Do you ever wish for an overflowing oatmeal bowl?
As opposed to the measly amount you get from one serving of oats? If you answered “yes” to the above, then the Voluminous Oatmeal Trick is for you!
*Ends sales pitch*
What is the Voluminous Oatmeal Trick?
The idea is to add more than the recommended liquid to the oats, prior to cooking. Then you can either microwave or cook on the stovetop, but stop before all the water is absorbed. Come back the next day (or a few hours later), and all the liquid has been absorbed, leaving you with pillow-soft oats that are double the size of regular oats!
Step One: Measure out one serving of dry oats (40g). I also add 1/4 tsp salt.
Step Two: Add a little over 1 1/2 cups liquid (I add 400g).
Step Three: Microwave or cook on the stove, but stop before all the water is absorbed. (I microwave for 4 1/2 minutes, then leave in the closed microwave for 5 more minutes. You might have to watch if for the last minute, and stop and start the microwave, so it doesn’t spill over. It depends on your microwave’s wattage.)
Step Four: Put in the fridge, uncovered. When you return the next day (or a few hours later), the watery mess above will have magically turned into 2 cups-worth of pillowy, voluminous oats! Now, I am strange and like my oatmeal cold (like pudding!). But if you want it hot, you can still re-heat the next day. Re-heat it just until it gets hot, and the volume will stay. Troubleshooting Note: Microwave wattages vary, and therefore if your oats haven’t thickened up by the next day it probably means you need to cook them longer next time.
Try this trick on any of the following:
Bella says
13th July 2011 at 4:37 amHey katie, if wont go bad uncovered right?
Also, im using stove top (no microwave dont ask y lol) and theres a white foam ..?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
13th July 2011 at 11:40 amSorry, I’ve never used the stovetop. But I think the white foam is just the starch coming to the top. And yes, leave it uncovered overnight.
Tiffany says
22nd August 2011 at 4:39 amEvery time I try the trick, my oats never absorb all the liquid: they’re a watery mess! Too soupy. Is it possible to under-cook the oats which result in soup?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
22nd August 2011 at 10:14 amHow long do you cook the oats? (And do you use the microwave or stove?) And what brand oats do you use, and how much?
Tiffany says
24th August 2011 at 3:53 amI used two kinds: Bob’s Red Mill steel cut and rolled oats. The rolled oats was the one I wrote about. I used about 1/4 cup oats to 1 cup water and microwaved it for 2 minutes (any more than that and it’ll boil over/dry up ) and the oats, though there were “alot,” was pretty soupy. Now the steel cut oats were tougher. In short, I just don’t know how long to cook the steel cut oats for ( the rolled oats too), because if there’s water left they look undercooked, so after they sit I nuke them again, but then there’s little water left and there’s little change in volume. Gah! I just want voluminous oats without raw oats and soupy-ness!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
24th August 2011 at 9:40 amI can only vouch that it works if you follow my recipe exactly. Do try it that way before giving up :). Also, I would think steel-cut oats would never work.
Tiffany says
24th August 2011 at 3:25 pmYes ma’am! I will try again tonight! Why won’t steel cut oats work? It kind of doubled in volume for me but I think it’s because I heated the water separately then added the oats. I just don’t know if they’re properly cooked or not ( I’m new to them).
Tiffany says
31st August 2011 at 11:36 pmAhh it worked! I think I microwaved it a bit too much because the resulting oats looked a bit dry, but a little extra milk made it perfect! I had a huge bowl of carrot cake oatmeal. Howeveeer I’m not a fan of the mushiness of rolled oats so I experimented with steeI-cut oats.The process is longer than the rolled oats since I had to heat the water prior to adding the oats, and I also had to stir and cook it again, BUT it was a success! My oats doubled in size! Now I enjoy my chewy oatmeal. Thank-you! I now have an (un)healthy obsession with oatmeal.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
1st September 2011 at 12:09 amOoh so cool to know it works with steel-cut oats. I might need to try that! 🙂
Jenni says
24th August 2011 at 8:18 amYour recipes are wonderful! I have been thoroughly enjoying your voluminous ice cream (with peanut butter yum!) Just wondering… I don’t do the best on oats but use amaranth sometimes… could this recipe be adapted using amaranth flakes? If so do you have any recommendations?
