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When you think of oatmeal recipes for breakfast, what comes to mind? A bowl full of mush? (If you followed up that thought with “and a quiet old lady whispering <hush>”… maybe you’ve just read Goodnight Moon too many times…)
If you’re used to eating oats out of a packet, it’s time for an upgrade! Oats are not only one of the most affordable breakfasts, but it’s also a meal that will keep you full for the long haul. Studies show oats are an excellent source of not only fiber (especially beta-glucan) and protein, but they’re also high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Affordable Organic Oat Options
Organic oats are typically more expensive than traditional (you can read more about why we ALWAYS choose organic when it comes to oats in this post about organic food), but we find them in bulk at a local health food store (Healthy Life Market inside Drug Emporium in Barboursville if you’re local to Huntington) for $8.99 for a 5-pound bag. (About $1.80/pound!) At Kroger, they are usually $2.99 for a 16-ounce container (Nature’s Path Organic), and I’ve seen them for about $2.25/pound for Bob’s Red Mill organic old-fashioned at Big Lots. The 5-pound bag will last us about 2-3 months (depending) Sometimes we’ll spend $9.00 for a week’s worth of cereal! We do still buy cereal, of course, but putting oats in the mix regularly will add up in savings.
If you can’t find organic oats locally, there are plenty of options on Amazon.
Choose Your Own Oat Adventure
One of the best reasons to use oats is their versatility! You’ll have no excuses about the same old, same old with these fresh ideas on how to use oats to save money for breakfast. Just click on a category to jump directly to where you want to go.
Oat Muffins/ Bars/ Breakfast Cookies
Good Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Recipes
Old-fashioned oats are a classic stick-to-your-gut breakfast. There’s an oatmeal recipe for every season. Here are a few favorites we’ve found:
Cinnamon Crunch Oatmeal (Gluten-Free, Vegan) (Strength and Sunshine)
Turmeric Oatmeal Recipe – How To Make Quick Turmeric Golden Milk Oats For Breakfast (Easy Budget Meals)
Leftover Cranberry Sauce Oatmeal (Healthy Christian Home)
Peanut Butter and Banana Oatmeal (The Cookware Geek)
Chocolate Oatmeal (Nutmeg and Vinegar)
Creamy Coconut Oatmeal with Spiced Pears (Everyday Delicious)
Steel Cut Oat Recipes
Steel-cut oats are less processed than old-fashioned oats but take longer to prepare. Most recipes I’ve found reheat perfectly, so cooking large batches for meal prep would work great if you don’t have the extra time in the morning to prepare. (Or save it for a “weekend” meal when you’ve got more flexibility.) Walmart sells a 24-ounce container of Great Value Organic steel cut oats for $3.47 (about 2.31/lb) and Trader Joe’s has a 16-ounce canister for $2.99. Amazon has several organic steel-cut oat options here.
Banana Steel Cut Oats (Instant Pot or Stovetop)- (Delightful Adventures)
Steel Cut Oat Breakfast Bowl (Love on a Plate)
Instant Pot Banana Oatmeal (Cardamom and Coconut)
Instant Pot Strawberry Steel Cut Oatmeal (Sidewalk Shoes)
Instant Pot Cherry Chocolate Steel Cut Oats (Babaganosh)
Overnight Steel Cut Oats (Hot or Cold) (The Rising Spoon)
Slow Cooker Banana Coconut Oatmeal (Swirls of Flavor)
Apple Cinnamon Slow Cooker Oatmeal Recipe (Mama Likes to Cook)
Oat Bakes / Casseroles
An oatmeal bake is one of my FAVORITE ways to meal prep. We love to try out new baked oatmeal recipes.
Cinnamon Cookie Oat Bake (Strength and Sunshine)
Bananas Foster Baked Oatmeal (Blackberry Babe)
Healthy Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal (Faithfully Gluten Free)
No Sugar Added Georgia Peach Baked Oatmeal (Protecting Your Pennies)
Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal (Brooklyn Active Mama)
Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal (Vegan, Gluten-Free) (Shivani Loves Food)
Oat Muffins/ Bars/Breakfast Cookies
Alissa especially loves making breakfast cookies, oatmeal cups and/or muffins for grab-and-go breakfasts. (I love a silicone muffin pan for this) Here are several options to inspire your breakfast-making (baking) routine.
Baked Cranberry Bliss Oat Cups (Savor and Savvy)
Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (Melanie Cooks)
Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Crayons and Cravings)
Healthy Toddler Banana Oat Muffins {3 Ways} (Served from Scratch)
Easy Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins with Oat Flour (Hunny I’m Home)
Gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Squares (My Gluten-Free Kitchen)
Gluten-Free Banana Butterscotch Oat Muffins (My Gluten-Free Kitchen)
Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Breakfast Muffins (Healthy Christian Home)
Easy Apple Oatmeal Muffins (House of Nash)
Pumpkin Apple Harvest Muffins (The Rising Spoon)
Healthy Vegan Oat Bars (Nutriciously)
Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are the quintessential meal prep breakfast item. Lindsey shared some breakfast meal prep inspiration with us on an Insta-story recently and now the sisters are all loving the ease of having overnight oats prepped in the fridge to start the week. They are SO easy to change up seasonally. Lately, we’ve loved apple cinnamon overnight oats. Mason jars makes meal prep for this a breeze. Check out these overnight oatmeal recipe options for your budget-friendly breakfast!
Pumpkin Overnight Oats (Mom Foodie)
Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats (Savor and Savvy)
Pumpkin Overnight Oats (Easy Family Recipe Ideas)
Superfood Overnight Oats (I Hate Meal Prep)
Overnight Oats with Almond Milk (Baked by Clo)
Blackberry Smoothie Overnight Oats (Honey and Lime)
Matcha Overnight Oats (Living Fresh Daily)
P.S. If you can’t get enough overnight oats, Ashley from the Irish Twin’s Mama has a roundup of 30 more overnight oats recipes here!
Smoothies
We recently got “back” into making smoothies when my toddler went on a little veggie strike. I like to make what I call “salad smoothies” with a few fistfuls of green stuff mixed with a few other healthy ingredients. We love pumpkin pie smoothies, but these oatmeal smoothie recipes will give you a ton of options to get your oatmeal fix in a glass.
Breakfast Berry Oat Smoothie with Coconut Milk (Slow the Cook Down)
Gingerbread Cookie Smoothie (Ottawa Mommy Club)
Coffee Banana Smoothie (Everyday Delicious)
Oatmeal Smoothie (This Mama Cooks)
Banana Oatmeal Smoothie (Flavours Treat)
Oatmeal Smoothie (Snappy Gourmet)
Homemade Granola
What?! Yet another totally different oat-based breakfast item? Store-bought granola can be filled with sugar and a ton of additives. These recipes will give you your crunch fix without extras.
Five Ingredient Vanilla Granola (The Toasty Kitchen)
Healthy Granola with Cacao Nibs (Mrs. Jones Kitchen)
Almond Butter Granola (Claudia Canu)
Oatmeal Cookie Granola (Foodal)
More Fun Oat Recipes
In case the previous oatmeal recipes just weren’t enough, here are a few bonus ideas to use oats for a budget-friendly breakfast.
Cranberry Oat No Bake Bars (Spabettie)
Blueberry Oat Pancakes w Blueberry Sauce (Vegan on Board)
Oatmeal Cups with Healthy Fillings (Claudia Canu)
Pumpkin Spice Energy Balls (Easy Family Recipe Ideas)
Thanks to all the recipe creators and bloggers who contributed to this roundup of oatmeal recipes! Tell us in the comments, what oatmeal category is your favorite?
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