Creamy Oatmeal (10 Tips & Tricks!)
Tired of less than impressive oatmeal? Here are 10 tips and tricks to make a bowl of creamy oatmeal and start your day with a nutritious and delicious breakfast!
I feel pretty confident assuming that every single one of us as had some oatmeal moment in our life that left us scarred and never reaching for a bowl of oats again.
Whether you’re like me and your mom made plain, unflavored oatmeal in the masses in her large silver pot or you have had one too many bowls of runny oatmeal with the hotel breakfast, it can be tempting to skip right on past this nutritious breakfast option. However, once I reached adulthood and started preparing my own oatmeal in the way that I liked it, I realized that a few simple tips and tricks make all the difference in your bowl of oats.
While fresh fruit or crunchy toppings are important, you need to start by focusing on how you are cooking the oatmeal itself to ensure you are making a bowl of creamy oatmeal that you actually want to eat. Here are 10 tips and tricks to help you build a bowl of creamy oatmeal:
How to make creamy oatmeal:
1) Stir it on the stovetop
Alright, some of you may disagree with me on this one but I am a firm believer that one of the best ways to make creamy oatmeal is to make it on the stovetop instead of in a microwave. This is ESPESCIALLY true if you are cooking with rolled oats or old fashioned oats, which have a tougher grain texture. Similar to meat staying more tender when you cook it low and slow in a slow cooker, I find that oatmeal stays creamier when cooked for ~10 minutes over low to medium heat on the stovetop instead of for 2 minutes in the microwave.
2) Use quick cooking oats
Quick cooking oats are simply regular oats that are chopped into smaller pieces. While they are still a fiber rich whole grain option, they also have a smaller surface area to cook down than old fashioned or steel cut oats which leads to a creamier and smoother texture. Epescially if you are in a hurry and wanting to use the microwave, quick cooking oats are the fastest option to get creamy oatmeal!
That said, old fashioned (also known as rolled oats) are my favorite to cook with but they do have a much firmer texture than quick cooking oats do. If you follow the rest of the tips in this blog, you can have a delicious bowl of creamy oatmeal made with old fashioned oats as well.
3) Make it with milk… and enough milk!
If you are still making your oatmeal with water, you need to stop. Not only are you missing out on an opportunity to add important nutrients but you are also skipping the easiest step to make creamy oatmeal. Trust me, your bowl of oatmeal will be completely different when it’s been made with milk instead of water.
I personally make my oatmeal with whole milk but you can use whatever milk is your favorite and make sure that you use enough of it! I prefer at least a 2:1 ratio of liquid to oats for creamy oatmeal.
4) Add an egg to your oatmeal
You heard me right, whisk an egg and add that right to your cooking oats! After cooking your oatmeal with milk, this is the easiest way to enhance the creaminess of your oatmeal. This will not only bump up the protein content but will also add a nice creamy texture to your oats. You can whisk the whole egg in a separate bowl and add that as your oats are cooking or simply add the egg white if you prefer.
5) Stir in apple sauce
This was my favorite way to make baby friendly oatmeal when I was introducing my son to solids. At the time, I made his oatmeal with breastmilk and then would stir in some unsweetened apple sauce to introduce a different flavor and texture. The result was a creamy oatmeal with a natural sweetness!
This suggestion definitely depends on the kind of toppings you are going to add and would pair well with chopped apples, pecans, cinnamon, walnuts, and other apple friendly pairings.
6) Add your favorite nut or seed butter
Everyones favorite addition to oatmeal, nut butter! Peanut butter, almond butter, walnut butter, sunflower butter, and all the other nut or seed butters that you can find are a perfect mix in for just about any bowl of oatmeal. Adding a nut butter also adds nutrients that most bowls of oatmeal are missing, healthy fats!
7) Mix in some yogurt
An easy addition to make creamy oatmeal is to stir in some yogurt after your oatmeal has finished cooking. The yogurt pairs well with sliced fresh fruit and adds creaminess and nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, and protein that can build a more balanced and macro friendly oatmeal bowl.
8) Sprinkle in some protein powder
Adding in protein powder is an easy way to increase the protein content and enhance the texture of your oatmeal. If you are going to add a scoop of protein powder, I recommend adding in an extra 1/2 cup of milk to ensure your oatmeal stays creamy and not clumpy!
While whey protein powder is what I generally recommend, whey protein is not heat stable and can curdle if the protein powder is added while your oats cook. To avoid this, I recommend stirring in whey protein powder after your oats have already cooked. Other good protein powder options that can be added to oatmeal are egg white protein powder, collagen powder, or a plant based protein powder.
9) Add a smashed sweet potato
Got a leftover baked sweet potato from meal prep? Add it to your oatmeal in the morning! Sometimes you have to think outside the box for a bowl of creamy oatmeal and adding a smashed sweet potato enhances flavor, fiber, and adds loads of potassium and Vitamin A.
10) Add chia seeds
Chia seeds are high in fiber and protein, making them a nutritious addition to your bowl of oats. Beyond their nutrient content, chia seeds also absorb the liquid they are submerged in and can swell to over 3x their original size, giving them a pudding like texture that can enhance the creaminess of your oatmeal. If you want to read more about chia seeds, check out my dietitian deep dive here, my chocolate chia seed pudding, or my blog on the perfect chia seed substitutes.
Need Oatmeal Ideas? Check out these blogs:
Disclaimer: please note that I am a registered dietitian but I am not YOUR registered dietitian. This information is meant to be educational and should not be used as personalized medical or nutrition advice. This blog may contain affiliate links and any purchase made through my links gives me a small commission and supports Lauren Twigge Nutrition. 
Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a registered dietitian and my goal is to give you tips and tricks to make healthy eating fun, easy, and even delicious!