This creamy keto oatmeal recipe only uses 5 ingredients and takes just a few minutes to make. It’s the perfect hot cereal for cold winter mornings.
It’s dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, and a great recipe that you can make ahead of time and then cook in the microwave or on the stove.
So if you’re missing oatmeal this easy low-carb oatmeal recipe is a delicious breakfast with various ways to flavor it.
You can customize this low-carb keto oatmeal to your tastes so your whole family can enjoy it. This is one of the easiest recipes and tastes like the real deal.
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Inspired by my easy keto peanut butter granola bars and easy cinnamon keto granola on this site. You can also make delicious oatmeal that’s seed based.
Is oatmeal keto?
Regular oatmeal is made from flattened, rolled, or ground oats that are boiled with water or milk. It is often served with brown sugar or honey for a warm breakfast in the winter.
Oats are a grain that is high in starch so generally avoided on the ketogenic diet.
To make oatmeal keto, we use a mixture of chia seed, flax seed, and hemp seed which are all low-carb and high-fiber seeds and the perfect substitute for regular oats.
Oatmeal ingredients
Thick and creamy, traditional oatmeal is too high in carbs to be considered keto-friendly or low-carb. However, with this recipe, you will still get the same tasty oatmeal texture without the bulk of the carbs.
To make this oatmeal you will need a variety of small natural seeds, almond flour, and almond milk. Only 5 ingredients are needed.
See the recipe card for exact quantities, full instructions, and nutritional information.
- almond flour – almond flour or ground almonds
- hemp seeds – whole or ground hemp seeds
- flax seeds – whole or ground flax seeds
- chia seeds – black or white chia seeds
- unsweetened almond milk – or another dairy-free milk alternative such as unsweetened coconut milk
Instructions step-by-step
This easy low-carb keto oatmeal recipe is so easy to make it will be ready to eat in as little as 3 minutes. You can use your stovetop (in a small saucepan) or your microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) to make this oatmeal. I have made it both ways with great success.
Start by heating your almond milk either on the stovetop or in the microwave until it is simmering.
Next, mix in the almond flour and all the dry ingredients and continue to cook at medium heat.
Let all the ingredients cook for an additional 1-3 minutes to thicken to your desired consistency.
Pour the delicious oatmeal into your bowl while it is hot and top it with your favorite keto-friendly toppings.
This oatmeal recipe is for one bowl serving, but can easily be doubled or even quadrupled to make more servings. Your cook time will increase a bit the more servings you cook at one time.
Hint: the longer you let your oatmeal cook the thicker it will be. I made the oatmeal cooked for both one and three minutes so that you can see the difference in thickness.
How to make overnight oats
If you miss oatmeal and don’t want to cook a low-carb breakfast each day, you can make keto oatmeal ahead by soaking the dry ingredients overnight and heating them in the morning.
Soaking them overnight allows everything to swell and thicken naturally.
Mix all the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients in a bowl and leave them covered in the fridge overnight. Simply heat them in the morning.
Substitutions you can make
Want to make this oatmeal recipe, but have a nut allergy or can’t find a certain ingredient at the market? Below you will find a list of recommendations for substitutions when making this keto oatmeal.
- Almond milk – water, coconut milk, or regular milk can be used instead.
- Almond flour – use a different nut or seed flour like sunflower seed flour.
- Hemp seeds – use an extra 1/2 Tbsp of chia and flax seeds to replace the hemp.
Don’t see the substitution recommendations you are looking for? Leave a comment below to ask for suggestions. We will do our best to help, or someone in the community might have an excellent suggestion.
Flavor variations
You have the base recipe for this amazing oatmeal. The best thing is how you dress it up to please your taste buds.
Check out the list below for some awesome favorite toppings and customization suggestions.
- Caramel – drizzle sugar-free keto caramel sauce for a delicious sweet twist.
- Maple Cinnamon – my favorite way is to add a few drops of maple extract or drizzle with some sugar-free maple syrup and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Chocolate Chip and Walnut – top with a few sugar-free chocolate chips and chopped walnuts while your oatmeal is hot. It will melt and be delicious.
