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You are here: Home / Main Dishes / DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets

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DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets

These DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets will be a life saver on busy mornings! Perfect gift idea for new moms, college students, and camping aficionados! 

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets

If you know me, you’ll also know that my best friend from culinary school just had her second baby, Nora Mary Katherine, and I’m headed to visit her today for an entire week! As a new mom gift, I wanted to bring her something her and her husband could cook up quickly in the mornings, as well as feed to their 1 1/2 year old daughter, Estelle. Inspired by The Yummy Life and her post on how to make your own oatmeal packets, I created my own flavor combinations!

Do It Yourself projects don’t have to be complicated or super messy (two things I hate about crafting!) and I’ve simplified this as much as possible. A huge shout out to Bob’s Red Mill for providing a variety of oats and oat bran, as well as Oh Nuts for generously sending some of their best dried fruits, for this project.

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets Oats

The basic recipe is just three simple ingredients: steel cut oats, oat bran, and flaxseeds. Steel cut oats are high protein, whole grain oats that have been lightly toasted. Also known as Irish oats or pinhead oats, steel cut oats create a chewy, full-bodied hot cereal. I also made sure to have oat bran in each base packet, because it’s such a great source of dietary fiber, protein, and iron. What’s oat bran? It’s the outer husk of the oat grain that is filled milled, which makes it a perfect addition to baked goods! To round it all out, golden flaxseed seeds were ground in my spice grinder and added it to the base packet. These tiny seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, and lignan (they act as antioxidants!)

For sweeteners, I used both dark brown sugar and granulated honey, depending on the package. After asking on Facebook, it seems that oatmeal is sometimes just a vehicle for copious amounts of brown sugar, so that couldn’t be missing! Granulated honey might sound strange, but I had a small bag of it hidden behind my baking ingredients and decided to use it in the Very Berry Oatmeal Packets.

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets 1

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets Apples

Nothing says comfort food more than apple pie. This is a version of the classic American dessert in oatmeal form. Packed with warm cinnamon and chewy, tart dried apples, this oatmeal packed also has some dark brown sugar, making it the perfect morning treat! Dried apples are packed with fiber

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets - Apple Pie

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets Apricots

For the second flavor variation, we made a take on the classic Peaches & Cream dessert. Packed with dried Turkish apricots and freeze-dried peaches, it’s so creamy and delicious. It’s also the only variation that I added dried milk to, which adds to the creamy factor. Apricots are packed with vitamin C, perfect to snack on during the winter!

Now, what’s the difference between dried fruit and freeze-dried fruit? Dried fruit, also known as dehydrated, is when pieces of fruit are placed in a warm environment to removes most of the water content. A pretty simple process, compared to the not so simple process of freeze-dried fruit. This process starts by freeze fruit and then placing it in a vacuum chamber that slowly removes the water content. Heat is applied in the chamber and set at a temperature that allows the frozen fruit to quickly thaw while the vacuum extracts the water. The end result is a dried fruit that retains the taste of fresh and also develops a crispy texture. (Source: Wise Geek)

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets Apricot

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets Goji BerriesDIY Instant Oatmeal Packets Blueberries

This Very Berry Oatmeal packet was made specifically for my best friend. Not only is it packed with two of her favorite berries,but it includes Brewer’s Yeast, a promoter of milk production in new mothers. It’s a great source of vitamin B and proteins as well.

Goji Berries: They’re packed with vitamins C and E, along with carotenoids like beta-carotene and lycopene. Some research suggests goji berries help increase metabolism and boost energy levels. (Source: Huffington Post)

Blueberries: Research suggests that a blueberry-rich diet improves motor skills and helps fight diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. (Source: Huffington Post)

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets Berries

To label them, you can print of the ingredients and tape them to the snack bags or just write directly on the bags with a Sharpie. These where the snack bags used in this project: Ziploc Snack Bags. They’re perfect for individual sized portions, but if you’d like just make a a huge batch of the base recipe, that would be a great idea as well!

    DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets2

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets Fruits

 

The variations above are just suggestions – mix up your favorite dried fruits, add toasted nuts or coconut, and use different kinds of oats. For sweet treats, toss in chocolate chips, cacao nibs, or even mini marshmallows (not as healthy, but everything in moderation)!

Save Print
DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets
Prep time:  30 mins
Total time:  30 mins
 
