In this post I share my tips and tricks for adding vegetables to oatmeal, how to naturally sweeten oatmeal, and I share three different oatmeal recipes with vegetables in them!
After taking a poll on Instagram, I discovered that a lot of people are interested in some of the basic meals I eat on a daily basis. More specifically, a lot of people recently have been asking how I make my daily morning Chocolate Zoats (a.k.a. add zucchini to my oatmeal). So today, instead of a formal recipe post, I’m going to share with you how to add vegetables to your oatmeal.
Why I add vegetables to my oatmeal:
First of all, I’ll share why I add vegetables to my oatmeal on a regular basis. I hope, however, that this doesn’t make you feel like you have to add vegetables to your oats…you do you! Some reasons I love adding vegetables to my oatmeal are:
- They add volume: I love to eat large portions
- They add micronutrients: not a lot, but I’ll take a little somethin’ something’
- They add fiber: which helps keep me fuller for longer
- I can’t taste them
Some other important decisions to make when adding vegetables to your oatmeal is deciding which vegetables to add and how to prepare them.
What kinds of vegetables should I use?
I like to use flavorless or sweeter vegetables, which is why I either use zucchini (practically flavorless), carrots (subtly sweet!), or pumpkin puree (also sweet!) Sweet potato, cauliflower and other varieties of pureed squash could work as well!
How do I prepare the vegetables?
Pureed pumpkin or squash out of a can is ready to be used, but when it comes to vegetables like zucchini and carrots it’s important to prepare them correctly so that you don’t feel like you’re eating vegetables with every bite you take. When first starting out, add a small amount of the vegetable, maybe about 1/4 cup. Later as you get used to it you can add more. I’ve discovered that I love to shred my vegetables and then mince them so that the size of the vegetables mimics the size of oats. I hate having long strings of vegetables in my oatmeal! Yuck! When using zucchini, you can also start out by peeling off the green skin so that it blends in with the oatmeal better. I’m at the point where I probably add 1/2-1 cups worth of shredded vegetables. Below are some images that I shared on my Instastories that show how I prepare my zucchini for zoats.
How do I sweeten my oatmeal?
In all of the recipes below, I use mashed banana to sweeten my oatmeal. I love using natural sweeteners, especially at breakfast, because I get the fiber along with the sugar. Some other great options if you don’t like banana are maple syrup, Homemade Date Paste, chopped up dried fruit, brown sugar etc.!
Now I’ll share with you three of my go-to veggie-filled oatmeal recipes: Chocolate Zoats, Carrot Cake Oatmeal and Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal! I hope you use these recipes as templets to experiment and find what works for you!
Chocolate Zucchini Oatmeal (Zoats!):
Chocolate Zucchini Oatmeal
Enjoy sneakily adding some vegetables to your morning oatmeal with these Chocolate Zucchini Oats!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed*
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds*
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, minced
- 1 ripe, mashed banana
- 1-1 1/2 cup water or non-dairy milk
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, mix together the oats, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt.
- Add in your prepared zucchini, mashed banana and 1 cup of liquid to start. Stir well.
- Bring everything to a boil and stir occasionally to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- If you chose to use the ground flaxseed and chia seeds, you'll get a thick oatmeal fairly quickly, so feel free to add more liquid if needed to get your desired texture.
- Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches your desired thickness.
- Pour everything into a bowl and top with whatever toppings you like!
- MICROWAVE OPTION: If you are cooking the oats in a microwave, start by mixing all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Then add in the vegetables, mashed banana and liquid and mix again until a uniform mixture forms. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir the oats and then continue to microwave for 20-30 second intervals, watching closely, until the oats reach your desired thickness.
Notes
*Optional
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 562Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 20mgSodium 360mgCarbohydrates 96gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 15gSugar 43gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 20g
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal:
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Enjoy sneakily adding some vegetables to your morning oatmeal with these Pumpkin Pie Oats!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed*
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds*
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch salt
- 1/3 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/2 mashed banana
- 1- 1 1/2 cup water or non-dairy milk
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, mix together the oats, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice and a pinch of salt.
- Add in the pumpkin puree, mashed banana and 1 cup of liquid to start. Stir well.
- Bring everything to a boil and stir occasionally to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- If you chose to use the ground flaxseed and chia seeds, you'll get a thick oatmeal fairly quickly, so feel free to add more liquid if needed to get your desired texture.
- Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches your desired thickness.
- Pour everything into a bowl and top with what ever toppings you like!
- MICROWAVE OPTION: If you are cooking the oats in a microwave, start by mixing all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Then add in the pumpkin puree, mashed banana and liquid and mix again until a uniform mixture forms. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir the oats and then continue to microwave for 20-30 second intervals, watching closely, until the oats reach your desired thickness.
Notes
*Optional
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Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 444Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 20mgSodium 360mgCarbohydrates 70gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 12gSugar 30gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 17g
Carrot Cake Oatmeal:
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Enjoy sneakily adding some vegetables to your morning oatmeal with these Carrot Cake Oats!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed*
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch salt
- 1 small carrot, peeled, shredded and minced
- 1/2 mashed banana
- 1-1 1/2 cups water or non-dairy milk
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, mix together the oats, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and a pinch of salt.
- Add in the prepared carrot, mashed banana and 1 cup of liquid to start. Stir well.
- Bring everything to a boil and stir occasionally to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- If you chose to use the ground flaxseed and chia seeds, you'll get a thick oatmeal fairly quickly, so feel free to add more liquid if needed to get your desired texture.
- Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches your desired thickness.
- Pour everything into a bowl and top with whatever toppings you like!
- MICROWAVE OPTION: If you are cooking the oats in a microwave, start by mixing all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Then add in the prepared carrot, mashed banana and liquid and mix again until a uniform mixture forms. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir the oats and then continue to microwave for 20-30 second intervals, watching closely, until the oats reach your desired thickness.
Notes
*Optional
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 435Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 20mgSodium 382mgCarbohydrates 68gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 12gSugar 29gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 16g
Tracey says
Where does the cholesterol come from?
Faith VanderMolen says
Good question Tracey! We’ve been trying to find a good nutrition calculator, but we’re finding it hard. They’re never completely accurate in the first place, but there shouldn’t be any cholesterol in plant-based food. We’ll keep doing more research!
Suzy says
Have you ever experimented with adding egg whites in your oatmeal for protein? Also, have you ever cooked the vegetable-loaded oats in a crockpot for weekly meal prep?
Faith says
I haven’t! I think I’d love it though, although I try to eat a full plant based diet. I’m sure it makes the fluffiest, creamiest oats though! And I also haven’t tried veggie-loaded oats in a crockpot, but I (and I’m sure others!) would love to know if it works! Keep us posted Suzy if you try it out!
Theresa H. says
Should I cook the zucchini before adding it to the oatmeal?
Faith says
Hi Theresa! No, no need to cook the oats. They should be raw! They release moisture as they cook with the oats, so keep that in mind.
Deb says
What kind of non-dairy milk do you like to use for your oatmeal?
Faith says
Hi Deb! I usually cook my oats in water actually. But otherwise when I’m in China I have homemade soy milk on hand or in America I would probably use Silk cashew milk!
Franziska says
? I actually like stringy oatmeal! (I can‘t be the only one, can I? ?)
Anyways… Thanks for collecting all these recipes in one post, Faith. That makes it so much more convenient!
Faith says
I assumed wrong! Thanks for sharing Franziska! And you can definitely leave the zucchini in shreds to suit your liking!
Erin says
Such a great idea! I don’t really care for oatmeal but may have to try it again using your method:)
Faith says
I hope you like some of the recipes Erin!