Strawberry Oatmeal

Start your day off right with this healthy Strawberry Oatmeal recipe. Made with strawberry milk, along with oats, chia seeds and yogurt, it's creamy, fruity, delicious, and quick to prepare. 

If you didn't know, I've officially become an "oatmeal person", and my current obsession is this strawberry oatmeal. 

Up until this past year, I really wasn't an oatmeal fan, and much preferred overnight oats (my favorite are probably my peanut butter protein overnight oats). Of course I still like overnight oats, but since oatmeal is warm, it tends to be creamier, which I really enjoy. 

As much as I love eating oatmeal for breakfast, it also makes an excellent afternoon snack or even dessert. If you're going to eat this for dessert, sprinkle a little brown sugar on top so it tastes a little more dessert-like.

Recipe features

• Made with good-for-you ingredients like fresh strawberries (hello vitamin C!), rolled oats, chia seeds, and yogurt for a healthy dose of probiotics.
• Even though it uses a homemade strawberry milk for optimal strawberry flavor, the oatmeal is still ready in 10 minutes total (and you can prep the milk ahead of time to speed things up if you prefer).
• Can easily be made gluten free and vegan -- simply use certified gluten free oats, and dairy-free milk and yogurt.

Ingredients 

Strawberries - Fresh strawberries work best, though you can use frozen strawberries. If you go that route, you'll just have to increase the amount of liquid you use.

Milk - Any kind works; I used oat milk and it worked wonderfully.

Vanilla extract - No substitution.

Oats - Rolled oats, also known as old fashioned oats are going to work better than steel cut oats in this recipe because we want the texture to be creamy. Also, I just tend to prefer rolled oats for oatmeal. 

Chia seeds - Optional; I like adding them in for extra fiber and protein, but you don't have to use them.

Yogurt - Vanilla yogurt is really going to add to the sweetness of this recipe (in a good way!) and improve the overall texture. Feel free to use your favorite Greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt.

Instructions

Step 1: Make the strawberry milk. Start by adding the chopped strawberries to a blender, along with the milk and water. Blend until the mixture is smooth and resembles strawberry milk. 

Step 2: Cook the oatmeal. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, pour in the oats and vanilla extract and simmer until the oats are soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Step 3: Add the yogurt. Transfer the strawberry oats to a bowl, then stir in the yogurt and optional chia seeds. Add whatever toppings you'd like, along with a pinch of salt to taste and enjoy! 

Tips and FAQS

• Make sure to cook the oatmeal over medium-low heat so the milk doesn't scorch.
• If you're using frozen strawberries instead of fresh, you may need to play around with how much liquid you need to add to the blender in order to get a smooth milk consistency.
• Want to add more protein? Try adding a scoop of your favorite unflavored or vanilla protein powder (just note that it will probably take away some of the strawberry flavor). Something else I've done before but often forget about is pouring in some egg whites a minute or two before your oatmeal is done cooking. It's an easy way to add protein without impacting the overall flavor (and you can't even taste them!).

Yogurt topping ideas:

• Sliced strawberries
• Banana slices
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Chocolate chips
• Drizzle of peanut butter
• Shredded coconut
• Sliced almonds

Are these oats creamy?

YES! The yogurt adds a nice "cream" to this recipe, so much so that I was originally going to call this recipe Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes, but if you do that, you'll end up with cold overnight oats instead of oatmeal. If you want to make something ahead of time, make the strawberry milk, then store it in a jar with a lid until you're ready to make the oatmeal in the morning.

Storage

Honestly, I recommend making oatmeal fresh -- it's going to taste significantly better than if you make it ahead of time. 

More easy breakfast recipes

• Overnight Oats with Yogurt
• Flourless Chickpea Pancakes
• Quinoa Breakfast Bowl 

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!