This is what I’ve been eating for breakfast every morning for the past month. It’s total comfort food and makes me feel amazing, even after a night of little sleep. I don’t know about you, but when I find something that I love, I have to have it every. single. day. until I’m sick of it and then I’m onto the next thing for a while. It’s a good thing I have this blog or I’d probably eat the same 3 meals on rotation! This wouldn’t surprise my mom. As a child, I used to only want to wear one outfit over and over. My poor mom had the challenging task to convince me to put on a different outfit before school each day. I remember one of those outfits fondly – a neon pink and green spandex short and tank outfit. Probably with a snap bracelet. Who wouldn’t want to wear that every day? I knew what I was doing back in the 80’s, let me tell you!
Now that I have a newborn, I’ve found myself with short “window of opportunities” for personal tasks (shower! eat! get crap done!). I have to move more efficiently then ever and I’m doing most things in half the time. This probably explains why I left the house wearing 1 earring the other day (“new fashion trend?” is what the cashier asked me). After I feed Adriana in the morning, I’m ready to chew my own arm off (unless I have some of my favourite breakfast cookies on hand!). So, rather than raiding the fridge and digging into my dark chocolate macaroon torte at 8am (yup, that happened), I came up with this hot oatmeal that only requires a quick zap of heat. It’s virtually instant! And I’m not talking about those powdery instant oatmeal packets I used to eat in highschool and university. This is real deal oatmeal at a fraction of the time, but you’d never know it. And it’s been working so well for my new routine that I knew I had to share it, as simple as it is. Everyone can appreciate an almost-instant breakfast, right?
The magic of this breakfast starts with making vegan overnight oats before bed. I live off of vegan overnight oats (and smoothies) all summer long, but it’s cold and snowy outside and I want something piping hot! My solution? I started making my vegan overnight oats before bed as usual, but now in the morning I throw the soaked oat mixture into a pot and heat it up for a couple minutes. That’s all it takes! Since we’re already soaking the oats and chia seeds overnight, the work is done for you as you sleep. Now all we have to do is heat it up for a minute or two. Then I scoop it into a bowl and throw on some toppings. In 5 minutes flat, I have an incredibly satisfying, nourishing bowl of oatmeal ready to start my day. It looks like a fancy bowl of oatmeal fit for a crunchy breakfast cafe. And that makes me very happy.
My favourite toppings are…
soaked raw almonds
pepita seeds (you can soak those too)
dried cranberries or dried cherries
raw or toasted almond butter (just a drizzle so it doesn’t overpower)
cinnamon + ground ginger + allspice (lots of cinnamon and just a tiny sprinkle of the last two – try it!!)
toasted flaked coconut
Keep these toppings close by so you can just throw them on like nobody’s biz-nas. Oh and sometimes I will put a pat of coconut oil or vegan butter on top when I want to crank up the comfort another level. This is a breakfast that makes those wintry cold days just a bit more bearable.
Serve with tea or coffee and get COZY!
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
5-Minute Oatmeal Power Bowl
Yield
1 bowl
Soak time
overnight
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
My favourite bowl of hot oatmeal, ready in less than 5 minutes! Soaking the oatmeal mixture overnight cuts down the cook time the morning of—all you have to do is heat it on the stove for a minute or two. Don't forget to mix the ingredients the night before. For a fall twist, add a pinch of cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice on top of each bowl. Total fall comfort food!
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana, mashed (the riper/spottier the better)
- 2 heaping tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/3 cup rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2/3 cup (160 mL) almond milk
- 1/3 cup (90 mL) water
- 1 tablespoon ground flax (optional, see note)
For Garnish:
- Soaked almonds
- Pepita seeds
- Hemp hearts
- Cinnamon
- Toasted coconut
- Nut butter
- Spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice)
Directions
- The night before: Grab a medium bowl and mash the banana until smooth. Now stir in the chia, oats, cinnamon, milk, and water until combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning: Scoop the oat mixture into a medium pot. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat immediately to medium-low, and stir frequently until heated throughout and thickened. At the end of cooking, stir in flax, if using.
- Pour oats into bowl. Garnish with your desired toppings. Get cozy!