Thanks!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
24th August 2011 at 9:43 amThe only way to find out is to try! I do know that it will work (slightly adapted) with spelt flakes, but that kamut flakes won’t absorb enough of the water. But I’ve never tried amaranth. If you do try it, let me know!
Mike says
13th September 2011 at 4:15 amDon’t you find when you microwave them for 4.5 minutes your oats are overflowing in the pan? even with 1/4 tsp salt it still does this for me. Any suggestions?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
13th September 2011 at 9:01 amI use a tall pyrex, and I microwave 3.5 minutes without watching at all. After that, I microwave a minute more, watching very closely! If it starts to overflow (which sometimes happens when there are around 20 seconds to go), I open the microwave very quickly and then keep microwaving in ten-second increments, stopping and starting again after the oats go back down. Then I leave it in the closed microwave for 5 minutes before transferring to the fridge.
Erin says
13th September 2011 at 8:09 pmman . . .I can’t til I get paid so I can try this!
Also, this is completely irreverent, but I love your blog. I am 5’4 and weigh about 135 or 140, and am somewhat overweight. I have struggled with various diets, starved myself for days, abused laxatives to such a degree that my digestive system no longer works correctly, and to no avail. However, I realized I was merely trying to make myself look ‘skinny’, as to please others, and didn’t care how I felt. I now realize that that was my problem. I walk nearly 10 miles a day now, do over 300 jumping jacks, eat healthier whenever I can, I still haven’t lost much weight, but I feel much better about myself.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
13th September 2011 at 10:14 pmAww Erin, thank you so much for this comment! Sometimes (a lot of times!) I get bogged down in caring about what others think of me (and my weight) and I need to remember that it really isn’t important what others think. YOU are the only one who needs to be happy with you. I’m so glad you’ve learned that… I need to learn it too. You can’t ever please everyone, so you have to be healthy for you. Thanks for the reminder 🙂 :).
Melissa says
2nd February 2012 at 1:27 amTardy to the party here… you’re not overweight. At all.
I am the same height about around 130-135 and my BMI is 22ish.
22 is super healthy. You aren’t overweight until you hit 25.1 or higher.
You are technically, scientifically a very healthy weight for your height.
Just saying. It freaks me out to hear someone my size saying they are overweight.
I’m a size 4! You must be similar. That’s not overweight! 😉 I also have EDNOS tendencies and yeah, you’re not overweight. Neither am I. (need to chant this to myself now since seeing my stats linked to “overweight” triggered the hell outta me!)
Edward says
1st October 2011 at 10:18 pmOh my gosh! I do the EXACT same thing! 😀
Add more water, fridge overnight and eat next morning.
Guilt free binging!
judice says
7th October 2011 at 4:44 pmaww that sound awesome! gotta try but ive just got millet flakes @ home… do you think those might do it as well?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
8th October 2011 at 10:01 amI’ve never tried millet flakes. I don’t even know what they look like… they sound interesting!
judice says
8th October 2011 at 10:30 amso im gonna try and tell then thx 🙂
Teresa says
12th October 2011 at 1:00 amHi
I love your recipes. I am trying to reduce sugar intake while still getting my “sweet tooth” fix, and I love your voluminous oatmeal with fruit for the sweet factor.
But for those of use watching sodium, does the salt help with the volume or is it just a taste thing?
Thanks!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
12th October 2011 at 1:06 amI’m pretty sure it’d still be ok (volume-wise) without the salt. I just add it for flavor :). I don’t actually know if it does anything to the water!
margot says
14th October 2011 at 3:37 amThis just makes me so sad. If you want a “voluminous” bowl of oatmeal, just double the serving. Put whatever you want in your bowl. How weird to have a size trick regarding oatmeal of all things! Of all the ways there are to watch calories and portion size, I certainly don’t think oatmeal is critical. Food tricks like this make me worry about fostering women’s eating disorders.
Jenny says
5th February 2012 at 5:03 amThat’s great for you, honestly, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Some people don’t WANT to eat that much at once and some people may not be able to eat that much at once and lose weight. The way I make this (with soy milk, a full banana, and two tablespoons of peanut butter) I’m already at 550 calories. That doesn’t even include side items like extra fruit or a smoothie. I don’t really need the extra oats, but I love the texture.
I’m not currently working on losing weight, but if you’re eating 1500 calories per day to lose weight (a number that is totally reasonable and can be healthy) then a 550 calorie breakfast is just fine. 700 might be pushing it. It’s all up to the individual. I think if you want extra food, you should add extra oats. If you don’t want extra food, but you do want the texture etc., then there’s no harm in trying this.
