The Best and Most Convenient Instant Oatmeals for a Nutritious Breakfast

Best Overall

Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quick Cooking Rolled Oats

$19 at Amazon $7 at Walmart View on Vitacost

Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quick Cooking Rolled Oats is a no-frills instant oatmeal, but that’s what makes it great. The only ingredient is organic whole grain oats, which are the perfect neutral base for your favorite oatmeal mix-ins and toppings. Unlike flavored oatmeals, plain oatmeal starts with 0 grams of added sugar and so you can control how much you add, if any—oatmeal can be savory if you want!

It has a thick, hearty texture and each serving provides 3 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein and is ready in two to three minutes, depending on how you cook it. And rather than coming in individual packets, this instant oatmeal comes in large-sized bags, so you can choose how much—or how little—you want.

Size: 16 and 32 ounces | Type of Oats: Whole grain | Cook Time: 5 minutes

Best Steel Cut

Better Oats Instant Steel Cut Oatmeal with Flaxseeds

$23 at Amazon $4 at Walmart View on Vitacost

Traditionally, dried steel-cut oats are tougher and coarser than rolled oats because they are less processed and contain a lot of the plant's bran. They also take a lot longer to cook than other forms of oatmeal. While steel-cut oats benefit from a long and slow cooking time, we love this instant version because it is ready in less than three minutes. Once cooked, these oats are more mushy than rolled oats, an also taste nuttier.

The ingredient list for this version contains seven ingredients, including whole grain steel-cut oats, sugar, flaxseeds, salt, and maple syrup. A 43-gram bowl of this oatmeal makes a great breakfast and has 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein (from flaxseeds) per serving. 

Size: 15.1 ounces | Type of Oats: Whole grain steel cut | Cook Time: 2 minutes, 15 seconds

Best Organic

Nature’s Path Organic Instant Oatmeal

$6 at Amazon $5 at Thrive Market View on FreshDirect

The Nature’s Path Organic Instant Oatmeal is another plain oatmeal option that contains a single ingredient: whole-grain rolled oats. These, however, are USDA Organic certified and are grown without any chemical pesticides, fertilizers, or GMOs. The company has been producing organic foods since 1985.

We love this option because the oats hold up well to hot water or milk, giving you hearty oatmeal with lots of texture. Unlike Bob’s Red Mill oats, this instant oatmeal is pre-portioned into individual packets, so you can easily grab a single serving or take one with you on the go. If you prefer flavored oatmeal, Nature’s Path also offers apple cinnamon, maple brown sugar, and dark chocolate cinnamon pecan cups, to name a few.

Size: 400 grams per packet | Type of Oats: Whole grain rolled | Cook Time: 75 seconds

Best Variety

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Lower Sugar Variety Pack

Orig. $28 $25 at Amazon $13 at Walmart

If you’re having trouble deciding on just one instant oatmeal flavor, the Quaker Instant Oatmeal Lower Sugar Variety Pack has you covered. It contains three of Quaker’s fan-favorite flavors—apples and cinnamon, maple and brown sugar, and cinnamon and spice—that are specially formulated to have 35 percent less sugar than Quaker's regular instant oatmeal packets—each serving contains only 4 to 5 grams of sugar.

And if you’re worried about artificial sweeteners, don’t be. The sugar is replaced with monk fruit, a natural sweetener that tastes delicious. Options come in boxes of 10 to 48 packets, so you can stock up too, and have a variety of flavors ready to go for any morning.

Size: 34 grams per packet | Type of Oats: Whole grain | Cook Time: 60 seconds

Best High-Protein

Kodiak Cakes Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

$32 at Amazon $6 at Walmart View on Vitacost

With 12 grams of protein per serving, the Kodiak Cakes Chocolate Chip Oatmeal was made with the everyday adventurer in mind. It combines several protein sources, like whey protein isolate and pea protein concentrate, with whole grain rolled oats and semisweet chocolate chips to give you thick, hearty oatmeal that’s as filling as it is delicious. 

This instant oatmeal is especially great for busy mornings because, when microwaved, it’s ready in less than one minute—and it only takes two to three minutes on the stove.

Size: 1.76 ounces per packet | Type of Oats: Whole grain rolled | Cook Time: 3 minutes total

Best Cups

MUSH Oats

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While a bowl of oatmeal straight from the microwave or right off of the stove is quite the warming breakfast, it can also be served cold and still be delicious. Overnight oats are taking over the most important meal of the day, but you don’t have to remember to make some before bed to enjoy it. 

Mush’s Overnight Oatmeal comes in 5-ounce cups, perfect for a creamy, filling, oatmeal breakfast on the go or at home—and you don’t have to remember the toppings, either. The Blueberry flavored rolled oats are soaked in coconut milk, along with apples, blueberries, and a hint of sea salt, making them vegan and dairy-free, too. Other flavors include Apple Cinnamon, Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Strawberry, Peach, and more.

Size: 5 ounces per cup | Type of Oats: Rolled | Cook Time: Not applicable

Best Flavored

Purely Elizabeth Collagen Protein Oats Cup, Blueberry Walnut

Orig. $28 $25 at Amazon $6 at Walmart $4 at Thrive Market

We all already know fruit, nuts, and oats go hand in hand, but if you don't want to purchase all of them individually, these cups will make an excellent addition to your pantry. Purely Elizabeth combines freeze-dried blueberries, walnuts, and cinnamon to make one of the best-flavored instant oatmeals out there.

It's with certified gluten-free oats and whole food ingredients like quinoa flakes and chia seeds. It’s sweetened only with coconut sugar and has only 5 grams of sugar. It also has added collagen protein, which brings this instant oatmeal up to 9 grams of protein per serving.

Size: 58 grams per cup | Type of Oats: Certified gluten-free | Cook Time: 5 minutes total

Best Gluten-Free

The Gluten Free Brothers Protein Oatmeal Cups

$15 at Amazon $33 at Walmart

All oats are technically gluten-free, but the majority of them are processed on equipment that’s shared with gluten-containing grains. If you’re after oats that are totally gluten-free, you have to find an option that’s labeled that way, like the Protein Oatmeal Cups from The Gluten Free Brothers. Not only does the Fruit, Nuts and Seeds flavor have 10 grams of protein per serving, it also has 5 grams of fiber and only 3 grams of added sugar. Other options include Maple Raisin and Apple Cinnamon, but with this one, you can customize it with any additional sweeteners or toppings.

You won't have to wait long for these to cook, either—just add 0.5 cups of water to the packet and microwave for 60 to 90 seconds and let it sit for 3 minutes, or add 0.5 cups of hot water to the packet and let it sit for 3 minutes.

Size: 60 grams per cup | Type of Oats: Certified gluten-free oats | Cook Time: 3 minutes