Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl – Easy with Delicious Toppings

An oatmeal breakfast bowl is a tasty, vibrant alternative to other breakfast recipes. Once you know how to make an oatmeal bowl, you can get creative with ingredients and toppings and come up with some brand new versions. The oatmeal bowl toppings you choose can help you create a new version every day, which is part of the fun. A healthy oatmeal breakfast does not have to be boring! If you are a fan of oatmeal with fruit for breakfast, read on for some breakfast bowl inspiration.

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The basis of this recipe is going to be instant oats, milk, chia seeds, and cinnamon. Mix these ingredients together and microwave. Now you have warm oatmeal and can go ahead to add your toppings. I usually prepare the toppings ahead so I can add them while the oatmeal is still nice and hot.

You can easily use steel cut oats, overnight oats, stove top oatmeal, old fashioned oats or gluten-free oats for your oatmeal bowls. Just follow the recipe on the type of oats you use. You can even make a big batch of oatmeal in your Instant Pot. There are many way to make the perfect bowl of oats.

Oatmeal Bowl Topping Ideas

The oatmeal itself is what make a healthy oatmeal breakfast, but the toppings are fun to choose and combine. All kinds of fruit work in this recipe, such as strawberries, kiwi, banana, pineapple slices, cherries, blueberries, peach, and more. Any fresh fruit make great options for the most important meal of the day.

There is no perfect way to make a humble bowl of oatmeal a part of your healthy lifestyle. Whether you make it apple cinnamon flavoured with a little maple syrup, a peanut butter oatmeal bowl, a savoury oatmeal breakfast bowl or a vegan oatmeal breakfast bowl, they are all a delicious start to your day.

Add crunch and texture with ingredients like pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, cocoa nibs, or even peanut butter or almond butter.

Other ingredients you might want to add include Greek yogurt (plain or flavoured), vanilla yogurt or another favourite type of yogurt. A splash of almond milk or coconut milk are also great options for a healthy oatmeal recipe for those looking for a non-dairy milk option.

Honey, agave syrup or brown sugar can add sweetness if you like a sweet oatmeal bowl. You could also use artificial sweetener to make oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. There are plenty more oatmeal bowl toppings to choose from if you want to make this healthy breakfast recipe.

Fruit can be fresh, canned or freeze-dried, depending on what you have and the texture you want. Personally I find the best way is to make my oatmeal breakfast bowl as colourful as possible and full of contrasting tastes and textures. I try to find new toppings each day to keep breakfast interesting. It is so easy to take your morning oatmeal or any basic oatmeal recipe and make it something special!

If you want to add something indulgent, sprinkles, fruit syrups, fudge sauce, or even small candies would work. In fact it’s hard to think of a topping that wouldn’t be good in this easy oatmeal recipe. Since the oatmeal is nutritious you could add a couple of sinful toppings in addition to the healthy ones!

History of Oatmeal

So what is the original of a Quaker oatmeal bowl? Well oats have been around for literally thousands of years, as you know. Known as porridge in Scotland (the Scottish name for oatmeal), the Scots were among the first to use oats. Oats weren’t valued much 4000 years ago, not in the way wheat and barley were anyway. They were seen as mere weeds and left pretty much alone.

It was another 1000 years before people began to cultivate this crop. The ancient Romans and Greeks considered oats to be peasant food. Although 95% of oats these days are grown for animal fodder, there are still some amazing fruit and oat recipe ideas! It’s fair to say oats are more versatile and popular today than ever.

Not only can you make plain oatmeal but you can also add oatmeal bowl toppings for a great breakfast. Oats find their way into baked goods such as flapjacks, muffins and streusels, along with fruit cobblers and crisps, and granola bars. National Oatmeal Day is on October 29, so don’t forget to make a bowl that day!

What are Chia Seeds?

You might be curious about one of the ingredients in this oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. What are chia seeds and what are they doing in a healthy oatmeal breakfast? Well these little seeds are rich in protein, fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. The fact they are nutrient-dense gives them superfood status.

I like to throw a tablespoon of these little seeds into my oatmeal but it’s a purely optional part of a healthy oatmeal breakfast. You don’t have to add chia seeds to your oatmeal breakfast bowl but I love the texture they all.

How to Make an Oatmeal Bowl

You can make oatmeal with fruit for breakfast however you want. But for the most impressive result I like to add a combination of colourful fruits and some crunchy ingredients like nuts. Pecans and walnuts are especially good in a healthy oatmeal breakfast.

Try something unusual that you might not enjoy every day. Goji berries, coconut flakes or fresh pineapple perhaps. The sky is the limit when it comes to oatmeal bowl toppings. I expect you can come up with your own oatmeal breakfast bowl add-ins too.

Because making a Quaker oatmeal bowl is simply a question of making oatmeal in the microwave and adding toppings, it doesn’t take long to make. The oatmeal takes a minute and a half to two minutes to cook. Some toppings take longer to prepare than others, of course. For example it’s quicker to throw on a handful of banana chips than it is to chop a fresh banana.

If you know you are going to be pushed for time in the morning, prepare the oatmeal breakfast bowl components the night before. That was you just have to add the toppings to the prepared oatmeal. See, learning how to make an oatmeal bowl is really easy and you can get as creative as you want with your oatmeal bowl toppings!

If you like this breakfast bowl recipe, you might also like The BEST Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins, Nourishing Blue Smoothie Bowl or Banana Smoothie with Cashew Butter.

Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl Recipe

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Let me know if you try to make a healthy oatmeal breakfast bowl inspired with my toppings. A warm bowl of oatmeal is a great way to start of the day. This is one of those healthy recipes that will become a staple.

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