I totally agree that we need to be careful about things like body image and eating disorders, etc. but there’s nothing wrong with making an old favorite in a new way. Just my two cents. I don’t feel like she’s framing it in an unhealthy way. I definitely don’t think it’s something to be sad over.
Moni says
27th October 2011 at 5:06 pmThis was soo helpful. Oatmeal used to never satisfy me but after this trick it really is never ending . I love it!
P.S. I love your blog
Anni says
30th October 2011 at 8:25 pmDo you use quick oats or only regular oats!??!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
31st October 2011 at 9:13 amYou can do the trick with quick oats, but I’d use less liquid.
Jasmin says
15th November 2011 at 9:50 pmHey,
I just discovered your website. It’s so great, i love your recipes! I’m from Germany, so some ingredients
I can’t find in our supermarket, e.g. coconut butter. Anyway, I want to try looooooots of recipes!
I love oats and just prepared the voluminous oatmeal trick for tomorrow’s breakfast. Already curious about the outcome ^^
Jasmin says
16th November 2011 at 8:46 amit’s soooo awesome! Just enjoying it right now! I added rasberries and , cinnamon and cocoa powder. deeeeeeeeeeeeelicous!
Chris says
21st November 2011 at 7:08 pmKatie,
I am a relatively new reader and really enjoy reading your recipes. Hope I get to try more of them very soon! You may have heard about this but I do something similar and it really makes my oats stretch and (according to some) makes them more healthy too. I soak my oats overnight according the the Nourishing Traditions way (see book with the same name) with an acid like yogurt, whey, or apple cider vinegar. This makes them quick and easy to cook and really increases their volume and digestibility.
I also wanted to tell you I made a 4x batch of your apple cinnamon boatmeal for our family yesterday. They worked great in a regular muffin pan when we baked them. I think it made 10. Since I used soaked oats I just drained them out little and didn’t add any milk or water just applesauce, rapadura, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Thanks and keep up the good work! 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
21st November 2011 at 8:39 pmHi Chris!
Thanks for the fun comment… I’ve never actually tried soaking my oats, but maybe I should because I know a lot of people say it adds a fun flavor and texture.
And thanks for letting me know that the boatmeals work in muffin tins. Someone actually asked me that yesterday, and I didn’t have an answer because I hadn’t tried it!
Rachel says
5th December 2011 at 10:52 pmHi Katie,
You could also just add more oats! 1/3 cup isn’t even a full serving, a half a cup is! But with your metabolism, you could even double that. Then you’d REALLY have voluminous oats! It would probably keep you full for longer too, since you aren’t filling up on water. I am trying to gain weight as well, and a piddly 100ish calories for breakfast definitely won’t help us, haha! Oh, and you could also make them with milk instead to make them even creamier. (and extra healthy calories). I know that you said you would like to gain weight the healthy way, and oats are healthy AND delicious! So eat up girl! 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
5th December 2011 at 11:58 pmHi Rachel,
LOL I would never eat just 1/3 cup oats for breakfast ;). I run a blog where a lot of my readers are looking to fill up for fewer calories, and so I often try to include lower-cal ideas for them. But it doesn’t mean I, myself, use these ideas. Personally, I usually DO eat 1 and 1/2 servings of oats (as I wrote in my Snickerdoodle Oatmeal post I published awhile back). And I always have nut butters and other such things with my oats as well. I eat huge breakfasts :).
(Same goes for my other recipes– for example, I offer applesauce as an option for some of my recipes, but I usually use the oil option when cooking for myself.)
Judy @ JudiBakes says
6th January 2012 at 4:27 pmI tried this trick for the first time & I am in LOVE!!
I was skeptical, how can 40g of oatmeal make a bowl full??
My mom always made a pan full of oatmeal with just one cup of oatmeal but she let it slow cook in the slow cooker for hours.
It always tastes sooo good!! way better than microwaving oats with milk & then eating it right away.
This is easier and quicker (well it has to sit, but you can make it the night before & its done when you wake up!) It’s so creamy (and i used 1/2 water, and 1/2 milk with 1 tbsp of non dairy creamer)
I will be using this trick way more!! It fills you up too!!
Thanks!!!
I’m not vegan, but I love all your recipes & I will feature this recipe on my blog with a link to yours.