- Peanut Butter – mix in a spoonful of peanut butter. Make sure to use peanut butter that has no added sugars and give it a good stir first.
- Coconut Almond– drizzle with coconut cream, coconut flakes, shredded coconut, or shaved almonds.
- Almond Oatmeal – stir a spoon of almond butter (or any other nut butter).
- High-Protein Keto Oatmeal – add some of your favorite protein powder into the hot cereal and a little more almond milk.
Equipment
This keto oatmeal recipe is so simple you will only need the basic cooking equipment to make it.
If you have some measuring spoons/cups, a saucepan, a stove, or a microwave then you are ready to make this oatmeal.
How to store oatmeal
This keto oatmeal is so quick and easy to make I recommend only making enough servings that you need.
It takes the same amount of time to reheat the oatmeal as it does to make the quick recipe in the first place.
However, if you do find yourself with leftovers they can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat the oatmeal pop the bowl in the microwave or reheat it on the stove in a saucepan for 1-3 minutes. You might need to add a bit more almond milk if your oatmeal is too thick.
Top tip
Everyone likes their oatmeal of a different thickness. The longer you cook the oatmeal the thicker it will be. For a porridge or grits like oatmeal cook the oatmeal for 1 minute. For a thick oatmeal cook it for the full 3 minutes.
If you make keto oatmeal with added protein powder, you will need to add extra almond milk, a little bit at a time.
Keto oatmeal FAQ
This oatmeal recipe has no sugar or even sweetener added to the recipe. You can add your favorite sugar-free sweetener to the recipe as desired, or use sugar-free toppings to flavor the oatmeal.
This oatmeal made with seeds has a low glycemic index making it a healthier choice than instant oatmeal when diabetic. It is still filled with fiber but has significantly fewer carbs and sugars which is better for blood sugar control.
Oats are the grain that is used to make oatmeal, a porridge breakfast that is made with oats and milk or water.
Oats are high in total carbs and net carbs so generally avoided in large quantities on the keto diet and low-carb diet.
Ground cinnamon is a lovely way to add a sweet taste without any sugar. Sugar-free keto maple syrup is another tasty breakfast taste with almost zero calories. Brown sugar-free sweetener is another low-carb option with very few net carbs.
There are 8.7g total carbs, 5.3g fiber, 12g protein, 21.5g fat, and 263 calories. So there are only 3.4g net carbs per serving.
If you miss warm comfort food on chilly mornings you can enjoy easy keto breakfasts such as keto pancakes, keto almond flour bread, coconut flour bread, and of course, scrambled eggs or fried eggs.
If you want to add sweetener to your taste, the most popular sweetener are erythritol, stevia, monk fruit sweetener, or allulose.
More easy keto breakfast recipes
These are the most popular low-carb keto recipes for your low-carb diet or keto diet that are family-friendly too. All are sugar-free, gluten-free, and low in net carbs.
Keto berry smoothies, low-carb granola bars, and almond flour pancakes (with sugar-free maple syrup) are perfect if you want a delicious keto breakfast without eggs.
The Best Easy Keto Oatmeal Recipe (5-Ingredients).
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Microwave
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp flax seeds
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 3 tbsp almond meal/flour
- ½ cup almond milk unsweetened
Instructions
- Heat the almond milk to a simmer on the stove or in the microwave.
- Mix all the remaining oatmeal ingredients into the almond milk. Let it cook for an additional 1-3 minutes to thicken to your desired thickness. If using a microwave then microwave in 1-minute increments.
- Transfer the oatmeal into a bowl, add desired toppings and sweetener. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Do you add all of the oatmeal ingredients to the pot on the stove? Looks like that step is missing….
Great catch! Yes! Once the almond milk is simmering mix the remaining oatmeal ingredients into the pot to cook for 1-3 minutes, or until it reaches your desired thickness. I fixed the error, thank you.