I’m a bit of an oatmeal fanatic. Yes, it’s a tad strange. But if you’re going to be addicted to a breakfast food, at least I chose one of our Greatist superfoods. The tricky part is that I tend to completely despise those prepackaged instant oatmeal packets. They’re often over-sugared and about double the necessary portion. So, when I came across this post on The Kitchn last year, I jumped for joy. Make my own, personalized flavors and portions of instant oatmeal? Don’t have to ask me twice! The best part? You can literally throw whatever you want into it plus can mix and match between each baggie, too. Here’s the basic recipe, with a few suggestions for fun flavorings:

Makes about 16 single servings

What You’ll Need:

6 cups quick cooking oats

½ tsp salt

Flavoring Ingredients:

  • The Classic: ¼ cup brown sugar
  • Raisin Spice: 1 cup raisins, 2 tbsp. cinnamon
  • Chocolate mix: 2 tbsp. cocoa powder, 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • Tropical Mix: ¼ cup dried apricots, ¼ cup crushed macadamia or hazelnuts, ¼ cup powdered creamer (like CoffeeMate)
  • Get Nutty: ½ cup chopped toasted nuts (pecans or slivered almonds work well)

Tools:

  • Blender or food processor (if you want to cut down the recipe and make a much smaller batch, a Magic Bullet works wonders, here)
  • 16 plastic baggies, OR a large jar for storage (I often keep my mix in a large jar, and scoop out one serving into a single-serve Tupperware container when I want it on-the-go)
  • Large spoon ( for mixing, duh)
  • Large bowl

What to Do:

  1. Place 2 cups oatmeal into blender/food processor until it turns to powder.
  2. Mix powdered oats in large bowl with remaining 4 cups whole oats. Add salt and whatever extras you want. Stir until evenly combined.
  3. Place mixture in airtight container or divide into single-serve portions in baggies. Usually, it’s a heaping ½ cup. (If you think that’s too big a serving for you, you can cut it down and just have more single servings.
  4. TO EAT: Mix the oats with ¾ cup boiling water. Stir to combine, and let sit for 3 minutes.As with any oatmeal, you can use milk instead of water if you so desire!

Do you have any favorite personalized oatmeal flavorings? Share with us in the comments below!