Healthy Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets – Skip all the added sugar and artificial junk and make your own instant oatmeal packets! Includes recipes for 4 flavor variations! Just add hot water and eat!
Hello!
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Now onto the recipe for Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets!!
I just got an email from a participant who was disappointed to see instant oatmeal packets on the unhealthy food list and asking me specifically why they are, since oatmeal is on the healthy food list.
Unfortunately, prepackaged instant oatmeal is a perfect example of how food companies take a healthy food (like oats) and turn it into junk. Even the “plain” package I picked up had 13 ingredients, including artificial color and artificial flavor. The fruit and cream variety I saw had sugar as the second ingredient (before any kind of fruit) and had a total of 24 ingredients including partially hydrogenated oil.
Don’t worry though, I have a solution! Putting together your own instant oatmeal packets is super simple. With this quick DIY “recipe” you can have instant oatmeal packets ready to grab on your way out the door in the morning.
First, start by making the “oatmeal base” below. The combination of toasted old fashioned oats and ground up quick oats means you can just add hot water from the tap and stir {no microwave needed!} Plus, in my opinion, it gives it the perfect non-mushy-but-still-creamy texture.
You can can add dry mix-ins before individually packaging it, or wait and add wet mix-ins {like frozen berries and a little drizzle of agave or pure maple syrup} after you add water. I really try to avoid any processed sugar, so I just add a little maple syrup to mine. But, I do add a little brown sugar to the packets I make for my husband and the kids. Just a little goes a long way and I like knowing what’s in it and being able to control how much goes in.
- Instant Oatmeal Base
- 9 cups old fashioned oats
- 3 cups quick cooking oats
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Flavor Mix-Ins
- Fruit & Nut Oatmeal
- 4 cups instant oatmeal base
- ½ cup dried fruit
- ½ cup unsalted nuts
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal
- 4 cups instant oatmeal base
- ¾ cup raisins
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
- 4 cups instant oatmeal base
- 2 tablespoons maple sugar*
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- *You can find maple sugar in whole food or health food stores. If you can't find it, just leave it out and add a little pure maple syrup along with the water.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Measure 9 cups of old fashioned oats onto a large cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While these oats are toasting, put the 3 cups of quick oats in a blender and pulse until roughly ground. Stir together both kinds of oats and salt in a large bowl.
- Add any dry mix-ins you want and then either store in an airtight container or measure ½ cup servings into individual ziplock bags. I usually use these 12 cups of base to make 3 flavor varieties. I keep some in mason jars for me and the kids and send the ziplock baggies with my husband.
- When you are ready to eat, just add enough hot water to reach your desired consistency {usually around ¾ cup} and stir.
I can’t wait to make these! Thanks for the idea and yes it was very surprising how many bad things there are in instant oatmeal!
You are welcome! I hope you enjoy them! 🙂 And, yes, when you start paying closer attention to ingredient lists it is surprising how much “healthy” food is really not good for you.
I made the brown sugar version and it was WAY too salty! I had to add a bunch of maple syrup to cut the flavor. Maybe half the salt?
So sorry yours ended up salty Lynn! The recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of salt added to 12 cups of oats, so the final result shouldn’t be salty, just have enough salt to compliment the sweet (1/12th of a teaspoon in each 1/2 cup serving). I wonder if you misread the recipe a little bit?
Hi Tiff! I will be making these soon and wondered what would be the best way to microwave them when I’m ready to eat at work? How much water/time? Thanks!
Hey Jess! When we make them we don’t even use the microwave, we just run the tap water as hot as it will go and add that water right to the bowl. The amount of water depend on how runny/thick you like your oatmeal, so just play it by ear. I hope it works great!!
Hi! This is a perfect recipe for my husband and I, who hate mornings but also want to stay healthy. I’m curious as to the specifics of both instant and old fashioned oats, if you could please elaborate? I only have old fashioned oats and would rather not have two types of oats, as our panty is difficultly small. Would we perhaps simply need to cook the oats longer? Please let me know your thoughts! (Ps. I absolutely adore your website!)
Hey Lena! Thanks for your kind comments. Instant oats are pre-cooked, dried, and then rolled and pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats which means they cook much faster. They work well in this recipe because they cook quickly just by adding the hot water, but if you don’t mind a little bit more texture you could try just using old fashioned oats. 🙂