By soaking the oatmeal overnight not only are you reducing anti-nutrients, but your oatmeal will cook up in minutes in the morning. A true instant oatmeal, done the old-fashioned way! We finally found a way to make soaked oatmeal that we can really enjoy by the use of lemon juice, which gives a much more mild taste. We also love to add chia seeds to our oatmeal (easily soaked overnight with the oats). This adds not only omega 3’s, protein and nutrition to our oatmeal, but we love the texture it gives.
I have also added in some spelt or whole wheat flour into my oatmeal. Near the beginning of this blog I recommended Rebuild From Depression’s helpful Phytic Acid E-course. One of the tips she includes is adding a grain high in the phytase enzyme (which neutralizes the anti-nutrient phytic acid) to grains low in phytase-such as corn and oatmeal. She suggests adding in 10 percent whole wheat (or spelt) to your oatmeal. I’ve been experimenting a little, and so far we like having a tablespoon per cup of oatmeal, which isn’t quite 10 percent. Feel free to experiment on your own and see what you like.
Because I couldn’t get soaked oatmeal to taste right for a while, we had taken it completely out of our diet, but now that we are having it again, it’s certainly helping with our food budget! I was able to get a large bag full of organic rolled oats for about four dollars. That four dollars will stretch into many meals for us.
So this will be my nourishing frugal recipe for the carnival which I will be posting late tonight/ early tomorrow morning. I just ordered five pounds of steel cut oats and am eager to try a soaked version of them as well.
Basic Soaked Oatmeal-Serves 4 people
If you are worried about it being too sour, start with one tablespoon of lemon juice. If the chai seeds appearance is not to your liking, you can always grind them in your clean spice/coffee grinder. Lindsay from Passionate Homemaking gave me the idea to use a mason jar for the soaking process.
2 cups of rolled oats (not quick cooking)
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon chia seeds (or flax seeds )
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2-4 tablespoons of wheat or spelt flour
2 cups of water
a dash or two of sea salt1-12 to 24 hours before hand, place your oats, chai seeds, wheat flour and 2 cups of water in a quart size mason jar or bowl. Mix it all together and cover. If you need to, you can add a bit more water to cover.
2-The next morning, dump into a pot with 2 more cups of water and a dash of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook just a few minutes and it’s done!
3-Serve with your favorite toppings: Honey, maple syrup, butter, palm sugar, ghee, raisins, dried fruit, fruit compotes, nuts, etc. Get creative! We have found that if we put a little ghee and honey on our oatmeal, it gives it an almost caramel like taste. Yummy!
How do you like your oatmeal?
Latest posts by KimiHarris (see all)
- 2 Ingredient Peppermint Bark - December 21, 2022
- Herbal Hibiscus Lemonade (Keto, THM) - March 16, 2022
- Creamy Curry Red Lentil Soup - December 8, 2021
Emily
this looks delicious!!
i often make an “oatmeal bake”, building off a recipe my dear friend created. i fill a baking dish w/a mix of rolled and steel cut oats, some baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, I melt coconut oil (1/2 c-ish), add applesauce (egg allergies), soy milk (dairy allergies), some agave/maple syrup/molasses (a combo of whatever i have on hand). often i throw in some raisins. Mix the wet and dry, bake at 375 about 45 min, and YUM! (i usually make the night before and pop in the oven when we wake up).
i am going to try soaking my oats … i am new to the “world” of soaking but eager to try and learn. =)
thanks for an amazing blog … i am here often!!
Jessica O.
We like to add honey, coconut flakes & blueberries to ours. Then we pour in a little coconut tonic to each bowl……Very yummy!!!
Jessica O.
Sarah Park
Hmmm, I have never tried using lemon juice! Soaking oatmeal is really the one grain-soaking thing that I have successfully absorbed into my routine. I use yogurt, and it does make it a bit sour… I guess we compensate with a *fair* amount of maple syrup. Lately I’ve been experimenting with a crockpot version: soaking the oats in warm water + yogurt, directly in the crockpot, the afternoon before. Then before going to bed, I add raw milk, a cinnamon stick, and a can of peaches in juice. I added butter and syrup in the morning. The taste was great, and we loved having it ready to go, immediately. But it was lacking any texture – very mushy. I’m going to try it with sliced fresh apples, to avoid the canned thing. Or maybe raisins.
