5-Minute Oatmeal Power Bowl

November 17, 2014 « Jump to Recipe »

This is what I’ve been eating for breakfast every morning for the past month. It’s total comfort food and makes me feel amazing, even after a night of little sleep. I don’t know about you, but when I find something that I love, I have to have it every. single. day. until I’m sick of it and then I’m onto the next thing for a while. It’s a good thing I have this blog or I’d probably eat the same 3 meals on rotation! This wouldn’t surprise my mom. As a child, I used to only want to wear one outfit over and over. My poor mom had the challenging task to convince me to put on a different outfit before school each day. I remember one of those outfits fondly – a neon pink and green spandex short and tank outfit. Probably with a snap bracelet. Who wouldn’t want to wear that every day? I knew what I was doing back in the 80’s, let me tell you!

Now that I have a newborn, I’ve found myself with short “window of opportunities” for personal tasks (shower! eat! get crap done!). I have to move more efficiently then ever and I’m doing most things in half the time. This probably explains why I left the house wearing 1 earring the other day (“new fashion trend?” is what the cashier asked me). After I feed Adriana in the morning, I’m ready to chew my own arm off (unless I have some of my favourite breakfast cookies on hand!). So, rather than raiding the fridge and digging into my dark chocolate macaroon torte at 8am (yup, that happened), I came up with this hot oatmeal that only requires a quick zap of heat. It’s virtually instant! And I’m not talking about those powdery instant oatmeal packets I used to eat in highschool and university. This is real deal oatmeal at a fraction of the time, but you’d never know it. And it’s been working so well for my new routine that I knew I had to share it, as simple as it is. Everyone can appreciate an almost-instant breakfast, right?

The magic of this breakfast starts with making vegan overnight oats before bed. I live off of vegan overnight oats (and smoothies) all summer long, but it’s cold and snowy outside and I want something piping hot! My solution? I started making my vegan overnight oats before bed as usual, but now in the morning I throw the soaked oat mixture into a pot and heat it up for a couple minutes. That’s all it takes! Since we’re already soaking the oats and chia seeds overnight, the work is done for you as you sleep. Now all we have to do is heat it up for a minute or two. Then I scoop it into a bowl and throw on some toppings. In 5 minutes flat, I have an incredibly satisfying, nourishing bowl of oatmeal ready to start my day. It looks like a fancy bowl of oatmeal fit for a crunchy breakfast cafe. And that makes me very happy.

My favourite toppings are…

soaked raw almonds
pepita seeds (you can soak those too)
dried cranberries or dried cherries
raw or toasted almond butter (just a drizzle so it doesn’t overpower)
cinnamon + ground ginger + allspice (lots of cinnamon and just a tiny sprinkle of the last two – try it!!)
toasted flaked coconut

Keep these toppings close by so you can just throw them on like nobody’s biz-nas. Oh and sometimes I will put a pat of coconut oil or vegan butter on top when I want to crank up the comfort another level. This is a breakfast that makes those wintry cold days just a bit more bearable.

Serve with tea or coffee and get COZY!

Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free

★★★★★
4.9 from 42 reviews

Yield
1 bowl

Soak time
overnight

Prep time
3 minutes

Cook time
2 minutes

Total time
5 minutes

My favourite bowl of hot oatmeal, ready in less than 5 minutes! Soaking the oatmeal mixture overnight cuts down the cook time the morning of—all you have to do is heat it on the stove for a minute or two. Don't forget to mix the ingredients the night before. For a fall twist, add a pinch of cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice on top of each bowl. Total fall comfort food!

Ingredients

1 ripe banana, mashed (the riper/spottier the better)
2 heaping tablespoons chia seeds
1/3 cup rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup (160 mL) almond milk
1/3 cup (90 mL) water
1 tablespoon ground flax (optional, see note)

For Garnish:

Soaked almonds
Pepita seeds
Hemp hearts
Cinnamon
Toasted coconut
Nut butter
Spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice)

Directions

The night before: Grab a medium bowl and mash the banana until smooth. Now stir in the chia, oats, cinnamon, milk, and water until combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning: Scoop the oat mixture into a medium pot. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat immediately to medium-low, and stir frequently until heated throughout and thickened. At the end of cooking, stir in flax, if using.
Pour oats into bowl. Garnish with your desired toppings. Get cozy!

Tip:

The ground flax is optional because it creates a bit of a strange texture (almost like a flax egg) in this oatmeal. I don't mind it, but some people might. If you think you will, just leave it out or sprinkle some ground flax on top instead.
I love topping my oats with spices—a pinch of cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice create my perfectly spiced bowl.

Nutrition Information

(click to expand)

Happy breakfast-ing this fall!

