Warm Gingerbread Oatmeal

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/13/22
Gingerbread oatmeal in a white bowl garnished with nuts

The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 7 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Yield: 2 bowls

Molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice—those sweet and spicy smells might make you think of cookies, but what about putting them in your breakfast instead? Specifically, how about your oatmeal? It's a very versatile breakfast, but adding gingerbread flavors for the holidays (or all through the winter) to make gingerbread oatmeal is hard to resist. The spices are warming, they go well with oats, and it makes for a delicious and nutritious way to start your day and wake up your palate.

This oatmeal is super quick and easy to make and only requires a few more ingredients than regular oatmeal. You can use the spice blend below, or just use a teaspoon of pumpkin pie or apple pie spice, which are very similar to the combination in this recipe. Feel free to adjust the amounts to your liking.

This is also a great breakfast to make ahead of time. It can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can eat it cold or reheat it right on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups milk

  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats

  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

  • 1 teaspoon molasses

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

  • Nuts, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1.  Start by heating the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  

  2. Heat until just about a boil. Add in the salt. 

  3. Add in the oats and stir to combine. 

  4. Add in the brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and allspice, and turn the heat to low.  

  5. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes or until the oats have absorbed most of the milk. 

  6. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

  7.  Top with chopped nuts or chopped candied ginger for extra spice.

Variations

  • You can easily replace the oatmeal with gluten-free oats or cream of wheat.
  • If you need to cook breakfast more quickly, you can use quick-cooking oats; just reduce the liquid amount by about 1/2 cup.
  • This gingerbread oatmeal would be excellent with steel-cut oats.
  • You can also cook the oats in water, apple cider (for natural sweetness and complementary flavors), or a plant-based milk instead of regular cow's milk.
  • Use maple syrup or honey instead of brown sugar in the recipe.
  • Top with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar if desired, or maple syrup.
  • Add some chopped apples to the oatmeal toward the end of cooking.


How to Store Gingerbread Oatmeal

You can make this ginger oatmeal a day ahead of time and either serve it cold or reheat it in a saucepan over medium-low heat until hot all the way through. It will keep for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
345 Calories
7g Fat
59g Carbs
13g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 345
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 11mg 4%
Sodium 379mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 59g 21%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 322mg 25%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 575mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)