Just one question – the tablespoon of wheat – is that the whole grain or is that ground as flour? Would it be okay to put the whole, unground grain in?
Alchemille
I’m gluten free but oats (depending on the suppliers and the quality of the oats), I can have either way. The problem with gluten free oats (avena nuda aka naked/hulless oats) is that they can be much bitter even if they are more nutritious than regular oats (avena sativa).
I’ve tried the soaking method…I’ve had the best results with apple cider vinegar though I really have to determine the dosage because they can turn the oats quite sour. They start smelling fermented after a few minutes…
I have a question though: do you think this method would work with other cracked/rolled grains such as rice, millet, buckwheat…?
Thanks ;).
Elizabeth
Hmmm, maybe I’m soaking my oatmeal wrong (I use yogurt, myself) but I actually think it’s absolutely delicious soaked! I really cannot stand to eat them any other way. I’m not a purist about it, just put about 2 cups of oatmeal and a goodly amount of water, along with a big dollop of yogurt, in a pot after I clean up from dinner. Then the next morning, just add some more water to thin it out, bring it to a low boil for a minute or so, then serve with butter or coconut oil, Grade B maple syrup, and some milk.
Heather
I was wondering if you should soak steel cut oats similarly to rolled oats?
DessertObsessed
i love my oatmeal soaked overnight! it makes it all chewy and so yummy the next morning! love it
Meg
Soaking steel cut oats was the first grain fermentation I tried as well. It’s so easy to do! Fortunately we don’t have any dairy problems in our family so I soak overnight with about a cup of hot water (per 1/4 c of oatmeal) and a tablespoon of whey.
I love it with cinnamon and raisins sprinkled on top or a sliced strawberry or two!
KimiHarris
Emily,
Yum, Sounds good! Kelly recently posted a recipe for a baked soaked oatmeal, but it isn’t dairy free. http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/03/healthy-breakfast-recipe-from-sue-baked-soaked-oatmeal.html Maybe sometime I will play around with creating a dairy free version!
Jessica,
Yum, blueberries, coconut and coconut milk would be great! Thanks for the idea!
Sarah,
I think that soaked oats generally are a bit more mushy then unsoaked, so it might not just be the crockpot! 🙂 The problem with using wheat berries instead of flour is that it wouldn’t cook very quickly (unlike the oats, which will cook up very quickly). Hope that helps!
Katie
Greta and I like to eat soaked oatmeal for breakfast. I use yogurt to soak the rolled oats in overnight; the slightly sour taste has actually been what has helped me to enjoy eating oatmeal! My family rolls their oats fresh and brings me some whenever I need it; I think the freshly rolled oats taste wonderful. I add ground flax seeds when I have it, and we sweeten with a bit of pure maple syrup. It’s the perfect breakfast food: nourishing and inexpensive.
I thoroughly enjoy your blog. Each post is inspiring to me! Thank you.
Kaylin
Soaking oats is soooo easy! I strain yogurt and use the whey and it isn’t sour at all. I always add butter and honey or palm sugar while it’s in the pot so my children don’t have the freedom to sweeten as much as they want :-). I don’t have to add much sweetener since the salt enhances the flavor. My older son loves it when I add frozen blueberries and strawberries, but my younger son is still working on liking fruit and veggies. They get so excited when we have oatmeal for breakfast!
Holly S.
One of my favorite food combos of all time is oatmeal and peanut butter. I eat it about every other day for breakfast during the week and sometimes for a snack or even dinner. Usually, I soak oats overnight, like you Kimi, then cook with some cloves or cardamom seeds, sprinkle with cinnamon, raw honey or maple syrup or molasses, and top with organic peanut butter. It is filling and yummy!!
Kendra
We also always use steel cut oats. They are Never mushy and are oh so yummy chewy. That said, I don’t like to use the lemon juice, but do like to use whole milk organic plain yogurt and it tastes so creamy. Dairy Kefir has also worked for me. But I like the taste of kefir and yogurt just mildly sweetened, so it may just be my preference.
Kelly
We made this today and it’s fantastic. The husband was impressed with how fast it cooked up. But what is the reason behind soaking the oatmeal? I have the Nourishing Traditions book and I am sure she says in there. I just haven’t cracked it open yet.
