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What’s the best oatmeal recipe? This toasted oatmeal takes the cake: it has an irresistible nutty flavor and chewy texture.
Do you love oatmeal? We do. In fact, we eat it every day! Now: are you ready to have your oatmeal game changed forever? Enter toasted oatmeal! The other day we received a cookbook in the mail called Whole-Grain Mornings. It’s written by English-teacher turned entrepreneur / baker Megan Gordon, who started a granola business (Marge Granola) in Seattle that’s become nationally-known. I immediately began to pore over the recipes. A recipe caught my eye called the best oatmeal.
Want our fan favorite best oatmeal? Go to Best Oatmeal Recipe (Vegan & GF).
About the book: Whole Grain Mornings
I wasn’t sure what to expect with the book Whole Grain Mornings because we’re not huge breakfast eaters (peanut butter English muffin and I’m good to go). But I paged through the recipes, I started to get excited. The book is full of innovative yet accessible ways to embrace whole grains: from California Barley Bowl to Yogurt Cups with Roasted Cherries and Toasted Millet. Yum!
I compiled an entire list of recipes for meal inspiration throughout the day (not just the morning!). When I passed the book off to Alex for perusal, he only made a few pages through before he decided to get his hands dirty. The recipe I’d passed right by because it said it was the best oatmeal.
Related: Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas for Everyone
How to make toasted oatmeal
I’m generally suspicious of recipes with superlatives like “the best oatmeal”, but Alex was already toasting the oats. After a few minutes, a smell filled our kitchen that was so nutty and sweet I forgot my hesitation. What resulted was indeed “the best” oatmeal I’d ever tasted: the oats were chewy (instead of the creamy texture of the stirred method) and deliciously nutty from toasting, topped with a bit of sweet maple syrup. We were both floored. The best oatmeal? I guess she was right!
The rest of the book is incredibly lovely; beautifully written with lots of sweet personal details, and gorgeous photographs by the talented Clare Barboza. I think what we like most though, it that it is such an accessible resource: not only does it have our favorite oatmeal recipe, I can see ourselves taking inspiration from it for months to come. The book is available here. The best oatmeal? Below.
Related: Easy Breakfast Ideas | Vegan Breakfast Ideas
Got an Instant Pot?
Alex and I are Instant Pot fans, so we made a version of this for a pressure cooker, too! And it’s just as tasty. Go to Easy Instant Pot Oatmeal.
Looking for more vegan breakfast ideas?
Outside of this best oatmeal recipe, we have dozens of vegan breakfast ideas and quick healthy breakfast recipes on our website. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Apple Cinnamon Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats
- Homemade Breakfast Cereal
- Perfect Oatmeal or Steel Cut Oats (vegan options)
- Turmeric Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Chai Tart Cherry Jam or Cranberry Jam on toast with almond butter
- DIY Instant Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Oatmeal
- Tofu Scramble Recipe with Black Beans
- Healthy Granola
- And if healthy vegan’s not your thing…try our Chocolate Banana Bread!
This toasted oatmeal recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten free, plant based, vegan, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
The Best Toasted Oatmeal
What’s the best oatmeal recipe? This toasted oatmeal takes the cake: it has an irresistible nutty flavor and chewy texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup milk or almond milk, plus additional to serve
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
- Maple syrup, to serve
- Toasted almonds or pecans, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oats and toast for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the oats start to smell fragrant and nutty.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add the milk, kosher salt, cinnamon, and water. Bring to low boil over medium heat. Add the toasted oats and stir gently to combine, then cover the pot, turn off the heat, and allow to sit for 7 minutes.
- After 7 minutes, the oats are ready to serve. The texture will be a chewy texture, not creamy as with the stirred method. To serve, top with real maple syrup. Add toasted almonds or walnuts and/or additional milk if desired. Leftovers can be kept refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Note that this method yields for a chewy oat texture, rather than the typical creamy texture. The recipe serves two, so double or triple for ample leftovers. A large pot works best, since it allows the oats to cook evenly. Adapted from Whole-Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon
Omg. This was so delicious. Buttery, nutty, chewy, perfect. I added chia/hemp seeds, maple, apple, toasted almonds, touch more cinnamon. Yummmmmmers. I’m never making oats another way again! Thanks for the recipe :D
Haha! We agree :)
We love this toasted oatmeal! I was never an “oatmeal” fan, having had my share of gluey oatmeal, however I do love oats in things. In researching recipes to see if there was a better way to make oatmeal, I found this recipe, and both my husband and I just love it! We eat it regularly, making it exactly as indicated, using whole milk, and topping it with toasted pecans and maple syrup. My husband adds a bit of milk. The only thing I do any differently is add quite a bit of cinnamon instead of a pinch as we both love cinnamon. Thank you for a wonderful and delicious recipe! Now I love “oatmeal” for breakfast as long as it’s this best toasted oatmeal recipe! :)
I’m so glad you enjoy! We still eat it every day too :)
I’ve made this countless times since you posted! I did not like the texture of oatmeal until I tried this version – so easy! I’ve topped mine with roasted pecans and dried cranberries.
I was looking for a toasted oat recipe and came across yours. I eat oatmeal every morning, as I have for many years. I like to have some plain, toasted oatmeal on hand (as well as toasted coconut) for my oatmeal topping. I have always used the old fashioned rolled oats. Yesterday, I toasted the rest of my container of oatmeal, with intentions of buying more later in the day. However, I never made to the store. So, I remembered seeing your recipe. I made it this morning, and enjoyed it very much. I did use all almond milk, instead of the milk and water. I like sliced banana, toasted walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and a little brown sugar on my oatmeal. This has a wonderful, additional nutty flavor. I liked the fact that I didn’t need to stir while cooking. I will be making this recipe on a regular basis. Thanks for sharing.
LOVELY!
I have eaten oat bran mixed with flax seed meal for breakfast every day for at least the past 15 years. Besides helping build Bob’s Red Mill empire, I suspect and hope it is helping me stay healthy. I pour it in a big bowl, pour enough water to cover it by a couple inches, and nuke it for about 3-4 minutes. I usually add walnuts and either blueberries or bananas. On a long, lazy weekend morning, I might add quinoa. To do this, I just precook the quinoa for about 5 minutes before adding the oat bran. With a cup of coffee, this breakfast sustains me for at least 3-5 hours. Please tell me I haven’t wasted the last 15 years of my life!
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I just made this with twice as much butter and adding a little half n half. It was unreal, so yummy. Thanks for sharing!