Meganโs Morning Glory Oatmeal
Creamy, wholesome steel-cut oats cooked with carrots, coconut milk and spices. This recipe is gluten free and easily vegan.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 22, 2024
Carrots are stealing the show this week. This recipe features the same flavors as morning glory muffinsโshredded carrots, raisins, orange zest, coconut and walnutsโin oatmeal form. I came across it in Megan Gordonโs new cookbook, Whole-Grain Mornings.
In the headnote, Megan calls the oatmeal โporridge,โ which always brings Goldilocks and her three bears to mind. I prefer to call it oatmeal, which sounds ever-so-slightly more sexy than porridge, but itโs still just fancied up peasant food. Not that I have anything against peasant food. Those royals werenโt doing themselves any favors with their fine white flour and refined sugar. Iโd take hearty whole grains over that stuff any day (am I showing my peasant roots?).
Anyway, back to Megan. She runs a granola business, posts recipes and stories on her blog, contributes to The Kitchn and, somehow, in between all of that, produced a stellar cookbook. The book is brimming with breakfast/brunch recipes, organized seasonally, that incorporate whole grains. When Megan asked me if Iโd like a review copy, I said yes (because Megan knows how to make a great breakfast) while kicking myself for not coming up with such a terrific concept.
This recipe called to me from the winter section. Itโs just sweet enough to taste like a treat, but hearty enough to hold me over until lunch. Iโd almost forgotten about the steel-cut oats in the back of my pantry before I made this. Steel-cut oats are what rolled oats are made out ofโtheyโre the oats you grew up eating, before they were rolled flat. They take a little longer to cook than old-fashioned oats, but they are so creamy that they are worth the wait.
I prefer to make big batches of oatmeal at once like this. Then I can warm the oats in the morning while I make my coffee, which takes less time and effort than it would to heat up one of those sad packets of instant oatmeal. I usually swirl in some plain yogurt for protein and creaminess. (Bonus: yogurt cools down the oatmeal, which is nice when youโre an over-eager breakfast eater like me.) Iโm looking forward to another bowl tomorrow morning.
Once Iโm out of this batch, I want to try Meganโs technique for cooking โthe very best oatmeal,โ which you can find at The Fauxmartha and A Couple Cooks. Thatโs about as sexy as oatmeal ever looks, folks. Then Iโll probably have to try Lauraโs spin on the farro bowl and prepare some saucy tomato poached eggs for brunch once Iโm settled into my new house. I. Canโt. Wait!
Morning Glory Oatmeal
Creamy, wholesome steel-cut oats cooked with carrots, coconut milk and spices. Serve with yogurt for a breakfast that sticks with you until lunch time. (This recipe is gluten free and easily vegan.)
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup light coconut milk (or milk of choice or another cup of water)
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 cup grated carrots (about 2 large carrots)
- โ cup seedless raisins (I used golden raisins)
- ยพ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ยผ teaspoon ground ginger
- ยผ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- ยฝ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I used a mix of unsweetened shredded coconut and large flakes since thatโs what I had)
- 1 ยฝ tablespoon grated orange zest (this took 1 ยฝ oranges for me)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 or more tablespoons maple syrup (or honey or agave nectar or brown sugar)
- ยฝ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil. Stir in the oats, carrots, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Bring the mixture back to boil, then decrease the heat to low and partially cover the pot.
- Cook the porridge, without stirring, until it begins to thicken and the oats are soft yet chewy. Check the oatโs texture by stirring them after 25 minutes of cooking (it might need a few more minutes of cooking).
- Remove from heat and stir in the coconut flakes, orange zest and vanilla. Add maple syrup (or other sweetener), to taste. Cover and let the oatmeal rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Toast the walnut pieces in a pan over medium-low, tossing frequently, until the edges are golden and the walnuts smell nice and toasty.
- Serve the oatmeal with a sprinkling of walnuts and a splash of milk or a swirl of plain yogurt.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Megan Gordanโs cookbook, Whole-Grain Mornings.
