2-Minute Healthy Oatmeal

Made with old-fasioned oats, hemp seeds, ground flaxseed, and chopped nuts, this quick and easy healthy oatmeal is satisfying and delicous!

Does the WWW need another oatmeal recipe? Really? With all of the vegan oatmeal cookie recipes, overnight oats, and baked oats recipes we already have enough! Right?

Until last week I would have agreed. Especially if it’s just plain old oatmeal. I mean, really, how complicated must it be to cook oatmeal? Right? You put it in the pan with water, stir, and cook, and (don’t) enjoy. Because oatmeal. Blech…..

That was until I went for a visit to see my mom. “Can I make you some oatmeal for breakfast?” she asked. “It only takes two minutes…and it’s good, I promise!”

“Uh…no…I’m good.” I replied day after day. Thinking boring mushy oatmeal. Until the day I gave in and said yes. And boy was I in for a happy surprise!

Reasons to love this quick and easy healthy oatmeal recipe:

• fast – just a couple of minutes to get it together and two minutes to cook
• healthy – packed with extra special nutrients from the flax, hemp seeds, and nuts
• filling – really hits the spot
• versatile – top it with anything that makes sense! I love fresh fruit and a dollop of oat milk
• really tasty – not boring

For some other easy plant-based breakfasts try my:

• Quick and Easy Chocolate Overnight Oats
• Crunchy Granola
• Black Forest Cake Smoothie
• Monkey Bread
• Overnight Oats with Apples and Cinnamon
• Banana Berry Smoothie Bowl

Pin now to save for later

Ingredients needed to make healthy oatmeal in the microwave:

• two cup microwave-safe measuring cup -make it deep like the one posted – not shallow or you will have a mess
• old-fashioned oats – not quick oats
• ground flaxseed – also known as flaxseed meal
• shelled hemp seeds – also known as hemp hearts
• finely chopped or ground pecans – or nut of choice
• raisins – I used golden raisins, you can use dark raisins or even dried cranberries
• vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• optional for toppings: fresh or frozen fruit, sweetener, seeds, nut butter, cinnamon, splash of plant milk

How to make the best easy healthy oatmeal

This is truly so easy! I don’t know why I didn’t try it before.

Step 1: Measure and mix the ingredients

I start by measuring one cup of water right in my two-cup microwavable glass measuring cup. Next, add the ingredients and give it a stir.

Step 2: Microwave the oatmeal

It only takes two minutes on high. The oatmeal will bubble and boil and rise quite high in the glass measuring cup. This is why you need to use a deep container rather than a shallow one.

And unless the bowl you plan to eat the oatmeal in is quite large and deep – don’t even consider microwaving in that bowl or you will have a giant mess on your hands…and in the microwave!

Step 3: add in your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Spoon the cooked oatmeal into a bowl. It’s time to dress it up! You can make this as simple or complicated as you’d like. But PLEASE no plain boring oatmeal!

• I like to add in a little sweetener – about 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup. You add what you’d like.
• fresh or frozen fruit – I used a half a peach and a generous handful of blueberries today.
• more dried fuit
• a dollop of plant milk. I prefer oat milk
• drizzle of melted nut butter
• seeds or more nuts
• cinnamon

A few notes about the ingredients:

The oatmeal

It’s really important that you use old-fashioned oats for this recipe. Quick oats will turn out too mushy. Old fashioned oats have substance! Another name for old-fashioned oats is rolled oats. Read more about the different types of oats in this informative article from The Kitchn.

The flaxseed

You need to use ground flaxseed for this healthy oatmeal recipe. When the flaxseeds are ground, the nutrients better release. Some people like to freshly grind the flaxseed before using.

Regular consumption of flaxseed is said to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Read more about the benefits of flaxseed in this article by WebMD.

The Hemp Seeds

Hulled hemp seeds – or hemp hearts – come from the Cannabis sativa plant and are considered a superfood for their protein, fiber, and healthy fatty acids.

Hemp seeds don’t produce a high – despite their name and origin. However, some people choose not to consume them if they might get tested for work or other reasons. This is controversial and I’ll let you research and decide for yourself. You can also leave them out and just throw in a few more nuts.

Make sure to use hulled hemp seeds.

Read more about the healthy benefits of hemp seeds on Medical News Today.

The nuts

You can use any type of nuts you’d like in this quick oatmeal recipe. I prefer pecans while my mom used walnuts. Chopped almonds or cashews would also be tasty.

Beside providing flavor and texture your oatmeal, nuts are a powerhouse of nutrients including protein. You can read about the nutrients and benefits of eating nuts on Healthline.

For this old-fashioned oatmeal recipe, you’ll want the nuts you use to be quite finely chopped. Honestly, this takes more time and effort than I’m willing to give it in the morning.

Another trick I learned from my mom was to use this amazing little chopper. I think it’s meant for vegetables, but I use it for nuts. Just stick a handful of your favorite nuts in at the beginning of the week. Pull the string to give the blades a whir – and you’ve got chopped nuts all week long!

The salt

Why on earth do we need to use salt in what will be a sweet fruity bowl of oats? We just do. It enhances the flavor. That’s all.

The printable recipe card for microwavable healthy oatmeal