Cauliflower Oatmeal
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Published Oct 03, 2022, Updated Sep 18, 2024
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Sneak veggies and extra nutrients into your bowl of oats with this cauliflower oatmeal. It’s made with a combo of rolled oats, cauliflower rice, protein powder and just a touch of sweetness.
I love sneaking in vegetables to my meals wherever I can and that includes my oatmeal! I’ve shared recipes for carrot cake overnight oats, zucchini oatmeal, sweet potato baked oatmeal and now this cauliflower oatmeal!
And before you skip over this recipe thinking that cauliflower in oatmeal sounds weird, don’t knock it until you try it! The riced cauliflower adds volume, micronutrients and fiber without adding extra calories or carbs to oatmeal. And you can’t even taste the cauliflower… trust me!
Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Oatmeal
- The cauliflower adds micronutrients and fiber without adding a ton of calories to your bowl of oats.
- It’s packed with 18 grams of protein, which will keep you full all morning long.
- Comes together in about 10 minutes for an easy breakfast!
Why Add Cauliflower to Oats?
Don’t get me wrong, I love a warm bowl of oatmeal but sometimes it’s not that satisfying on its own. That’s why I love adding protein (check out my protein oatmeal post), healthy fats and other ingredients like riced cauliflower or zucchini to amp up the nutrition count.
As I mentioned above, riced cauliflower is a great way to sneak in veggies and add volume to your bowl of oats without adding a ton of carbs or calories. Plus, cauliflower is packed with antioxidants, a variety of vitamins and minerals and fiber, which will help prevent big spikes in blood sugar and keep you feeling full for longer.
Ingredients Needed
- old fashioned rolled oats – rolled oats make for such a creamy bowl of oatmeal. I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats.
- riced cauliflower – I used frozen riced cauliflower and cooked it directly with the oats, but you can also make your own cauliflower rice at home.
- chia seeds – these pack in a ton of nutrition and will help make the oats fluffy and thick.
- maple syrup – we’re just using 1-2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup for a touch of sweetness.
- almond milk – I prefer to use unsweetened almond milk, but any type of milk will work with this recipe. You can also use water, but I like using milk for creaminess.
- vanilla protein powder – for an extra boost of protein and to keep me full longer I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder. For this recipe I used Nuzest, which is plant-based and has a minimal, clean ingredient list. Plus, the vanilla flavor is delish. You can use my code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order.
- salt – just a pinch to bring all the flavors together!
- cinnamon – a warming spice that pairs perfectly with oatmeal.
- toppings – feel free to add your favorite toppings, but my go-to toppings are fresh berries, nut butter and chia seeds.
How to Make Cauliflower Oatmeal
Add oats, riced cauliflower, chia seeds, sea salt, maple syrup, cinnamon and almond milk to a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Heat over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
Remove oats from the heat and stir in the protein powder. If the consistency of the oats gets too thick, add a splash more milk.
Transfer oatmeal to a bowl, top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Substitutions & Notes
- Sweetener: I prefer to use maple syrup as the sweetener in this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite sweetener of choice. Honey, brown sugar, coconut sugar or agave syrup would all be great options. To reduce the sugar content I recommend using liquid stevia or sugar free maple monk fruit syrup.
- Milk: I used unsweetened almond milk for this recipe, but any dairy-free milk, like coconut milk, cashew milk or oat milk would work well. You could also use cow or goat milk for a non-vegan option. If you don’t have milk on hand water will work, but I prefer to use milk for added creaminess.
- Protein powder: The vanilla protein powder adds a great flavor and extra protein, but if you don’t have any on hand or just aren’t a fan of protein powder you could skip it or add some Greek yogurt or nut butter for added protein.
Topping Ideas
- Fresh fruit: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries and blackberries are all excellent additions to oats! I also love adding banana slices, apple chunks or fresh peaches to my oats depending on what’s in season!
- Dried berries: I love adding dried fruit to my oats. My favorite options would be goji berries and golden berries. Both are packed with vitamins C & A and taste delicious.
- Nut butter: Drizzle your favorite nut or seed butter on top for some more protein. Almond butter or peanut butter are usually my top choices, but cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or tahini are also great options.
- Cacao nibs: Cacao is a great source of magnesium antioxidants. They also add a nice crunch to the oatmeal. Of course, chocolate chips are also a great topping option for some chocolatey goodness.
- Roasted nuts: Roasted walnuts, pecans or almonds are a delicious crunchy addition to oats. If you have a nut allergy pepitas or sunflower seeds would be good options.
More Oatmeal Recipes
- How to Make Oatmeal
- Zucchini Bread Oatmeal
- 5 Ways to Make Protein Oatmeal
- Salted Caramel Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal
- Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal
- Peaches and Cream Oatmeal
- Blended Overnight Oats
- Cauliflower Brownie Baked Oatmeal
- Blueberry Oatmeal
- Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
- Scrambled Oats
More Veggie-Packed Breakfast Recipes
- Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
- Butternut Squash Pancakes
- Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Malted Chocolate Cauliflower Smoothie
- Carrot Cake Smoothie
- Quinoa Breakfast Bake
Be sure to check out all of the oatmeal recipes as well as the full collection of breakfast recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Cauliflower Oatmeal
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup frozen riced cauliflower
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup, to taste
- ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, plus more if needed
- ½ scoop vanilla protein powder, 12.5 grams (about 1.5 T)
- Toppings: fresh berries, nut butter and a tiny sprinkle of chia seeds
Instructions
- Add oats, riced cauliflower, chia seeds, sea salt, maple syrup and cinnamon to a pot.
- Add milk and stir to combine. Heat over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
- Remove oats from the heat and stir in protein powder. If the consistency of the oats gets too thick, add in a little more milk.
- Transfer oats to a bowl and top with your favorite oatmeal toppings. My go-to’s are chia seeds, nut butter and fresh berries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excited to try this recipe but found your promo code for the protein isn’t working. 🙁
Hey Christina – Sorry for the confusion. Were you trying to use the code on Amazon or the Nuzest website directly? The code only works on Nuzest.com, but I know I linked the powder via Amazon so I can see how that was confusing. I just updated the post! Let me know if the code still isn’t working!
This recipe is seriously amazing. I did add liquid eggwhites. Such a delicious recipe that will be on repeat.
Honestly, I adore all your recipes
Aw, you’re so sweet, Dara. I am so excited to hear that you are loving this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate you being here!