8 Quirky Oatmeal Recipe Variations

In continuation of the Oats Series, today I am sharing EIGHT different variations to jazz up your morning oatmeal! Talk about breakfast for champions.

This post has definitely been the most challenging one for me thus far. But it was also so so much fun coming up with these random recipes. They are indeed random, but they certainly work! I must say I felt a little disappointed when I realised I’m not the first person who has come up with such “creative” ways of eating oatmeal (obviously, I’m no Andoni Aduriz)… Well, even though this is not an entirely unique concept, I am still very delighted with coming up with these original recipes. I hope you guys will enjoy them!

I would love to hear about your most creative oatmeal toppings. Share by leaving a comment below, or tag @casaduduchess and #DuchessEats on Instagram. I will definitely be checking them out. 🙂

Standard Oatmeal Recipe

Ingredients: ½ cup water , ½ cup milk, ½ cup rolled oats, ¼ tsp salt
Preparation method: Combine and heat everything in a small pot over medium heat. Stir continuously as the oats thicken up, about 5 minutes.

PB BANANA OATMEAL

Complication level: low
Oatmeal preparation: Standard
Toppings: 2 sliced banana, 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter, a drizzle of honey or golden syrup

TROPICAL SUMMER OATMEAL

Complications level: low
Oatmeal preparation: Standard
Toppings: a few sliced strawberries, one sliced kiwi, blueberries, 1 tbsp chia seeds

CHOCOLATE & GRANOLA OATMEAL

Complications level: low
Oatmeal preparation: Standard
Toppings: 1.5 tbsp shaved dark & milk chocolate, 1 cup of granola cereal, pinch of salt, a sprinkle of shredded coconut

CURRY CHICKEN OATMEAL

Complications level: medium
Oatmeal preparation: use ½ cup coconut milk rather than regular milk to cook the oats. Near the end of cooking, stir in ½ tbsp of curry powder
Toppings: 1 cup skinless chicken (cooked and sliced), pinch of salt & pepper

TOMATO CHEESE OATMEAL

Complications level: medium
Oatmeal preparation: Near the end of cooking, stir in ¼ cup of cheddar cheese
Toppings: a few sliced sundried tomatoes, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar, pinch of pepper

CAESAR SALAD OATMEAL

Complications level: medium
Oatmeal preparation: Standard
Toppings: Romanian salad leaves, 1 cup croutons, a drizzle of lemon juice, ⅓ cup bacon bits, pinch of pepper

HONEY MATCHA OATMEAL (my favourite)

Complications level: high
Oatmeal preparation: use ½ cup soy milk rather than regular milk to cook the oatmeal. Near the end of cooking, stir in 1 tbsp of matcha powder
Toppings: a drizzle of honey or golden syrup, ⅔ cup red bean paste, ¼ cup pine nuts, a sprinkle of shredded coconut

Red bean paste (Anko) preparation: soak the red beans overnight (min 8 hours). Rinse the beans and boil with water in a large pot for 5 mins. Discard the boiled water and add water again, this time just enough to cover the beans. Continue boiling at medium heat for 1 hour, occasionally stirring very gently and topping up water. Once a red bean can be squished easily by your fingers, remove the pot from heat. Discard two-thirds of the liquid and blend the red bean into a mash. Return the red bean mash into the pot, stir in sugar at medium-high heat (1:1 beans to sugar ratio in grams). Once the red bean paste slightly thickens, remove the pot from heat as it will continue to thicken as it cools.

APPLE PIE OATMEAL (scratch that… this is my favourite)

Complications level: high
Oatmeal preparation: Standard
Toppings: 1 cup cinnamon poached apples and 3 tbsp of its syrup, 2 crushed digestive biscuits

Cinnamon poached apples preparation: Peel and cut half an apple to small cubes (bite size). In a pot over medium-high heat, cook the apple cubes with ½ cup of water, 1 tbsp of cinnamon and 1.5 tbsp of brown sugar. Stirring continuously. Cook until apples are soft and brown, and the cinnamon syrup thickens.