Do you ever wish for an overflowing oatmeal bowl?
As opposed to the measly amount you get from one serving of oats? If you answered “yes” to the above, then the Voluminous Oatmeal Trick is for you!
*Ends sales pitch*
What is the Voluminous Oatmeal Trick?
The idea is to add more than the recommended liquid to the oats, prior to cooking. Then you can either microwave or cook on the stovetop, but stop before all the water is absorbed. Come back the next day (or a few hours later), and all the liquid has been absorbed, leaving you with pillow-soft oats that are double the size of regular oats!
Step One: Measure out one serving of dry oats (40g). I also add 1/4 tsp salt.
Step Two: Add a little over 1 1/2 cups liquid (I add 400g).
Step Three: Microwave or cook on the stove, but stop before all the water is absorbed. (I microwave for 4 1/2 minutes, then leave in the closed microwave for 5 more minutes. You might have to watch if for the last minute, and stop and start the microwave, so it doesn’t spill over. It depends on your microwave’s wattage.)
Step Four: Put in the fridge, uncovered. When you return the next day (or a few hours later), the watery mess above will have magically turned into 2 cups-worth of pillowy, voluminous oats! Now, I am strange and like my oatmeal cold (like pudding!). But if you want it hot, you can still re-heat the next day. Re-heat it just until it gets hot, and the volume will stay. Troubleshooting Note: Microwave wattages vary, and therefore if your oats haven’t thickened up by the next day it probably means you need to cook them longer next time.
Try this trick on any of the following:
Cant wait to try your oatmeal recipe! I love oatmeal and I also eat it cold not only because I think it taste better but I seem to have a problem with reflux if I eat it hot but it never bothers me when I eat it cold. I thouought I was weird also eating my oatmeal cold. Glad to know I’m not the only one who likes cold oatmeal. Thanks for all the great recipes!! sooo glad I found you!!
Katie,
I’ve tried this recipe 6 times now but I can’t seem to get it right. Granted, the first three times I was using quick oats, so that explains that mess-up. But I’ve tried rolled oats and followed the directions as you said, except, that on the back of my rolled oats it said to cook for 5-6 min. on 50% power, so I cooked them on 50% power for 4:30 minutes and the oats were extremely watery in the fridge when I came back the next day. Should I be cooking them for 4:30 minutes on full power instead? (Just FYI I’m using Wegman’s brand rolled oats, )
The directions for Quaker rolled oats in the microwave are as follows:
Combine water, oats and salt in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes. Stir before serving.
The directions for Wegman’s brand rolled oats in the microwave are as follows:
Cook for 5-6 min. on 50% power.
Should I just try using the Quaker rolled oats (not quick) and cooking them in the microwave on regular power for 4:30 minutes? (who knew rolled oats could differ among brands so much???)
Full power, yes :). And regular, not quick.
Please ignore my previous ridiculously long comment.
Ok so I just realized I’m a dummy and the point is to cook the oats fully and then some to absorb some of the extra water and I’ve pretty much been doing the exact opposite. Tomorrow I will go out and buy my third tub of oats (Quaker) and follow your directions exactly. Please let me know if I got it right this time!
I wish I hadn’t wasted all those oats! I would’ve gladly eaten them except that I’m on ww and I’m pretty sure they discourage eating your weight in oats.
I am soooo impressed by you! Whenever I click on a great idea on Pinterest….guess who’s blog I am redirected to! Thank you for sharing your ideas. I am new to the “healthy” eating. I went to the Dr. and found that I am in basically good shape other than my cholesterol is slightly high…it inspired me to get healthy! I am right around the corner! I love this idea and the cold oatmeal in the fridge. (along with many more you have) I had some cold oatemal with pineapple reminded me of rice pudding 🙂
Aw lol you just made me smile so much :).
hey katie! i try theese oats all the time bc i love oats and who wouldnt want to eat a gigantic bowl! however i cant seem to get this to work! it never absorbs all the water any tips or ideas?
Use less water, cook longer, and make sure you’re leaving the oats uncovered.
i will def give this a tr! thank katie! LOVE YOUR BLOG! your seriously amazing! such an inspiration! youve helped me in more ways than you know. your helping me on my road to recovery and getting over my fear of healthy fats! thanks so much for everything
I used your voluminous oatmeal trick and combined it with flavor inspiration from your coconut cookie baked oatmeal, which I didn’t bake obviously, and had an amazing breakfast. Blogged about just now and included appropriate link-backs to your pages!
http://www.mybigfatbundt.blogspot.com/2012/05/volunious-mounds-bar-oatmeal-gluten.html
Oh no! It says there’s a server error. Is it my computer?? In any case, I’m so honored and happy you tried it!
