The Best Way to Cook Oatmeal, According to Our Tests

Oatmeal is a beloved breakfast staple for good reason. When done well, it blesses you with a creamy bowl of pure comfort. It’s usually quick to prepare and gives you a hearty whole-grain base upon which to build a great morning meal, whether you add berries, butter and brown sugar, peanut butter, dried fruit, or crunchy nuts. 

Notice that I said “when done well.” We’ve all fallen victim to the free hotel breakfast gruel or hospital porridge that’s blown out, mushy, and gluey. But oats that retain a bit of toothsome chew while also yielding enough through the cooking to become creamy? Those are worth waking up for. 

To help you easily and reliably achieve such oats, I systematically tested six different cooking methods. Read on to learn which ones delivered the best flavor and texture — and which ones you should avoid.

A word about my method

I used Quaker rolled oats for all of my testing. Sometimes labeled “old-fashioned” oats, these are oat kernels (also called groats) that have been steamed and then rolled into flat little flakes. They’re much quicker to cook than steel-cut oats and take only a few minutes longer to cook than quick-cooking or instant oats.

For consistency, I used a 50/50 combination of water and whole milk to test every method. I seasoned each with just a pinch of salt so that I could better taste the oats themselves.

For four of the methods, I tested individual servings, using 1/2 cup oats and 1 cup liquid. Two of the cooking methods — baked and Instant Pot — are only used to cook a larger batch.

I did not test cooking rolled oats in a traditional slow cooker. Everything I read warned that if you cook, even on low, for more than four hours, you’ll end up with a texture similar to paste. Since you don’t get the benefit of setting up the oats overnight and letting them cook while you sleep, this method didn’t seem worthwhile. 

Microwave

Cook time: 4 minutes
Total time: about 5 minutes
Rating: 5/10

Method: I followed the package directions for a single serving of oatmeal to test this method. I stirred together 1/2 cup uncooked oats, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup whole milk, and a pinch of salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl. The instructions recommend microwaving on High for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, which I attempted in my 1,000-watt microwave. 

Results: I used a medium bowl with a 3-cup capacity, and after 2 minutes of microwaving, the oats mixture threatened to boil over. I had to pause every 10 to 15 seconds to prevent an overflowing, starchy-milky mess in my microwave. Perhaps because I interrupted the cooking so frequently, it took a minute longer to get the oats cooked (4 minutes of total cooking with frequent pauses). When the oats were finally done, they had a lovely chewy-tender texture.

Pros: This is a quick technique that only dirties one bowl, and results in a chewy-tender texture. 

Cons: The oats require a lot of babysitting if you don’t want spillover in your microwave. And even though this method only dirties one bowl, it really dirties it; as the liquid bubbles up and climbs the sides of the bowl, it leaves lots of starchy buildup behind. 

Overnight

Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: about 8 hours
Rating: 6/10

Method: Everywhere I looked online, I read the same advice for making overnight oats: Use a 1:1 ratio of oats to liquid. So I stirred together 1/2 cup uncooked oats, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 cup milk with a pinch of salt. (Note that I did not include any yogurt, like many overnight oat recipes do, so that my ingredients remained constant among tests.) I covered this mixture and refrigerated it overnight.

Results: The oats had a mild, earthy flavor and were tender-chewy after the overnight soak, but they seemed soggy rather than cooked. Each time I chewed it felt like I was wringing liquid out of them. Stirring some fruit into the mixture would help, but since I didn’t incorporate stir-ins into any of the other tests, I didn’t here, either. Even though overnight oats are engineered to be enjoyed straight from the fridge, I warmed them up to see if it improved that soggy feeling. I heated them for 40 seconds in the microwave on High, which barely improved the consistency. 

Pros: This is an incredibly convenient make-ahead breakfast that gives you a head start on busy mornings.

Cons: The texture is not ideal, but stirring fruit, nuts, or seeds into the oats would help.

Baked

Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: about 45 minutes
Rating: 7.5/10

Method: I wanted to test the most basic form of baked oatmeal, staying consistent with my other tests that consisted of just oats, milk, water, and salt. All of the baked oatmeal recipes and formulas I found online, though, included eggs, baking powder, and/or loads of sugar. So I made up my own formula. In an 8-inch square baking dish, I combined 2 cups of uncooked oats, 1 1/3 cups water, 1 1/3 cups milk, and a couple dashes of salt. I baked this mixture, uncovered, at 350°F for 35 minutes.