Great gift idea for new moms, college students, and camping aficionados!
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cups steel cut oats
  • 2 teaspoons oat bran
  • 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
  • pinch of kosher salt
For Apple Pie Oatmeal packets, add:
  • 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons dried apple slices, chopped
For Very Berry Oatmeal packets, add:
  • 1 tablespoon Brewer's Yeast
  • 1 tablespoon granulated honey
  • 1 tablespoon dried blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon dried goji berries
For Apricot, Peaches & Cream Oatmeal packets, add:
  • 1 tablespoon dried non-fat milk powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
  • 1 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dried apricots, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon freeze dried peaches, chopped
Instructions
  1. To make ONE oatmeal packet, place the basic recipe of steel cut oats, oat bean, and ground flaxseed in each snack bag. Add additions such as dried fruit, nuts, sweeteners, as necessary.
  2. To prepare one oatmeal packet using boiling water/milk method: whisk one oatmeal packet into ¾ cup of water or milk. Stir and let stand for 4 minutes, until oats are soften.
  3. To prepare one oatmeal packet using microwave method: add oatmeal packet to ¾ cup cold liquid (water or milk) into microwave safe bowl. Cook for two minutes on high and stir. Microwave temperatures and times may vary.
  4. To prepare one oatmeal packet using the refrigerator method: in a glass jar, pour ½ cup milk, ¼ cup greek yogurt, and oatmeal packet. Cover and shake. Refrigerate overnight for best results.
  5. To prepare 1 serving of refrigerator oatmeal:
  6. Add one oatmeal packet to a pint or half-pint jar (or other covered container). Pour in ½ cup cold water, add ¼ cup yogurt, cover tightly, and shake vigorously until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, overnight, or up to 3 days.
Notes
Note: Some of us don't associate steel cut oats with instant, but I've tried all three methods and the oatmeal cooks to a nice texture! I bet with rolled oats they've cook faster, but the time was usually under 3 minutes in our microwave.
3.5.3208

 

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29 Comments

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Comments

  1. Christina Lakey | Food Apparel says

    December 9, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    These are fantastic! I know a lot of people who could use. Definitely going to put some together.

    Reply
  2. Nutmeg Nanny says

    February 12, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    Oh gosh, this is such a good idea. I have no clue why I never do these things!

    Reply
  3. Melissa says

    February 4, 2014 at 9:58 am

    Hi~ I just made these this morning and followed all the directions to a tee. I used Bob’s Red Mill organic steel cut oats, oat bran and ground flaxseed. I used the microwave method with 3/4 cup water and microwaved for 2.5 minutes. It was boiling when I took it out and I let it sit for about 5 minutes and the oats were completely uncooked 🙁 crunchy oatmeal is not very good! Any advice?

    Reply
  4. Aubri says

    January 31, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    This looks really great! One question though… your steel cut oats look like maybe they’re the quick cooking steel cut oats. (Bob’s Red Mill sells them like that.) They look like they’ve been rolled a bit or something. The ones I buy look different, and I’m wondering if they’ll still work. They usually take 25-30 minutes to simmer.

    Reply
  5. momof2girls says

    January 29, 2014 at 10:11 am

    There is regular and quick steel cut oats. What about regular old fashioned oats. Just want to make sure to use right ones.
    Thanks.

    Reply
  6. Kelly says

    January 29, 2014 at 9:17 am

    Thanks so much for sharing this! I can’t wait to try the refrigerated method but could you tell how to prepare it in the morning?

    Reply
  7. Serena says

    January 28, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    These are great! Love all the fun photos showing the combos! I’m totally inspired to make them for busy mornings!

    Reply
  8. Alanna says

    January 28, 2014 at 10:56 am

    Oh, these are pure genius! I love the idea of gifting them to new moms or college students. And I love that they use steel cut oats, bran, and flaxseed, and all the flavors sound delicious. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  9. David @ Spiced says

    January 28, 2014 at 8:21 am

    What a fun idea! I love oatmeal on winter mornings…I’ll totally be using this idea for next week’s breakfasts. Thanks, Marnely!!

    Reply
  10. Janice (@KtchnHealsSoul) says

    January 27, 2014 at 11:21 pm

    This post is so useful! I am going to make a big mason jar of homemade oatmeal mix based on this. I never even thought of it, and recently I got some organic oatmeal mix that I’ve really enjoyed, so I bet I’d be able to remake it myself now! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  11. pam says

    January 27, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    has anyone tried making this with old fashioned rolled oats? how did that turn out?

    Reply
  12. Susan Belles says

    January 27, 2014 at 11:48 am

    I am loving this idea, dh was just saying we haven’t had oatmeal in a long time! Is there an instant steel cut oats that I’m unaware of? My steel cut oats says it takes 10 minutes in the microwave (cook for 5, stir, cook for 5 more… give or take depending on your microwave)!

    Reply
    • Marnely says

      January 27, 2014 at 8:00 pm

      Hi Susan – mine are regular oats and I tested them in the microwave with water and they cooked in 2.5 minutes! I was surprised as well!

      Reply
  13. Jenny says

    January 27, 2014 at 10:29 am

    Awesome! Now why didn’t I think of that!?

    Reply
  14. Rachel Cooks says

    January 27, 2014 at 10:01 am

    LOVING this, Nelly! Such great ideas!

    Reply
  15. Carrie @ poet in the pantry says

    January 27, 2014 at 9:35 am

    Love this idea! In fact, I’ve been meaning to do this for a couple months now for my daughter. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama says

    January 27, 2014 at 9:22 am

    I think this is brilliant! I have never thought to make our own like this…. I am guilty of buying boxes of instant oatmeal and I am sad to say my kids eat it often!

    Reply
  17. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says

    January 27, 2014 at 9:10 am

    I am LOVING your ingredients!!!! I was in the habit of doing this a lot last year but have stopped – not sure why!

    Reply
  18. Lea @Gourmet Mommy says

    January 27, 2014 at 7:47 am

    Saw this post on the train to NY while scarfing down a Dunkin bagel….how much do I wish I had one of these tucked in my bag for a nourishing healthy breakfast option that I can grab on the way out the door? I’ll be making a batch when I get back for sure!

    Reply

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