Easy and completely delicious DIY Instant Oatmeal Variety Packs – made with nutritious quick oats, dry cream or milk for creaminess, nuts and dried fruit for more body and flavor, and sweetener of your choice. A super customizable recipe that’s excellent for a quick breakfast!
These DIY Instant oatmeal cups are the perfect recipe for busy people and for the kids before school. Sure it’s easy to grab a granola bar or protein drink and call it breakfast, but are those actually filling enough to hold you over until lunch?
That’s where these homemade Instant Oatmeal cups are a morning game changer! They are much better than store-bought, you can adjust their sweetness, and you can add the dry mix-ins you prefer.
They keep for a month or so in the pantry and are ready to go for those hectic early mornings. You simply just add boiling water or cook them in the microwave for just a minute.
My personal favorite option is a strawberries and cream instant oatmeal using dried cream powder, freeze dried strawberries (which you can find on Amazon, at Trader Joes or Target) and sliced almonds. Another close favorite is apricot and pistachio.
These are a hearty morning treat with good for you ingredients, and such a tasty way to to get a head start on those fully booked days.
Instant Oatmeal Ingredients
- Quick oats: Use quick or instant oats, not rolled oats or steel cut oats. The par cooked quick (instant) oats are the best type to use here so they quick in a flash.
- Milk powder: You can use cream powder (my fav it’s so decadent in these), powered milk, coconut milk powder, or whey protein powder.
- Sweetener: White sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, raw sugar, date sugar, honey powder or sugar substitutes such as stevia (very small portion) or a 1:1 dry sugar alternative can be used here.
- Chia seeds or ground flax seeds: This is added just to help thicken the mixture.
- Salt: This helps enhance the flavors and balance the sweetness.
- Mix ins: Freeze dried fruit, dried fruit, and chopped nuts work great here (see ideas below).
- Water: You’ll need to add water when ready to serve.
Storage Containers to Use for DIY Instant Oatmeal Cups
Use 12 oz food storage containers to store homemade instant oatmeal. I used these jars but there are others that are more economical such as the classic, durable mason jars.
If you plain to prepare the oatmeal in the container it’s stored in then be sure it is heatproof. Otherwise you can use something like small resealable bags and pour into a heatproof bowl when ready to prepare.
If you plan to microwave them to prepare them versus using boiling water then use at least a 16 to 24 oz container so they don’t boil over in the microwave.
How to Make DIY Instant Oatmeal
To a thoroughly dry, heat proof, food storage container add quick oats, cream powder, sugar, chia seeds or flax seeds, salt and layer in mix ins of choice.
Cover containers with a lid and store up to 1 month.
How to Cook Homemade Instant Oats
Boiling water option: When ready to prepare the instant oatmeal simply pour 3/4 cup boiling water over the oats, stir and let rest 2 minutes.
Microwave option: Add 1 cup water and the instant oat mixture to a 16 to 24 oz microwave safe bowl. Stir then cook, uncovered, in microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Let rest 2 minutes.
Best Instant Oatmeal Mix in Options
- Creamer: To mimic the creaminess a bowl of oatmeal made with milk it works well to use a dry milk base for make ahead instant oats. Dry heavy cream, dry milk, dry coconut milk, unflavored whey protein are great options. Or I’ve also used peanut butter powder for that added peanut butter flavor.
- Freeze dried fruit: Strawberries, apples, peaches, mangoes or blueberries. Lightly crush the fruit into smaller portions, whole blueberries are fine.
- Nuts: Pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Use chopped or sliced nuts.
- Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or hemp seeds. You can also use more chia seeds or flax seeds but keep in mind you’ll need to increase the amount of water added as they’ll absorb more liquid.
- Dehydrated fruit: Raisins, or dried cranberries, apricots, cherries, mangoes, or shredded coconut. Chop the larger dried fruits (such as the last 3).
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, chai spice or pumpkin pie spice (I recommend about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp spice, the stronger spices use lesser amount. I use 1/4 tsp cinnamon with the apple instant oats). You could also add flavorings such as cocoa powder, hot cocoa mix, or peanut butter powder (as mentioned before).
Instant Oatmeal
Recipe listed is just one serving but I like to make about 8 to 12 servings at a time. Just measure one ingredient at a time and simultaniously repeat measuring that same ingredient adding to separate containers, then move on to next ingredient.
Servings: 1
- 1/2 cup quick oats (1 minute oats)
- 1 Tbsp cream powder, or powdered milk*
- 1 to 2 tsp white sugar, brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp chia seeds or ground flax seeds
- 1 fair pinch salt
- 2 to 4 Tbsp mix ins such as freeze dried fruit, nuts, or dried fruit (see notes)
- 3/4 cup boiling water (when ready to prepare)
-
Making instant oatmeal mixes: To a 12 oz heat proof food storage container add quick oats, cream powder, sugar, chia seeds or flax seeds, salt and layer in mix ins of choice. Cover jars and store up to 1 month.
-
Cooking the instant oats: When ready to prepare the instant oatmeal pour 3/4 cup boiling water over the oats, stir and let rest 2 minutes.
-
Or to cook in the microwave add 1 cup water and the instant oat mixture to a 16 to 24 oz microwave safe bowl. Stir then cook, uncovered, in microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Let rest 2 minutes.
Best mix in options
- Freeze dried fruit: strawberries, apples, peaches, mangoes or blueberries. Quickly just crush the fruit into smaller portions, whole blueberries are fine.
- Nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Use chopped or sliced nuts.
- Dehydrated fruit: Raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots (chopped), dried cherries (chopped) or shredded coconut.
- Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or hemp seeds. You can also use more chia seeds or flax seeds but keep in mind you’ll need to increase the amount of water added as they’ll absorb more liquid.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, chai spice or pumpkin pie spice (I recommend about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp spice, the stronger spices use lesser amount. I use 1/4 tsp cinnamon with the apple instant oats). Cocoa powder or even hot chocolate mix is another good flavoring option.
Nutrition estimate notice
Important to note that the nutrition estimate *does not* include mix-ins of fruit and nuts as the nutritional value will vary depending on what and how much is used. Also it is based on using the dry cream option and 1 tsp sugar.
Nutrition Facts
Instant Oatmeal
Amount Per Serving
Calories 237
Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 13mg4%
Sodium 112mg5%
Potassium 178mg5%
Carbohydrates 38g13%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 1IU0%
Vitamin C 0.03mg0%
Calcium 50mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
