Name: Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 cup water; ½ cup old-fashioned oats; 2 teaspoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 tablespoons whole milk; 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

Homemade Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal is a warm and cozy way to start the day. Creamy old-fashioned oats are flavored with cinnamon and brown sugar for a breakfast that takes all of 10 minutes to make.

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Today we’re tossing the instant oatmeal packets and up-leveling our breakfast game. Yes, this homemade maple brown sugar oatmeal takes longer than two minutes, but with an eight-minute additional investment, you get so much more.

Hearty oats sweetened with a touch of brown sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup, and topped with crunchy nuts – that extra eight minutes pays out some serious dividends, friends, and I think our breakfast portfolios will be all the better for it. So, bye-bye, boxed brown sugar oatmeal packets – say hello to this upgraded cozy bowl of oaty goodness.

Ingredients

Water
Old-fashioned oats
Brown sugar
Pure maple syrup
Ground cinnamon
Milk
Chopped walnuts

Oats: I love old-fashioned oats (aka rolled oats) because they have a great texture once they’re cooked. Steel-cut oats would also be great, but they will take longer to cook. You can use quick oats if that’s what you have on hand – they’ll cook a little faster, but they won’t have the same hearty texture.

Milk: I like to use whole milk, but skim or 2% milk will work, too – the oatmeal will just be less creamy. You can also use non-dairy milk like almond milk or oat milk.

Nuts: The nuts add a nice crunch, but they’re totally optional. I like walnuts because I seem to have them on hand all the time, but chopped almonds or pecans would work great, too.

How to Make It

Heat the water in a saucepan over high heat. Once it’s boiling, add the oatmeal and lower the heat to medium to maintain a low boil. Stir and cook the oatmeal for about five minutes or until it’s creamy and almost all of the water is gone.

the cooked oatmeal in a pan with the milk, sugar, cinnamon, honey, and walnuts in bowls around it.

Mix in the sugar, syrup, and cinnamon. Add the milk and stir for about 30 seconds to a minute. Transfer the oatmeal to a bowl and top it with the chopped nuts.

the oatmeal in a pan with the mix ins added.

Recipe Tips and Variations

Adjustments: Feel free to make changes to the amounts – like it sweeter or less sweet? Adjust the amount of brown sugar and maple syrup. Like your oatmeal thicker or thinner? Add more or less milk to your taste. Want a super creamy oatmeal? Add a splash of cream at the end. Love or hate nuts? Skip them or double the amount. So many choices!
Add some fruit: Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, chopped peaches, and apples work great as mix-ins if you want to dress it up. Or try raisins or dried cranberries.
Nut butter: Sometimes, I mix in a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter to change it up, too.
Make ahead: You can make multiple servings at a time, store individual servings in airtight containers, and keep them in the fridge. Warm them up in the microwave with a couple of splashes of milk for an easy breakfast during the week. When I do this, I make three to four servings at a time and store each in an airtight container – they’ll keep for several days.

I hope you treat yourself to this easy 10-minute breakfast soon! A bowl of cozy warm oatmeal is always a nice way to start the day.

Happy breakfast-making,

More Easy Breakfast Recipes

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Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

Skip the instant oatmeal packets and make this easy 10-minute Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal instead! It’s hearty and filling – a great way to start the day.

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Author: April Anderson

Servings: serving

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 10

Ingredients

1 cup water
½ cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

Instructions

Bring the water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the oatmeal and lower the heat to medium. Cook and stir the oatmeal for about five minutes or until the oatmeal is thickened.
Stir in the sugar, syrup, and cinnamon. Add the milk, stir, and transfer the oatmeal to a bowl. Sprinkle the nuts over the top.

Notes

You can scale this recipe up to make more servings. For each additional serving, it will take a few more minutes to cook (when I double it, I cook the oats for 10 minutes).

If you scale this recipe up, you can store extra servings in the refrigerator for several days. Keep them in airtight containers and warm them up in the microwave for easy weekday breakfasts.

You can add other mix ins like fresh berries or other fruit that you like. Sometimes I add a spoonful of almond butter or peanut butter to change it up.