Victoria says
5th February 2012 at 11:58 amWon’t the oatmeal absorb all the taste from the fridge? I’ve tried this today and it was all watery and not very yummy. My dad covered it though, so it wasn’t in the fridge uncovered, is it because of that?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
5th February 2012 at 1:15 pmAs it says in the recipe, it needs to stay uncovered to work.
Victoria says
5th February 2012 at 6:05 pmBut won’t it taste like the fridge? 😀 Thank you for your answer, I love your blog and could stay on it for hours.
Katy says
9th February 2012 at 2:01 pmThis method is AMAZING with some added cocoa powder and sweetener/sugar! The chocolate gets extra-melty and it’s like eating a molten chocolate oatmeal cake for breakfast. Mmmmmm nothing wrong with that…
Lindsay says
20th February 2012 at 9:14 pmhey katie!
I LOVE YOU FOR MAKING THIS!!!! <3 I like mixing in some peanut butter! <3
Sara says
27th February 2012 at 3:27 amHey Katie! Love your recipes- they’ve changed my life! Quick question. If you cook the voluminous oatmeal overnight, how do you incorporate it to all the oatmeal recipes in the morning. I specifically want to try it with the 5 minute chocolate oatmeal. Any help would be great! Thanks:)
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
27th February 2012 at 12:25 pmHi Sara,
I actually don’t use the voluminous oatmeal trick for that recipe. I cook that one on the stovetop.
Anonymous says
12th March 2012 at 3:10 amThanks for the response! Can you suggest how I can incorporate the voluminous oatmeal trick with any of your other oatmeal recipes? Im confused how to cook the next day with the already pile of voluminous oats. Thanks so much, Katie!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
12th March 2012 at 10:40 amJust add the other ingredients in to the already-cooked oats. I like my oats cold, but you can re-heat if you wish :).
Erin says
29th February 2012 at 7:08 amHi! I know this is an older post, but I just found your website a few days ago. I cannot tell you how amazing this tidbit is for me! I always had a love/hate relationship with oatmeal. I’ll like it for awhile but then I just can’t stand it. However, I always made it that morning..and after awhile I just can’t eat it anymore. I don’t even care about the volume. Doing this makes it so creamy and amazing that I feel like I’m eating something bad for me! No wonder you like it cold like pudding, because it tastes so sinful you’d think it is. In this form I don’t even want sugar in it anymore!
Angela says
5th March 2012 at 8:30 amCant wait to try your oatmeal recipe! I love oatmeal and I also eat it cold not only because I think it taste better but I seem to have a problem with reflux if I eat it hot but it never bothers me when I eat it cold. I thouought I was weird also eating my oatmeal cold. Glad to know I’m not the only one who likes cold oatmeal. Thanks for all the great recipes!! sooo glad I found you!!
Sabrina says
27th April 2012 at 6:33 amKatie,
I’ve tried this recipe 6 times now but I can’t seem to get it right. Granted, the first three times I was using quick oats, so that explains that mess-up. But I’ve tried rolled oats and followed the directions as you said, except, that on the back of my rolled oats it said to cook for 5-6 min. on 50% power, so I cooked them on 50% power for 4:30 minutes and the oats were extremely watery in the fridge when I came back the next day. Should I be cooking them for 4:30 minutes on full power instead? (Just FYI I’m using Wegman’s brand rolled oats, )
The directions for Quaker rolled oats in the microwave are as follows:
Combine water, oats and salt in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes. Stir before serving.
The directions for Wegman’s brand rolled oats in the microwave are as follows:
Cook for 5-6 min. on 50% power.
Should I just try using the Quaker rolled oats (not quick) and cooking them in the microwave on regular power for 4:30 minutes? (who knew rolled oats could differ among brands so much???)
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
19th June 2012 at 12:24 pmFull power, yes :). And regular, not quick.
Sabrina says
27th April 2012 at 6:56 amPlease ignore my previous ridiculously long comment.
Ok so I just realized I’m a dummy and the point is to cook the oats fully and then some to absorb some of the extra water and I’ve pretty much been doing the exact opposite. Tomorrow I will go out and buy my third tub of oats (Quaker) and follow your directions exactly. Please let me know if I got it right this time!
I wish I hadn’t wasted all those oats! I would’ve gladly eaten them except that I’m on ww and I’m pretty sure they discourage eating your weight in oats.
