Make a Toppings Bar for Oatmeal and each person can assemble their own custom-made breakfast!
While a typical brunch layout is wonderful, it is a lot of work. If you want to provide a healthy but fun breakfast for your family, guests, or next gathering, consider this recipe for Oatmeal Toppings. Who doesn’t love creating their own bowl of goodness, especially for the most important meal of the day? Oatmeal on its own is chock full of nutrients and fiber, but it is also -yawn- not that exciting to actually eat! That’s why you need a strong toppings game.
The most basic of oatmeal toppings, brown sugar, is delicious, but can also add a lot of sugar grams to an otherwise healthy breakfast. We’ve come up with some alternative sweet and creamy toppings to not only boost the flavor but the nutritional punch as well. I like to create alternating layers of smooth and crunchy toppings to make for a nice contrast of textures.
You will love the versatility of this Oatmeal Toppings idea. Use fruits that are readily available and in season or make use of frozen if that’s easier. It’s really up to you. There are at least a half dozen different combos of flavor profiles in the ingredients below, so that makes for a lot of options. An Oatmeal Toppings Bar is a great idea for a group because it is a meat-free but filing breakfast or brunch, and, as long as you use gluten-free oats, a gluten-free option as well. If you have littles, it’s a great way to get them involved in the kitchen – and they will love piling on their favorite toppings. Win-Win!
Oatmeal Shopping Savvy
Don’t just grab the first cylinder of oatmeal you see off the shelf! Take a second to read what kind of oats you’re buying and take a quick look at the ingredients. There should be no added sugars or sodium. For this recipe, avoid instant oats (they’ve been partially pre-cooked). Rolled oats (also called old-fashioned), steel cut oats, or gluten-free are what you need. Any of these three types of oats take a little longer to cook than instant, but the texture is creamier and the oats will be chewier (a good thing!).
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats or steel cut or gluten-free rolled oats
- 6 cups milk or almond milk or water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Fresh fruit: bananas, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
- Nuts and seeds: walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, almond butter, peanut butter
- Dried fruits: coconut, cherries, apricots, cranberries, raisins
- Sweeteners: caramel, berry jam, chocolate chips, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave nectar
- Spices: pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla sauce
- Creamy additions: cream, half-and-half, milk, almond milk
How to Make Oatmeal Toppings
Step 1: Bring the milk (or almond milk or water) to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the oats and salt, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes for rolled oats (or according to package instructions for other types), stirring occasionally until the oats are soft and have absorbed most of the liquid.
Step 2: Divide the cooked oatmeal into bowls. Let everyone add their favorite toppings to create their own ultimate oatmeal bowl.
FAQs & Tips
For an easy morning, prep ahead as many of the toppings as possible. Wash and chop fruit, portion out nuts, seeds, or nut butter, and set out any toppings that can be room temperature all night. While you can make the oatmeal itself ahead and gently reheat in the microwave, the texture will be best if you make it right before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
If your oatmeal is more like concrete, then you probably just need to add in some more liquid. Start with 1/4 cup and gradually add until you get the desired consistency. If the liquid is cold (like refrigerated milk), you may need to gently heat the pot of oatmeal – but avoid bringing it to a boil, as you will be back to square one.
It depends on what your goal is. If you want a low-fat breakfast, probably water. But the texture might not be as creamy. If you want extra protein and calcium, go for the milk. Low-fat cow’s milk is a great choice, and if you’re using almond milk, always choose the unsweetened. You can add in natural sugars with the toppings.
Some of my family’s favorite combos include PBJ: a swirl of peanut butter, then blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries with a few chopped pecans on top and a drizzle of honey. Another one is Almond Joy, which is simply almonds, coconut, and mini chocolate chips. Choco-berry is a good one too, with raspberries and mini-chocolate chips. If you’re not a chocolate fan, try a tropical twist with dried fruit, cashews, and coconut. The possibilities are endless!
Serving Suggestions
An Oatmeal Toppings Bar is all about the presentation. Get out differently colored and sized bowls for the toppings, write the toppings or combo ideas on a mini-chalkboard or your iPad and display it near the setup. Have fun with it! If you want something to serve alongside the bar, try our Breakfast Potatoes Recipe or Baked Kale Cups. But you really don’t need anything else if you provide enough yummy toppings!
The Oatmeal Toppings Bar
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats or steel cut or gluten-free rolled oats
- 6 cups milk or almond milk or water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Fresh fruit strawberries, bananas, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
- Nuts and seeds almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almond butter, peanut butter
- Dried fruits apricots, cranberries, raisins, coconut, cherries
- Sweeteners chocolate chips, caramel, berry jam, brown sugar, real maple syrup, honey, stevia, agave nectar
- Spices cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, vanilla extract
- Creamy additions milk, almond milk, cream, half-and-half
Instructions
- Fresh fruit: bananas, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
- Nuts and seeds: walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, almond butter, peanut butter
- Dried fruits: coconut, cherries, apricots, cranberries, raisins
- Sweeteners: caramel, berry jam, chocolate chips, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave nectar
- Spices: pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla sauce
- Creamy additions: cream, half-and-half, milk, almond milk
