A hearty bowl of oatmeal is a classic meal usually eaten as breakfast. Done properly, the nutty flavors of the oats pair well with fruit, nuts, and spices.
Recipe Spotlight
How to Make Oatmeal Taste Good
No more spackle for breakfast.
By Published Jan. 3, 2023.
But if you’ve ever had bland, overcooked oatmeal, you know it can remind you of spackle.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Oatmeal can taste however you want. And it deserves a place on your table.
Here are 8 ways to tastier oatmeal, just to get you started.
Sign up for the Notes from the Test Kitchen newsletter
Our favorite tips and recipes, enjoyed by 2 million+ subscribers!
America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials.
1. Toast the Oats
One of the best ways to taste more of the oats themselves is to toast them. Toasting brings out their nuttiness. Now they’ll cook up perfectly in this Slow-Cooker Irish Oatmeal.
And it’s not just oats; you should also toast your nuts before adding them to your oats. Toasting nuts helps deepen their flavor and develops their internal sugars. They just taste better. So don’t skip toasting the pecans to top a bowl of Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Carrots and Cherries.
2. Make it Savory
Oats don’t have to be sweet, even for breakfast. When you make your oats savory, you can add ingredients such as white wine and fresh thyme for a luxurious bowl of Instant Pot Savory Oatmeal with Sautéed Wild Mushrooms.
New Release!
The Complete Modern Pantry
When you need to improvise, capture the ethos of true pantry cooking with a unique approach: build simple dishes and combine hundreds of flavor combinations that leave you plenty of room to play (and use up what you have on hand).Save 43%
3. Go Beyond Water for the Cooking Liquid
We recommend cooking steel cut oats in a mixture of water and milk for soft, creamy results with a bit of chew. But you can also kick up the flavor of your oats with:
- Carrot juice. Trust us. With a combination of grated carrots, currants, and spices, this recipe for Carrot Spice Steel-Cut Oatmeal is essentially a bowl of carrot cake without all the sugar.
- Orange juice. The warming flavors of dried cranberries and cardamom with a tangy kick of orange juice makes this Cranberry-Orange Steel-Cut Oatmeal feel like fall for breakfast, all year long.
- Apple cider. Mix some leftover apple cider and a grated apple into your overnight oats for the ultimate flavor in Apple-Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal.
4. Stir in Ingredients
Once you’ve seasoned your oats to your liking, add mix-ins for additional sweetness, crunch, or a pop of spice.
- Peanut butter. Add a bit of protein and creaminess by stirring in some peanut butter once the oats have finished, as featured in our Peanut, Honey, and Banana Steel-Cut Oatmeal.
- Bananas. Stir in soft fruits like bananas at the end of cooking. But don’t stop there. We also add toasted shredded coconut for the ultimate Banana-Coconut Steel-Cut Oatmeal.
- Cheese. If you prefer a savory route, add cheese off heat for a rich finish. We use parmesan in our Savory Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Spinach and Mushrooms.
- Herbs. A pop of green adds pleasant grassiness and visual appeal to an earthy bowl of oats. We used the entire scallion in our Savory Oatmeal with Dried Porcini Mushrooms and Soft-Cooked Egg; the scallion whites are cooked with the garlic and the greens are stirred in after cooking for a bright finish.