Camie says
2nd May 2012 at 1:52 amI am soooo impressed by you! Whenever I click on a great idea on Pinterest….guess who’s blog I am redirected to! Thank you for sharing your ideas. I am new to the “healthy” eating. I went to the Dr. and found that I am in basically good shape other than my cholesterol is slightly high…it inspired me to get healthy! I am right around the corner! I love this idea and the cold oatmeal in the fridge. (along with many more you have) I had some cold oatemal with pineapple reminded me of rice pudding 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
2nd May 2012 at 2:43 amAw lol you just made me smile so much :).
sam says
9th May 2012 at 12:56 amhey katie! i try theese oats all the time bc i love oats and who wouldnt want to eat a gigantic bowl! however i cant seem to get this to work! it never absorbs all the water any tips or ideas?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
9th May 2012 at 12:19 pmUse less water, cook longer, and make sure you’re leaving the oats uncovered.
sam says
9th May 2012 at 9:37 pmi will def give this a tr! thank katie! LOVE YOUR BLOG! your seriously amazing! such an inspiration! youve helped me in more ways than you know. your helping me on my road to recovery and getting over my fear of healthy fats! thanks so much for everything
Trish @ MyBigFatBundt says
20th May 2012 at 7:59 pmI used your voluminous oatmeal trick and combined it with flavor inspiration from your coconut cookie baked oatmeal, which I didn’t bake obviously, and had an amazing breakfast. Blogged about just now and included appropriate link-backs to your pages!
http://www.mybigfatbundt.blogspot.com/2012/05/volunious-mounds-bar-oatmeal-gluten.html
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
21st May 2012 at 12:50 amOh no! It says there’s a server error. Is it my computer?? In any case, I’m so honored and happy you tried it!
Trish @ MyBigFatBundt says
22nd May 2012 at 2:51 amAhhh, poopy. I tried my link and I was able to access my blog. Perhaps it was just being fussy when you tried? I’ll post again underneath. Either way, there are a few different links, going back to your site and the appropriate postings.
http://www.mybigfatbundt.blogspot.com/2012/05/volunious-mounds-bar-oatmeal-gluten.html
xoxo
Rosa says
30th May 2012 at 8:14 pmHello Katie,
I just wanted to say thank you for your voluminous oatmeal trick. I couldn’t get the microwave method to work for me becaue it kept spilling over in my microwave! Instead, I did your alternative approach and heated it up at a low boil for 4-5 minutes, then let it sit for the 5-10 you suggested. The outcome is such a nice, substantial portion that the extra bit of effort is definitely worth it! I have enjoyed skimming through your website and look forward to trying your other recipes! Your pleasant and enthusiastic approach towards healthy eating is very contagious. I will be visiting regularly for that reason. =)
Lauren says
19th June 2012 at 10:28 amIt doesn’t seem to work for me… I put it in the microwave, but it doesn’t seem to absorb all of the water. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
19th June 2012 at 10:52 amDo you cook it long enough? And leave it uncovered overnight in the fridge?
Lauren says
19th June 2012 at 11:45 amNormally I cook my oatmeal for 2 1/2 minutes in the microwave, but that didn’t work. I think there was too much water left. Then I cooked it for 4 1/2 minutes and it had absorbed more water, but still the next morning hadn’t absorbed enough water.
Sheliza says
27th June 2012 at 8:08 pmI’m a new visitor to your blog and must say I can’t get enough of the wonderful recipes you have concocted! I am currently in the process of making this oatmeal recipe with peanut butter and banana for dinner tonight (my hubby has taught me that breakfast for dinner = the spreading of warm, ooey, gooey comforting feelings throughout body). Thanks for such great recipes and keep up the excellent work!
Beth says
23rd July 2012 at 12:36 pmWow – tried this for breakfast (left the pats soaking overnight) and it produced the biggest bowl of delicious oatmeal, took me forever to eat and filled me right up! Usually I am always tempted by a second bowl! This is going to become my new breakfast ritual!
Leila says
21st September 2012 at 8:17 amhey katie! i’ve tried this trick a gazillion times though it never seems to turn out the way it should be. i’d do as instructed and when i take the oats out of the microwave it would still have excess liquid so i’d put it in the microwave an extra minute or 2 and it’d come out still not liquid-free! and the oats would get jello-ey the next morning after refrigerating (uncovered). help!
m says
23rd October 2012 at 9:58 amThank you so much for this fantastic way of preparing oats!! I’ve tried this recipe before, unsuccessfully ): and was just about to give up when I decided to try it in the microwave rather than the stovetop – perfect!! Creamy, fluffy oats, and a huge bowl of them too! I think everyone should definetly try making it in the microwave because thats what makes the oats so fluffy. Also, I omitted the salt and they turned out fine!! This was fantastic!!!!