You guys are awesome! I got word that The Oh She Glows Cookbook has made it into the FINAL round of voting in Good Reads Choice Awards! I would love your support (last time I have to ask, thank goodness!!). Thanks for helping us get this far. You can vote here.

More Fall Recipes

Spiced Vegan “Buttercream” Frosting
Perfect Little Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Buttercream
Instant Pot Creamiest Steel-Cut Oatmeal (with stovetop version!)
One Bowl Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins (Vegan + Gluten-free)

228 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Annik

8 years ago

This looks delicious ! How much calories per serving?

Angela Liddon

Reply toAnnik

8 years ago

Hi Annik, I haven’t calculated the nutritional data myself, but if you plug the recipe information into an online tool like Nutrition Data or Calorie Count.com, it will calculate the calories per serving for you. Hope this helps!

Larissa

8 years ago

Recipe Rating :

I know this is an old post but I just had to comment – thank you for this recipe!! For over a month I’ve been trying to find a breakfast that’s filling enough to tide me over until lunch when I bike 12 km to work every day. And finally today, after having this for breakfast, I didn’t have to deal with an embarrassing rumbling stomach before lunchtime. So excited to keep trying this with different toppings!

Angela Liddon

Reply toLarissa

8 years ago

Ah!! I love your spoon! Also, I’ve been going through your blog and just pinning a BUNCH of recipes, haha! All of your food looks so good. I’ve made your Hunky Heartbeet Cabbage Soup and it was delicious! I am now attempting a not-overnight version of this. Hopefully it turns out!

Angela Liddon

Reply toSarah

6 years ago

Hey Sara, It should last in the fridge for at least a few days, I would imagine (we tend to polish it off pretty quick, but I love your idea of turning it into a few days worth of lunches!)

Ivory

6 years ago

This oatmeal sounds amazing. I can hardly wait to make. I’ve been looking for an amazing oatmeal recipe, and I think I just found it. Thank you!

Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows)

Author

Reply toIvory

6 years ago

Hey Ivory, Thank you! I’d love to hear what you think :)

6 years ago

Hi Angela!

I have eaten oat bran mixed with flax seed meal for breakfast every day for at least the past 15 years. Besides helping build Bob’s Red Mill empire, I suspect and hope it is helping me stay healthy. I pour it in a big bowl, pour enough water to cover it by a couple inches, and nuke it for about 3-4 minutes. I usually add walnuts and either blueberries or bananas. On a long, lazy weekend morning, I might add quinoa. To do this, I just precook the quinoa for about 5 minutes before adding the oat bran. With a cup of coffee, this breakfast sustains me for at least 3-5 hours. Please tell me I haven’t wasted the last 15 years of my life!

Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows)

Author

Reply toP

6 years ago

haha that sounds amazing!! And I chuckled at “Besides helping build Bob’s Red Mill empire”…I feel the same. Where is our cut? ;)

marcela

5 years ago

hola, esta receta vaya que me ha encantado pero que pasa si no dejo remojar la avena con todo lo demás toda la noche?

Angela (Oh She Glows)

Reply tomarcela

5 years ago

Hi Marcela, I recommend soaking the oats along with everything else as it allows them to soften and thicken the oatmeal. Hope this helps!

Jenna

5 years ago

Cannot wait to try this! Have you tried nuking it in the microwave instead? I’m pressed for time in the morning and I have an electric stove that takes forever to heat up…

Angela (Oh She Glows)

Reply toJenna

5 years ago

Hey Jenna, I don’t have a microwave but I assume that would work fine :) I would suggest only heating for 30 second intervals, stirring, heating 30 secs more, etc.

Georgina

5 years ago

Recipe Rating :

This oatmeal recipe is amazing and a life saver. It is so easy and so healthy. My first time making oatmeal and I am hooked! Thank you for sharing. Love and light <3

Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows)

Author

Reply toGeorgina

5 years ago

I’m so happy to hear you love it so much! Thank you :)

Ashley

5 years ago

I first want to say I love everything about your Oh She Glows cookbook and website and JUST noticed you now have an app! Woohoo!!
I seriously love how approachable your recipes are and you have made it BEYOND simple for me to cook these meals at home for my family without having to fill my pantry with super special ingredients. I have yet to make something that dislike. Thank you!
Maybe a silly question about the overnight oatmeal:
How much is a “serving size”?

Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows)

Author

Reply toAshley

5 years ago

Awww thank you so much Ashley!! This truly means the world to me to hear this. I can’t thank you enough for your support and encouragement! It’s really why I do what I do, so to hear that the recipes make an impact in your life is so great to hear.
As for this recipe, I wrote it as 1 serving as I usually enjoy the whole bowl. But you can split it up however you’d like! :)

« Previous1…789