35+ Healthy Recipes With Oats
This collection of 35+ dietitian-designed recipes with oats will give you all the inspiration you need for creative, healthy ways to use oats in your cooking. Here you’ll find easy, tasty recipes for warm porridges, baked oats, overnight oats, oatmeal cookies, and other breakfasts, snacks, and desserts using oats. With this roundup, you’ll never have to ask “what to do with oats?” again!
In this post, you’ll find healthy oat recipe ideas from the blog along with some helpful oat facts! Keep scrolling or click on the following sections to go straight to them:
Nutrition & Health Benefits Of Oats
Oats are a whole grain, complex carbohydrate most well-known for their high fibre content. This whole-grain cereal contains about 11% fibre, with the majority being a soluble fibre called beta glucan.
Soluble fibre is known to help:
- slow digestion, increasing feelings of fullness/satiety (which may help promote a healthy weight)
- lower LDL and total cholesterol levels
- improve glycemic (blood sugar) control
- promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut
- regulate bowel movements
Because of their high soluble fibre content, oatmeal (as part of a general healthy diet) can help prevent chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and digestive disorders.
Oats are also a great source of micronutrients. A half-cup serving of dry oats contains:
- Manganese (191% of your daily needs)
- Phosphorus (41% of your daily needs)
- Magnesium (34% of your daily needs)
- Copper (24% of your daily needs)
- Iron (20% of your daily needs)
- Zinc (20% of your daily needs)
- B vitamins, like thiamin (39%), folate (11%), and pantothenic acid 10%)
In addition, oatmeal is also a source of plant-based protein. A half-cup serving of dry oats provides about 6 grams of protein.
A lesser-known fact about oats? They are actually a source of antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds. One of these plant compounds is called “avenanthramides,” which are actually only found in oats!
Different Types Of Oats
Old Fashioned (Rolled) Oats:
- Whole grain oat kernels are called “oat groats,” which have been separated from their outer hull. During processing, these oat groats are essentially steamed and rolled flat to create the round flakes that we know as old fashioned rolled oats.
- Rolled oats will cook faster and absorb more liquid compared to steel cut oats, and are great to use in a variety of recipes (e.g. granola bars, muffins, cookies, etc.)
Steel Cut Oats:
- The main difference between rolled and steel cut oats lies in the level of processing. Steel cut oats are the “oat groats” that have been cut into a couple smaller pieces.
- Because they’re slightly less processed and not rolled flat, they have a bit of chewier and denser texture than rolled oats. For the same reason, steel cut oats will take longer to cook than rolled oats. This is why I often like making a large batch at once.
- Do note that because of their shape, steel cut oats are also less ideal for making things like cookies and bars.
- Nutritionally, however, there is no difference between steel cut and rolled oats! That said, because they are less processed, steel cut oats do take longer to digest in our bodies. This means that you may feel fuller for longer and have less of a blood sugar spike.
Instant Oats:
- Instant or quick oats are the most processed of the different oat varieties. Essentially, they are pre-cooked, dried, and then pressed even thinner than rolled oats.
- As the name suggests, these oats cook almost instantly with the addition of boiling water.
- They will also digest a bit faster than other oat varieties, so you may not feel as full for as long.
From a nutritional value, however, there is no difference between steel cut, rolled, or instant/quick oats. They’re all made from the same whole grain oat groats!
Baked Oat Recipes
In this section you’ll find a handful of recipes for baked oatmeal. I love making baked oats over the weekend – they’re awesome for an at-home brunch for the whole family. Plus, any leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated for quick breakfasts throughout the week!
1) Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal
2) Ginger Baked Pear Oatmeal
3) Pineapple Baked Oatmeal With Banana & Coconut
4) Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
Overnight Oat Recipes
In this section you’ll find a bunch of recipes for overnight oats. Overnight oats are AWESOME for a make-ahead/meal prep breakfast idea. There’s no cooking involved – you basically just stir the ingredients together the night before, pop them in the fridge, then breakfast is ready in the morning. I swore by overnight oats when I was in grad school.
Another pro? They’re so good in the warmer months when you don’t feel like eating hot oatmeal!
