Peanut Butter Oats

Peanut butter oats are surprisingly good. Here’s how to make them. I’m not kidding! I can’t believe I’m sharing this recipe, but I’ve been meaning to try it for a while and had the perfect excuse when my cousins came to visit. They’re not big fans of Indian food, so I didn’t want to cook anything too spicy for them.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Ahot bowl of oatmeal is one of the easiest, most satisfying breakfasts you can make — especially when peanut butter’s involved. This recipe will show you how to make the best, easiest peanut butter oatmeal in just 15 minutes, with instructions for both the stovetop and the microwave. Let’s get started.

How Do I Add Peanut Butter to Oatmeal?

The best time to add peanut butter to oatmeal is right before serving, when the oatmeal is done cooking but before it’s cooled off. As you stir it in, the heat helps melt it so it thoroughly combines with the oats, creating a silky-smooth texture.

This technique works with any variety of peanut butter you have on hand, be it creamy, natural, or chunky. Of course, chunky peanut butter will give the oatmeal a pop of texture, while creamy peanut butter will give it a luscious, velvety feel. I make mine with both and love them for different reasons, so it’s up to you!

What Are the Best Oats to Use?

The best oats for peanut butter oatmeal are old-fashioned rolled oats. This common variety, often sold in large cardboard canisters, is widely available in grocery stores.

If you’d like, you can use instant oats in place of rolled oats, but keep in mind that they cook faster so you might need to adjust the cook time slightly. Instant oats also tend to have a slightly mushier texture than old-fashioned oats, so just be prepared for a slightly different texture. Avoid using steel-cut oats in this recipe, which take much longer to cook.

3 Tips For Making the Best Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Before heading into the kitchen to make this recipe, keep these tips in mind.

• Don’t forget the salt. The kosher salt in this recipe helps balance the sweetness of the maple syrup or honey and bring out the flavor of the oats.
• Let your oatmeal rest. After you simmer the oats in the liquid, let your oatmeal sit for five minutes before adding the peanut butter. The oats will absorb a significant amount of liquid during this time and continue cooking, so don’t rush it. At first the oats will look very watery, but they will absorb all of the remaining liquid during this resting time.
• Play around with the recipe. Think of this recipe as a loose guide for making peanut butter oatmeal and feel free to adjust it based on your taste. Like your oatmeal sweeter? Add more maple syrup or honey! Like it a bit looser? Add more milk or water!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Recipe

A quick and easy peanut butter oatmeal.

YIELDServes 2

PREP TIME5 minutes

COOK TIME10 minutes to 12 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups milk or water
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• Topping options: nuts, sliced banana, fresh berries, jam, or more peanut butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place 1 1/2 cups milk or water, 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer.
2. Add 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until about 2/3 of the liquid has been absorbed by the oats, 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes. (The oatmeal will still look very runny.) Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Uncover, add 2 tablespoons peanut butter, and stir until well combined. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings.

RECIPE NOTES

Microwave: To make this oatmeal in the microwave, combine the milk or water, maple syrup or honey, kosher salt, and oats in a large microwave-safe bowl. (The oatmeal will bubble up a lot, so make sure to use a large enough bowl.) Stir to combine and make sure the oats are completely covered by the liquid. Microwave on HIGH power until bubbling and about 2/3 of the liquid has been absorbed by the oats, 2 1/2 to 4 minutes. (The oatmeal will still look very runnythis point.) Let the oatmeal sit for 5 minutes in the microwave. Add the peanut butter and stir to combine.

Storage: Leftover oatmeal can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When reheating, add more milk or water to help thin out the oatmeal as needed.

PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL

Peanut Butter Oatmeal is a hearty breakfast that is packed with peanut butter and is ready in 3 minutes. With added peanut butter flavor thanks to some PBfit powder, this peanut butter and oatmeal combination is the perfect way to start your day!

Why This Recipe Work

• Chock full of peanut butter flavor. This peanut butter oatmeal is packed with peanut butter flavor. This recipe uses peanut butter and PBfit powder. Doubling in on that delicious peanut butter flavor!
• Healthy peanut butter oatmeal. Using the PBfit powder helps up the peanut butter flavor while keeping the oatmeal low in fat and low in calories. PBfit is 1/3 of the calories of peanut butter and over 80% less fat than peanut butter. 
• Hearty breakfast in 3 minutes. I love a quick and easy microwave oatmeal recipe because it is a great way to get in a protein-packed breakfast without having to slave away in the kitchen to make it! In just 3 minutes, these peanut butter oats come together so quick and will keep you full longer!

Ingredient Notes

• Rolled Oats: Be sure to used rolled oats and not steel cut oats. Steel cut oats in the microwave would require longer time and more water. Rolled oats will also give you a better textured oatmeal than if you used instant oats, which are much smaller. 
• PBfit: This is essentially pressed and powdered peanuts. It is 1/3 of the calories of regular peanut butter and over 80% less fat. This is a great PBfit oatmeal recipe!
• Water: The oats soak up the water while cooking in the microwave which is how we get a creamy oatmeal texture. You may use milk here if you’d like.
• Peanut Butter: Use either creamy or chunky based on your preference. You can also use natural peanut butter if preferred. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Cook the oats. Stir the oats, PBfit and water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1-1.5 minutes.

2. Add in the peanut butter. Remove the peanut butter oats from the microwave and stir in the peanut butter. Top with chopped peanuts (if desired) and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Add some sliced banana on top for a bit of fresh fruit. Or if you’re a peanut butter and jelly fan, add slices of fresh strawberries! 

