Food Cooking Tips & Techniques Recipe Upgrades We Just Discovered the Easiest Healthy Hack for Making a Basic Bowl of Oatmeal Taste Delicious No, it’s not a sprinkle of cinnamon or a spoonful of coconut oil. By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 03, 2022 When it comes to our most beloved fuss-free healthy breakfast dishes, oatmeal is right up there at the top with scrambled eggs and smoothies. Oatmeal is so simple to make and endlessly customizable—pile on pineapple and coconut flakes for a tropical twist, soak them while you sleep to wake up to overnight oats, or top your oatmeal with a fried egg and sriracha for a protein-packed savory spin. We like to think of oats as the original shelf-stable superfood—who needs to shell out for adaptogens, apple cider vinegar shots, and activated charcoal when a simple serving of oatmeal will keep your heart, gut, and immune system in shape on its own? But even the best of breakfast bowls can fall a little flat, especially when your fridge isn't stocked with fresh fruit, herbs, eggs, and other fixings. Getty Images How to Upgrade a Basic of Oatmeal The solution is simple: Give the raw oats a quick toasting. This will add depth, complexity, and a rich caramel-like flavor to your oats without having to toss in any additional ingredients. The process is easy. Simply heat a skillet (nonstick or stainless steel works) over medium-high heat, toss in your raw oats, and toast them for several minutes. Stir frequently so they don't burn, and keep a close eye on their color—when they look slightly browned and are exuding an aromatic butterscotch-like scent, they're ready. Then continue preparing them as you would make any basic bowl of oatmeal. When it's ready, we promise you'll taste the difference. This method works by way of the maillard reaction, or the interaction between amino acids—the building blocks of protein—and reducing sugars in foods. It's what's responsible for the browning of everything from meat and potatoes to chocolate chip cookies, waffles, and (yep) oats. The maillard reaction doesn't just involve a change in color; rather, it imparts the mouthwatering roasty, toasty aromas and flavors in dishes that make them so enticing. By the way, this method doesn't just work for oatmeal. You can put those deliciously toasted oats to work in any recipe that calls for them, including oatmeal cookies, yogurt parfaits, breakfast bars, and homemade granola. For inspiration, see below. Oat Recipes to Make as an Excuse to Try This Hack 01 of 05 Overnight Oats With Strawberries and Toasted Almonds Jen Causey Get the recipe Before you stir the oats with the milk, honey, vanilla, and salt and let them soak in the fridge overnight, give them a quick toss in a skillet. When you wake up to the best-tasting breakfast tomorrow, you'll know why. 02 of 05 Maple, Pear, and Pecan Steel-Cut Oats Instead of standing over the stove stirring your steel-cut oats, throw them in the slow cooker and let them cook overnight. The result is a deliciously spiced, creamy oatmeal that you can top with more peas and toasted pecans. Get the Recipe:Maple, Pear, and Pecan Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oats. Brie Passano Get the recipe Sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with ground ginger and cinnamon, your toasted oats will add major rich, rounded flavor to this warming oatmeal breakfast bowl. And though we do love pecans, this dish would be equally as tasty with walnuts or almonds. 03 of 05 Savory Oatmeal With Spinach and Poached Eggs Greg DuPree Get the recipe You'll start making this savory poached egg and spinach bowl by browning and the oats in a skillet alongside chopped yellow onions, which gives them a divine risotto-like texture. Then stir in a generous pile of Parmesan to make the oats taste cheesy and rich. 04 of 05 Fruit-and-Nut Energy Bars Jennifer Causey Get the recipe Before adding the oats for these fruity, nutty homemade granola bars to the food processor, give them a delicate toasting to really dial up their flavor. 05 of 05 Salted Oatmeal Cookies With Dark Chocolate Pillowy oatmeal cookies are stuffed with coarsely chopped dark chocolate chunks and then sprinkled with flaky sea salt (like Maldon) so each bite is the perfect mouthful of salty and sweet. If you need to make the cookies ahead of time, they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days. Get the recipe: Salted Oatmeal Cookies With Dark Chocolate. Roland Bello Get the recipe We'd be remiss not to include an indulgent sweet treat in this roundup, and these oatmeal cookies are one of the best. They're stuffed with coarsely chopped dark chocolate chunks and then sprinkled with flaky sea salt (like Maldon) so each bite is the perfect mouthful of salty and sweet. Toasting our oats will give them an even bolder rich flavor. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit