Copycat Quaker Oats Maple Brown Sugar
A little something to start off the week. When the kids were little, oatmeal was one of the breakfast foods I would serve them. As they (and I) got older, it became less of a thing in our house.
I am a big egg fan and for the most part that is my usual breakfast go-to. DH, however, loves oatmeal and on occasion I will eat it too. Now he is not fussy but I confess I am. In order to make it yummy but not ingest more chemicals than a truckload’s worth, I wanted to make a copycat of the version I like best (though even that too is too sweet) and that is those cute packets of instant oatmeal that Quaker Oats makes.
The prep for it is quite simple and takes relatively little effort and you can even make some in advance and put in little ziplocs to take with you wherever you have hot water and a microwave (like most offices).
Since both DH and I love the maple brown sugar the best, I took a teaspoon and a half of brown sugar, a drizzle of pure maple syrup (don’t chintz, it makes a big difference!) cinnamon and salt. For years I would leave salt out of my recipes in a health food effort but it has such an impact on flavor that unless you really shouldn’t have salt for health reasons, it should be added. It balances the sweet and really you just need a pinch.
The oatmeal I use is the quick kind, not the instant which is better for you and has more body to it than the instant. This cooks in the microwave in 1 minute, I kid you not! The proportion is easy enough, a regular serving of oatmeal is 1/3 cup of oats to 2/3 cup of hot water. Or if you want a really big bowl, 1/2 cup oatmeal to a cup of water. This is a lot, be warned!
It is a satisfying, comfort food that’s infinitely better for you than the packets and starts off your morning with sugar and spice and everything nice!
Copycat Quaker Oats Maple Brown Sugar
1/3 cup of quick oats (yes, Quaker is excellent)
2/3 cup of hot/boiling water (the hotter the water the less time in the microwave)
1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar (you can go with light or dark as your preference)
a drizzle of maple syrup- approximately a teaspoon
a pinch of salt – don’t overdue, 1/8-1/4 of a teaspoon
Directions:
Put the oats in a microwaveable bowl. Add the cinnamon, brown sugar, maple syrup and salt. Pour the hot water over the oatmeal and stir.
Put in the microwave (A word about oatmeal and microwaves. Sometimes the oatmeal can rise over the bowl in the microwave. Thus, really check at intervals – if it seems nearly ready, peek at it more often. Nothing is more annoying than having it run all over the microwave. ) and zap at approximately 15 second intervals (peeking at it and stirring if need be), and shortening the intervals of peeking till done, approximately 1 minute’s worth altogether depending on the microwave. Eat and enjoy!
Thank you. I love the Quaker brand but the grams of sugar in it are over the top. Now I get to control it using your recipe!
Love your blog!
Thanks so much! I’m so glad 🙂
This recipe was delicious! I did make a few changes though, I used the stove top instead of microwave, added a tablespoon of milk, and only did 1 tsp of brown sugar but that was only because I didn’t read the 1/2 part.
So happy you enjoyed!!
So happy to hear it! Occasionally I make it with milk as well 😊
In summer of 2022 I spend half a year in Vancouver. My host family had a lot of Quaker maple syrup and brown sugar oatmeal. So before I went to bed, I prepared the oatmeal and in the next morning I had a super delicious breakfast. I ate this stuff everyday and when I went back to Europe I figured it’s not available here. Even worse, european oatmeals ate sort of boring and dull. Today at 3am I stumbled across your recipe and I immediately tried it. And what can I say….tears were rolling down my face. For a short moment it felt like I was back in Canada living the best summer of my life. You gave me some happiness back today! Thank you so much.
How lovely to hear! Thank you for sharing this, and happy I made you happy 🙂