Dana Ottaviani says
31st October 2013 at 7:23 pmCould you please tell me what you did in order to not use any salt, I’d rather not use any at all in order to make this delicious recipe.
Nikki says
14th January 2013 at 10:01 pmHey Katie, have you tried this using other grains, such as barley flakes, a mixed grain cereal, millet, buckwheat, etc.? Or what about oat bran?
Nikki says
17th January 2013 at 5:47 pmQuick follow-up (#1)
I used this trick on an 8-grain flake blend and it seems to have worked… I haven’t eaten it yet, but I can tell by how it feels and looks that it will be good…. only problem I had was my discovery of ‘the coldest spot in my fridge’ leading to my creation being partially frozen. Ha! Oh well, this babby is destined to not only be voluminous, but also blended!! Double CCK-oatmeal-trick goodness! (Will be blending with a banana and some peanut flour…. and if I’m feeling generous, some raspberries too… though I might want to hold off on those so that they are extra special in my pancakes I am also making today!!)
If Only I didn’t feel guilty about eating so many grains…. I try not to, but I can’t seem to let myself have them more than twice a day before feeling like it is unhealthy…. I think I need to work on this!!
Nick Topete says
30th January 2013 at 9:31 pmHey Katie,
I love all your oatmeal recopies! They make breakfast so much more fun. I just had a question about the Voluminous Oatmeal recipe. I was just wondering if you have ever used milk or if the trick only works with water? Because I have tried it twice and I don’t think I got it to work. The first I tried with with all whole milk, and the second, half whole milk half water and the same result. Maybe I am doing something else wrong? Thanks!
Esmer says
5th March 2013 at 12:14 amI was wondering… since microwaves (and cooking times) vary so much, could you cook the oats normally so you know they’re done, then heat up and add the extra water?
Rita Santos says
8th March 2013 at 10:51 pmHi Katie! Firstly, I would liek to say that I LOVE your blog and cannot wait to try out more of these delicious recipes! Now what I wanted to ask you is regarding the water absorsion of the oats, because I have tried this out today and my oats have been in the fridge for about 8 hours and I just checked on them and most of the water has been absorbed and they have thickened up a bit on the bottom but there is still quite a bit of water on the top. So I don’t think it will fully absorb until tomorrow morning, so what can I do different next time for them to come out perfect? Oh and I used 40g of oats with 400g of water and added a pinch of salt and a tsp of brown sugar; then microwved it in Medium for about 4 minutes, and then another 5 minutes more. Then I put it in the fridge, uncovered, until now and till tomorrow morning. Continue on with the awesome blog!
Love,
Rita 🙂
Melody says
30th March 2013 at 2:12 amHey katie! Before I try this, do you only cook the oats 4 1/2 minutes and let it sit in the microwave for 5 minutes with no heat? Or do you continue to cook for 5 minutes.
marta says
30th March 2013 at 4:26 amWeird question – but is there any way to make “bulk” voluminous oats. I’ve become obsessed and make them almost every night! Would love to save some time by making a big batch for a week?? is it possible??
janelle says
11th April 2013 at 9:45 amYou are a brilliant lady!!
i just tried this trick!
With 25g of oats + 1 cup of water, microwave for 3 mins (it did overflow cause i didnt check on it neither did i cover it, but no fuss for a little clean up), waited for 5mins before opening the microwave, dumped it into the fridge. And just half an hour before i tuck in, i put it into the freezer cause i like it extra cold!
Topped it off with your mashed banana sweetener trick, together with thinly sliced apple and a dash of cinnamon, vanilla protein (to boost the protein) and flaxseed meal (to make it more filling and sticky, i mean the oatmeal was already super creamy anw).
Absolutely stunning meal for breakfast! (okie i had it for lunch actually but still)
Im so thankful 🙂
Sunrunner says
20th April 2013 at 6:52 pmKatie, thank you so much for all of your yummy, nutritious and nurturing recipes. I have been recovering from an eating disorder for three years now and your website has been one of the gifts that has contributed to my continued path of recovery. Re-teaching myself to listen to, feed and nurture my body has been the most difficult part of my recovery–angels like you are one of the main reasons why I have not had a major relapse. Thank you so much for your awesome blog. You’re such an inspiration!
