10 Easy Oatmeal Add-Ins to Make Breakfast Amazing

Kick up your oatmeal game with these 10 awesome mix-ins! Adding fun flavors and textures not only makes your oatmeal taste better but also healthier. Check out these easy and yummy ideas to make your morning meal exciting.

AUTHOR: Ben Rice

Table of Contents

1. Peanut Butter
2. Maple Syrup
3. Mixed Spices
4. Fruit Sauce
5. Sugar and Salt
6. Dried Fruits
7. Butter
8. Toast the Oats
9. Go Savory
10. Go Nuts
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1. Peanut Butter

Two bowls of peanut butter and peanuts on dark wooden background from top view — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

No country does peanut butter like America, with variations on humble crushed peanuts and canola oil. Stirring a tablespoon through your milk-heated oatmeal will add a satisfyingly sweet and savory note to any oatmeal bowl. Better still, add a dollop of grape jelly for the win — and a new recipe.

2. Maple Syrup

Maine Maple Producers Association (MMPA) outlines several health benefits of maple syrup, such as antioxidants, a low glycemic score, and vitamins such as zinc and manganese. If applied in moderation, this wonder syrup elevates the humble oat more than its unhealthy sugar rival while even fighting inflammatory diseases. Take that, refined sugar.

3. Mixed Spices

If even maple syrup brings the oatmeal eater calorie guilt, other sweeteners such as pumpkin spice seasoning, chai latte flavorings, or even Christmas spices exist. The cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon make for a festive alternative to bland, boring oatmeal.

4. Fruit Sauce

Canned Applesauce — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

If fresh fruits aren’t on hand, why not experiment with different fruit purées to improve it? A jar of applesauce, cranberry sauce, or strawberry compote is easy to store in the fridge, ready for those mornings when you find no bananas in the larder. Sweetness can come from many sources — and sauces.

5. Sugar and Salt

If you avoid most processed foods that contain unrefined sugar, a hint in your morning oatmeal will never hurt. Believe it or not, the human body benefits from salt, especially when dehydrated. Moreover, salt magnifies everything’s flavor, benefiting even the sweetest ingredient.

6. Dried Fruits

We love the freshness of chopped bananas and apples, but dried fruits are even sweeter; they are full of fiber and will give slow-release energy to match the oatmeal. It needn’t only be raisins that make the oatmeal bowl; dried cranberries, prunes, figs, or dates are acceptable as one of your daily fruit doses.

7. Butter

Salted Butter — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Butter is fast becoming a favorite among health food enthusiasts for its fat-busting qualities. It sounds contradictory, but nutritionists now accept that stirring butter into your coffee is good for losing weight, as its conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is like that found in good animal fats. While it may not sweeten oatmeal, butter will add guilt-free richness.

8. Toast the Oats

Overnight Oats — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Toasting oats will open their flavor profile up, and the lightly caramelized flavor adds a natural sweetness it otherwise doesn’t have. Once the oats are toasted, they can be boiled gently with cow milk, almond milk, or whatever other milk you wish — and feel no guilt for a dusting of sugar (see above).

9. Go Savory

Most Chinese people swear by congee, a salty rice porridge to which they add meat, vegetables, and spices. A bowl of heartwarming congee punctuates an otherwise sweet breakfast routine on a cold, wintery East-China morning. Some people offer a more extreme variation, using European ingredients like sautéed mushrooms.

10. Go Nuts

There are so many delectable nuts you can sprinkle into your oatmeal. Adding toasted coconut, crushed pecans, or sugared walnuts could be a life-changing experience. Another extension on nut choices — ground nuts like almonds can change the flavor entirely.

Source: Reddit.