This customizable large-batch recipe for homemade instant oatmeal packets is perfect for a quick and healthy breakfast before work or school.
Store-bought instant oatmeal packets are great for a quick grab-and-go breakfast, but they're often loaded with sugar and other ingredients. With this DIY recipe, you can control what goes into your oatmeal and customize it to your taste. I'll also share several great choices for mix-ins so you can make several flavors with one batch.
Basic Ingredients for instant oatmeal
- Quick-cooking oats, also known as minute oats
- Brown sugar
- Powdered milk or coffee creamer
- Salt
Optional ingredients
The ingredients below are completely optional but will add a ton of extra fiber and other nutritional benefits to your basic oatmeal. You can pick and choose whichever you want.
- Chia seeds
- Ground flax seed
- Wheat bran
How to make DIY instant oatmeal
To get the thick and creamy texture of store-bought instant oatmeal packets, we will use powdered oats and powdered milk or coffee creamer. You can use some of the oatmeal to make your own powdered oats. Simply blend 1 cup of oats into fine powder in a blender or food processor.
Add the powdered oats along with rest of the oatmeal, powdered milk or coffee creamer, brown sugar, and any of the optional ingredients you want to a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
Portion out the mixture into ½ cup servings and place into resealable plastic bags or small jars with lids.
How to prepare instant oatmeal
When you're ready to eat your oatmeal, pour the premade packet into a bowl, then pour in ¾ to 1 cup of water and stir. Microwave for 1 -2 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency, then stir again before serving.
Oatmeal Toppings and Add-ins
One of the best things about the store-bought instant oatmeal is all the flavor options. With this base recipe you can make a large batch of homemade instant oatmeal packets and then add in your favorite flavors to each serving before storing.
It's best to add the additional ingredients to each portion individually instead of mixing them into a large batch. They tend to go to the bottom if you mix them in the large batch.
The key is to use dried add-ins for longer-term storage, so feel free to mix and match and try other combinations. These are some of my favorites:
- Dried cherries and walnuts
- Dried blueberries and almonds
- Maple sugar and pecans
- Dried bananas and walnuts
- Freeze-dried apples and cinnamon
- Freeze-dried strawberries
📖 Recipe
Homemade Instant Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 6 cups quick cooking oatmeal, divided
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup powdered milk or coffee creamer
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chia seeds, optional
- ½ cup ground flax seed, optional
- ½ cup wheat bran, optional
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of oats to a blender or food processor and blend to a fine powder.
- Add powdered oats along with the rest of the oats and the remaining ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Portion out oatmeal into ½ cup servings and store in resealable plastic bags or in small jars or containers with lids. Add any mix-ins if desired then seal the bags or containers and store until ready to use.
- To prepare, pour the oatmeal into a bowl and pour in ¾ to 1 cup of water or milk and stir. Microwave for 1-2 minutes then stir again before serving.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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