Gingerbread Oatmeal

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Sweet, creamy, and full of warm, cozy flavors of gingerbread cookies, this gingerbread oatmeal is a delicious way to start your day! It’s a super simple breakfast made with only a handful of ingredients and comes together on the stove in less than 20 minutes.

While overnight oats are a quick grab-and-go breakfast option, there’s something about a hot bowl of oatmeal that just hits the spot in the winter months. I’m obsessed with this gingerbread oatmeal as it’s warm, cozy, and it feels like I’m eating cookies for breakfast! Once you take a bite, you’ll see why I’m in love.

Overhead view of a bowl of gingerbread oatmeal topped with gingerbread cookies, pecans, and almond butter with a spoon inserted.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I love the warm and cozy flavors of gingerbread cookies! This oatmeal is pretty much a replica of that but with fiber and protein!
It comes together really quickly on the stovetop but it also keeps and reheats well if you don’t have the 20 minutes to spare in the morning.
Oatmeal is a pretty budget-friendly ingredient, and if you’ve made gingerbread cookies in the past, you’ll probably have all the spices ready to go in your pantry!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make gingerbread oatmeal.

rolled oats — make sure you are using old-fashioned rolled oats for this oatmeal recipe. Instant oats/quick oats cook much quicker and steel cut oats take a while, so you’ll have to adjust the cooking time. Oats are a great source of complex carbohydrates and are high in fiber, giving you energy. You can read more about the benefits of oats here.
maple syrup – make sure you sweeten the oatmeal with maple syrup and not pancake syrup. Maple syrup comes straight from trees, whereas pancake syrup is usually made with corn syrup.
vanilla — I use real vanilla extract.
gingerbread spices — to replicate the flavors of gingerbread, you’ll need some ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice.
brown sugar — using some dark brown sugar in the oatmeal will add a deeper flavor with notes of caramel and toffee.
molasses — make sure you are using unsulphured molasses and not blackstrap molasses.
milk & water — you can use any type of milk you have on hand.

How to Make Gingerbread Oatmeal

Set of two photos showing dry ingredients and water added to a sauce pan.

Add the rolled oats, maple syrup, vanilla, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, brown sugar, molasses, and water to a saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes while stirring frequently.

Set of two photos showing milk added to oatmeal and

Lower the heat and stir in the milk.
Continue to stir and simmer on low for another 4 to 5 minutes or until the oatmeal has thickened to your liking.

Overhead view of a bowl of gingerbread oatmeal topped with gingerbread cookies, pecans, and almond butter.

Recipe Tips and Notes

One of my favorite things to do is garnish oatmeal! I love adding a couple of gingerbread cookies, a handful of pecans, and a dollop of nut butter to my gingerbread oatmeal.
I like to add the milk near to end to minimize the odds of the milk scalding in the pot.
Feel free to adjust the amount of water and milk if you want a thinner oatmeal. More liquid will make it more thin and more milk will make it creamier.

Oatmeal Topping Ideas

Want to add some toppings to your gingerbread oatmeal, but you’re not sure what to add? Here are sine ideas:

Jam: I love the added sweetness of stirring some jam into the oatmeal.
Fresh fruit: what’s not to love about some fruit? Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mango, kiwi, and bananas make for a great topping.
Dried fruit: a great alternative to fresh fruit is dried fruit! Try some chopped dates, dried apricots, raisins, and more.
Granola, nuts, or seeds: granola, chopped nuts (like pecans or walnuts), or seeds (like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds) add a great crunch to your oatmeal. Try my homemade lemon poppyseed granola! I also love adding hemp seeds since they’re quite good for you!
Yogurt: add a dollop of Greek yogurt to boost the protein in this oatmeal.
Chocolate: breakfast is better with chocolate, lol. Mini chocolate chips, chocolate curls, chopped chocolate, or cacao nibs are a delicious addition!
Hemp hearts: for some extra healthy goodness, you can add a sprinkle of hemp hearts!

Make Ahead Tips

Meal prep: store the cooked gingerbread oatmeal without any toppings in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge once it’s cooled to room temperature. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop. I like to add a splash of milk when reheating on the stovetop to loosen it up.
Freezer: allow the oatmeal to cool before transferring it into an airtight container before storing in the freezer.

Should I cook the oatmeal in water or milk?

I use a combination of both water and milk for oatmeal. The milk adds flavor and creaminess that water can’t provide.

How do I prevent the oatmeal from sticking to the pan?

Make sure you lower the heat after the first simmered with water and stir frequently. This is not a recipe you can walk away from, as the oatmeal can burn and stick to the side of the pan.