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Vanilla OatmealVanilla Oatmeal
June 27, 2023 | Laura
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This tasty vanilla oatmeal makes for a quick, easy, and filling breakfast. It has vanilla flavor, is slightly sweet, and is so tasty when topped with roasted pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon. This delicious recipe is a great option for both busy mornings and slow weekend mornings.
Easy, Quick, & Delicious Vanilla-flavored Oatmeal
I love whipping up a bowl of vanilla oatmeal for a quick and tasty breakfast. This slightly sweet oatmeal is filled with vanilla flavors and is made with simple ingredients. When topped with toasted pecans and just a sprinkle of cinnamon, this oatmeal gets taken to the next level.
Make this oatmeal for a quick and hearty breakfast before the work day starts or serve it on a Saturday morning. Either way, it is sure to be a big hit!
Vanilla Oatmeal: Ingredients
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✽ Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk: This almond milk brings in more delicious vanilla flavor. You could substitute for plain almond milk or any other kind of non-dairy milk or dairy milk, but you will lose a bit of that vanilla taste. If you use sweetened almond milk, you may want to cut back on the brown sugar.
✽ Salt: All oatmeal should have a pinch of salt added to it in order to bring out maximum flavor. It enhances the flavor of the oats, and even just a little bit can make a big difference.
✽ Old-Fashioned Oats: This recipe was created using old-fashioned oats which are also sometimes called rolled oats. Do not use other types of oats such as instant oats or steel-cut oats for this recipe.
✽ Pure Vanilla Extract: This is where the majority of the vanilla flavor is going to come from. For best results, make sure you are using pure vanilla extract and not vanilla imitation.
✽ Brown Sugar: I used light brown sugar for this recipe since I want just a touch of molasses but did not want it to compete with the vanilla. You could substitute white sugar, if needed.
✽ Butter: Adding a little bit of butter to cooked oatmeal is not only a great way to add flavor, but it also enhance the flavors of the other ingredients and make the oatmeal silky.
✽ Toasted Pecans: Toasted pecans are so good on top of this oatmeal, and they are so easy to make. You could also just add un-toasted pecans, but I really enjoy the toastiness.
✽ Cinnamon: Just a small sprinkling of cinnamon brings this bowl of oatmeal together.
How to Make Vanilla Oatmeal
➊ In a small saucepan with a lid, bring 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1/8 teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring once or twice.
➋ Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 5-7 minutes until desired consistency.
➌ Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it), and 1/2 tablespoon butter.
➍ Put oatmeal in bowl, and top the bowl of oats with 1 tablespoon crushed toasted pecans and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Vanilla Oatmeal Recipe: Questions
✽ Can I use another kind of milk?
Yes! You can swap out the vanilla almond milk with any other kind of milk (skim, 1%, 2%, whole milk, oat milk, soy milk, etc) or water. However, you will lose some of the vanilla flavor if you do this.
You can also use sweetened vanilla almond milk. However, you may want to decrease the amount of brown sugar you add if you do.
✽ How do you toast pecans?
To toast pecans, preheat oven to 350°. Place pecans on a baking sheet, and bake for 5-10 minutes, shaking them halfway through. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they are not burning. When they smell toasty, they are done!
✽ Can I use instant oats for this recipe?
I created this recipe using old fashioned oats (rolled oats) only. If all you have are instant oats (quick oats), here is what you can do: 1) follow the directions on the package except swap the milk or water out for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk; 2) When the oatmeal is done cooking, stir in the vanilla extract, brown sugar, and butter; 3) Add pecan and cinnamon toppings.
✽ What are some of your other favorite toppings for this oatmeal?
I preferred the toasted pecans, but walnuts and almonds are also good with this oatmeal. Any fresh fruit (especially fresh blueberries), chocolate chips, or coconut flakes would be tasty too.
While the addition of almond butter or peanut butter would overpower the vanilla flavor of this oatmeal, they are delicious additions.
Looking for more breakfast recipes?
→ Check out all of my favorite breakfast recipes!
Vanilla Oatmeal Recipe Testing
I tried multiple different ingredient combinations and cooking techniques to create this oatmeal recipe. Here's what I discovered during the process!
✽ First, I tried out different cooking techniques. In the first batch, I combined milk and oats together, brought it to a boil, reduced the heat and simmered for 5-7 minutes. For the second batch, I brought the milk to a boil, reduced the heat, added the oats, simmered for 3 minutes, removed from heat, and then let sit 5-7 minutes covered. For the last batch, I toasted the oats in butter first then added the milk, simmered for 3 minutes, removed from heat, and let sit 5-7 minutes covered.
I discovered that it actually does matter when the oats are added. I much preferred the oatmeal when the milk was brought to a boil by itself first. This oatmeal had more texture than the one where everything was added together. The one with everything added together was maybe a touch creamier, but it also was mushier.
As for the toasted oats, they were really good! They had tons of flavor just on their own. However, I wanted to make a vanilla oatmeal, and the toasted oats were just too overpowering. The toasted oats would be excellent during the fall and winter months.
✽ For sugar, I tried brown sugar, white sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Since I wanted vanilla to be the star of the show, the honey and maple syrup were voted out as they brought in too much flavor. The brown sugar, on the other hand, brought in just a tiny bit of molasses flavor which paired well with the vanilla. We also liked the white sugar oatmeal, but the brown sugar one was just a touch tastier.
✽ I couldn't believe how much of a difference a bit of butter made. The oatmeal with butter was silky and creamy. The butter itself added flavor, but it also enhanced the flavors of the vanilla and brown sugar as well!
✽ Lastly, I decided on toasted pecans and cinnamon as the toppings. I tried toasted walnuts but at the end of the day, the pecans matched the flavor profile I was looking for. As for the cinnamon, just a very small amount makes this oatmeal even more delicious without stealing the show.
Vanilla Oatmeal
By Laura | Laura The Gastronaut
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
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This delicious oatmeal makes for a quick, easy, and delicious breakfast. It has vanilla flavor, is slightly sweet, and is so tasty when topped with roasted pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon. This delicious recipe is a great choice for both busy mornings and slow weekend mornings.
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Ingredients
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar (amount depends on how sweet you like your oatmeal)
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon toasted pecans, crushed (see questions section above)
• Dash of cinnamon
Instructions
➊ In a small saucepan, bring almond milk and salt to a boil. Reduce heat, and stir in oats. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 5-7 minutes until desired consistency.
➋ Stir in vanilla, brown sugar, and butter.
➌ Scoop oatmeal into bowl, and top with toasted pecans and cinnamon.
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✽ Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.
Category: Breakfast and Brunch Cuisine: American
Keywords: cinnamon oatmeal recipe, easy oatmeal recipe, traditional oatmeal recipe, oatmeal with pecans, healthy breakfast ideas
More Breakfast Recipes
✽ Chorizo Potato Breakfast Casserole (a delicious casserole full of everything found in a chorizo breakfast burrito)
✽ Raspberry Jelly Filled Donuts (homemade fried donuts filled with fresh raspberry jelly)
✽ Jalapeno Avocado Cheese Toast (a savory breakfast that is sure to make your taste buds happy)
→ Check out all of my breakfast and brunch recipes!
Bon appétit!
June 27, 2023 by Laura Ehlers
*This Vanilla Oatmeal blog post and recipe may contain some Amazon affiliate links. These link to products that I personally use and recommend. If you purchase anything using my links, it will not cost you anything. It will though give laurathegastronaut.com some financial support which helps me keep this blog running. Thank you for reading my blogs and your continued support.