Ahhh, poopy. I tried my link and I was able to access my blog. Perhaps it was just being fussy when you tried? I’ll post again underneath. Either way, there are a few different links, going back to your site and the appropriate postings.
http://www.mybigfatbundt.blogspot.com/2012/05/volunious-mounds-bar-oatmeal-gluten.html
xoxo
Hello Katie,
I just wanted to say thank you for your voluminous oatmeal trick. I couldn’t get the microwave method to work for me becaue it kept spilling over in my microwave! Instead, I did your alternative approach and heated it up at a low boil for 4-5 minutes, then let it sit for the 5-10 you suggested. The outcome is such a nice, substantial portion that the extra bit of effort is definitely worth it! I have enjoyed skimming through your website and look forward to trying your other recipes! Your pleasant and enthusiastic approach towards healthy eating is very contagious. I will be visiting regularly for that reason. =)
It doesn’t seem to work for me… I put it in the microwave, but it doesn’t seem to absorb all of the water. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
Do you cook it long enough? And leave it uncovered overnight in the fridge?
Normally I cook my oatmeal for 2 1/2 minutes in the microwave, but that didn’t work. I think there was too much water left. Then I cooked it for 4 1/2 minutes and it had absorbed more water, but still the next morning hadn’t absorbed enough water.
I’m a new visitor to your blog and must say I can’t get enough of the wonderful recipes you have concocted! I am currently in the process of making this oatmeal recipe with peanut butter and banana for dinner tonight (my hubby has taught me that breakfast for dinner = the spreading of warm, ooey, gooey comforting feelings throughout body). Thanks for such great recipes and keep up the excellent work!
Wow – tried this for breakfast (left the pats soaking overnight) and it produced the biggest bowl of delicious oatmeal, took me forever to eat and filled me right up! Usually I am always tempted by a second bowl! This is going to become my new breakfast ritual!
hey katie! i’ve tried this trick a gazillion times though it never seems to turn out the way it should be. i’d do as instructed and when i take the oats out of the microwave it would still have excess liquid so i’d put it in the microwave an extra minute or 2 and it’d come out still not liquid-free! and the oats would get jello-ey the next morning after refrigerating (uncovered). help!
Thank you so much for this fantastic way of preparing oats!! I’ve tried this recipe before, unsuccessfully ): and was just about to give up when I decided to try it in the microwave rather than the stovetop – perfect!! Creamy, fluffy oats, and a huge bowl of them too! I think everyone should definetly try making it in the microwave because thats what makes the oats so fluffy. Also, I omitted the salt and they turned out fine!! This was fantastic!!!!
Could you please tell me what you did in order to not use any salt, I’d rather not use any at all in order to make this delicious recipe.
Hey Katie, have you tried this using other grains, such as barley flakes, a mixed grain cereal, millet, buckwheat, etc.? Or what about oat bran?
Quick follow-up (#1)
I used this trick on an 8-grain flake blend and it seems to have worked… I haven’t eaten it yet, but I can tell by how it feels and looks that it will be good…. only problem I had was my discovery of ‘the coldest spot in my fridge’ leading to my creation being partially frozen. Ha! Oh well, this babby is destined to not only be voluminous, but also blended!! Double CCK-oatmeal-trick goodness! (Will be blending with a banana and some peanut flour…. and if I’m feeling generous, some raspberries too… though I might want to hold off on those so that they are extra special in my pancakes I am also making today!!)
If Only I didn’t feel guilty about eating so many grains…. I try not to, but I can’t seem to let myself have them more than twice a day before feeling like it is unhealthy…. I think I need to work on this!!
Hey Katie,
I love all your oatmeal recopies! They make breakfast so much more fun. I just had a question about the Voluminous Oatmeal recipe. I was just wondering if you have ever used milk or if the trick only works with water? Because I have tried it twice and I don’t think I got it to work. The first I tried with with all whole milk, and the second, half whole milk half water and the same result. Maybe I am doing something else wrong? Thanks!
I was wondering… since microwaves (and cooking times) vary so much, could you cook the oats normally so you know they’re done, then heat up and add the extra water?
Hi Katie! Firstly, I would liek to say that I LOVE your blog and cannot wait to try out more of these delicious recipes! Now what I wanted to ask you is regarding the water absorsion of the oats, because I have tried this out today and my oats have been in the fridge for about 8 hours and I just checked on them and most of the water has been absorbed and they have thickened up a bit on the bottom but there is still quite a bit of water on the top. So I don’t think it will fully absorb until tomorrow morning, so what can I do different next time for them to come out perfect? Oh and I used 40g of oats with 400g of water and added a pinch of salt and a tsp of brown sugar; then microwved it in Medium for about 4 minutes, and then another 5 minutes more. Then I put it in the fridge, uncovered, until now and till tomorrow morning. Continue on with the awesome blog!
Love,
Rita 🙂