5) Overnight Oats With Frozen Fruit
6) Mango Overnight Oats With Chia
7) Blueberry Lemon Overnight Oats
8) Blood Orange Bircher Muesli
9) Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Steel Cut Oats
10) Grated Apple Bircher Muesli
11) Raspberry Overnight Oats: 2 Ways
12) Matcha Overnight Oats
Warm Porridges
In this section you’ll find classic warm porridges, but with fun twists on ingredients to prevent getting bored with the same old oats! I include recipes with both steel cut and rolled oats here.
13) Zucchini Bread Steel Cut Oatmeal
14) Chocolate Orange Oatmeal
15) Blueberry Steel Cut Oatmeal
16) Creamy Coconut Oatmeal
17) Mashed Banana Tahini Oatmeal
18) Savoury Kimchi Oatmeal
19) Sautéed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
20) Protein Porridge With Eggs
21) Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal With Sautéed Banana
Other Oat-Based Breakfasts
Oats don’t have to be used for just oatmeal! Here you’ll find some ways to incorporate them into other breakfasts, like pancakes, granola, and smoothies.
22) 4-Ingredient Banana Oat Pancakes
23) Honey Tahini Granola With Chocolate Chips
24) Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie
25) Lemon Ginger & Coconut Granola
26) Butternut Squash Oat Pancakes
27) Berry Granola
Oatmeal Cookies
These delicious oatmeal cookies are incredibly easy to make and they use simple, healthy ingredients! In fact, they’re designed to be enjoyed as a healthy snack rather than a sweet treat 😉
28) Chewy, Healthy Breakfast Cookies
29) Honey Tahini Oatmeal Cookies
30) Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
31) Nut-Free “PB&J” Oatmeal Cookies
Snacks & Desserts With Oats
In this section you’ll find some ways to incorporate oats into your desserts and snacks. I particularly love using oats in fruit crisps, energy balls, and granola bars!
32) Almond Butter Oat Energy Balls
33) Strawberry Peach Crisp
34) Trail Mix Granola Bars
35) Rosemary Apricot Crisp
36) Carrot Cake Energy Bites
37) Honey Tahini Energy Balls
And there you have it – 35+ Easy, Healthy Recipes With Oats to cook and enjoy. I so hope you found inspiration for some new and creative ways to use oats! If you make any of these recipes, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
More Recipe Roundups To Explore
- 9 Easy, Healthy Breakfast Smoothie Recipes
- 20+ Spring & Summer Salad Recipe Ideas
- 20+ Easy, Healthy Pasta Recipes
- 20+ Easy, Healthy Vegetable Side Dish Recipes
- 15+ Easy, Healthy Egg Recipe Ideas
- 30 Healthy Plant-Based Breakfast Ideas
Get the Recipe: 35+ Healthy Recipes With Oats, Including Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 3 medium bananas, ripe
- 2 cups almond milk, unsweetened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, unsweetened
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup raw walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a large mixing bowl, peel and mash two of the bananas.
- Then, add in almond milk, vanilla extract, and peanut butter to the mashed bananas. Whisk ingredients together.
- Next, add the rolled oats, baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt, and chocolate chips to the banana mixture. Whisk again, until all ingredients are well-combined.
- Pour the mixture evenly into a baking dish (I used a 9″x 6″ one) and add remaining banana (cut into rounds) on top. Then, sprinkle walnuts on top before placing the baking dish in oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove oatmeal from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy hot!
Notes
- While it tastes best straight from the oven, baked oatmeal can be an excellent addition to your weekly breakfast meal prep routine!
- Baked oatmeal can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. If you’d like to further extend the shelf-life of baked oatmeal, it can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- The easiest way to reheat baked oatmeal is in the microwave.
- You may find that the leftover oats have absorbed more of the liquid over time, making them a bit dry. Simply add a splash of milk of choice and give it a stir before reheating!
- Instead of peanut butter, try this with another nut butter like almond or cashew butter. I made it with almond butter too, and I LOVED it!
- I used almond milk for this recipe, but feel free to swap that with your milk of choice (cow’s milk, soy milk, cashew milk, etc.) My only advice is to choose one that’s unsweetened.
- If you don’t have walnuts, you can easily replace them with pecans – they’ll taste just as good. A sprinkle of coconut chips on top would also taste divine!
- For a nut-free version, you could try swapping the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter instead. As well, omit the walnuts on top.
- If you follow a strict gluten-free diet, be sure to use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- If you’re a strict vegan, make sure to use vegan (dairy-free) chocolate chips. I like these ones!
Nutrition
As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.
Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.
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