Results: Unlike the baked oatmeal recipes that bake up like a casserole, where you can remove a slice with a spatula, these oats cooked up like, well, oats. When I removed the dish from the oven, the oats on top looked lightly browned and toasted. I expected they could be cut into slices. Instead, though, I found they were creamy, porridge-y oats. I scooped a serving into a bowl (it yielded about 4 servings total), just as I would do with oats cooked in a saucepan. They were a little less creamy than some of the higher-rated methods, but they were both tender and chewy — and incredibly easy to make.

Pros: This is a completely hands-free method that cooks several servings at once, and results in a great creamy texture.

Cons: With preheating the oven, you’re looking at about 45 minutes to make oats this way.  

Toasted then stovetop

Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minute 15 seconds
Rating: 8/10

Method: This test began with toasting the oats. I simply cooked a half-cup of uncooked oats in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, tossing frequently, until they smelled nutty-fragrant and were lightly browned; this took about 4 minutes. I then proceeded with the package instructions. I brought 1/2 cup each of water and whole milk to a boil in a small saucepan, stirred in the toasted oats and a pinch of salt, and cooked over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Results: The toasting must have “sealed” the oats because they didn’t release as much starch into the cooking liquid. They ended up less creamy and just a bit soupy, yet with a pleasing toothsome quality as well. The flavor, though, was fantastic — deeply nutty, with a taste similar to toasted wheat cereal. 

Pros: The flavor of these oats is outstanding: rich, nutty, and toasty.

Cons: The oats end up a little liquidy, more like muesli in milk than a creamy porridge. 

Instant Pot

Cook time: 9 minutes
Total time: about 13 minutes
Rating: 9/10

Method: I searched online for the most reliable advice for cooking rolled oats in an Instant Pot and settled on these instructions. I stirred together 1 cup uncooked oats, 1 cup water, 1 cup whole milk, and a dash of salt in my Instant Pot. I closed the lid, turned the steam valve to “sealing,” and set the cooker to manual high pressure for 2 minutes. It took about 7 minutes to reach high pressure. As soon as the short cook time was over, I set a timer and allowed the steam to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-released the remaining steam by turning the steam valve to “venting.”

Results: I was skeptical of this cooking method but was more than pleasantly surprised. Despite warnings that Redditors have posted about sticking, burning, and failure to reach high pressure, as well as using dairy milk, I had zero problems. The oats were incredibly creamy and tender without being mushy. I prefer a little more bite in my oats, but if you like them more tender, this method will be right up your alley.

Pros: You can make large batches of oatmeal in a short amount of time, and the oats turn out extremely creamy.

Cons: This method is suited to making multiple servings, not a single serving. And though I experienced no complications when using a 50/50 ratio of milk and water with 1 cup oats and 2 cups liquid, using only milk or filling the Instant Pot to maximum volume could lead to the issues outlined above. 

Stovetop

Cook time: 8 minutes
Total time: about 9 minutes
Rating: 10/10

Method: As with the microwave test, here I followed the single-serving instructions on the package. I brought 1/2 cup each of water and milk to a boil in a small saucepan, then stirred in 1/2 cup oats and a pinch of salt. I reduced the heat to medium and cooked (uncovered) for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Results: I loved the texture of these oats. I poured them from the pot to a bowl, and in the minute or so that it took to do so and grab a spoon to take a bite, the oats had “settled” a bit, becoming thicker and creamier than they were on the stove. The texture was superb — creamy and tender but with a bit of toothsome chew. The flavor embodied that lovely faint nuttiness you get from whole grains.

Pros: This method is fairly quick, taking less than 10 minutes from start to finish. It works well for a single serving and will work equally well for a larger batch. It also yields an ideal tender-chewy texture and lovely nutty flavor. 

Cons: This is not a hands-off method since you’ll need to stir the oats occasionally as they cook. But since they cook uncovered and over medium heat, there’s little risk of the mixture boiling over, so you can leave it unattended between stirs.

Final takeaways

If you prefer some toothiness to your oats, as I do, stovetop and baked methods are your best bet. If you like softer oats, give the Instant Pot a try (but you’ll need to make at least two servings in there). 

If you need to cook oats for a crowd, the Instant Pot and baked methods work well, as does the winning stovetop method — just use a larger saucepan.