Overnight oatmeal is a familiar thing; we often boil a pot of steel-cut oats and then leave them to soak overnight on the stove. Bring them back to a simmer in the morning and they're ready to eat. Sometimes we cook oatmeal overnight in the slow cooker, too.
But what about overnight no-cook oatmeal?
That's the basic idea of this very simple recipe from Whole Foods Market's website. The recipe is basically a cold cereal — easy to prepare the night before, and good for people who prefer their oatmeal raw.
Basically you just mix rolled oats with milk, fruit, and nuts, and leave them overnight in the fridge. In the morning the oats have softened up into a sort of cold porridge or cold cereal. You can warm it up or just eat it cold.
• Get the recipe: Overnight Oatmeal at Whole Foods Market
What do you think? Do you ever eat oatmeal like this?
Related: What's For Breakfast? Irish Oatmeal
(Image: Whole Foods Market)
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Is this how muesli is made?
I've done this with, believe it or not, steel-cut oats, and they come out delicious, with a nutty brown-rice-like texture.
This method is absolutely perfect if you have a miniscule kitchen in hot summertime when even boiling a kettle will make the indoor temperature unbearable.
Jamie Oliver has a recipe for "Pukkola" that uses this concept, including steel cut oats, and it's really good.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=23629
My husband eats this every morning (minus the apple) for breakfast with greek yogurt
Can this be done with steel cut oats and water, or is milk required so that the oats won't become too mushy?
I use steel cut oats and water and make this every day! I start with hot water, cover the bowl and leave it out overnight. In the morning, i just nuke my oatmeal for about a minute and a half, add nuts and fruit and I'm good to go!
Also works with rolled oats if you want a different texture.
i, too, thought this was muesli.
Yeah, pretty much this is what I consider muesli. I soak my grain mixture in diluted juice, milk, sometimes just water, or even tea, depending on what mix-ins I'm going to be adding the next morning.
I tend to shy away from oatmeal in the warmer months as I am just not craving a hot breakfast when it is 80 degrees by 8am. But, I do love oatmeal so I will have to try this. All I have is steel cut oats in the pantry so I'll try it with those first.
this IS muesli. Obviously rebranded.
I do this all the time in the summer. The variations are endless with fruits and nuts (just avoid salted nuts...but roasted are delicious). Dried fruits like chopped dates are delicious and chewy. I've also added honey or maple syrup as a sweetener. A sprinkle of brown sugar works well too.
A word of caution, if you want to add apples or bananas, wait and add them first thing in the morning. Marinating them in the milk makes them taste weird and their texture changes.
I've always just used rolled oats, but now I'm curious to try steel cut oats.
Hmm. Must try this.
I thought muesli was oats, nuts, fruit, and dairy of some kind, usually yogurt. Is it technically just cold-cooked oatmeal?
Steel-cut oats done the way i described end up having a great nutty/chewy texture -- similar to Grape Nuts if you've ever eaten them hot. It's definitely different than slow-cooked steel-cut oats, which are creamy and smooth. Try it!
Yeah, I heard it was musli... whatever, I've eaten a lot of this, I usually use water but top it with yogurt. My favorite topping combo is cherries with vanilla yogurt and almonds. Followed closely by pears, plain yogurt and finely chopped crystalized ginger.
i too love oatmeal but it's been so hot in the bay area i've been wanting nothing but cold meals, so i made this last night - it's so good! i used dried apricots and put them in overnight with the milk and oats and they plumped up. i also put a few fresh strawberries in the morning with some sliced almonds. i didn't need sweetener at all, the vanilla and fruit were enough! i'm excited to hear you can do this with steel cut oats too - i'm thinking it'll last longer that way - so i can make a bigger batch for the week. i'm going to try that next. thanks!
it's just like how i make my muesli. you can see the recipe and pics here http://www.shootfirsteatlater.com/2009/02/oats-and-me.html