For a healthier and less expensive alternative to instant oatmeal packets, try this homemade instant oatmeal mix. Adapt the spices and add-ins to suit your taste and leave the jar on the counter for a quick and easy breakfast that beats cereal. (Be sure to check out our other homemade mixes.)
Recipe
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Mix
For a healthier and less expensive alternative to instant oatmeal packets, try this homemade instant oatmeal mix. Adapt the spices and add-ins to suit your taste and leave the jar on the counter for a quick and easy breakfast that beats cereal.
Ingredients
- 6 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1½ cups nonfat dry milk powder
- ¼ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried fruit, dried apples, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, etc.
- 1 cup broken nut pieces, pecans, almonds, or walnuts
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon, optional, good if using dried apples
Instructions
- Mix 6 cups quick-cooking oats, 1½ cups nonfat dry milk powder, ¼ cup sugar, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup dried fruit, 1 cup broken nut pieces, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon (optional, good if using dried apples) thoroughly in a large bowl. Crush any clumps of brown sugar to blend with other ingredients. Store in an airtight container.
- To serve, mix ½ cup oatmeal mix with ⅓ cup boiling water. Mix well and let sit for 1 minute to thicken. Adjust the amount of water added for preferred consistency if needed.
Notes
If you find that the oatmeal is not as thick as you would like, try processing 1-2 cups of the dry quick oats in the blender before mixing them in with the rest of the ingredients.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 217 calCarbohydrates: 33 gProtein: 7 gFat: 8 gSodium: 192 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 15 g
Cheryl
This is delicious but i feel like the mix to water ratio is wrong. There should be more liquid to mix
Mary Ann
Thanks for your feedback, Cheryl. We like the ratio as it is, but it's a recipe that is easy to adapt the thickness to your personal preference. Glad you enjoyed it!
Darlene
My hubby really enjoys a popular brand of instant oatmeal with raisins, walnuts and dates in it. At almost $5 for 8 servings, and the only store that carried it being hit and miss on stocking it, I thought, there must be a way I could make this!! Thank you for this recipe! It was perfect - and saved us a LOT of money.
Mary Ann
Glad you like it! We use quite a bit of it and I generally change the flavors each time I make it.