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Oatmeal is the breakfast my family has eaten more often than any other, and I’ve made dozens of different recipes over the years, on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, in the oven and even in the pressure cooker. And, today, I’m sharing my absolute favorites with you all in one place.
My oatmeal rotation tends to follow the season’s fruit, so the stovetop bowls below are sorted that way: everyday versions first, then fall and winter, then berries and peaches.
After those come steel cut oats, slow cooker oatmeal, baked oatmeal and a handful of granolas. If you’re not sure where to start, the stovetop recipes are the quickest, the slow cooker ones are the most hands-off, and baked oatmeal is the one to make for a crowd or a weekend.
Oatmeal! Oatmeal! Oatmeal!
My boys have been enthusiastic oatmeal eaters for as long as I can remember, so new ideas get tested fast around here.
If you have been here with me from the beginning, you likely remember my youngest attempting to order, “oatmeal! oatmeal! oatmeal!” as a two-year old at our favorite Mexican restaurant once upon a time. Yes, he loves it that much.
Everyday Stovetop Oatmeal
These are the bowls I make on an ordinary morning with what’s already in the kitchen. All of them use rolled oats and come together in minutes. This is half the reason that I keep raisins and other dried fruit in the pantry!
Nutty Oatmeal with Raisins
If you’ve never cooked oatmeal on the stove, learn on this one. Chewy raisins, crunchy nuts, brown sugar and butter, and it takes hardly any more effort than the instant kind. Oatmeal and raisins are a classic combination for a reason!
Maple Banana Nut Oatmeal
Who doesn’t keep a bunch of bananas on hand? When they’re ripe, this banana oatmeal is a wonderful variation. Sliced bananas and pecans go in, a generous drizzle of maple syrup goes on top, and it takes less than 10 minutes of effort. On a cold morning, there’s nothing I’d rather eat. And, if the bananas go overripe, there’s always banana bread.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal
I’ll admit I cringed when my son suggested peanut butter and jelly oatmeal. But, the kids loved it, and so did I. The peanut butter thickens the oats, and a swirl of jelly on top makes it taste like the beloved sandwich. When I told my brother about it, he laughed and said he stirs peanut butter into his oatmeal nearly every day.
Hawaiian Oatmeal with Pineapple
Juicy bits of pineapple, nuts, a sprinkling of shredded coconut and a dusting of brown sugar can take a plain pot of oats and transform it into something tropical. The fruit carries all the flavor, here. My kids almost licked the pan clean the first time we had it.
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Mix
If you like oatmeal like I do, then it pays to have it pre-mixed. Stir the oats and your favorite add-ins together, keep the jar in the pantry, and even little kids can make a hot breakfast on their own. It’s ready in a few minutes in the microwave!
Fall and Winter Oatmeal
When the mornings turn cold, the oatmeal takes on all of my favorite fall and winter flavors. Cinnamon, pumpkin, apples, pears, and even cranberries make an appearance, and I’m more than happy to let them.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
This one smells like apple pie while it cooks. Apples simmer with rolled oats and cinnamon, then get brown sugar and a pat of butter on top. It started as an impromptu breakfast at our cabin, with a few bruised apples that needed to be used up, and it has been a fall favorite ever since.
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Ten years after we first made it, this is still my middle son’s favorite oatmeal. All the flavors of pumpkin pie are stirred into a creamy bowl, it’s on the table in less than 15 minutes. Pro tip, give it a swirl of whipped cream. Then, it tastes even more like pie!
Spiced Pear Oatmeal
Moving to the Midwest from Arizona taught me to really savor what a hot pot of oatmeal can do on a really cold morning. Cooked pears, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter make this one fragrant enough to pull everyone out of bed even when the floor is cold.
Cranberry Apple Walnut Oatmeal
Do you like to go apple picking? Chop that fruit up and add it to oatmeal! Ripe, crisp apples soften just slightly while the oatmeal cooks, and the nuts add just enough chewy crunch. It’s tart and sweet, and exactly what you need to fill up before a busy day.
Holiday Oatmeal for Christmas Morning
Somewhere over the years, this became our Thanksgiving breakfast tradition. Fresh apples, dried fruit, nuts and brown sugar make it feel special, but it takes less than 15 minutes for me to throw it together. And, it keeps everyone full until the big meal. My youngest son requests it all year long, not just at the holidays.
