)
2 strawberries (sliced)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional depending on how sweet the banana is)
1 serving oatmeal

Banana, Honey and Walnut Oatmeal

Banana, Honey and Walnut Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 banana (mashed)
1/2 banana sliced
1 tablespoon walnuts (chopped)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional depending on how sweet the banana is)
1 serving oatmeal

Strawberry and Cranberry Oatmeal

Strawberry and Cranberry Oatmeal

Ingredients:
2 strawberries (pureed)
2 strawberries (sliced)
1 handful cranberries
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 serving oatmeal

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 banana (mashed)
1/2 banana sliced
1 tablespoon nuts (chopped)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional depending on how sweet the banana is)
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 serving oatmeal

Honey and Dates Oatmeal

Honey and Dates Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon dates (chopped)
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 serving oatmeal

Butter Toasted Pecan Oatmeal

Butter Toasted Pecan Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons pecans (chopped)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 serving oatmeal

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the pecans and toast until the butter browns.
3. Mix everything into the oatmeal.

Similar Recipes:
Baked Sweet Potato Oatmeal with Pecan Streusel
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal
Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal

For me, oatmeal is great comfort food, especially on cold winter days. Take a look at the Comfort Food Cook Off at The Garden of Eating.

Breakfast, Food, Strawberry, Vegetarian, Whole Grains

eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 16 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Greg says

    January 19, 2008 at 9:11 pm

    I love steel cut oats and I follow a recipe developed by Cook’s Illustrated. It calls for toasting the oats to bring out the nuttiness. The cooking liquid is 1 part milk and three parts water. It makes it that much more creamy. I do like oatmeal in savory dishes too. I have blogged about my breakfast this morning using steel cut oatmeal.

    Reply
  2. Edi says

    January 19, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    Every one of those look great! Though I don’t think I could eat sour cream on my porridge. How about some raspberries???

    I confess I am of the powdered add water ilk…and my best added ingredient was a scoop of ice-cream…not too exciting but delicious!

    Reply
  3. Coffee & Vanilla says

    January 19, 2008 at 9:37 pm

    Wow! I love oatmeal too… never tried it with fruits yet… I like it with maple syrup… as a child I used to eat it with white sugar and salt… yes, together! and since that time this is my favourite way… creamy (with lots of milk) oats, sugar and salt… 🙂

    Reply
  4. Cakespy says

    January 19, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    What beautiful variations on a familiar theme! I am really intrigued by the peanut butter banana one.

    Reply
  5. Bellini Valli says

    January 19, 2008 at 10:24 pm

    I think I am going with the honey,banana & walnut oatmeal Kevin. When I was growing up we had oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast. Sadly I don’t have it nearly enough these days.

    Reply
  6. Psychgrad says

    January 19, 2008 at 10:47 pm

    So many selections. That’s great! I’m usually not very adventurous with my oatmeal (raisins, brown sugar and milk) but this definitely gives me some options to pursue.

    Reply
  7. Ferdzy says

    January 19, 2008 at 10:55 pm

    Oat-meal! Oat-meal! Ra! Ra! Ra!

    I thought I was oatmeal’s biggest cheerleader, but it looks like maybe you are.

    I confess, I’m in a rut. Oh look! It’s dried cranberries, rice milk and ground flax seed. Again, for the 478th morning in a row.

    Maybe you’ll inspire me to branch out a little. I’ve got some apples that really need to be eaten…

    Reply
  8. shannon says

    January 20, 2008 at 3:34 am

    Hi Kevin,

    In the last few months, you may remember receiving an email invitation to become a part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher Program. With all the recipe-writing and food photography to be completed, we know emails can easily get lost in the shuffle, so Foodbuzz would like to re-extend our offer of inviting you to be a part of our food blogger network. I would love to send you more details about the program, so if you are interested, please email me at [email protected].

    And steel cut oatmeal is heavenly. Do you happen to have the chain Trader Joe’s in Toronto? They make a frozen steel cut oatmeal that is fabulous for those rushed mornings. I highly recommend it!

    Cheers!

    Shannon Eliot
    Editorial Assistant, Foodbuzz.com
    [email protected]

    Reply
  9. Proud Italian Cook says

    January 20, 2008 at 4:11 am

    Kevin, you are the oatmeal King!!! Nice combo’s on all of them! I have to try the honey, banana, annd walnut one!

    Reply
  10. Emiline says

    January 20, 2008 at 6:15 am

    You’re crazy! You must be sick of oatmeal, by now.

    Peanut butter & bananas is hands-down, my favorite.
    Although, the one with strawberries & sour cream intrigues me. I love strawberries and sour cream together. I made crepes with a sweet sour cream/strawberry filling, and they were great.

    Reply
  11. Laurie Constantino says

    January 20, 2008 at 7:05 am

    What a wild collection of oatmeal recipes Kevin — worthy of your creative mind!

    Reply
  12. Susan says

    January 20, 2008 at 12:13 pm

    I’ve always liked oatmeal, but once I tried steel cut, there was no going back to the “mush.” I’m really impressed by all these variations, Kevin. The strawberry and pear recipes look so good!

    Reply
  13. Peter M says

    January 20, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    How interesting, an post on the topic of oatmeal.

    I like the apple cinnamon one best!

