18 Cozy Recipes That Will Instantly Elevate Your Morning Oatmeal Game

    If you've long written off oatmeal as the most boring breakfast option, you're doing it wrong.

    Delia Cai
    by Delia Cai

    BuzzFeed Staff

    BuzzFeed

    Fact: Getting your mammalian butt out of bed on a cold morning is a pretty grim start to the day, especially if you don't have time to prep something hot to eat. But listen: it doesn't have to be that way, because you're only ever a few steps away from a truly satisfying and cozy bowl of oatmeal.

    We're here to prime you on just a few of the ways that a solid bowl of oatmeal — and yes, instant oatmeal counts! — can be jazzed up to become the deliciously piping hot autumnal breakfast that you deserve. Read on for make-ahead toppings, creative add-ins, and some slightly more ambitious (but totally worth it) recipes that will change the way you think about breakfast.

    1. Maple Roasted Blueberries

    twopeasandtheirpod.com

    A perfect make-ahead topping option because, pro tip, blueberries bake pretty well en masse on a plain baking sheet. This recipe just entails drizzling a carton's worth of berries with maple syrup and popping them in the oven at 400°F. Feel free to add in almonds and any other crunchies that you're feeling! Recipe here.

    2. Snickerdoodle Oatmeal

    houseofyumm.com / Via houseofyumm.com

    All you need to make the cookie-flavored oatmeal of your dreams is a microwave, brown sugar, cinnamon, oats, and milk. Easy peasy! Recipe here.

    3. Bourbon Roasted Cherries

    graceandgoodeats.com

    Another roast fruit topping idea that'll make you feel like a full-out gourmand. For this recipe, you can use frozen cherries, and if you don't have ground ginger on hand, you can substitute in ground cinnamon. Recipe here.

    4. Vanilla Almond Granola

    sallysbakingaddiction.com

    Once you realize how easy it is to make your own granola, you will never want to drop $$$ on that store-bought kind again. Is there something kind of meta about topping your morning oatmeal with some oats-based granola? Definitely, but that doesn't make it any less yummy or satisfying. Recipe here.

    5. Banana Bread Instant Oatmeal

    tasty.co

    You can easily make a week's worth (at least!) of breakfast by mixing all of the dry ingredients (instant oatmeal, freeze-dried banana, walnuts, vanilla bean, and sugar), and storing them in your cutest mason jars. Then, in the morning, all you have to do is pour in hot water or milk, and voilà! You've got banana bread to go, basically. Recipe here.

    6. Tropical Summer Coconut Oatmeal

    theendlessmeal.com

    For mornings when you'd really honestly rather be on a beach, this piña colada, in coconut oatmeal form, should scratch that itch nicely. All you need to do is to cook your oatmeal in coconut milk, then top with an orange, diced mango, and sliced bananas. Recipe here.

    7. Sweet Potato Oatmeal

    connoisseurusveg.com

    At this point in life, you've probably already learned to appreciate a good roasted sweet potato — but did you know that, post-roasting, you can also just scoop out a sweet potato's insides and stir it into your oatmeal? It'll add a creamy sweet consistency that you can accentuate with some nutmeg, pecans, and more maple syrup. Recipe here.

    8. Vegan Chocolate Oatmeal

    allergygirleats.com

    If you're game to step up your oatmeal outside of toppings and add-ins, make it your mission to master this 4-ingredient recipe. All you need is water, coconut milk, cocoa powder, and oats, obvi. Top it with coconut flakes and maple syrup if you need it sweeter, but this is hands-down the simplest way to achieve your life goals, if those goals involve having chocolate for breakfast. Recipe here.

    9. Caramelized Banana Oatmeal

    pinchofyum.com

    Don't let the idea of caramelizing your own bananas intimidate you — the recipe for this topping essentially involves heating up coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a saucepan, and then simmering some cut-up bananas in the gooey, delicious syrup that forms. Recipe here.

    10. Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

    mamalovesfood.com

    We're in peak pumpkin consumption season, folks, and this five-ingredient recipe is the perfect way to incorporate major pumpkin pie vibes into your morning. You can, of course, puree your own pumpkin as shown in this recipe, but it also works perfectly with one store-bought can of pumpkin puree. Enlist your electric mixer or arm muscles, then bake it for an hour in a casserole dish. Recipe here.

    11. Almond Coconut Chai Spice Oatmeal

    celebratingsweets.com

    You can make your own chai spice blend with allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, of course, but the trick to keeping this extremely indulgent variation on oatmeal simple is just using the ready-made made stuff. This recipe also calls for cooking your oatmeal in an almond-coconut milk blend, but you already know you can sub that out with just almond or just coconut milk! Recipe here.

    12. Creamiest Apple Pie Oatmeal

    brewinghappiness.com

    We're venturing into seriously ambitious oatmeal territory with this one-pot recipe. But even though this takes a little stove time, the ingredients are simple — all you need is one apple, oats, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and honey — and you can always make a big batch for the week ahead. Recipe here.

    13. Sticky Cinnamon Roll Batter Oatmeal

    thebigmansworld.com

    This particular recipe uses gluten-free and vegan ingredients, but you can always sub for dairy milk and normal oats. Plus, betcha didn't know you could make a pretty decent cinnamon roll glaze using vanilla protein powder, did you? Recipe here.

    14. Gingerbread Slow Cooker Oatmeal

    theseasonedmom.com

    Molasses is the key ingredient for the gingerbready taste here, but you can swap it out for maple syrup. Make it the night before a big holiday get-together, and boom: you'll have a Christmas-morning-ready breakfast right when you wake up. Recipe here.

    15. Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Brulee

    athleticavocado.com

    For a truly next-level luxurious oatmeal upgrade, you'll need a ramekin or any small heat-proof dish. And remember to broil responsibly, friends! Recipe here.

    16. Carrot Cake Oatmeal

    barefeetinthekitchen.com

    This rather-involved recipe works super well for a pressure cooker, but you can also make it over a stovetop. Use it as an excuse to get rid of all those leftover carrots hanging out in your fridge from Friendsgiving. Recipe here.

    17. Blueberry Pie Oatmeal

    apple-of-my-eye.com

    And, finally, this oatmeal recipe is really like 90% pie already, but is anyone here going to complain? NO? Thought so. Get ahold of some frozen blueberries, vanilla, cornstarch, and honey, and you will be well on your way to a revelatory breakfast experience. You'll never buy that "blueberry-flavored" packet oatmeal again. Recipe here.

    18. Cinnamon Grilled Apples

    Delia Cai / BuzzFeed

    Here's what to do with all those apples you went overboard on at the farmer's market: Melt two tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet, stir in two tablespoons of brown sugar until it melts into the butter, and then add a dash of cinnamon.

    Then, add your sliced apples (about 1-centimeter thickness for the wedges) and fry them up in that delicious brown sugar/butter mixture. Cook them on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, and then add them to your oatmeal.

    Pro tip: Make a big batch over the weekend and store in a container in the fridge. You can reheat them in the microwave to top your daily oatmeal over the rest of the week!