Blood Orange Vanilla Oatmeal
It’s winter again here in the forest and I woke up craving warm and creamy oatmeal. I also had a few blood oranges that I’ve been meaning to use in a recipe, so I made a quick flavorful blood orange vanilla oatmeal. There are a few simple tricks to making creamy oatmeal so I thought I’d share my tips with you. Hope you find them helpful!
how to make creamy oatmeal
Water and plant-based milk: I put my rolled oats in a saucepan and pour equal amounts of water and plant-based milk to cover the oats (exact measurements in the recipe below). I’ve come to the conclusion that water really helps make the oats creamier, so I always add water and plant-based milk. The milk adds another level of creaminess and lovely flavor, too.
Soaking the oats: Next I let the oats soak in the liquid! I let them soak while I make coffee and do some other morning prep. So about 5-10 minutes. Soaking makes the oats cook faster, and I find it makes them creamier too.
Vanilla: Vanilla makes oats taste creamy and adds a depth of warm flavor.
Nut butter: Nut butter adds the ultimate level of creaminess…cashew butter is my favorite. Also coconut butter is delicious and the combination of cashew-macadamias and coconut butter is heavenly (get the recipe here)
Extra tips: I cook my oats in medium-low heat, stirring every now and then. If the oats look too sticky and clumpy, I add a bit more water or plant-based milk. If I have time I let the oatmeal stay covered (under a lid) in the saucepan for a few minutes after cooking. Keeping the lid on adds more moisture to the saucepan making the oatmeal even creamier!
If you’re thinking it’s a bit weird to add citrus fruit to oatmeal, let me assure you it’s a very delightful combo! Here are my favorite citrus combos with oatmeal: blood orange + raspberries, lemon + coconut butter + turmeric, and orange + grated carrot cooked in coconut oil. The combo I’m sharing today is the most “candy” like – there’s something so uniquely sweet about blood orange combined with raspberries 🙂 And I love enhancing the unique flavor by sprinkling coconut sugar on top.
Blood Orange Vanilla Oatmeal
Creamy and sweet, this blood orange vanilla oatmeal will brighten up your day! It’s ready in 15 minutes and tastes a bit like candy…but of course it’s much healthier 🙂
INGREDIENTS
Blood orange vanilla oatmeal
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup water
1 cup oat drink (or other plant-based milk) I use Kaslink AITO organic oat drink
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cashew butter coconut butter works too! And also white chocolate butter (recipe link in this post)
pinch of salt
if you want a sweeter oatmeal, you can add sweetener e.g.maple syrup would work well
the juice of one blood orange
Toppings
blood orange slices
cashews
raspberries
coconut sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Optional: Place the oats in a saucepan, add water + milk and let soak for a few minutes.
Bring the oats + liquid to a boil and reduce heat.
Cook the oats in medium – low heat stirring every now and then until the oatmeal is soft and creamy (5-10 minutes). Add more liquid if needed.
Optional: Turn off heat and remove the saucepan from the heat. Put a lid on and let the oatmeal stay covered for a few minutes.
When the oatmeal is ready stir in the vanilla, cashew butter and salt.
Squeeze the juice of one blood orange to the oatmeal, give it a little stir and serve the oatmeal with toppings.
Enjoy this lovely sweet breakfast!