Kelly
Nevermind – I found your other posts on this topic! Thanks for the great recipe!!
Rachael
I soak my steel-cut oats for 24 hours with lemon. It think it makes the end product have a creamier texture! I like to add organic peanut butter and honey to my oatmeal in the morning! I usually make five servings worth at a time and just keep it in the fridge and heat it up all week as needed.
Sherie
I am REALLY new to this blog so I have a newbie question – why can’t you just soak the oats in water overnight – what is the significance of the lemon / yogurt / whey?
Stacey
This was very good! I soaked some steel-cut oats last night after I saw this (I added a little more water, since they seem to soak up more than rolled oats would) and used the spelt flour and chia seed options. I dressed it up with raisins and muscovado sugar, and it was yummy!
Dana
I have been making soaked oatmeal for a few weeks now- I am very new to soaking grains. My kids enjoy it very much, but I have to make my husbands separate in the morning- unsoaked. He is VERY picky. But he does like the soaked bread recipe from passionatehomemaking blog.
Back to the oatmeal- my kids love the applecider vinegar soaked oatmeal- they say it tastes like when I used to buy the instant apple flavored oatmeal in the packets- so glad I don’t buy that anymore but glad my kids like it.
I have rinsed off the oatmeal a few times if it smell too strongly of either yogurt-which I sometimes use or the apple cider vinegar- I thought it was better to save the batch than have noone eat it- and with 4 kids its a large batch. Do you know why rinsing can’t be part of making it? Are nutrients washed away?( btw not a lot of rinsing just a pitcherful of purified water) I thought most of the nutrition is actually within the grain but I really don’t know. Anyone have any input- it really makes for a lucious oatmeal if your sensivive to “sour”.
Thanks!
Jill
I tried this with whole oat berries and it worked great too. I used lemon and rinsed it off before cooking. I still had to cook it for about 30 minutes but that is about half the normal time. I put a mashed banana through it just before serving and topped it with cashew nut cream. The kids and I loved it. Thanks!
Mary Ellen
Thank you for this! I’m just beginning my journey into this way of eating. I’m still trying to absorb all this wonderful information on your blog and a few others. I’m going to give soaking oatmeal a try since we eat it practically every morning!
KimiHarris
Hey Everyone,
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and ideas. It’s been so helpful. For those who said that they’ve had good results with yogurt, thanks! That’s helpful for our dairy people to know. 🙂 Looking back, I think that the brand of yogurt I tried was perhaps a very sour one. I am sure that didn’t make my own experience good.
Here’s a few Q & A
1-Why does it have to have the acidic addition?
The anti-nutrients in the grain are neutralized best when it’s slightly acidic.
2-Can you rinse the grains or oatmeal?
I have before! I don’t think that you will loose too many nutrients this way, but you may lose some of the texture. I do find, by the way, that even my picky husband likes the lemon juice soaked oatmeal, when he wouldn’t eat it the other ways.
debbie
I use whole oat groats. With my VitaMix, I steel cut 1 cup. Then I mix with 2 Tbls raisins, 2 cups filtered water plus 2 Tbls whey (not diary-free), and soak 24 hours (in reality probably more like 22). The next morning I place them on the stove over medium heat with 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp coconut cream. Cook while stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes and it’s done. My 2 yr old son and I eat them just like that… delicious and no added sugar.
Carolyn
This sounds yummy. Is there a flour high in phytic acid that is gluten free?
Thanks!
Carolyn
Holly S.
Question– I am wondering if it is important to also soak beans/legumes with something acidic the same way you to with grains? I soaked some chickpeas last night with a bit of apple cider vinegar and they seemed to cook pretty quickly (I need them tonight so I did not have time to sprout like I normally do).
Alchemille
I follow you on the question regarding legumes and acidity in soaking water…I’m starting to cook more beans and lentils because 1/I’m trying to stay away for canned ones (even though they are practical) and 2/I can’t find all the varieties I’m interested in, especially heirlooms.
My previous question way above was “Do you soak whole/flaked/cracked gluten free grains as well?” and “Is acidity required as well?” (I like oats but I don’t like having the same thing for breakfast everyday).
Thanks ;).
