Elevate Breakfast Oatmeal With These 2 Simple Additions For A Luxurious Twist

For a long period of time, oats were mostly used to feed livestock; however, in the late 1800s, American businesses began an advertising campaign focused on making oatmeal popular for human beings rather than animals. This rebranding was successful, and in 2024, the global market for oatmeal alone was estimated to be over $10 billion, fueled by rising trends of health-focused and plant-based diets (via Global Market Insights). Despite its popularity, the porridge still has a reputation for being bland and unappetizing. But of all the ways to make oatmeal more delicious, add-ins like brown butter and vanilla beans might be the most exciting and luxurious.

No matter which type of oats you use to make oatmeal, using nothing but water and a pinch of salt to cook those oats will inevitably lack flavor. You could, of course, add fruits and nuts after cooking to jazz up plain oatmeal, but those late additions won't change the flavor of the oats themselves. Enter: vanilla beans. By scraping half of the inside of a vanilla bean into the pot along with the bean itself before you start cooking, you let the vanilla flavor permeate the oats and liquid as it cooks for a deeper flavor throughout.

Additionally, while you could use water as the liquid, using whole milk or a plant-based milk will yield a richer end product. The fat in the milk will help to enhance the vanilla flavor as well. If you don't have vanilla beans on hand, a generous splash of vanilla extract will also lend a good flavor to the oatmeal.

The nutty, rich flavor notes of browned butter are a perfect way to add some luxury and excitement into your boring bowl of oats. Making brown butter is relatively easy, but if you've never attempted it before, brush up with a cooking instructor's tips for making brown butter so you don't waste the valuable dairy product. The benefit of making a larger batch of brown butter is that you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge and use it as needed.

After you've begun cooking the oats with milk, vanilla bean, and a pinch of salt, stir in a tablespoon or so of the browned butter towards the end of the cooking process. This adds a rich mouthfeel to the dish, along with a deeper, subtle flavor. If you prefer a more savory oatmeal, skip the vanilla altogether and add a bit more browned butter instead.

Of course, the classic flavorings for oatmeal, like cinnamon or maple syrup, are still welcome in a vanilla-and-brown-butter oatmeal, and so are fresh toppings like berries or sliced bananas. Mix-ins like walnuts, chia seeds, or even hazelnuts would complement those luxurious flavors well. But before you get started on this delectable breakfast journey, be sure to familiarize yourself with our tips you need to make a perfect bowl of oatmeal.