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
norma
is it just mixed with the hot water are is it micro for a bit like the ones in the pkgs.
Jessica Fisher
just mix with water. The serving directions are listed above. Sometimes, we cover it with a plate and let it set for a few minutes to steam.
Heather
I do the same thing, but I store them in in squatty 1/2 pint canning jars (not for ones used while hiking though). I can grab it, add water, eat out of it, and then wash and reuse so I’m not wasting so much plastic. It’s great for work!
Jessica Fisher
That sounds like a great idea!
Martha
HI- I am going to look on the other recipe links but did I miss where you tell how to make it up when the kids or whoever are going to eat it? My daughter(10) usually just makes real oatmeal in the morning if she wants it. So I haven’t had instant since I was a little kid (25 yrs ago!)
Does it have to be microwaved or do you just add hot water? If you only use hot water could I store it in the smaller glass jars and then they could just mix and eat it in that? We are all about no disposables at our house when possible (much cheaper!).
And one more…. That seems like a really small serving…. have you found that is what they actually eat or do they eat more than one? And if they always eat 2 have you tried making it in a bigger batch?
THANKS!!!
Jessica Fisher
My kids are pretty small, so one portion is often enough. Some have two bags. We reuse the bags, so it’s not as disposable as it seems. I prefer to have the indiv portions because a mix is going to separate. This way, it’s just the right proportions.
As the post directs, add 6 Tablespoons hot water.
Rachel
Would you tell me the reason for adding the dry milk powder? I don’t want to purchase a big box of it if it isn’t necessary for the packets. Thanks! Love your recipes!
Jessica Fisher
@Rachel, you don’t have to have the milk. It just makes the oatmeal a little creamy. Feel free to leave it out — and maybe add a little milk at serving time if you like.
Kristina @ A Home Made by Kiki
Just wanted to let you know that we tried these this week. My girls love the instant oatmeal packets, but I have a hard time getting them to eat stovetop oatmeal. This is a great option to keep my costs down! They loved it!
Michele
I’ve made my own “instant” for years but did it with fitness in mind. I thought I would share my receipe in case you have someone trying to “loose weight and gain muscle” as one of your readers. The protein helped me feel less hungry later in the morning and ensured I met my minimum for my fitness routine.
Put 1 serving of quick oats & 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder in each baggie. Then when you are ready to cook simply pour the baggie into a bowl, add water and microwave per quick oat instructions. After it comes out of the microwave dump in a snack cup of fruit and cream (the cream adds all the sugar you need and the fruit as a nutrition boost. You choose what fruit, but I prefer pineapple).
If you prefer an even lower sugar option, open a can of blueberries and dump some of them in. Be aware that this will discolor the mixture, makes it less travel friendly and also cost more.
Christyn
I usually wait and add my protein powder after the oatmeal is cooked and has cooled a little,. The protein powder I used has a warning not to heat above 130 degrees….changes the texture to something less than favorable.
Prerna
OMG, dunno how I missed this.. Just what I need to make my mornings more productive and healthy. Thanks a ton, Jessica for sharing this. Will be doing this today.
Tracy
These are so much better than store bought packets! We like to add raisins. My husband takes a bunch to work to keep in his desk for a hearty breakfast at his desk each morning. He saves the baggies and brings them home for a refill as needed. Works great for a man that doesn’t like to take the time to eat breakfrast!
Melissa
All I have to say is THANK YOU. My husband has instant oatmeal every morning and this is going to save us a ton of money!
Kristen
What a great idea – seriously… seems so simple, yet genius! Thanks for sharing!
michelle waite
Sorry about all the comments on this post, but this morning I decided to snag a packet of store bought instant oatmeal for breakfast. I have been making my own oatmeal from scratch for a long time. It was so NASTY. I choose oatmeal with real ingredients that I cut up, chopped or grated anytime over store bought instant. It is usually much cheaper too.
Next time I want oatmeal, I will just make it myself. The extra time in preperation is time well spent.
Momma K (Keri)
I LLLLOVE this idea! I am forever making our own ziploc baggies of snacks for the boys because it’s SO much more economical. I never thought of this one – can’t wait to try it. Thanks : )
angie
this will come in handy on the busy mornings thanks for the great tip
Jenelle
I don’t pre-package in baggies, but I do make my own ‘Mixes” in the morning at home. My daughter eats her breakfast at daycare so I just dump everything but the water in a tuperware bowl and then cook it in the microwave when we get there. Her favortes are to mix in fresh banana or apple sauce. I’ve also used frozen bluberries and strawberries.
Hattie
Love your DIY instant oatmeal idea! I am going to try it, since I have several canisters of quick oats that I stocked up on recently when it was a good deal!
I tried a freezer breakfast burrito recipe from another blog today–I now have 8 large sausage-egg-cheese-salsa burritos individually wrapped and sitting in a bag in the freezer for my hubby pull out and microwave for his breakfast-in-the-car mornings. I hope that they are good! They certainly looked like they will be–I may have to have a breakfast-in-the-car morning myself…:)
Anna
Why didn’t I think of this before?? I am so trying this out!
Angela
Hmm… I must try! : )
Jessica
Thanks for sharing this! I’m the oatmeal eater in our house & I love the idea of making it for even less $ than I can buy it! I go through it quickly too…so making it this way will be great! & I love the idea of adding dried fruit….yum! I usually add frozen blueberries that I thaw for a few secs. in the micro. Adds just the sweetness I need w/o extra sugar!
Alicia
We aren’t big oatmeal eaters around here, but maybe I’ll have to try this. I wonder what other flavors (besides cinnamon) I could try…
Adding dried fruit would be yummy.
Megan
My son is allergic to cinnamon so we add brown sugar or maple syrup. Those are his favorites. I really like raisins in mine.
michelle waite
Sorry, one more comment. I have friend who use mason jars to store the oatmeal, to avoid using plastics and save on ziplock bags. I give DH the whole batch in a tupperwear dish and he keeps it in his locker at work and then just mixes it with water in a coffee mug.