Ivy says
25th April 2013 at 1:36 pmMy oats exploded for the second day in a row in the microwave, so I google trick to microwaving oats. And your post came up–and I already follow you so duh! Anyway, I made the oats yesterday after work, and had a delicious breakfast this morning. Thank you so much! I still think the oats would probably cook better on the stove top, so maybe I’ll try that today. Any difference if you use steel-cut oats? I have those, too, and it would be nice to use them.
Ivy says
25th April 2013 at 1:40 pmOh, I found some info on steel-cut oats in the comments. Thanks!
Chrissy says
28th April 2013 at 12:40 pmI know I’m tardy to the party, but do you have to heat/microwave first? You can just put it all in the fridge?
april says
8th May 2013 at 9:26 pmThis was awesome!! Keep these high volume recipes coming! 🙂
AJ says
30th May 2013 at 5:55 pmHi Katie,
Wonderful trick with the oats! I tried this for the first time last night, and it worked wonderfully. I was able to make a delicious, over-flowing bowl of your “Chocolate-Raspberry Truffle Oatmeal” with the “Voluminous Oatmeal” which kept me full and energized until lunchtime. Thanks for the great idea!
Alecia says
14th June 2013 at 10:08 pmHi Katie!
I’ve tried this trick so many times without success (didn’t absorb the liquid) but finally, today I succeeded!!! Turns out that the maximum volume of water my oats can absorb is 1 cup :p
However I got a question for you, when I add the sweetener/jam/pb in the morning, I couldn’t really taste it! I stirred in 2 tbs of pb but could only tasted a tiny bit of it. What should I do? Even though the volume is WONDERFUL, I don’t want my oatmeal to taste like nothing but in fact packed with calories. Any advice? Thank you in advance!
Amanda says
25th August 2013 at 1:07 amHeyy Katie 🙂
May I ask you something? The thing is… If you’d like to gain some weight, why do you make the oats with water at all? As for what I see, you would have no reaons to not use milk, and you have said you prefer it 😛 i have thought this because of this very post, but also because of the “never ending oatmel bowl”, in which you state the milk makes it muuch creamier, but you use still half water half milk.
Just wondering… Don’t get me wrong though, you have the right to eat whatever you want 🙂
Unofficial CCK Helper says
27th August 2013 at 4:53 pmYou should probably read this post: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/03/01/my-high-calorie-diet/
Katie has said many times that a lot of her recipes are made lower calorie for readers, and it doesn’t necessarily mean she eats this way. Remember that this is a recipe blog, not a lifestyle blog.
Amanda says
27th August 2013 at 11:46 pmBut if she includes in the ingredients the options, my guess is she could have made hers with milk anyways, keeping the options in the recipes… 🙂 just that
Anna says
6th September 2013 at 12:12 amSo I was wondering if this trick would work with the baked oatmeal recipes?
Dana Ottaviani says
24th October 2013 at 12:12 pmI just tried this last night and it wasn’t very successful for me. I used 1/2 cup of Country’s Choice Organic Multigrain (rolled oats), and a little over 1 1/2 cup of water in a tall measuring cup, I microwaved it the amount of time you did and had absolutely no problem with it spilling over (it didn’t even reach the top of the cup). It still looked like a watery mess, but after I left it in the fridge overnight uncovered, it wasn’t “2 cups of pillowy voluminous oats.” I did not add any salt, was it necessary? The amount just seems like too much to me.
Could you please help me?
A. says
25th October 2013 at 9:46 amI think you need to go back and read the entire post from start to finish. It will answer your question.
Dana Ottaviani says
25th October 2013 at 5:12 pmI read it over too many times to count, was it because I left out the salt? After I microwaved it for 41/2 min, did I have to microwave it for another 5 min? I thought that “leave it in” meant to let it sit in the microwave with the door closed without microwaving it again. Could you please just tell me what I need to do, please?
Gwen says
3rd November 2013 at 11:27 pmI do this a lot! Thanks you so much 🙂
Rebecca says
15th December 2013 at 5:17 amI have been meaning to try your “voluminous oats” recipe for a looong time now (clearly–since the recipe is from 2009 and it is now 2013!).
