13 Outstanding Oatmeal Recipes

Forget about bland-tasting oatmeal heated in the microwave from a packet. While this option is convenient, it certainly doesn't put a great spin on oatmeal. It's hard to get excited about reconstituted soggy oats in the morning. Thankfully, making oatmeal from scratch is pretty straightforward. As a bonus, you can customize it with all your favorite add-ins to load up on nutrients and enjoy your favorite flavors. 

Oats offer plenty of health benefits thanks to their nutritious profile, which is high in protein, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals. According to Healthline, these qualities can help you feel satiated and improve your blood sugar stability, which prevents any sugar crashes mid-morning. A bowl of oatmeal is the standard way to consume oats, but it's far from the only one. We've collected our favorite oatmeal creations from Tasting Table recipe developers to whet your appetite and inspire you to include oats in your routine. From baked oatmeal and overnight oats to cookies, bars, and bread, there are plenty of options to choose from. 

There's no need to stand in front of a saucepan and continuously stir with this baked oatmeal recipe. Just combine applesauce, oats, milk, raisins, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla, then top with chopped apples sprinkled with cinnamon. Transfer the contents to an oven-safe dish and bake until golden. The oats will be perfectly moist while the chunks of apple retain some bite, adding a textural component. If desired, sprinkle chopped nuts or assorted seeds over the top before serving for a nutrition and flavor boost.

Recipe: Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal

If you want to get a headstart on your morning meal, prep overnight oats before you hit the hay. Combine oats, cocoa powder, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and salt in a jar with vanilla extract and your choice of milk (dairy or plant-based). Shake everything to blend and pop the jar into the fridge overnight. In the morning, add orange slices, pomegranate seeds, and pumpkin seeds, as well as maple syrup and chocolate chunks for added sweetness. You can prepare this up to five days ahead of time for a quick and easy breakfast on the go.

Recipe: Fall Fruit And Cocoa Overnight Oats

This dazzling baked oatmeal combines rich flavors and a creamy consistency for the perfect breakfast. Soak the oats to start, then combine them with egg, honey, ghee, milk, cashews, dried apricots, and Jamaican allspice, plus some baking powder to make your baked oatmeal extra fluffy. Pour the mixture into an oven-safe dish and layer thin slices of orange over the surface. Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake until golden. Finish it with a few minutes under the broiler for an extra caramelized result. Serve this delicious oatmeal dish with a dollop of yogurt for the ultimate duo.

Recipe: Apricot-Orange Baked Oatmeal

While you can make it year-round, this overnight oats recipe will be extra delightful in peak strawberry season — and it couldn't be easier. Mix rolled oats, milk, Greek yogurt, chopped strawberries, strawberry jam, honey, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smoothly blended. Store it in an airtight container overnight and scoop it out to serve in the morning. Add extra strawberries on top, or mix things up with assorted berries, sliced bananas, granola, or seeds for a nutritious boost. While you're at it, double the recipe so you have breakfast ready for the following day, too.

Recipe: Strawberry Overnight Oats

These fruity muffins offer plenty of natural sweetness and a wholesome touch. Whip up the batter with oats, rising agents, flour, cinnamon, eggs, oil, lemon juice, milk, maple syrup, and applesauce. Fold in diced strawberries, being careful not to stir too hard to prevent the color from dyeing the rest of the batter. Transfer the batter to muffin tins and sprinkle a bit of extra oats on top for a rustic garnish. Bake until cooked through, then serve these tasty muffins for breakfast with yogurt or as an afternoon snack.

Recipe: Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

Steel cut oats involve very little processing, making them especially healthy and satiating. However, they require a much longer cooking time, which is why preparing them the night before is so appealing. Combine oats, your milk of choice, vanilla extract, honey, and chia seeds, and refrigerate the mixture in a sealed container overnight. If you're a night owl, make sure your oats have at least 10-12 hours in the fridge to soften. In the morning, stir the contents and add a bit more milk if desired, then top your bowl of oats with fresh fruit for a nourishing start to the day. 

Recipe: Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Add oats to a bar recipe, and it goes from being dessert to totally appropriate breakfast food. This recipe incorporates nutritious oats into both a crust and crumbly topping, along with oat flour, almond flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, and a flax and water mixture. Bake the base first, then spread strawberry jam over top, made by simmering frozen strawberries, orange zest, maple syrup, and chia seeds. Top the fruit with the crumbly oatmeal mixture and bake until golden. You'll be itching to wake up in the morning with these bars waiting for you.

Recipe: Strawberry Chia Oatmeal Bars

This delicious raspberry breakfast bar provides a sweet and tangy start to your day. Use oats, flour, butter, sugar, egg, and cinnamon to make a crust. Whip up a raspberry filling by simmering fruit, sugar, cornstarch, and water until jammy. In a pinch, use store-bought jam to make these bars in a fraction of the time. Press half the dough into a pan, then top it with raspberry jam and crumble the rest of the batter over top. Bake the bars until golden brown and serve them for the ultimate breakfast or brunch spread. 

Recipe: Raspberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Oats add just the right rustic quality to elevate a homemade loaf of bread, and a quick-baking soda bread is the perfect canvas for your oats. Pulse the oats to make flour, then combine it with all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, honey, and milk. Roll the dough into a ball and transfer it to a buttered skillet. Be sure to score the top of the loaf to allow air to escape, then brush the top with melted butter and bake it in a hot oven until browned. Serve it for breakfast with butter and jam, or add cheese between two slices to make a sandwich. 

Recipe: Honey Oatmeal Soda Bread

It doesn't get more traditional than an oatmeal raisin cookie. This classic favorite combines pantry staples to make a wholesome cookie with a sweet and chewy quality that is just as good for breakfast as it is for dessert. Combine butter, brown and white sugar, vanilla, egg, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, rolled oats, and raisins to make a batter. Scoop the dough onto baking sheets and bake the cookies until golden. If you like them especially chewy, take them out a little earlier. Otherwise, bake them until they're crispy and the perfect vessel for dunking into milk.

Recipe: Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

If you follow a gluten-free diet, your safest bet for this and any oatmeal recipe is to purchase gluten-free oats to avoid cross-contact with gluten-containing grains. Make the pancake batter for this recipe by grinding oats and soaked cashews in a food processor. Combine with ground flax seed, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, oil, and vanilla. Once the mixture is smooth and thick, heat a frying pan and scoop the batter onto the surface. Cook it until it's golden and set, then serve these tasty pancakes as desired — fresh fruit and maple syrup make an excellent combo.

Recipe: Vegan And Gluten-Free Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

These hearty cowboy cookies are loaded with goodness, including rolled oats, that can sustain even the hardest-working rancher (or whatever you spend your days doing). The rest of the batter consists of the usual suspects, like flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, as well as fun add-ins like shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and toasted pecans. Baked until golden, these cookies are brimming with flavor in every bite. Serve them warm with a glass of milk for the full melt-in-your-mouth experience, or enjoy them at room temperature for as long as they last — we guarantee it won't be long.

Recipe: Best Cowboy Cookies

Making cookies doesn't have to require turning on the oven. This fudgy, no-bake recipe highlights the chewy nature of rolled oats and is ready in no time. You'll need to heat butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk in a saucepan until the consistency is smooth and liquid. Then, add vanilla extract, peanut butter, and rolled oats to coat and combine. Scoop the batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets and let the cookies chill at room temperature or in the fridge until they are set, or scoop one up with a spoon while it's still warm and wash it down with a cold glass of milk. 

Recipe: No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies