Classic oatmeal for one is a quick and easy way to start the day with a hot, filling breakfast that only takes minutes to cook up. No microwave or store bought instant oatmeal required. This single serve oatmeal recipe is the perfect way to start your day and uses bananas as a natural sweetener.
As a kid, oatmeal was not my favourite breakfast. I didn’t like the taste or the texture unless it was loaded with brown sugar and lots and lots of milk. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I found myself actually craving a big bowl of steaming oats on a cold day. That was when I also learned I didn’t need to cook my oatmeal the same way my parents did!
Single Serve Oatmeal
I love oatmeal for breakfast. But I don’t love cold or leftover oatmeal at all. So it was really important to me to figure out how to get the ingredient quantities just right for a single serving so I didn’t wind up with more than I could eat in a single sitting.
I also want it to cook up fast, which means I’m not using steel cut oats. Instead, I went with old fashioned rolled oats, which don’t have all the nutritional benefits of steel cut oats but they’re still a decent breakfast alternative (and they cook up much faster than steel cut oats).
I found 1/3 cup of oats and 2/3 cup of liquid to be perfect for my morning appetite. If you’re the ravenous type in the morning, you can up your quantities to 1/2 cup of oats and one cup of liquid. Any more than that and you’ll likely be looking for a way to use up leftovers at some point in the next day or two.
Liquid to Oat Ratio When Making Oatmeal
The liquid to oat ratio for oatmeal when using old fashioned rolled oats is easy to remember: 2:1. Whatever measurement of oats you use, you’ll need double the amount of liquid. 1/3 cup of oats means 2/3 cup of liquid. One cup of oats means two cups of liquid etc.
Do You Have To Use Water?
No! I cook my oats with water because I like to serve my oatmeal with milk just like I would dry cereal. But you can sub your favourite milk (dairy, nut, soy) for the water or do half water and half milk. Using milk will make for a slightly creamier finished dish!
Oatmeal Add-Ins
This recipe calls for several add-ins. The most important two are the salt and the banana. The others are optional. The salt… well you just need the salt. A pinch of regular table salt is all you need.
The banana is what sweetens the oatmeal – it softens up as it cooks and makes for a wonderful natural sweetener, especially if you use the raisins as well. I don’t use any other sweetener since I’ve started using a banana in my oatmeal. If you want a little extra sweetener try adding a teaspoon of maple syrup or a tsp of brown sugar. Try it without first though!
I like adding the vanilla just for the flavour but with the price of vanilla extract right now, don’t worry about adding it in unless you really want it!
Top your oatmeal with your favourite fruits. Fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries or strawberries are all great. So is sliced mango or peaches or the remainder of the banana you used during the cooking process. You can also serve it with your favourite milk, a drizzle of maple syrup, a sprinkle of hemp seeds… get creative and use your pantry staples!
Classic Oatmeal For One
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 2/3 cup water you can sub the milk of your choice or do half milk and half water
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 1/2 banana thinly sliced
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract not required
- 1 sprinkle cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and give a quick stir - choose a saucepan with a lid because you'll need that later
- Turn the heat on to medium and keep an eye on your pot - it won't take long to boil and once it starts to boil you'll need to stir it frequently for about 3-4 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed (don't let it stick to the pan because that makes a big mess). If you are using quick cooking oats it will take even less time so watch carefully!
- Once the liquid has been absorbed - and this will literally only take a few minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and cover. Let it sit for another 2-3 minutes
- Serve - you can top with fresh or frozen fruit, additional milk or even a drizzle of maple syrup or a sprinkle of hemp seeds
Notes
Oatmeal is delicious with fresh or frozen fruit - berries, mango, sliced peaches and bananas all work well. If you have a slightly larger appetite, increase the rolled oats to 1/2 a cup and increase your liquid to one cup. The remaining ingredients can stay the same. Increase your quantities anymore than that and you will likely have left over oatmeal. Meal Prep Tip: You can combine the oats, cinnamon, salt, and raisins in the saucepan the night before and just add your sliced banana and liquids (water and vanilla) in the morning when you're ready to start cooking.
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Just started to live on my own and wanted to make oatmeal tomorrow morning!
I barely have a couple of ingredientes around and I definitely did not know you can sweeten with bananas which is one of the ingredients I do have!
Thought Id get confused cooking Just one portion but you made all very easy!
Cheers from Honduras!
I’m glad you found it easy Stephanie! Once you get the basic recipe down, you can start experimenting with other flavours!
Could you substitute 1/2 a frozen banana? I often freeze bananas as they are getting soft.
Hi Catherine,
I’ve never tried it with a frozen banana but I think it would work just fine. It will increase your cooking time but probably only by a minute. Just be sure to slice it up as thinly as you can before adding it to the pot – this will help it thaw out quickly while it cooks. I actually just put a banana in the freezer tonight so I might give this a try later this week!
Hi Catherine, I cut a fresh banana in half, then slice each half, before wrapping in plastic wrap and freezing. I add one of these halves to my rolled oat porridge, and because its pre-sliced, it thaws quickly in the hot porridge. I also occasionally add one of these frozen halves to a smoothie. It makes the smoothie thick and creamy and eliminates the need for ice.
How long to microwave the single serving? Thanks!
Hi Leslie,
I’ve never tried making this in the microwave and I don’t think it would work very well. I’d use instant oatmeal in a packet for that.
i made oatmeal for the first time ever today… it was rly good!! i recommend adding dates as well!
I didn’t like hot oatmeal with cold milk so I wouldn’t eat it when I was very young. So my mother put butter in it. That’s how I eat it to this day.
Hi made it this morning : ) I made with milk no water I chose to leave the raisins and vanilla out. Perfect easy recipe. 🙂
So yummy! The liquid to oats ratio is perfect!
can you use Quaker quick 1minute oats?
Love this portion, thanks so much!