Would you rather have peanut butter overnight oats? Stir the oats, water and PBfit together and store in an airtight container or covered mason jar in the fridge overnight. Stir in the peanut butter in the morning. If you want it warm, microwave prior to adding the peanut butter. 

Add the peanut butter in after microwaving, not before. You want to cook out the water in the microwave so the peanut butter doesn’t get all liquidy. 

The oatmeal with PBfit will thicken as it cools. If you want a runnier oatmeal add a few more tablespoons of water to the mixture before microwaving.

For an extra peanut butter kick and to make things super fancy, drizzle melted peanut butter overtop!

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

Make this oatmeal ahead of time if you’d like! It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. Add a splash of milk or water and reheat in the microwave. 

To freeze, let cool completely and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight. You can also freeze the cooked peanut butter oatmeal in a muffin tin and then store the frozen oatmeal muffin tin-sized servings in a plastic bag in the freezer.

FAQs

Is this oatmeal recipe healthy?

Yes it is! It’s packed with protein and yet is low in fat and calories. This is thanks to the peanut butter (protein) and PBfit (protein, + low in calories and low in fat). 

Can I use chunky peanut butter? 

Yes you can! Feel free to use chunky peanut butter, creamy peanut butter or natural peanut butter in this recipe. 

What goes with peanut butter oatmeal?

Chocolate chips or slices of fresh banana or slices of fresh strawberries would go great with easy peanut butter oatmeal! 

Can I make this oatmeal on the stove? 

Yes you can! Instead of microwaving, simply cook the oats on the stove until they’ve reach your desired consistency. Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

This peanut butter oatmeal is the ideal healthy and easy breakfast recipe starring whole grains! Here’s the trick to making it taste great.

There’s no breakfast better than oatmeal, in our minds! So let us introduce you to a daily staple around here: this delicious Peanut Butter Oatmeal! Here’s the thing: oatmeal can be gloppy, gooey, or under-seasoned. But cook up a pot the right way, and it tastes like a dream! Here we’re sharing our favorite method for chewy toasted oats, and there’s a peanut butter banana variation if you prefer a little natural sweetness. Plus we’ve got the all important key: when to add the peanut butter. We make this every day (no joke) and it’s incredibly filling…and satisfying.

The key to peanut butter oatmeal

Here’s the thing. We figured that peanut butter oatmeal would be absolutely delicious if you throw spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter right into the pot and cook. Wrong! Here’s what happened, and how to avoid it:

• Don’t put peanut butter into the pot while the oatmeal is cooking. Why? When it’s done, you can barely taste the peanut butter. Even if you add a load of PB, there’s something about the flavor and texture that’s just not right. (Trust us.)
• The best way? Swirl it on top right before serving. Yeah, so it’s oatmeal topped with peanut butter. But this is the only way to get big peanut butter flavor! Top it right away and the warmth of the oats makes it heart meltingly good.

Why it’s the best oatmeal: toasted and chewy!

The other part to this peanut butter oatmeal? You’ve got to make the best pot of oatmeal imaginable! Over here, we’re anti creamy, gloppy oats with no texture. Our best oatmeal is lightly chewy and toasted before you add the liquid. This makes it utterly irresistible. Here are the keys to toasted oatmeal:

• Toast the oats in butter or coconut oil until fragrant. It takes just a minute or two, but it makes a big difference.
• Add liquid and cook on low without stirring. This easy method makes the oats chewy with separate grains, instead of a gloppy mess.
• If you like it creamier, add milk at the end. Add as much milk as you like to get to a creamier texture to these oats.

Variation: peanut butter banana oatmeal

Like your oatmeal sweet? No problem! Adding mashed bananas during the cooking time makes a beautifully creamy body to the oatmeal and a lightly sweet flavor. This is one of our favorite variations, and a quicker way to get the flavor of our banana baked oatmeal. Try this variation when you have a few ripe bananas on hand!

Peanut butter oatmeal toppings

How do you like to top your oatmeal? This peanut butter oatmeal is absolutely perfect with just a swirl of nut butter on top. I’ll admit: my daily oatmeal (and I do eat this every day) is simply oats, peanut butter, and salt. I like it on the savory side! But want to jazz it up a bit? Here are some ideas:

• Honey or maple syrup: a small drizzle is all you need!
• Jam or jelly: PB&J oatmeal is where it’s at! Try our homemade strawberry jam
• Berries: Blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries pair well
• Banana slices: Especially if you do the peanut butter banana variation
• Bee pollen: The confetti in the photos is bee pollen, and it adds a nice crunch

More variations: change up the nut butter!

It goes without saying, but peanut butter oatmeal can morph into all sorts of other types of oatmeal just by changing the nut butter. We love making lots of different nut butters at home, but these days you can easily find them at your grocery. Here are a few fun variations:

• Almond butter: top it with homemade almond butter (the vanilla bean or chai variations would be killer)
• Pecan butter: we especially like this homemade pecan butter on oats
• Cashew butter: another great option! cashew butter has beautifully sweet flavor
• Walnut butter: this cinnamon-scented walnut Butter is particularly tasty

Oatmeal nutrition info

Why eat oats in the morning? Well, these whole grains are a wholesome and filling breakfast idea that’s hard to beat. Here are some of the nutritional benefits of oats :

1. Oats are high in plant based protein. 1 cup of raw oats have 11 grams protein. That’s about 20% of your daily need!
2. Oats are high in fiber. 1 cup of raw oats have 8 grams of fiber, which is about 30% of the daily value.
3. Oats are very filling: they may reduce appetite and help you eat less calories.