KimiHarris
Two more Q & A’s:
Soaking beans. To get a full answer, check out this post from Weston A Price Foundation. http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/cooking-legumes.html
I don’t always use an acidic addition simply because I am afraid of it making the beans tough (it’s happened once or twice). Still experimenting there!
Gluten free Grains and Flours: Yes, most of them have at least some phytic acid. Rice and millet are low in phytic acid, though they definitely benefit still from a soaking period. Take teff for example. It is traditionally used to make a teff bread that it soaked for three days!
Hope that helps! Thanks for the great questions.
Noelle
I’ll definitely try this one. I’ve been using a little kefir and it’s just too tart for some of my kids’ taste.
Karen T.
We do “breakfast for dinner” every Wednesday. Last semester it was eggs & toast. This semester it has been oatmeal. I make “pumpkin pie oatmeal”…which has pumpkin, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice plus the regular oatmeal stand-bys. We’ll never eat it another way again!
Rosy
Try soaking it with a vanilla bean one time. That is some good stuff. Add a little cinnamin, and that is the best oatmeal ever. I can’t buy vanilla beans all the time, and extract isn’t as nice.
Jen
The best oatmeal takes less than 5 minutes. You just pulse rolled oats in a spice/coffee grinder until powdered. Add to water (1 part oatmeal : 2 parts water) with a little salt and bring to a boil. Stir for a minute or so until thickened.
Voila, perfect oatmeal, no soaking or lemon juice required.
KimiHarris
Hi Jen,
Sounds good! The only thing is that the reason that I soak my oatmeal isn’t simply because it takes a shorter amount of time to cook (though that is a plus!). But rather it is because of the nutritional advantages of soaking. 🙂
D
I got this cooking method for steel-cut oats from a magazine:
1 cup steel-cut oats
4 cups water
Combine oats and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and put a lid to cover. Let sit overnight or you can let sit for about 5 hours. Next moring or 5 hours later, bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and it is done! You can sweetened to taste, if desired.
I then let it cool completely and portion it into serving-size containers or you can eat it right away. In the morning, I put one serving-size portion into a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. I add sliced bananas, toasted unsweetened coconut and/or toasted nuts and eat it with soy milk. Very delicious and satisfying.
kellyne
MMMMM! I soaked whole oat groats, used coconut milk to cook them in and added tiny slices of banana so that it got a nice whipped texture (suggestion of Kath Eats Real Food Blog who has a never ending list of suggestions for making truly scrumptious oatmeal that you can modify as needed). Then added a pinch of salt…this was a like my favorite Thai dessert. So good! Not to mention nutritious, filling and frugal…thanks for reminding me that oatmeal is out there Kimi!
Chiot's Run
I prefer oat groats, we soak them overnight with a little apple cider vinegar. YUM YUM. We also cook a week’s worth in a big pot and warm it up each morning. We usually add flax, raisins, crystalized ginger, cinnamon, coconut milk & some nuts the next morning after we warm it.
Suzy
The way I have been making my oatmeal on my busy mornings is as follows:
I bring a 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup whole milk to a boil (I realized that cooking the oatmeal in some milk makes it taste much more flavorful and less watery), then add 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats and a sprinkle of sea salt. I then cook it for about 5 minutes until it looks creamy. Then I add a couple of good dashes of cinnamon (it adds so much good flavor), a 1/2 tablespoon of raw honey, and some organic raisins and chopped raw walnuts. Then I add a little bit more whole milk too cool it down. It’s delicious!
Sometimes I like to substitute the walnut and raisins with dried cranberries and sliced almonds. It tastes really good too.
I’ve also heard of banana-peanut butter oatmeal, but I haven’t tried it yet. It sounds really good though! You just add a spoon of creamy peanut butter and sliced banana into your ready oatmeal. I have to try this soon!
If your a chocolate lover, try adding some cocoa powder to your oatmeal when it’s done. My friend (who’s a chocoholic) loves her oatmeal this way.
Tonight I’m going to take out my steel-cut oats that have been hiding in the back of my cupboard (because I rarely have the time to wait 30 minutes for it to cook) and soak them for tomorrow! I’m really excited to try it out. =)
Thanks for another wonderful post!
carole
Bear with me, I just found this site last night after hearing about “soaking” on another blog. I grind our flour at home in our vita-mix. All this time, I’ve been doing this (and adding in flax seed to increase the nutritional value). From what I understand after all these posts, we have been missing out on a lot of nutrients??