Tip:
- The ground flax is optional because it creates a bit of a strange texture (almost like a flax egg) in this oatmeal. I don't mind it, but some people might. If you think you will, just leave it out or sprinkle some ground flax on top instead.
- I love topping my oats with spices—a pinch of cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice create my perfectly spiced bowl.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Happy breakfast-ing this fall!
You guys are awesome! I got word that The Oh She Glows Cookbook has made it into the FINAL round of voting in Good Reads Choice Awards! I would love your support (last time I have to ask, thank goodness!!). Thanks for helping us get this far. You can vote here.
This recipe has become a staple in my morning routines. I really enjoy it!
If I don’t add the banana (not a huge fan) should I add more liquid? Or will the milk/water amounts remain the same?
Thanks! :)
Hi – I used pumpkin seeds. I was fearful given some earlier life advice, but, thankfully I did not grow a pumpkin in my stomach as I was warned by my mother many years ago. Thank you for inspiring me to reach for the stars.
HeyAngela,
Do you have an almond milk brand that you would recommend? I would love to make my own but on the days when I need to buy the store bought stuff I would love your suggestion!
Also, what brand of rolled oats do you buy?
Thanks,
Ashley
Hi Ashley,
I use Whole Foods 365, if you can’t find that I’d recommend the Silk brand. The rolled oats are Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats.
Just from looking at this it looks like it would take a long time to prep but this is really simple! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
Looks yummy! Does it have to be with a banana, or can you recommend an alternative fruit? Thanks for this and all the other fantastic recipes!
So even though it’s nearly 11:00 pm my time, I just made a bowl of this deliciousness. I added everything to it listed (except for the pepitas. I ran out of those 2 days ago.) Instead, I added some macadamia nuts because they were staring at me from the pantry and begging to be thrown in. So, thank you for posting this. Breakfast just became a lot more fun.
Hi, I just got your book and am dying to try the porridge recipes, I miss it so much. But I’m terribly intolerant to oats, even more then wheat for some reason. Can I just replace the rolled oats for rolled buckwheat or buckwheat flakes in every recipe?
Thank you
I am thinking about trying this recipe, it sounds amazing! I only have one problem with it, the banana. I really don’t like bananas. Does this oatmeal taste super bananay or is it a light hint of banana?
Thanks for this yummy recipe.I tried it last night it came really so yummy and delicious.I must say the way you explain and the images are really help me lot to prepare.
Hi! I can’t wait to try this amazing recipe. But I have one quick question and may be the only one because it has not been asked in the earlier comments.
How do you soak almonds, etc? I’m a decently experience cook, but stumped on this one…
I am obsessed with the branch spoon you have in the picture of the oatmeal! Do you remember the brand name of it I so want it in my kitchen!!
Never eaten anything this healthy before lol, think I’m going to have to try it. Just curious though, where did you get that spoon?!?
Love this post! Overnight oats are a lifesaver in the winter, especially when I want to optimize my time snuggled up under a warm duvet – plus this is a great change from my usual 5-grain oats, chia seed, cinnamon, vanilla powder, dried cranberry and unsweetened almond milk version. Thanks for the inspiration and greetings from chilly Hamburg!
This recipe could be even better if a tablespoon of honey is added to the oatmeal and banana or even peanut butter! to even make this recipe sustainable, Fair trade bananas and oatmeal from local farms could be used! If you live in Seattle, some local farms that grow oatmeal are Metropolitan Market, Trellis, 21 Acres, and The Calf and Kid Ranch so look out for these brands when you are at the grocery store! Also has anyone tried blending the oatmeal and baking it in the oven?
This sounds amazing – can I make a big batch of this and heat up a little each morning? Not sure on the expiry for oats ;)
great work thanks for sharing this recipe
Angela,
I’ve been coming to your website for a few years now, but don’t think I’ve ever left a comment. I just wanted to say thank you for all of these wonderful recipes and for all else you share here on this website. I wish you the best in the NYE with your sweet family.
Heather
how many calories is in this bowl of oatmeal?
I definitely need to try this! I think I will surprise my husband with this recipe for dinner.