Oatmeal is the king of all breakfasts! I love to start my day with creamy oatmeal because it reminds me of my childhood. It brings back childhood memories where my mom would make a big bowl whenever I was feeling under the weather during the harsh cold winter in The Netherlands. Besides, who doesn’t love a warm creamy bowl of soft chewy oats?
Oatmeal or porridge is incredibly satisfying, filling, nutrient-dense and simply delicious. Moreover, it keeps you full for several hours, packed with soluble fiber, protein, it stabilizes your blood sugars because of the whole grain in the form of rolled oats. I always choose rolled oats over instant or steel-cut oats, however, this is a personal preference.
The difference between instant, rolled and steel-cut oats
So, the difference between steel-cut, rolled, and instant oats is simply how much the oat groat (all oats starts off as “oat groats”) has been processed. This also results in different texture and cooking time. Steel cuts being the longest to cook and instant oats the fastest.
Steel-cut oats are chopped from the oat groat itself into smaller pieces, they look like rice. While rolled oats or old-fashioned oats are pressed and therefore are flat and round in the shape. Rolled oats also cook faster than steel-cut oats. At last, the instant oats, famous by the brand Quaker, are the most processed type of oats, they cook the fastest and turn mushy after cooking.
Read more about all things oats in this post.
In this creamy oatmeal recipe, I mash half a banana to sweeten things up naturally. You don’t need to add any other sweetener such as maple syrup or honey. It’s sweet enough to my taste, but feel free to adjust according to your liking.
I can’t wait for you to try my version of naturally sweetened creamy oatmeal which is nourishing and packed with fiber. Or use the recipe as a guideline and go bananas with the toppings and fruits!
Simple Creamy Oatmeal
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 1/2 banana, mashed
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1/2 plant milk of choice (I often use soy milk, coconut milk or almond milk)
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
Toppings
- 1/3 cup blueberries
- 1/2 banana, sliced
- 1-2 tsp peanut butter
- shaved dark chocolate
Instructions
- Mash the banana in a saucepan and add rolled oats, milk and turn on the heat.
- Cook for about 5 minutes and keep stirring.
- Add all the dry ingredients until everything is cooked together.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a shallow bowl and now is the time to decorate your bowls nicely with the blueberries, peanut butter, shaved dark chocolate, and slices of bananas.
