Let me be the first to openly proclaim my dislike of microwaved oats. Maybe I just don’t have the skillzzz, but my attempts at microwaved oatmeal have always resulted in a gummy or dry mess that resists all attempts of flavoring. Or worse, it results in an overflowing bowl and a mushy, messy puddle in the microwave.
Stove-top oatmeal for LIFE.
However, I’ve recently learned that a huge chunk of my readers DO make my recipes in the microwave, and another chunk of my readers are curious about how to do it. Since I clearly haven’t mastered this skill, I turned to the real masters: my readers. Special thanks to all of you that helped me out with all the great advice!
PSSST. . . you’ll notice that some readers’ tips contradict each other. That’s fine! It’s called “personal preference.” 😉 It just goes to show you that there is always more than one way to accomplish something!
Rolled oats take about a minute longer to cook than quick oats. You also have to watch them closely to make sure they do not bubble over. That can be an issue with quick oats, but it’s more of a problem with rolled oats. My recommendation is to keep an eye on your oats and stop and stir when necessary. – Christina C.
I add about half the liquid and fruit to it (and all of the spices and extracts), then microwave for one minute. Then I stir and add the other half of the liquid and microwave for another minute or until the right consistency is there. And then I add the other half of the fruit and things like cocoa nibs and nuts and shredded coconut, just stir them in and enjooooy! – Anne K.
Use an oversized bowl, particularly when cooking with rolled oats, to help prevent spillover. – Christina C.
1/2 cup of old fashion oats + 1/2 cup of water. Microwave for one minute and 10 seconds. Add a tablespoon of milk and all natural peanut butter stir it up. Yummy! If I need it to be a bit sweet I add about 1/2 teaspoon of pure maple syrup! – Jill H.
With whole oats, I cook it at 50% power for 3-4 minutes so the oats still have the texture and are not mushy. – Anne G.
I often use Chocolate Covered Katie’s voluminous oatmeal trick, which can be done with a microwave. – Eveline D.
For fruit, I add half before microwaving, and half after (so that there is a variety of texture). The only exception is that dehydrated fruit is best if it is all microwaved the entire time. – @kathrynjoye
I let my [instant] oats soak overnight and then just put them in the microwave for about 2 minutes on 700 watt. But I always stay close to the microwave to ensure my oats won’t explode. I let them rise to the top and just before they’re about to overflow, I turn off the microwave. [It] sinks right back in the bowl. But you won’t get the beautiful ‘clean bowl’ result if you put them in the microwave. – @n_edrecovery
The perfect water to oat ratio is 2:1. Simply microwave for one minute, and you are good to go. Always put a plate under the bowl in case it overflows. – @kathrynjoye
[It’s] even better if you mash a banana in the oats beforehand! – @phoebevthomas
I always add the dash of salt when the oats are still raw. For best results, add extracts, spices, fruit, etc toward the end – but not at the end – of cooking time. That means when the oats are about 30-45 seconds from being done. That helps make the flavored more prominent. The main exception is apples. I put the apples in the bowl along with the water and oats. The extra cooking time allows the apples to soften.– Christina C.
Oatmeal made with milk always takes longer to cook than oatmeal made with water. That’s particularly true with rolled oats. It takes awhile to get rolled oats made with milk to thicken when you cook them in the microwave. – Christina C.
@berries_n_greens does something similar to what I do. Instead of making oats in the microwave, I prepare overnight oats and microwave THAT instead. Much easier. Much less messy. Here’s how she does it:
I eat my breakfast at work. I soak the oats in cinnamon and ~1/2 cup almond or cashew milk overnight (and if I’m adding raisins or other dried fruit, I soak that in there, too, because I like when the raisins get plump from the soaking) and then add ~1/2 cup water in the morning right before microwaving. If I’m making oats with banana, I cut up the banana also in the morning and add it into the bowl to be microwaved with the oats. You have to have a good sized bowl and it takes a few tries to figure out the timing because every microwave is different, but it basically involves heating and stopping to stir every so often and watching to make sure it doesn’t overflow. – @berries_n_greens
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28 Responses to Here’s How to Microwave Oatmeal that Still Tastes Really Damn Good