There’s a chill in the air.
Actually, that’s a lie because it’s quite warm outside as I write this post. I’m in a tank top and shorts right now! Hardly Fall temperatures, but then again it’s still summer for another week.
However, tomorrow morning is supposed to be a classic Fall morning- crisp, 8C, sunny, and full with promise. The promise of hot oatmeal. Cinnamon. Maybe stinky fuzzy slippers. That’s a perfect Fall morning to me.
I’ve been on a huge hot oatmeal kick these days. The other morning, I was busy working on a mushroom recipe challenge and Eric graciously offered to make me some oatmeal for breakfast. In other words, I begged him until he finally gave in. I love when men just offer to make things out of the blue like that, don’t you? ;)
I may have uttered the words, “I’m going to waste away to nothing” in a moment of desperation.
“Ok, but don’t blame me if it doesn’t taste good…” he said, slinking off to the kitchen with my Apple Pie Oatmeal recipe clutched in his hand. It wasn’t looking good.
And you know what?
The oatmeal didn’t taste good either.
It tasted like the best damn bowl of oatmeal I’ve ever had!!
Why does it always taste better when someone else makes it? Seriously, I need to know. He also sprinkled it with crunchy Sucanat which was genius. Or maybe he sprinkled it with pixy love dust! Needless to say, I gushed so much about this bowl of oatmeal Eric had a grin on his face the entire morning. He has now conquered his oatmeal-making fears. It was a win-win all around.
In honour of chilly mornings, here are my 5 favourite hot oatmeal recipes of all time. (in this case, “all-time” isn’t that long considering I used to hate hot oatmeal until 2010, but let’s just go with it.)
5) Comforting Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
This pumpkin oatmeal is like a warm hug on a cold morning. Or maybe I’m just lonely. Infused with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla extract, it’s like eating a slice of warm pumpkin pie in oatmeal form. I love topping it with a teaspoon of Earth Balance, pecans, and a drizzle of almond milk.
4) Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole
Last Winter, I was craving my favourite sweet potato casserole in a major way. The only snag? It was 7:15am. I looked at the sweet potato, it looked at me…I looked at it again. And I turned that craving into a delicious weekend breakfast.
A sneaky way to get a serving of vegetables in your morning oatmeal. You can’t taste the zucchini, but it does a lovely job of bulking up this voluminous bowl of oatmeal.
Even better when someone else makes it for you! It’s ok to beg sometimes.
and my favourite bowl of hot oatmeal goes to…
This one is for all the carrot cake fans out there! Creamy, crunchy, chewy, and sweet, this recipe packs in a full cup of carrots and a handful of healthy ingredients that will keep you feeling full for hours. It is quite a large portion, so I place the leftovers into the fridge and enjoy it as a snack the next day (it’s good cold too!).
Strapped for time?
For an ‘instant’ bowl of hot oatmeal, just mix up a batch of Vegan Overnight Oats before bed and place it in the fridge. In the morning, heat it in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, add your toppings/sweetener, and go! No stove-top cooking required.
The overnight soaking softens and thickens the oats, similar to cooking, meaning that you don’t need to stir over a stove-top for 10 minutes. The consistency won’t be as creamy as it would be cooked on a stove-top, but it’s still a good substitute in a pinch. If you don’t want to use the microwave, you can just reheat it for a couple minutes on the stove-top too.
And if it’s still too warm where you are to enjoy a hot bowl of oats, you can try one of my 12 Vegan Overnight Oats recipes which are great on warmer mornings.
What are your favourite things to mix into oatmeal? What flavour of oatmeal should I make next?
Savory oatmeal: load up your cooking oatmeal with finely chopped veggies (I like frozen peas, shredded carrots, broccoli and shredded zucchini) few of your fav spices(I love smoked paprika, basil, and turmeric) and throw some cottage cheese in towards the end of cooking. Top it with eggs cooked your fav way and I never forget the hot sauce. Gives my oatmeal that extra protein I need and that keeps me really full.
Perfect breakfast(s)!
All of these look delish! I just posted my first post on pumpkin oatmeal and my picture looks not as good as your’s. I’ll have to get some photography tips from you :) great blog- thanks for posting!
haha dont worry mine usually doesnt look that photogenic! ;) Must have been a good day
id love if you made a chocolate-y oatmeal!
I just recently found your website and decided to try out the hot pumpkin pie oatmeal on Sunday. Flavor explosion! Oh wow! I’m in love with this oatmeal! Thank god I bought a lot of pumpkin!
I’m not even done with it yet, and I needed to rave about it. I can’t wait to try the others!
Glad you enjoyed it Heather!
I made the apple pie oatmeal today and i was surprised that it made so much! It will definitely keep me full. I think it would be good to make for someone else too!
What about a banana fosters oatmeal?
I have done something like that before by cooking banana slices in agave and then pouring over cooked oatmeal and topping with walnuts. I don’t know how similar it is to the real banana fosters, but I loved the cooked banana flavor!
I agree, the apple pie makes a ton!!! Love the volume food :)
I made the carrot cake oatmeal today…HEAVEN!!
I can’t wait to make this for friends and fam for the holidays. Thank you!
Hey Esther, Im happy to hear that!
Well there is another recipe and a favourite in Scotland. Normally used as a side dish but you can eat a bowl if you like as a meal, it’s delicious.
You will need pinhead oatmeal (not the flakes) just the ground oatmeal. For 1 cup add 1 small chopped onion and mix together with some oil (just enought to cover all the oatmeal).
Microwave on medium for about 5 minutes or to the consistency you prefer and until there is a nutty taste……stir a couple of times during cooking, add salt and that’s it done..perfect ‘skirlie’ as it is known.
I like to add it to bouled cabbage or mashed potatoes…yum!!!!! A dish you will use again and again.
i am a guy
I don’t have measurements as I kind of wing it, but I adapted this from oatmeal I bought at Whole Foods and I love, love it!
Quick oats
Almond milk
Brown Sugar
Coconut (shaved or shredded)
Dried cherries
Slivered or sliced almonds
Vanilla
Chia seeds
Pinch of salt
A lot of ingredients, but so worth it! :)
Yesterday I tried your maple-cinnamon apple & pear oatmeal from your book and let me tell you…….I had an ahhhhh moment!! This was the best thing I’ve had!!! I made it for breakfast and had some for dessert after making your crispy quinoa cakes for dinner lol. I will be making this until the cows come home!!!! And that will be a long time since I live in the city hahaha!!!!
Hi Angela. I just made your carrot cake oatmeal and it’s incredibly delicious!
I did have to substitute a few ingredients but will make it exactly as you did the next time. I love oatmeal but I pretty much make it the same everytime. So this was amazing. I will make all your top 5 asap. I’m excited to surprise my family with your recipes!
The subs I had to make were Rice Milk, instead of Almond and a little brown sugar because I’d used up my maple syrup the night before making a glaze for Brussel sprouts, which was delicious. I’m not a big comment person, but I just had to thank you for posting this recipe!
Warmly,
Melissa