So in order to make pancakes or waffles, which we LOVE, I should grind the wheat the night before and let it soak in lemon water and then use that mixture as the flour in the recipe???
Someone please help- I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start- did I mention that my hubby eats oats everyday for breakfast? So that’s part 2…..help???
Cook 4 Seasons
Love this dialog! I’ve been soaking my grains for years, but never oats , I guess because I felt they would be too mushy by morning. Not so! They are just heavenly – and with so many flavor choices, depending on my mood: chocolate, coconut, almond, vanilla, hazelnut. And speaking of mood – sometimes I sprinkle a bit of maca powder on top. I might even try something green for St. Patty’s Day:)
Donna
I was introduced to your website by my daughter a few weeks ago and have enjoyed the blog very much. I was interested in Weston Price’s outlook on eating for years now and have the Nourishing Traditions book. I never got into soaking grains and am trying the oatmeal this morning. If I understand it correctly, we are not trying to remove the phytic acid, just break it down so that the nutrients are released. Is this correct? I was very leery about making oatmeal this way because my husband is very picky and loves his oatmeal. Well, we just got done eating it and we both loved it. I put 2T of dairy kefir while soaking and was wondering if the 2T stands for anything that you add for an acidic agent. When we were done eating, he said “Now that was good!” Yeh!!
Jana
Is it okay to soak grains in stainless steel (pan for oatmeal or mixing bowl for bread), or should it be in glass? I’m interested in one less pan to wash! 🙂
Carly
Hi!
I didn’t read all of the responses- but it seemed most cooked their oats. I LOVE to buy organic raw oat groats. I soak them overnight- I’ve used water- I will be trying coconut milk however next. Anyway- next morning (when using water to soak)- I rinse my groats and toss them into my vita- mix with coconut milk and wa la- my little 4 year old LOVES them as do my husband and I. To sweeten we add a little maple syrup and I like to add fresh raspberries- and sometimes bananas. I love that it has not been cooked and I get to benefit from uncooked raw food!
lynnita Ellis
Hi:
I have a vitamix too. Is the oatmeal hard and difficult to swallow if uncooked?
Lynnita
JK
If soaking is to eliminate the phytic acids, should we discard the soaking water?
Is it OK not to boil the oatmeal but eat them with fruits & dried fruits after soaking, like the Birscher Muesli Recipes?
Tks!
JK
Liana
I also soak my oatmeal overnight in milk (I’ll try yoghurt from now), already adding raisins and crushed Brazil nuts to the mix. I just top up if needed in the morning and eat, never cooking it beforehand…Is that ok??
PA
I tried soaking my oatmeal overnight-yuck! I hate slimy oatmeal. It was not as slimy as what I was fed as a child but it was slimy. I normally, drop a few date bits in my water, add the oatmeal and take it off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes. With soaking, I tried heating the water, pouring it over the soaked oatmeal, letting it sit a few minutes to warm up but it was still slimy. I dropped oatmeal mush out of my diet! If anyone has a way to do it without it being slimy, let me know! Going to oat groats as some have done in the above blogs may be the way to go. But I do love oatmeal. I understand that occassionally you should eat unsoaked grains (removes minerals from body that aren’t needed). Maybe oatmeal will be my occassional unsoaked grain!
PA
Jen
All right Kimi, you’re a genius. I’ve been converted. I always hated oatmeal–I wanted to like it, I really did, but the whole slimeyness factor was a big point of consternation. I’d never tried soaking the oats, though, and it made a big difference. It was creamy rather than slimey, and there was still nice oaty texture to it. With some butter and a bit of maple syrup, it tasted just like my favorite oatmeal cookies. I’m still amazed at how much the oats swell up…1/2 cup doesn’t sound like a big serving, until you see it sitting in the bowl the next morning, about to take over the kitchen! 🙂
Bob
Rolled oats are heated during the rolling process (steamed). This heat destroys the phytase enzyme that is needed to remove phytic acid from the soaked oats.
So if you are using rolled oats, the soaking still does not remove phytic acid. To overcome this small amounts of wheat or buckwheat can be added to the soak. These grains have the phytase enzyme need to remove the phytic acid from the mix.
Alternatively used whole groats or pin oats (cut groats).