Change it up: This recipe is wide open to adaptation. Feel free to sub other dried fruit for the raisins, change up the nuts, etc.
Make it gluten free: Buy certified gluten-free steel-cut oats if you are avoiding gluten.
Make it nut free: Skip the nuts. You can substitute pepitas (pumpkin) or sunflower seeds if desired.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I love your site! Fabulous healthy recipes! I needed this inspiration as I meal plan for the week. Thank you
Iโm going to cut the recipe way down in size and cook in my Little Dipper crockpot heater thing overnight. Perfect size for me and maybe hubby. I might add some pumpkin.
Where is the nutritional info? Those of us with health issues really need it. Tx
Do not add me to your email list!
Hi Nina, I would never add you to my email list without my permission. I donโt have nutrition info for my recipes yet (I wouldnโt keep it from you if I did, but itโs actually quite complicated to accurately calculate, especially when I have over 500 recipes on this site). I am working on a solution and hope to implement it within the next couple of months.
Thanks Kate for your prompt response. I thought maybe the nutritional info was there and I was missing it. Glad to know it is coming as it will be very helpful to me and others. I added the request re email as I have often had folks add me to their lists even though I was asking a question or providing input and not agreeing to be on their list. Glad you donโt do that. I love your site and look forward to checking out your recipes. Thanks
this was great! oatmeal isnt my favorite but i was surprised at how good it was! i didnt have coconut milk and used almond milk and dried cranberries instead of raisins. awesome!
I make this recipe often and love it, (but without the coconut because I donโt like the taste). I cannot seem to find how many calories are allocated to a serving. Can you advise?
Hi, Jan. Unfortunately, I donโt have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. Iโm looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. Thanks!
Hi there โ Your blog is beautiful. Would this work in a slow cooker overnight? Thanks so much. Amy
Hi Amy, I think it could be adjusted for a slow cooker. Iโm just not sure if anything would need to be changed to make it workโyou might cross-reference it with a steel-cut oatmeal slow cooker recipe to be sure.
Can this be frozen as is? Beautiful!
I think so! I have never tried freezing steel-cut oatmeal, though. You might need to add a little more moisture once reheated.
Kate, even though Iโve been eating oatmeal in different forms for every.single.breakfast for the past eight years โ my other meals are way more versatile ;) โ Iโve been suspicious of making a large batch instead of cooking it every morning or preparing individual servings of overnight oats. And here I am, finishing the fourth bowl of the Morning Glory cooked last week. Itโs absolutely delicious, and I love the taste with a dollop of vanilla almond milk yogurt as itโs both sweet and tart. I also used almond milk to cook the oats. The combination of textures is wonderful, with the chewy but still slightly crunchy oats, plump cooked raisins, and the crunch of nuts. Thanks for sharing Meganโs recipe and offering additional advice!
Youโre welcome! Iโm happy you found it helpful and added some variety ideas :) I really appreciate the star review, Barbara.
Hi Kate!
I adapted this recipe to the Instant Pot within the last 2 weeks. I used the same ingredients in the same proportions (I have the 6 quart Instant Pot), but left out the orange zest. I didnโt have any, but the next time I make this โ which will be very soon! โ I will add it. I also added a stick of cinnamon. I set the Instant Pot to 4 minutes on manual (high pressure) and let it naturally release pressure (NPR) for about 30 minutes. The amount made enough for 4 8-ounce jars (which I froze for later) and 3 additional servings. The oatmeal was great! I was a bit skeptical about liking the carrots (even though I love carrots for lunch and dinner and snacks), but this is really good oatmeal. Thank you Kate!
Thanks for sharing!
I followed the instant pot instructions and it turned out great. I put everything in the pot except for the nuts and then sprinkled the nuts over the top of the bowls of oatmeal. It worked perfectly. Thanks for the recipe and the instant pot adaptation.