However, I seem to be missing something. In the post, you write that the trick is to increase the regular amount of liquid by 1 1/2. However, when you are listing ingredients/amounts within the post, you say to use 1 1/2 cups water/liquid.
1 1/2 times the regular amount would obviously be more than 1 1/2 cups!
Can you clarify?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
15th December 2013 at 11:03 amFixed!
Rebecca says
17th December 2013 at 5:44 amThanks! So, in general, you’re recommending 1 1/2 cups liquid per 1/2 cup oats…am I getting this right?
Winter says
5th January 2014 at 1:27 pmThis is amazing! Thank you!!!! Do you have a recommendation to make this in bulk (like in a crock pot)? I tried & failed miserably.
Making one portion at a time isn’t too much trouble but I prefer to bulk cook for the week.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
5th January 2014 at 5:47 pmSorry, I haven’t ever tried.
Elaina Ryan says
16th February 2014 at 9:45 pmHey Katie,
Ive tried this trick many times and I love it! I also love putting banana in my oatmeal so when I make oatmeal the regular way I smash up the bananas and put them in during the cooking process. So today I did that with this but using this trick and when I went to put it in my fridge I realized that when I put banana in my fridge it makes the fridge smell and everything in it taste like banana ( I am in college so I have a mini-fridge so thats why it does this to the fridge) What would happen if I covered the oatmeal? I don’t have to make everything in my fridge have that banana taste.
Stefanie says
18th March 2014 at 4:23 amAnother way to make creamier, puffier, oatmeal is to cook it is an electric steamer (like a rice cooker). It is now my favorite way to cook my oatmeal. 1/2 cup oatmeal to 1 cup of water and 30 minutes in the steamer. I own a 2 tier steamer so I can use the bowl that came with it or my own bowl. I set it before leaving for my workout and it is ready when I come home. I use different add ins depending on my mood that day. Add ins that I have used are 1 TBSP brown sugar or 1 serving size container Greek yogurt (plain or with fruit) or coconut oil. When I want crunch I had a 1/2 serving of granola on top. Sometimes I had in a 1/3 cup of raisins or craisins with the dry oatmeal and it steams right along. No adjustment on the water is necessary.
Anthony says
5th May 2014 at 8:56 pmHi ! I looooove this trick, I use it all the time now!
I’ve been using plain, dry Quaker oats from the big cylinder. I’m wondering if this trick would work for the instant oatmeal packs as well? My thought is no, since those cook in about 1-2 minutes, but maybe with the excess water it would be okay? Perhaps there’s a similar tweak to get your instant oatmeal packs to expand a similar way??
Thanks!
Katie Milliken says
16th July 2014 at 1:22 pmI love this trick! So much oatmeal!
Samm says
23rd July 2014 at 3:46 amI tried this for the first time yesterday and I loved it so much I’m making it again for tomorrow! 🙂 I used your cinnamon raisin recipe, and added a little maple syrup! Soooo good and perfect for a humid summer day!!
Cassie says
11th September 2014 at 12:18 amHi Katie! What happens if you cook your oatmeal for too long? Would the water evaporate too quickly and not turn voluminous?
Tonya says
29th December 2014 at 5:45 amI’ve used this trick the past three mornings and LOVE it!! I’ve been making (and loving) overnight oats (with raw oats and Greek yogurt) for years, but this takes it to a whole new level! What I’ve always liked about overnight oats is the pudding-like consistency — this just doubles that! 🙂 Now, I add in my Greek yogurt to this voluminous mix right before eating and it makes it nice and creamy. So far, I’ve done cherry-chocolate-almond, peanut butter-banana, and apple-cinnamon-peanut butter. Thanks, Katie!
Sheri says
18th January 2015 at 8:24 pmThis question is for “Chocolate Covered Katie”,
What is your wattage for your Microwave to cook this recipe?
“Step Three: Microwave or cook on the stove, but stop before all the water is absorbed. (I microwave for 4 1/2 minutes, then leave in the closed microwave for 5 more minutes. You might have to watch if for the last minute, and stop and start the microwave, so it doesn’t spill over. It depends on your microwave’s wattage.)”?
Emily says
12th June 2015 at 4:48 amI do the same thing all the time, completely by accident, but much more rapidly. Add extra water, and microwave until the edges start to bubble up, stir, microwave again until bubbling, repeat until it’s as thick as you like. Usually takes about 6 minutes, including stir time