If you’re into meal prep and want to know the answer to the question, “can you meal prep oatmeal?” we have great news for you: you can! However, it requires you to carefully prepare your oats using a variety of techniques. If you don’t follow these methods, your oatmeal will come out soggy or even inedible.
Thankfully, we’ve done the hard research for you to find the best ways to meal prep oatmeal. These simple recipes should help you create delicious oatmeal and avoid common prep mistakes. As a bonus, we’ll include storage information and a nice FAQ to answer any more of your questions!
How to Meal Prep Oatmeal: 4 Best Recipes
Meal-prepping oatmeal can improve your diet, enhance your health, and provide a great source of fiber in your meals. Let’s examine several oatmeal meal prep recipes to get you started on your dieting journey.
1. Orange Creamsicle Oatmeal
- Ingredients:
- 1 box organic unsweetened oatmeal cooked
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tsp sweetener of choice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1 small orange peeled and cut into triangles
- Total Cooking Time: 10 minutes (five minutes prep)
- Nutritional Facts Per Serving: Varies
Orange Creamsicle Oatmeal is a great recipe that’s part of Good Food Made Simple’s list of eight oatmeal meal prep options. It’s a delicious option that works well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It stores easily in up to eight jars and should last for five days. Follow these steps to make your dish:
- Grab a large Mason jar and carefully pour one-half a box of oatmeal into the bottom
- Add one-half of the other ingredients mentioned above on top of that oatmeal
- Pour the rest of your oatmeal on top of these ingredients evenly to spread them properly
- Insert the rest of the topping ingredients and spread them evenly on the oats
- Seal the jar carefully, making sure that it’s as airtight as possible to avoid any spoilage
- Place your oats in the refrigerator and eat them within five days to get the best results
2. Morning Glory Steel Cut Oats
- Ingredients:
- 2 cups steel-cut oats
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 2 medium to large Granny Smith apples peeled and finely chopped
- 1- cup raisins
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Serve with pure maple syrup
- Total Cooking Time: 5 hours and 20 minutes (20 minutes prep)
- Nutritional Facts Per Serving: 298 calories, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat
If you have a slow cooker and love using it, this Organize Yourself Skinny oatmeal meal prep is a great dish for you. It provides a great mix of oatmeal, various delicious ingredients, and fruits to produce a strong and long-lasting meal that can last up to five days (or three months if frozen). Follow these steps to prepare this dish:
- Add your oatmeal into a six-quart slow cooker and layer it carefully through the machine
- Pour in ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, grated carrots, and apples to the cooker
- Stir in water and coconut milk slowly to carefully blend it evenly throughout the oatmeal
- Close the cooker top and let it sit for half an hour to give the mix time to properly thicken
- Add your unsweetened coconut and pecans and stir in extra water or coconut milk if it is too thick
- Cover the top and let your cooker bake your mix for five hours to ensure it is servable
- Eat immediately after cooling or store in jars or plastic containers for five days
3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup skim milk (or milk of choice)
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter powder
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Total Cooking Time: 10 minutes of prep
- Nutritional Facts Per Serving: 50-100 calories per serving (depending on your serving size)
When answering the question “can you meal prep oatmeal?” No Getting Off This Train provided this tasty overnight oat recipe that doesn’t take much time to create. Note: if you prefer peanut butter, you can use it instead of peanut butter powder, but it will have more fat and calories. Follow these steps to prepare this delicious meal:
- Find a large Mason car into which you can add your oatmeal meal prep ingredients
- Start by layering in your peanut butter powder, skim milk, and cocoa powder
- Mix these ingredients up well to make sure they blend properly with each other
- Carefully seal your Mason jar to keep it as airtight as possible
- Store your jar or jars in the fridge (you can make multiple jars to get great results)
- Eat within five days and enjoy with fresh fruit (orange is particularly great with this meal)
4. Pumpkin Apple Baked Oats
- Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1 cup vanilla almond milk
- 2 ½ cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup apples, chopped (I used gala)
- Total Cooking Time: 55 minutes (10 minutes of prep)
- Nutritional Facts Per Service: 201 calories, 3 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, 6 grams of fiber
This Bucket List Tummy recipe utilizes delicious oatmeal, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, apples, and vanilla to create a hard-to-top dessert recipe. We strongly recommend this as a healthier alternative to baking cakes and other pastries. Follow these steps to quickly and efficiently prepare this meal:
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray a large baking dish with cooking oil
- Combined your eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl
- As you whisk, add in the almond milk and mix until it’s fully whisked in the bowl
- Pour in your oats and chopped apples, leaving a small amount to top the dish later
- Fill your baking pan with this baking dish, carefully spreading it across the whole surface
- Top the batter with your remaining apples and oats to add a nice little topping
- Bake in an oven for 40-45 minutes, checking with a toothpick until it’s clean
- Wait for it to cool before storing in the fridge for later use or eating some right away
Storage Solutions for Prepped Oatmeal
Now that we’ve answered your question with some delicious recipes, it’s important to know how to store your recipes properly. It’s not too hard to properly store meal-prepped oatmeal, though you need to make sure you follow these tips properly to avoid spoiled meals. These include a few simple techniques that give your oats the finest flavor possible:
- Use high-quality Mason jars to create an airtight seal that keeps your oats fresh
- Avoid overfilling your jars (four-fifths is a good level) to keep them from spoiling
- Place your jars near the middle of the fridge and away from the cooling unit to avoid freezing
- When freezing, store your oatmeal in freezer bags for 3-6 months
- Double-wrap your freezer bags or even place them in plastic containers to avoid spoilage
If you store oatmeal in the fridge, you need to carefully reheat it (depending on the recipe) to make it tastier. There’s no real set time for heating up oatmeal, but it’s suggested that leftover foods reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (73 degrees Celsius) when reheating. We suggest cooking on low power to avoid burning or drying out your oats and other ingredients.
Frozen oatmeal prep can last for 3-4 months before it goes bad, so make sure you take it out and cook it before you have to throw it away. Place your frozen oatmeal in the refrigerator overnight in the fridge. Microwave them (with a little milk to keep them fresh) for 30-second intervals. Once your oatmeal dish is hot but not too dry, you can serve it and enjoy! Serve with fresh fruit to make it even tastier.
Final Words
Oatmeal meal prep is a great idea if you want to create diverse, healthy, and tasty meals that can last you up to five days in the fridge without spoiling. Eating oatmeal provides a fiber-rich, low-fat, and vitamin-dense food to your diet that can help you lose weight and even fight some symptoms of diabetes. Please make sure you talk with your dietitian about any lifestyle changes before making them.
FAQ’s
How long does meal-prepped oatmeal last in the fridge?
Properly cooled and prepped oatmeal should last 3-5 days in the fridge without spoiling. Make sure that you check them regularly before eating. If they don’t pass the “smell” test, i.e., they smell bad, toss them out to avoid getting sick.
Can you freeze prepared oatmeal?
Yes, you can freeze-prepped oatmeal by spooning it into freezer bags, sealing them up, and putting the bags in plastic containers. We strongly suggest this method because it minimizes potential freezer burn and keeps your food tasty.
What are some healthy toppings for oatmeal meal prep?
Sprinkle some blueberries, blackberries, chopped strawberries, diced coconut, wheat germ, and other healthy ingredients into your oatmeal meal prep dishes. These add a little bit of flavor without adversely affecting its health.
Tips for making oatmeal meal prep more flavorful?
Try to add a little honey or brown sugar to your oatmeal to make it more flavorful. You can also add delicious fruits, such as mango, to give it more flavor. Note: These ingredients may affect how well and how long your meal prep stores are.