Instant oatmeal packets are a convenient breakfast on the go. They’re full of whole grains and dried fruit, making for a great breakfast. The best thing is that you can make them yourself!
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Oatmeal is a great breakfast. It’s full of whole grains which are good for digestion, heart health, and any number of other health benefits.
There are so many great oats recipes, from Raspberry Baked Oatmeal to Not Mushy Oatmeal. It’s even great served as an Oatmeal Bar with a variety of toppings.
However, traditional oatmeal can take awhile to prepare on the stove; baked oatmeal takes even longer to cook in the oven. What about a quick and easy, breakfast that takes minutes to prepare?
A convenient breakfast can make your mornings go so much more smoothly. Serving food that is easy to prepare and easy to clean-up is like having the best of both worlds. A meal that the kids can actually do prep all themselves is like icing on the proverbial breakfast cake!
A walk down the cereal aisle will show ya that it’s a pretty common thing. Cold cereal and instant oatmeal packets take up quite a bit of square footage!
Would you be surprised to know that you can make your own instant oatmeal packets? ‘Tis true! And it’s not hard at all! So skip over the boxes of instant oatmeal packets and let’s get to it, shall we?
It’s incredibly easy to make your own instant oatmeal packets. I first started mixing this up back in 2010, using quick oats, dried milk, sugar, and spices. Over the years I’ve played with the concoction and seen that it works just as well with old fashioned oats, which actually happen to be healthier for you.
Are instant oatmeal packets good for you?
While I’m certainly not a nutritionist, the research I’ve done says that whole grains, such a old fashioned oats, have more nutrition than quick oats. Quick oats are more processed, so the body doesn’t have to work very hard to digest them. They’re more like white bread. You’ll feel hungry pretty quickly again.
Whole grains make the body work a little more, keeping you satiated a little longer. Making instant oatmeal packets with old fashioned rolled oats, is therefore a better choice.
How to make instant oatmeal packets:
Making your own instant oatmeal packets is incredibly easy. You can use plastic snack bags or small plastic bowls with lids. You can save the plastic bags and reuse them if you like.
Lay out all the ingredients: rolled oats, oat bran, dry milk powder, brown sugar, chia seeds, ground flax meal, dried fruit, salt, and spices.
Lay out the containers you’re going to place them in. Using assembly line process, add oats in all your containers. Continue with the rest of your ingredients.
Seal up the containers and store them in the pantry. Store in the freezer for longer freshness.
What are the different flavors of instant oatmeal packets?
There are lots of ways that you can doctor up your instant oatmeal packets.
Consider these different flavor combinations:
- apples and cinnamon
- cranberries and walnuts
- cherries and almonds
- pineapple and coconut
- blueberries and nutmeg
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of oats, flax seed meal, chia seeds, and powdered milk can help keep the price down.
- Buying in bulk – I regularly buy oats and spices in bulk from Costco. Check the unit cost of the different size items available. As the budget allows, but the size with the lowest price per ounce.
How I make this recipe easy:
This Instant Oatmeal recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- plastic cups with lids – These are great for storing and serving.
- Ziploc snack bags – You can save the empty bags and reuse them or chuck them, as need be.
- measuring cups – Have a bunch on hand for easy assembly.
Plus, have an assortment of dried fruit, such as blueberries, cherries, cranberries, apples, and apricots, on hand to make different flavored packets.
Instant Oatmeal Packets
Ingredients
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ½ tablespoon oat bran
- ½ teaspoon powdered milk
- ½ teaspoon flax seed meal
- ½ teaspoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon dried fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries
- dash salt
- dash ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small snack bag. Shake to combine. Store in freezer for longest shelf life.
- To serve, empty packet into a bowl. Add ¼ to ½ cup water. Cover and rest for 2 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
michelle waite
a friend of mine posted this recipe on her blog a couple of months ago. I have made a couple of batches for dh to take to work. I bought some Quaker instant oatmeal at Target on sale to get some gift cards. He is working his way through that stash, then we will return to this recipe. His co-workers were jealous and coveting his breakfast when they saw him preparing and eating the oatmeal.
Lisa
Thanks! I am trying to make more food from scratch to save money. I will add this to the list.
Jodie
Have you ever tried oat groats overnight in a crockpot? Oat groats are more minimally processed forms of oats and have a higher nutritional value.
A friend of mine taught me how to cook them overnight in a crockpot so they’re ready in the morning. 🙂 It’s just 3 cups water and 1 cup of oat groats on low. In the morning you add whatever you want – cinnamon, sugar, frozen or fresh fruit, etc.
It is a bit more chewer than regular or instant oatmeal but it smells so good waking up to the smell of oatmeal in the morning. 🙂
Tanya
Great idea! I just might have to try it. Thanks for posting it!
Sarah @ Mum In Bloom
Making your own instant oatmeal is a great idea and your recipe looks good too. An idea to cut-back on the amount of baggies (and trash) would be to refill one of your oatmeal containers, put instructions on front of how much to scoop out of your prepared “mix”, and how much water to add. Less baggies, less garbage, reusing your container – perfect ;o)
Jessica Fisher
You’re right. In fact, a reader recommended that in this post and posted a recipe. But, I was worried that ingredients would settle and it really wouldn’t be a “mix.” Have you done this before?
niki
Great post!