Berry and Peach Oatmeal
When summer rolls around, and berries are absolutely bursting with sweet juices, and peaches are red and orange (and cheap!) at the store, these are the recipes that show up at my table on the weekends. There’s nothing sweeter.
Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
Not sure about a warm bowl of oats on a summer morning? Well, stir in fresh cut strawberries and a splash of cream, and I am immediately convinced. And, I think it might just win you over, too. Strawberries and cream is a classic pairing, and I would happily eat this year round.
Blueberries and Cream Almond Oatmeal
Blueberries plump up as they cook and burst with every bite. I make this just about any time there are blueberries in the house. It’s one of my personal favorites, and for a while when I first shared it, this was my youngest son’s favorite breakfast.
Peaches and Cream Oatmeal
I look forward to this oatmeal, just about every time peach season arrives. This bowl doesn’t disappoint! And, if you dare to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, it might be the best oatmeal you’ll ever eat. The kids once talked me out of turning a bowl full of peaches into jam so we could have this instead.
Steel Cut Oats
Steel cut oats are chewier and nuttier than rolled oats, and they take longer to cook. But, the pressure cooker takes care of the wait, and quick cooking steel cut oats make it easy to enjoy them on a weekday. If you think oatmeal is too “mushy”, give steel cut oats a try.
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
When I want breakfast ready for the next few days, I make steel cut oats. Their firmer, chewier texture keeps and reheats better than rolled oats. They cook for 4 minutes in the Instant Pot with a 10 minute release, and no stirring!
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Steel cut oats, shredded carrots, raisins, warm spices and pecans all get added to the pressure cooker at once. It’s a lot like eating cake for breakfast. But, I do skip the cream cheese frosting in favor of simple toppings. The nuts and raisins are up to you.
Slow Cooker Oatmeal
Forget your overnight recipes. These slow cooker oatmeal recipes are the ones that I cook in the morning while we are getting ready. They finish on their own, and I serve them as soon as they reach the texture I like. Want it thicker? Let it keep cooking.
Slow Cooker Oatmeal
Start here if you’re new to crockpot oatmeal. Old-fashioned oats, bananas and strawberries go into the pot, and you walk away for an hour with zero stirring. It’s tied with baked oatmeal as our family’s all-time favorite oatmeal recipe.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Almond Oatmeal
My kids requested this version for a long time and I think it’s easy to see why. Cranberries and almonds cook with the oats, softening slightly, then each bowl gets a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkling of brown sugar. It’s simple and sweet.
Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Almonds and Raisins
Warm soft raisins, almonds and brown sugar make this taste a little like a warm muesli. What could be better than oatmeal and raisins? Oatmeal and raisins with sliced almonds, obviously!
Baked Oatmeal
Baked oatmeal is its own kind of breakfast. Mildly sweet, sliceable and warm from the oven, I’ve been making it for over 20 years in all its wonderful variations. It’s a terrific make-ahead breakfast and will keep nicely in the fridge for several days.
Baked Oatmeal
A friend introduced our family to baked oatmeal through an Amish cookbook back when we lived in Phoenix, and it has been a staple ever since. Lightly spiced with cinnamon, it’s sweet and chewy and takes add-ins well. I have so many varieties and they start here. Check them all out!
Granola
Most of my granola is made in the slow cooker instead of the oven. That way you never have to worry about it burning. And, I find that it comes out perfectly every time when you cook it slow. All you have to decide is what you’re going to add into the mix.
How To Make Granola In The Crock-Pot
This is the method that changed how I make granola. Warm and soft when it first finishes, crunchy once it cools, this mix is slightly sweet and a little salty. Feel free to swap in whatever nuts and fruits you love best. Learn the method and the rest is history.
Slow Cooker Tropical Coconut Granola
Once I’d tried crockpot granola, I made a fresh batch at least once a week, and my family loved it loaded with dried fruit and crunchy coconut. Almonds, pecans and spiced oats cook first, then the coconut and dried fruit get stirred in before it’s spread out to cool.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola
I call this dessert granola. It started on a whim when I spotted chocolate chips in the cupboard while starting a batch, and the peanut butter granola picked up those and some toffee bits too, all in the crock-pot. So, yeah, my boys begged for some of this sprinkled over their cereal and yogurt every single day until it was gone.
Chewy Peanut Granola
This one is chewy instead of crunchy, peanut-filled and lightly sweetened. We layer it in jars with Greek yogurt and sliced bananas for an easy grab-and-go breakfast on busy mornings. It also works for an afternoon snack when you eat it dry by the handful.
