Make breakfast a breeze with this homemade instant oatmeal! It’s easy to customize and can be prepped in advance! Plus it’s so much healthier than the store bought kind!!
I have to be honest. Usually I’m an oatmeal once or two times a month kind of gal, but our toddler is strangely obsessed with it. I’ve been buying him the little pouches of low-sugar cinnamon apple instant oatmeal, but they’re pretty expensive and full of additives. I hopes of saving a little money and being slightly healthier, I made it a goal for the new year to make my own!
And you know what? It’s super easy and just as delicious. Here’s what you’ll need: quick-cooking oats, oat bran, ground flaxseed, powdered milk, sugar, salt and cinnamon. That’s it. Most of the items that I just listed can be purchased in bulk at most grocery stores… along with any mix-ins you might want to add (fruit, nuts, chocolate etc.).
The best thing about making your own homemade instant oatmeal is that you can play around with the base. Don’t want flaxseed? Great, just omit it. Want to use another kind of sugar? Go for it! Sprinkle in any kind of spice you want to change things up.
I always mix up one serving in a small bowl and then toss in whatever I want in that individual “pouch.” The options are endless! My favorites are blueberry almond (using dehydrated blueberries, peanut butter banana (using powdered peanut butter and chopped banana chips) and cinnamon apple (dried apples with lots of apple pie spice). Then I toss it into a snack size ziploc bag and label it. I usually do about 2 weeks worth at a time. Breakfast for the next two weeks = done!!
All that’s left to do is pour it in a bowl with 2/3 c. of water and microwave it on high for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Crazy easy, right?! You can pack these and take them to work with you, or simple store them in your pantry to make at home.
I’m so glad I decided to take a bit of time to make this homemade instant oatmeal. It’s something we’ll make time & time again!!
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup quick cooking oats
- 2 tsp oat bran
- 1 tsp ground flaxseed
- 1 tbsp dry powdered milk*
- 1-3 teaspoon brown sugar**
- pinch salt
Mix-Ins
- 2/3-3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (quick-cooking oats, oat bran, ground flax seed, powdered milk, brown sugar, and salt) in a small prep bowl. Add any desired spices or mix-ins.
- Transfer the mixture to a microwave-safe bowl and add 2/3 cup of water.
- Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Stir well and let cool. Add more water if needed for the desired consistency.
NOTES
- Mix-ins like chopped dried fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate, spices, etc., work well as flavorful additions.
- I prepare individual portions and store them in sandwich-size Ziploc bags. This makes it easy to create multiple flavors, stay prepped for the week, and enjoy on the go.
I liked this a lot, easy to customize depending on what you have.
This recipe is great. I LOVE oatmeal, and usually keep Quaker low sugar on hand. But having it daily can get a little pricey. I like the idea that I can control what goes in my breakfast bowl. The cherry dark chocolate sounds great. One question….what chocolate do you use? Pinned. Thanks.
Thanks Mary! I generally chop up a Ghirardelli semi-sweet baking bar or even a bittersweet one… the leftovers I toss into a batch of cookies 🙂
Thanks so much. I will go grocery shopping tomorrow!!!
this looks really good! Great tips girl!