I had tried to make my own instant oatmeal before and it was a frugal flop. But I am always up to trying new things, so I am determined to try your way to see if I fare better.
Thanks for hosting!
FishMama
@niki, maybe just make a few test bags and see how it goes. That’s what we did. It was quite time consuming to fill all the bags, so you want to be sure it will work when you’re done.
Becky
Love the idea of the instant oatmeal mix! What if you mixed it all up and put it in a glass jar with a 1/4 cup measure and scooped out a rounded scoop into each bowl instead of the baggies? It would save money and baggies. Sometimes when I store stuff in the baggies, the food in it has a plastic-y taste.
Jessica Fisher
Good idea, Becky. A reader suggested that in this post which is what got me thinking this way in the first place. Her recipe is there. I just worried that the stuff wouldn’t stay mixed. Have you done this before?
Becky
@Jessica Fisher,
I haven’t done it before, but after reading your post, I’ve got it on my list for this week 🙂
Fleur
@Becky, I tried mixing a big batch in a jar & it was good, but the cinnamon & sugar did sink to the bottom a bit. It wasn’t really a problem, as I just gave the jar a little shake before you using it.
Patti
It is my understanding that the only difference between regular oats and quick oats is basically the size of the oats. So you can make “quick” oats from your regular oats by putting them in the blender or food processor to cut them up a bit. You can also make oat flour this way. I know that adds a step but helps if you have a lot of regular oats to eat first or there is a huge price difference!
FishMama
@Patti, we tried that in our “taste testing.” I was very hopeful since I have 5# of old fashioned. But, it didn’t cook up as “instant” as they like. And since the point for me was to have a kid-can-make-it-himself breakfast, I figured I needed to play it safe. But, I think it does work. Just different texture.
Everyone’s got texture issues. 😉
Kaara
Yeah this is a texture issue house as well! “Mom! It feels funny on my tongue!!! ” lol gotta love them!
Lori at Couponomic Stimulus Package
What a great idea!!! I will be trying this for our family soon!
Donna
My kids love it when I make these up for them. I will have to try your recipe.
I have four here if you scroll down,
http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/search/label/Instant%20Oatmeal
just in case you’re interested 😉
Jessica Fisher
Wow! What a collection!
Chelle
Since starting a gluten free diet we’ve had to go with the gluten free oatmeal, which means really expensive and for instant forget it. I’ve found the key really is in the salt for cinnamon mixtures…and the longer you let it sit mixed the better it tastes. The only problem with the bags I’ve found is some (especially ziploc brand) leach this awful chemical smell/flavor…My favorite way is with almonds and peach slices, that is really good, sugar free, too!
christa todd
I’m not a mom (although I was a nanny for the same family for 11 years… They’re my kids 🙂 ) but I love this recipe and as a busy grad student with an incredibly limited income…. I will be using this often.
I also love that you have Watkins cinnamon! It is definitely above and beyond the rest. I know… Because my mom sells it 🙂
I really enjoy your blog and twitter…
Jessica Fisher
Thanks, Christa! My aunt has been the personal assistant of the Watkins heirs for 20+ years. So, Watkins is a household name in these here parts. 😉
Ryann
Awesome post! My mom and I are planning a 5-7 day hike on the Appalachian Trail in September and are looking for packable meals that we could cook on the trail and that would be filling… this fits the bill! Thanks!
Sarah
@Ryann,
We too are planning a 4 day hike in July and were planning to take oatmeal. I kind of had this in mind…so glad to have the recipe perfected for me. 🙂
Sienna
I started using steel cut oats instead of oatmeal… much healthier and really tasty.
Megan
When you first mentioned eating instant oatmeal in the morning, I meant to send you this link.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Instant-Oatmeal-Ala-Home-Homemade-97444
We LOVE this oatmeal, and I always add a ton of flax seed meal and some frozen berries to make it even more healthy.
Creative2xmom
We eat a lot of oatmeal in our house too. it’s frugal and filling. and so much cheaper than yogurt which is really the only other thing my kids like in the mornings. So I’m always stocking up on oatmeal. Thanks for the recipe.
Nikki
Oops! I accidentally posted twice. You can remove my duplicate if you want. I love your tip by the way!
Susie's Homemade
Huh! I never would have thought of that:-)
Alea
This sounds exactly how I like my oatmeal! I will definitely be trying this as soon as I use up my boxes of oatmeal.
BTW, You can’t have too much cinnamon in your oatmeal! 🙂
Liz@HoosierHomemade
Love this idea! I’m wondering about adding some nuts or dried fruit of some kind to add more flavor. My family likes the instant oatmeal with fruit.
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
Jenelle
@Liz@HoosierHomemade,
Liz,
I make my own packets with dried cranberries and waluts. I think any dry fruit you like would work out great.
Jenelle
Liz@HoosierHomemade
@Jenelle, Thanks! I appreciate you letting me know!