Very good and easy morning meal! I wonder if one could use pumpkin pie spice to save a bit, and perhaps top with pumpkin puree? The hubs and I loved it. Sunflower seeds have a nice crunch
You could, if you like. Let me know what you think of the puree! Thanks for your review.
is there a way to make this in a crock pot??
Hi Kate,
Could you say what brand maple syrup you use?
Thanks.
Hi Liz! I typically use an organic when I can. Not brand specific, necessarily. Whole Foods has great options!
Love this recipe! I make it very often in the wintertime โ a double batch will last me for a week (but I eat a large breakfast). I ended up with lots of naked oranges in the fridge after zesting, so Iโve started subbing orange extract instead. Not quite as good but works well. I skip toasting the walnuts for expediency. Thank you!
Youโre welcome, Hannah!
I made this last night and traded out the raisins for dried pineapple chunks. No nuts, no maple syrup on topโฆ it was DELIGHTFUL this morning.
Iโve made this before with variations, and knew I wanted to try pineapple. I made sure to put (non-essential, I know) dried pineapple on the grocery list this week for our curb-side order. It was a burst of sunshine in my โlockdown.โ
Iโm glad you loved it, Amey! Thanks for sharing.
Quite good. I loved the Morning Glory muffin idea! I cut down the orange zest a tad. I did not have walnuts, so I quickly toasted my raw sunflower seeds on a cast iron skillet. Wow, was that perfect.
So much delicious flavor! Thank you for this amazing recipe.. I am impressed and happy that I had all ingredients and spices on hand.
Delicious! I was looking for a carrot and oatmeal recipe. This hit the spot and was warm, delicious, so hearty, and just enough sweet. Since my husband canโt eat oats, I was worried about keeping oatmeal for the week so I appreciate you sharing you make it in bulk and eat it throughout the week!
Delicious! Iโve made this twice and love having leftovers to snack on or enjoy for another breakfast.
Made this today and itโs delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and it tasted like a muffin in oatmeal form!
I made this and it was so good! My two year old son loved it too. I used one tablespoon of maple syrup and probably couldโve used less or done without. It was a bit sweet for first thing in the morning so idk if Iโm going to make it again for breakfast. Maybe dessert! Thatโs personal preference since I prefer savory for breakfast. This was a nice treat though!
This is by far the best oatmeal Iโve ever tasted! Itโs got so much flavor that it hardly needs the extra sweetener at all. The only thing I changed up is I added some craisins to complement the orange zest. Next time I make this Iโm making a double batch to last me a few more days!
This is my go to oatmeal recipe. I also add apples. I find that apples and carrots go well together. Sometimes I mix up the spices. E.g. add cardamom instead of cinnamon.
Has anyone tried to do in the slow cooker? Made on the stove before, love the results. Just was time consuming so Iโm hoping to do in slow cooker.
I was so excited to amp up my morning oats with some new flavors. I picked the wrong recipe! Too much raw spice flavor. Overall it tastes very harsh and bitter. I can barely eat it.
Hi Kristen, Iโm sorry to hear you didnโt enjoy this recipe. I appreciate your feedback.
Porridge โ or โparritchโ, as Jamie says it in โOutlander, by Diana Gabaldon. A verra sexy word! And very traditional Scottish.
โโdressers in the Scottish Highlands may have a โporridge drawerโ โ a tin lined drawer into which freshly made porridge was emptied and left to cool. When cold, slices of the porridge could be cut out and taken out of the house for later consumption. [Just wrapped in a piece of paper] (wikipedia on Welsh Dressers).โ
I was raised on oatmeal the Dad made every morning before school. (Mom worked the pm shift)
I made up a large pot of this recepe. Toasting the oats completely changed the taste. Delicious! Thank you!
The orange zest completely overpowered every other flavor. I will try it again next week but will eliminate the orange zest completely.
Iโm sorry to hear that, Sarah. Thank you for your feedback.