Easy Oatmeal with Dried Cranberries and Almonds
Old Fashioned oats cooked to perfection with tangy and sweet dried cranberries and slivered toasted almonds. Sweetened with pure maple syrup, vanilla almond milk, and topped with brown sugar. A healthy breakfast that is delicious!
This is one of our favorite oatmeal recipes. Actually, I should say this is one of our favorite breakfast recipes. This is on our breakfast rotation every couple of days in the wintertime. It’s cheap, it’s full of whole grains, and the best part is it tastes good! Cranberry almond oatmeal combines the classic granola flavors of tart cranberries, nutty almonds, and oats.
We like to make a big batch at the beginning of the week and just heat it up on busy mornings for a quick and healthy breakfast.
Why is Oatmeal so Healthy?
Oats are a whole-grain food and are loaded with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant plant compounds.
Half a cup (40.5 g) of dry oats contains:
- Manganese: 63.91% of the daily value (DV)
- Phosphorus: 13.3% of the DV
- Magnesium: 13.3% of the DV
- Copper: 17.6% of the DV
- Iron: 9.4% of the DV
- Zinc: 13.4% of the DV
- Folate: 3.24% of the DV
- Vitamin B1 (thiamin): 15.5% of the DV
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 9.07% of the DV
- smaller amounts of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and vitamin B3 (niacin)
Here are the nutrition facts for 1 cup of prepared rolled oats
- 27.4 grams (g) of carbs
- 5.3 g of protein
- 2.6 g of fat
- 4 g of fiber
- 153.5 calories
Ingredients for Oatmeal with Dried Cranberries and Almonds
- Dried unsweetened cranberries
- Thinly sliced or slivered almonds
- Old-fashioned oatmeal
- Almond milk-we prefer the flavor of almond milk but you could use Whole milk or any plant-based milk.
- Maple Syrup – The real stuff!!
- Cinnamon – To taste
- pinch of sea salt
- Any additional toppings you prefer- Brown sugar, maple syrup, chia seeds, extra milk
Cooking the Oatmeal
I hate mushy oatmeal. I have a very specific method for cooking oats so that they keep their texture and don’t turn to mush.
- Heat the water, a pinch of salt, maple syrup, and almond milk over medium heat.
- When the liquids start to warm up add 1 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal. Cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to get soft. Then add in the other 1/2 cup of oats and the cranberries and cook until there is no liquid and the 1/2 cup of oats just starts to soften.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and as much cinnamon as you prefer.
- Serve in bowls and add any of your favorite oatmeal toppings – Milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, chia seeds, more cinnamon, a dollop of almond butter
How to Store Left Over Oatmeal
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week! This is a great, healthy breakfast to prep ahead. We like to make a big batch at the beginning of the week to dish up on busy mornings.
Printable Recipe Card
Easy Oatmeal with Dried Cranberries and Almonds
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Dried unsweetened cranberries
- 1/8 Cup Thinly sliced or slivered almonds
- 1.5 Cups Old-fashioned oatmeal
- 1.5 Cups Water
- 1/2 Cup Almond milk-we prefer the flavor of almond milk but you could use Whole milk or any plant-based milk.
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup – The real stuff!!
- Cinnamon – To taste
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- Any additional toppings you prefer- Brown sugar maple syrup, chia seeds, extra milk
Instructions
- Heat the water, a pinch of salt, maple syrup, and almond milk over medium heat.
- When the liquids start to warm up and simmer add 1 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal. Cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to get soft. Then add in the other 1/2 cup of oats and the cranberries and cook until there is no liquid and the 1/2 cup of oats just starts to soften.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and as much cinnamon as you prefer.
- Serve in bowls and add any of your favorite oatmeal toppings – Milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, chia seeds, more cinnamon, a dollop of almond butter