This High Protein Oatmeal is the ultimate meal prep breakfast – it’s high in fibre and has 18g of protein and your favourite toppings.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Large flake oats – use any kind of rolled oats (also known as old fashioned oats) or instant oats for this recipe. Steel cut oats will not work here.
- Almond milk – swap out for any dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice such as coconut, soy, cashew, oat or rice milk.
- Protein powder – use your favourite protein powder here. I prefer whey protein but soy protein, rice protein or pea protein would all work.
- Hemp hearts – chia seeds would also help add an extra bit of protein or you can leave these out altogether.
- Pumpkin seeds – sunflower seeds would be a good substitute here or you can leave the seeds out altogether.
- Vanilla extract – leave this out if you don’t have any on hand or add a bit of pure maple syrup to your oatmeal for a sweeter flavor.
- Salt – to taste.
Topping ideas
- Fresh berries – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries all taste great on top of oatmeal!
- Unsweetened shredded coconut – swap this out for more nuts or seeds.
- Nut butter – peanut butter or almond butter would both be good.
How to make protein oatmeal
Step 1: Cook the oats.
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in rolled oats and almond milk, stirring well to combine.
Step 2: Simmer until oats expand.
Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 3-4 minutes until oats expand and mixture thickens.
Step 3: Stir in the protein powder.
Stir in protein powder, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, vanilla and salt then remove from heat.
Step 4: Serve or store for later.
Divide the mixture among 4 meal prep bowls, then top with desired toppings or store toppings in separate containers to make a fresh bowl of oatmeal later on.
More protein oatmeal variations
There are so many ways you can make this protein oatmeal recipe your own! Try out some of these customization options:
- Oats: Rolled oats are best but you could also use steel cut oats
- Milk: Skim milk, coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk
- Toppings: Bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, pineapple, mango, nut butter, raisins, chocolate chips
- Flavour add-ins: Maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla extract, honey, pumpkin pie spice
- More protein options: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nut or seed butter (like peanut butter or almond butter)
Frequently Asked Questions
Rolled oats (or large flake oats) are my go-to for this protein oats recipe, as they have a smoother texture. You can use steel cut oats if you like, but they take longer to cook and have a coarser/chewier consistency. For a shortcut, check out my Instant Pot steel cut oats recipe.
I'd suggest choosing a whey protein that has the fewest ingredients possible with at least 25 grams of protein per serving. It shouldn't be high in carbs (preferably less than 5 grams) and shouldn't have any artificial sweeteners or added sugar. Make sure you always choose the protein isolate! This is the protein powder I use if you're looking for ideas.
It's all a matter of preference! Oatmeal is typically eaten hot, but you can easily eat it cold as well, similar to how you'd eat overnight oats. If you do want to reheat it, stick it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
For this high protein oatmeal, you'll need to add 1/3 cup of protein powder.
This oatmeal meal prep recipe is already high in protein thanks to the protein powder, but if you want to up the protein count even further, you can add in some non-fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, seeds, or your favourite nut or seed butter.
Storing and reheating
You can store individual portions of this protein oatmeal in the fridge for up to 5 days in glass meal prep bowls or airtight containers. To reheat, sprinkle some water over top and then microwave for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Make sure to remove any fresh fruit or berries that are on top of your oatmeal before microwaving. I'll usually place them off to the side on top of my meal prep bowl lids while the oatmeal is reheating, then add them back on top when the oatmeal is heated through.
Make healthy eating easy! Join our Dinner Prep Pro app.
- ZERO ADS on over 450 recipes
- Customizable weekly meal plans
- Grocery and meal prep checklists
- Bonus resource library and community
More high-protein breakfast recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing the leftovers.
- Here is the protein powder I use.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
High Protein Oatmeal {Meal Prep Breakfast}
Ingredients
- 2 cups large flake oats
- 4 cups almond milk
- 1/3 cup protein powder
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Topping ideas
- Fresh berries
- Unsweetened shredded coconut
- Nut butter
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in rolled oats and almond milk, stirring well to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 3-4 minutes until oats expand and mixture thickens. Stir in protein powder, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, vanilla and salt then remove from heat.
- Divide mixture among 4 meal prep bowls, then top with desired toppings or store toppings in separate containers.
- Serve cold or reheat each serving in the microwave for 1-2 minutes if desired then top with fruit and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The post High Protein Oatmeal {Meal Prep Breakfast} appeared first on The Girl on Bloor.