When I was a child, I thought that the instant oatmeal that came in the little packets was a very yummy, healthy breakfast. Well, now I know better than the "healthy" part, but I still remember the flavor with pleasant nostalgia. Therefore, I recreated my favorite maple and brown sugar flavor – just without the sugar and other junk. This version relies on slow-burning carbs and plenty of protein for a breakfast that will start your day out right. I think the Quaker would be proud.
My favorite instant oatmeal packets had little bits of apple in them as well, so I like to top my bowl of oatmeal with a small amount of chopped apple.
The egg whites that are whisked into this oatmeal add creaminess and protein. If you don't care for old fashioned oats because they're too chunky, try adding some egg whites to your finished hot oatmeal. This addition smoothes out the oatmeal and makes it more like quick oats (in my opinion). Don't worry about the whole raw egg thing. If you use carton egg whites, they're pasteurized. Plus, the egg whites get mostly cooked I think. They thicken the oatmeal up, so you can afford to use more liquid when making the oatmeal and you end up with a bigger bowl of oatmeal for your same ol' 1/2 cup serving of dry oats.
My personal favorite oatmeal is this chocolate overnight oatmeal, but if you're not a chocolate lover, give this comforting version a try!
Microwave the oats and water in a large microwave-safe bowl for 4 minutes (I use a serving bowl so it doesn't boil over). Whisk the egg whites into the hot oatmeal, adding the egg whites while whisking so they don't create scrambled eggs in your oatmeal. Add the other ingredients and stir. Taste and adjust as necessary, adding more sweetener or flavoring if you like. Top with the optional toppings if desired and enjoy!
You can omit the egg whites if you like; if doing this, use only 1 cup of water.
Gonna try this recipe! I wish I knew the measurements for other sweeteners. I only use Super Sweet Blend or Monk fruit. Will try to "wing" it and see what I come up with. Thanks Briana!!
I like to have more volume to my oatmeal. How would I make this to have more volume? Can I make this on a Sunday and reheat all week?
Well this seemed too simple to be as good as the other comments said… and even though I like oatmeal it is not my favorite choice of breakfast. However, this recipe really surprised me! It is delicious!!!! I was a little weary about adding the egg whites too and they blended well. Just yum!
*** The only thing I changed was apples to blueberries but that's because I didn't have apples and I am buying some molasses for next time. So I just added the sweetener and maple syrup.
So glad you liked it, Brandy!
I made this oatmeal and it was delicious! However, I love Granny Smith apples and added 1/2 chopped to my oatmeal. Will this still be an E?
Is Grandma's Molasses different than Blackstrap Molasses?
off? I microwaved for close to ten minutes and could not get the water to absorb. I put it into a very big bowl, so it wouldn't boil over. Thanks.
Yes, those are the proportions I used. Didn't it thicken up when you whisked the egg whites into the hot oatmeal?
Oh how I missed my bowl of Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal in the morning! To be quite honest, I thought the whole egg whites thing was a bit strange but I believe in always trying a recipe exactly before dismissing it… and I'm so glad I did! I no longer miss my oatmeal. I'm pretty sure I will be eating this every morning for awhile… it's been a long time.
How many egg whites of actual eggs would that be for this recipe? I am new to THM and haven't bought everything I need yet!
2 small egg whites would probably work. 🙂 Whisk them before adding them so they're not clumpy.
Hi. I followed the recipe exactly and my oatmeal is like SOUP! When you microwave for 4 min, is your mixture more dry?
After 4 min my oatmeal was boiling but still liquidy.
I added all other ingredients then microwaved it for 2 more minutes and while it's still thin, it looks a little more edible. Microwave 5-6 min? Less water?
I'll try less water because I prefer a bit more texture and extra cooking time will make it even mushier….
This looks so great! Could you use sweet blend or gentle sweet in place of the stevia? I always have such a hard time making things taste right with the stevia.
Sorry Briana but I tweaked your recipe just a bit in that I made it for supper instead of breakfast. LOL. I work all day, all week and save my new recipe experimenting for supper cause then I'm not rushed. This was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. Followed recipe exactly except I used 2 tsp Stevia blend instead of Extract Powder. This is a keeper recipe for any meal of my day. Another meal on my THM weekly planner. Thanks again Briana. Your recipes have never let me down.
Haha…no problemo! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last night for this mornings breakfast. I just reheated it and added an apple. This is another one of your recipes I am adding to the regular rotation!
This is absolutely delicious! Thanks for giving me my new favorite way to eat oatmeal.
Is blackstrap molasses different from regular molasses? I have it in my pantry for something else that I tried.
Blackstrap molasses is the strongest kind of molasses. 🙂 You may want to use a little less if using blackstrap versus regular molasses in my recipes.
I try not to use the microwave to cook with so would this turn out the same cooking the oatmeal on the stovetop?
I've never done this on the stovetop so I'm not sure how long it would take, but I'm sure you could!
This is amazing, I will say that I added in about 1/2c instant oats after I cooked a dbl batch as too watery, I like my oats thick. And that is what I got in the end. Will be on my list of Breakfasts for sure, will make night before and warm in morning. Thanks so much for this.
SO GOOD. SO AMAZINGLY GOOD. I cannot rave enough about this. My oatmeal hating days are OVER!
Wow! Haha…thanks for the great review! I'm glad you've finally converted.
I'm afraid I don't; I don't usually cook my oats on the stovetop. I'm guessing you should just follow the regular cooking time on your container of oats, then stirring in the egg whites will thicken up any excess liquid (since my recipe calls for more water than normal).
I made a triple quantity of this to share with my kids. We loved it! I made it on the stove-top using 5 fresh egg whites. I let the oats and water simmer for about 5 minutes until soft, then used my stick-blender to mix the egg whites thoroughly into the oats before adding the flavourings. For my children I added a dollop of whipped cream and a pinch of coconut sugar on top, I added a drizzle of almond milk to mine. SO delicious. Even my oatmeal-hating son enjoyed a small bowlful without complaint ?
Must say I love this recipe!!! One question. Any chance you could make a blueberry version? You know like the instant packets? 😉 They were my fav!
Hi Rose! Just tweak this one a little and you'll have your blueberry version. 🙂 I've never had the blueberry instant oatmeal packets (and don't really want to try them now…lol), so I don't know what spices/flavorings are involved, but just switch some of that stuff up, omit the apple, add blueberries, and you've got it!
Absolutely delicious! Loved it! You are a talented foodie girl!!!
Briana, this recipe is FANTASTIC! I hope you don't mind a tweak, but I've had a hard time adjusting to Stevia, so instead I used my THM "brown sugar" and it turned out great! This is officially my new favorite breakfast. ?
I love when people tweak my recipes to make them what they like!
Ok!!! This looked so good but pouring in the egg whites seemed a little weird 🙂 so I made it for my son today and I tasted it!!!!! Oh my!!! It was soooo good! I wish your cookbook was coming out this Christmas ;)!!!! I love lots of your recipes and you do beautiful work!!! Thank you so much!!! I am 38 and pregnant with our 12th little baby!!!! Your site is a total blessing!!!! Hoping for an awesome THM pregnancy!
I'm so glad you liked it, Lana! As for the cookbook wish – I wish that too. 😛 I hope your pregnancy goes well!
I used to be obsessed with the instant oatmeal packs of this flavor! Its comforting to know that I can now create a sugar-free version!