    Reply
  14. Holler says

    January 20, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    Reading about the oatmeal, didn’t really excite me and when I saw the plain one I though nah, not for me, but then I scrolled down!
    You are definitely King of Oatmeal!
    I am thinking I will try the banana & peanut butter and the apple crisp first. Yum!

    Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    January 21, 2008 at 2:16 am

    The peanut butter/banana looks soooo creamy!

    Reply
  16. canarygirl says

    January 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    OMG an oatmeal bonanza! They all look amazing, but I am especially dying to try the pear crisp version…freaking YUM!

    Reply
  17. Cara says

    January 21, 2008 at 2:41 pm

    I love oatmeal and eat it just about everday! (though I’ll admit I am lazy and use the plain instant kind). My favorite mix-in is 2 tbsp of pumpkin puree, with a dash of cinnamon and cloves, and sometimes dried cranberries too. Except when strawberries are in season – then, I love my oatmeal with strawberries!

    Reply
  18. Tara says

    January 22, 2008 at 3:31 am

    Wow, thanks for all the oatmeal ideas! I’ve never worked with steel cut oats. (I’ve actually only cooked instant oatmeal). I know! Gasp! I’ll have to take the time to make the real thing now.

    Reply
  19. Deborah says

    January 22, 2008 at 4:58 pm

    You know, I’m really not a big oatmeal fan, but I should try some of these and I just might be converted!

    Reply
  20. Dani Spies says

    January 23, 2008 at 4:31 am

    Love this post…so many great varieties!! Thanks for the ideas:)!

    Reply
  21. Angela says

    January 26, 2008 at 1:42 am

    Wow – you have totally inspired me to try some new ways with my morning oatmeal! Great ideas!

    Reply
  22. Myself says

    July 5, 2008 at 11:20 pm

    I’m so glad I found your blog! I think I’ll try the peanut butter & banana soon!

    Reply
  23. Justine says

    March 29, 2009 at 4:39 am

    Wow, what a great selection of oatmeal recipes to try! I really like the idea of “Strawberries with Sour Cream and Brown Sugar Oatmeal.” It sound wonderful.

    Reply
  24. Anonymous says

    April 24, 2009 at 5:04 am

    Aaah! wow u have an extensive list of stuff here! Every morning, my oatmeal is what i look forward to the most! There was a time I hated it, but now, I cant live without it! My secret recipe – quaker oats, some milk, microwaved for about a minute, take some smuckers wildberry jam, mix it with the oats and mmmmmmmm delishhhhh! am hungry now… and its 1 AM!!!

    Keep up the good work! 🙂

    Reply
  25. Miyoshi says

    June 17, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    Wow–I love all your oatmeal ideas! I especially like that you posted a photo to go along with each recipe. Great site! I've added you to my favorites and look forward to exploring your blog in its entirety.

    Reply
  26. janet says

    September 15, 2010 at 6:44 pm

    Wow – I just stumbled onto your treasure trove of oatmeal recipes. Yum! 🙂

    Reply
  27. Anonymous says

    May 19, 2011 at 3:08 am

    this is cool! I have a very bare bones panasonic 6-cup rice cooker 9tiny) so I don't know if I could use its one button auto sense cooking method to cook steel cut oats overnight – what do you think? I don't want to do a massive amount of portions because I don't have room in my spare fridge… one or two servings max at a time.

    also I love the idea of strawberry oatmeal! However, I think I'd rather have strawberry oatmeal chilled or room temperature. do you think mixing pureed strawberries and water/milk to precooked steel cut oatmeal without heating it would get it absorbed enough?

    Reply
  28. Kevin says

    May 20, 2011 at 11:45 am

    Emma: You are going to need a rice cooker with a porridge setting to make oatmea in itl. I normally make it in single serving size which is perfect as I do not have a lot of spare space in my fridge either. I like the sound of a cool stawberry oatmeal but I find that oatmeal gets pretty solid in the fridge. This is not a problem when you are warming it up and adding a liquid like milk but I am not sure how well it would mix cold. It would be an ineresting experiment though!

    Reply
  29. Rebecca's Amazing Creations says

    October 8, 2011 at 6:43 pm

    The Blueberry Oatmeal looks to die for!

    Reply
  30. Anonymous says

    June 4, 2012 at 12:05 pm

    I am sour cream and plain oatmeal fanatic! I drizzle light agave nectar and yum! Sweet and sour:) I'm so impressed with your recipes! Moving on to steel cut oats! Thanks for the ideas!

    Reply
  31. Malinda says

    August 26, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    The Recipes look yummy! I wanna try the strawberry banana one but I'm not sure the process. When donuou add the bananas ans strawberries??

    Reply
  32. Kevin says

    August 29, 2012 at 7:06 pm

    Malinda: Once the oatmeal is cooked, just mix the other ingredients in and remove from heat.

    Reply
  33. Anonymous says

    May 22, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    I like to add different flavored applesauces to my oatmeal.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the free Closet Cooking email newsletter and get a FREE copy of the eBook:
The Best of Closet Cooking!

About Me

Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
Read More

The Best of Closet Cooking 2023 – FREE eCookbook

The Best of Closet Cooking Book Cover

eCookbook Bundle

eCookbook Bundle

Top Recipes

Chicken and Avocado Burritos
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Balsamic Soy Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini Skillet
Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries
Asiago Roasted Onions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
About | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2007-2023, Closet Cooking Ltd. All Rights Reserved.