This Zucchini Bread Steel Cut Oatmeal is the yummiest way to get veggies in for breakfast. The recipe is easy, vegan, gluten-free, and can be made in a large batch for meal prep!
I am a sucker for big-batch oatmeals, especially ones that taste like a creamy bowl of zucchini bread!! If you’re looking for a comforting breakfast that is easy to make, delicious, while also getting in a serving of veggies before noon…you’ve come to the right place.
The base of this recipe is both vegan and gluten-free. I’ve given some topping ideas below (highly recommend the chocolate chips), but feel free to experiment! This oatmeal is also a great option for breakfast meal prep, as it stores and reheats well.
While I don’t personally have kids yet, I think this oatmeal recipe is a great way to sneak some veggies in their (or a picky adult’s) diet, too. Things that make a dietitian happy, right?! I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!
How To Make Zucchini Bread Oatmeal
I promise this oatmeal is extremely easy to make. To start, grate zucchini using a cheese grater. If you don’t have a cheese grater, you can also shred the zucchini with a julienne peeler or in a food processor.
Once zucchini is grated, place steel cut oats, chia seeds, and ground cinnamon into a large saucepan. Give these dry ingredients a stir to combine.
Then, pour your liquid of choice (e.g. nut milk or water) and vanilla extract over the steel cut oats. Bring oats to a boil, stirring in grated zucchini. Reduce heat and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Cooking times may vary depending on the type of steel cut oats you use. I personally love these quick-cooking steel cut oats from Bob’s Red Mill since they cook really fast! If you’re using regular steel cut oats, it will take about 15-20 minutes for the liquid to absorb.
Oatmeal Topping Ideas
I highly recommend topping this zucchini bread oatmeal with a sprinkle of chocolate chips. They melt in the oatmeal and make it taste SO good! If you’re vegan/dairy-free, just make sure the chocolate chips you choose are too!
The base of this recipe doesn’t have any sweetener, so if you’re not adding chocolate chips you will likely need to add a touch of maple syrup for a little sweetness.
I also recommend adding a scoop of creamy nut butter, like peanut, almond, or walnut. This adds a nice source of healthy fat and protein to this breakfast. Same goes with a sprinkle of raw walnuts, which is a common ingredient in regular zucchini bread!
If you’re not vegan or dairy-free, you could also stir in a scoop of plain Greek yogurt for an additional source of protein.
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Storage & Reheating Notes
This zucchini bread steel cut oatmeal will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 4 days. I usually reheat these oats in the microwave, but you could also reheat them on the stovetop, if you’d prefer.
Tip: keep any toppings separate, and only add them at time of serving.
Zucchini Nutrition Facts
This summer squash is rich in many micronutrients, including vitamin A, C, K, B6, folate, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and copper.
Zucchini is also a source of dietary fibre, with one medium zucchini providing 2 grams or 8% of your daily fibre needs.
Like other fruits and veggies, zucchini is also a great source of antioxidants, especially carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, which are known to help keep your eyes healthy!
Steel Cut Oatmeal Nutrition Facts
Like other forms of oatmeal, steel cut oats are an excellent source of dietary fibre, with the majority being a soluble fibre called beta glucan. Soluble fibre is known to help slow digestion, increase satiety, lower cholesterol, and improve blood sugar control.
Steel cut oats are also a great source of different micronutrients, like B vitamins, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, and folate.
If you want to learn more about the different types of oatmeal, it’s nutrition benefits, and my favourite brands of oatmeal to purchase, be sure to check out this post all about oatmeal!
More Easy Oatmeal Recipes
- Blueberry Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Chocolate Orange Oatmeal
- Savoury Kimchi Oatmeal
- Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Steel Cut Oatmeal
Did you give this Healthy Zucchini Bread Steel Cut Oatmeal a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, 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!
Healthy Zucchini Bread Steel Cut Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated zucchini (from ~2 small-med zucchinis)
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2-2.5 cups unsweetened nut milk (I used almond)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Topping ideas: chocolate chips, walnuts, nut butter, maple syrup
Instructions
- Grate zucchini using a cheese grater. If you don't have a cheese grater, you can also shred the zucchini with a julienne peeler or in a food processor.
- Once zucchini is grated, place steel cut oats, chia seeds, and ground cinnamon into a large saucepan. Give these dry ingredients a stir to combine.
- Then, pour nut milk and vanilla extract over the steel cut oats. Bring oats to a boil, stirring in grated zucchini. Reduce heat and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
Notes
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Amazing texture!
Thank you so much Leonie!!
Really nice, fresh, healthy and different! Easy and versatile too!
Hi Christine,
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one!! It’s one of my favourite ways to switch up oatmeal and get some greens in first thing 🙂
I love this recipe! The oatmeal is so delicious, and it’s the perfect batch cook to have a healthy breakfast ready for the week. So perfect to start the day off with some veggies, too. I tried one batch with raisins instead of chocolate chips, which also tasted great.
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for sharing!! I’m so happy you enjoyed this one. LOVE that you added raisins to one batch – I need to try that next time!