Easy Ways to Thicken Oatmeal: A Quick Guide

Oatmeal is delicious food and is very healthy for us.

It contains fiber, manganese, and iron (which helps to prevent anemia).

Oatmeal is also very filling; it is one of the foods that digest slowly to not feel hungry again soon.

The only problem with oatmeal is that many people don’t eat all of the fat-free milk and fruit recommended.

However, if you’re not fond of oatmeal or you don’t like the taste of plain oatmeal, there are ways to make it more delicious.

Sometimes the oats become unappetizingly lumpy and look like porridge.

If you can’t get yourself to eat this, try boiling the oatmeal longer instead of making it lumpy.

This article will talk about how to make oatmeal a little more interesting, including thickening and adding flavors.

How to Achieve Perfect Oatmeal?

One way to make oatmeal more interesting is to eat it with fruit.

Before adding the oats, heat up a little bit of water or skim milk in the microwave and mix your fruit into this, using as much fresh fruit as you want.

Another way to add flavor is by mixing in some brown sugar.

If you’re on a diet or extra-vigilant about your health, this is probably not the best option for you.

However, it tastes great and is a good way to add some flavor if you crave more interesting oatmeal.

If you like a different flavor than brown sugar, try using honey or maple syrup.

When heating the milk before eating it, heat up a small amount of the sweetener in the microwave with some water and mix it together.

You can also add flavored syrups that are sold at health food stores.

The oats will be much sweeter this way, so add sugar to taste.

Some people also like to add flavors to their oatmeal by adding chocolate or peanut butter.

Adding chocolate is simple and very tasty if you follow the directions below.

To do this, buy a brand of oatmeal that does not have extra sugar added; it’s usually marked as “old-fashioned” or “classic” oatmeal on the label.

Add milk and some chocolate chips or a few pieces of chocolate to your hot oatmeal.

Stir it together, enjoy, and go for seconds.

When you add peanut butter, make sure that the kind you buy does not have extra sugar added; most don’t unless they’re flavored with something else.

Mix the peanut butter in your oatmeal with hot water, then maybe add some milk to your liking.

Common Mistakes When Making Oatmeal

When many people try to make oatmeal, they add the water and oats (or the milk and oats) to a pot at the same time.

The problem with this is that your oatmeal will be watery and overcooked if you put both ingredients in at once.

Usually, to prevent this from happening, people put water in first, then the oats.

This is a good way to prevent you from having overcooked oatmeal.

However, if you don’t use enough water, your oatmeal will be unappetizingly lumpy and probably too thick.

The solution to this problem is as simple as adding more liquid, but if the method above works for you, stick to it.

If you like to eat oatmeal with milk and sugar in it but also want to add fruit, make sure that the fruit is heated up separately before mixing it with the rest of your ingredients.

Otherwise, it will get mushy quickly as soon as you heat the grains and milk up.

Another mistake that some people make is adding too much salt to their oatmeal.

Canned oatmeal already has a lot of sodium in it, and if you add even more salt, it can become unbearable to eat.

If you like your oatmeal with a little bit of salt, try putting less than the stovetop instructions say.

How Thick Should Oatmeal Be?

Oatmeal should be cooked just enough to get the grains completely soft, but it shouldn’t be so overcooked that it becomes mushy.

The best way to check if oatmeal is done is to taste a grain of it as soon as you mix the oats and water together in your pot.

It takes about 20 minutes for oatmeal to cook, so it’s easy to mix everything together and then taste a few grains as time goes by.

The consistency of the oatmeal after you mix everything together is up to you.

If the oatmeal is too thick while still being soft, add more liquid.

If it’s too thin or the grains are not done enough, cook for a little longer and check again.

How to Thicken Oatmeal?

So maybe you want to eat plain oatmeal, but you find that it’s too thin and watery.

Here are a few tips to help you make the perfect bowl of oatmeal, however thick you like it.

1 – Add Less Liquid

If you’ve already cooked your oatmeal, but you find that it’s too thin, the best thing to do is to add less liquid.

If you like your oats really thick, don’t dilute them with any milk or water.

However, if you want something between pureed oatmeal and a normal bowl of cereal, try adding a little less liquid by using less water or milk.

2 – Use a Blender

If you want to add more oatmeal to your original bowl, this is the best way to do it.

Simply take your cooked oatmeal and add some more water or milk to it in a blender for just a few seconds, then pour the extra liquid back into your bowl.

If you want to keep the consistency of your oatmeal exactly as it was before, this is an easy way to get twice as much.

3 – Add Variety

If you find that your oatmeal is too thin even after you’ve cooked it long enough, try adding some different ingredients to it.

Oatmeal made with milk and bananas is much thicker than the standard oats and water combo.

If you aren’t a big fan of bananas, try berries or peanut butter instead.

4 – Add Fruit After Cooking

Fruit is often a great addition to oatmeal, especially if you like eating it with sugar or fruit flavors like strawberry or apple.

However, fruit can become really soggy quickly.

If you want to add any kind of fresh fruit to your oatmeal when it’s hot, first let it cool down by itself.

After about ten minutes, your fruit will be soft enough to mix in with the rest of your cereal, and it won’t get smelly or soggy as fast.

5 – Use Thickening Agents

If you find that the oatmeal is too thin even after adding more liquid, don’t despair.

You can buy many different products to thicken oatmeal if it’s too runny for your taste.

Some common options include instant potatoes and cornstarch.

The only downside of these additions is that they will change the flavor of your oatmeal a little.

Conclusion

In conclusion, oatmeal should not be too thin or mushy, but it should also not be too thick and pasty.

If you add the right amount of liquid to your oatmeal and cook it on low heat, it’ll be just right.

Keep these tips in mind next time you want to make some oatmeal.

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