Our 40 Favorite Ways to Use Oats

By Mary Claire Lagroue
My Hot Southern Mess

Don't limit oats to plain ole oatmeal. This breakfast staple can bulk up sweet or savory recipes, from coffee cake and crisps to meatballs and tomato soup. Yes, we're going there. Read on for some of our best recipes that call for oats. 

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Chef John's Irish Soda Bread

Beth Ann Olmsted
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"If made correctly, this is one of the best quick breads (those leavened without yeast) you'll ever have. Subtly sweet, with a light, tender crumb, and not at all dry. You can use quick-cooking oats in place of rolled oats if desired." — Chef John

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Brown Butter Oatmeal Muffins

Kim
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"I made these muffins out of ingredients I usually have on hand in my pantry," Kim says. "The muffins can be customized to use whatever ingredients you have available to you. In addition to being easy to make, these humble muffins get an extra boost of flavor from browned butter."

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Blueberry-Banana Coffee Cake

Audrey
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"This is perfect for a lazy Saturday morning breakfast. As I didn’t have (nor do we care for) the wheat germ or flax seeds, I left them out. Also made it with self-rising flour, as I was out of plain, so I eliminated the baking powder, baking, soda, and salt. This coffee cake is everything I hoped it would be: chocked full of blueberries, subtle flavor of bananas, with a hint of cinnamon. Who could ask for more?" — Sloopie1

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Healthier Carrot Oatmeal Cookies

Kim
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Carrot cake meets oatmeal cookies? Yes, please. "If you prefer a less spiced taste, reduce the amount of cinnamon," recipe creator CAMILLEELISE says. "You can use butter instead of coconut oil, and any dried fruit in place of raisins."

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Spicy Buffalo-Style Meatballs

lutzflcat
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Oats replace bread crumbs, but that doesn't change how delicious these meatballs are. "This was a nice change from Buffalo-style chicken wings, and not nearly as messy to eat," says reviewer lutzflcat, who suggests adding cayenne and garlic powder for extra spice. 

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No-Bake Energy Bites

KGora
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If you have oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, honey, and flaxseeds on hand, go ahead and prep these no-bake bites. Now. We think the 2,000 people who've made this five-star recipe would back us up on this.

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Instant Pot® Savory Sriracha Oatmeal

lutzflcat
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Whether you're out of rice or just oat obsessed, consider this savory, spicy dish "suitable for lunch, brunch, or dinner," as recipe creator lutzflcat says. "You just may think you're eating rice instead of oatmeal because that's the texture you'll find with your first bite."

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Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies III

COOKIN4MYFAMILY
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People who think they don't like oats haven't tried these cookies (or the Girl Scout cookies that inspired them). 

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Veggie Burgers

Allrecipes Magazine
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Oats make an excellent addition to veggie burgers. Case in point: this recipe, which also packs in carrots, summer squash, and zucchini for a boost of vitamins and fiber. An egg and shredded Cheddar add extra protein.

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Savory Oat Risotto

Leslie Kelly
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Like many risotto recipes, this recipe (can we just call it ris-oat-to?) contains Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter, white wine, chicken stock, garlic, and spring onions. The process and results aren't very different, either. "Very flavorful, and, while labor-intensive with the standing and stirring, it was not at all hard to make. Will be making again," reviewer IvyK says.

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Oatmeal Carmelitas

Kari
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These gooey, chocolaty, caramelly cookie bars average five-star reviews. What's more? "They taste great the next day if you get them to last that long," Sharon M. says.

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Megan's Granola

CC<3's2bake
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You can't go wrong with sweet, crunchy homemade granola. This recipe calls for staples like maple syrup, honey, and cinnamon, but our home cooks add and omit ingredients based on what's in their pantries.

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Tia's Turkey Meatballs

Tia Mowry
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These dairy-free, gluten-free meatballs don't skimp on flavors. You can, however, use Parmesan and cow's milk if you'd prefer, says Kat Gantt, who adds, "The meatballs were delicious and moist, and the recipe was quick and easy!"

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Oatmeal Pancakes II

lutzflcat
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"I need to preface this review by stating emphatically, I am a Bisquick pancake girl. It's what I grew up on. It's all I've known. Not anymore! I love, love, love these pancakes. They are nice and fluffy with a great flavor and texture." — lovestohost

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Triple Berry Crisp

sweetserenade
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Oats, flour, sugar, spices, and butter form the toasty topping of our top-rated Triple Berry Crisp.

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Thai Green Curry Meatballs

France C
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Rolled oats and carrot chunks bulk up these pork meatballs, while garlic, fish sauce, ginger, and lemongrass paste add flavor.

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Easy Salisbury Steak

Janet Henderson
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"My mom would make this for us growing up. It was one of those easy dinners that we all loved to eat at the family table," Kendrick says. "Now, we are still passing it down. My 17-month-old daughter loves this recipe. You can add other vegetables if you want, i.e. green onions, fennel, mushrooms, etc. It can also be made with ground pork."

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Scottish Oat Scones

B Spradley
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If you don't have the currants this recipe calls for, you're in good company. Our home cooks have replaced them with dried cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips, and even crushed pecans. 

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Savory Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole

Linda T
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Diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and feta add a nice Mediterranean flavor to this oatmeal. Eggs amp up the protein.

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Dutch Apple Pie with Oatmeal Streusel

Sara Maximoff
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"The crunchy oat topping adds an extra dimension to this delicious apple pie. Try using Golden Delicious, Jonagold, or Granny Smith apples," Ginny says.

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Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal

lutzflcat
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"The texture was just about perfect, firm but not dry, and the oatmeal itself is the star in this recipe. The sweet potato not only enhances the texture, but it lends itself to a sweetness balance that is spot on." — lutzflcat

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Tennessee Meatloaf

naples34102
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"The brown sugar glaze is what takes this recipe from good and satisfying to outstanding," says recipe creator Leigh Ann Rowan Kiraly.

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Honey Of An Oatmeal Bread

SHORECOOK
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"Our family goes through a loaf of this every day. Slightly sweet, and light. Great with dinner, and a favorite for sandwiches," Merrilee says.

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No Bake Cookies I

Lynne64
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"This recipe was perfect! The only thing I did differently was adding creamy peanut butter because I don't like chunky. I found it really helpful to have all the ingredients ready to dump in," says reviewer Beladebz. "It was just so simple that this is now our only no-bake cookie recipe."

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OMG! Quinoa Patties

Buckwheat Queen
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"These really are OMG good. The cooked quinoa gets toasty during the second cooking process and crunches slightly and bursts with that nutty flavor. Everything comes quite well together here. I played around with this recipe, and it is quite forgiving," Buckwheat Queen says. "Any way you cook them, fried or baked, they come out perfectly. Fried was just more flavourful. I served these with an assortment of homemade sauces like tartar, mustard, and barbecue."

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Savory Salsa Oatmeal

Linda T
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"Packed with vegetables, cheese, and salsa, this is super healthy and delicious. Even if you're not an oatmeal fan, you should give this a try. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you like or add Tabasco or chiles for some heat," recipe submitter Skye says.

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Barbie's Blueberry Zucchini Bread with Oatmeal and Walnuts

Molly
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"What a great recipe! Lot's of good and good-for-you ingredients," reviewer wowhite says. "I will be making them again. Delicious, nice texture, and beautiful."

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BBQ Tuna Fritters

kellieann
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Transforming canned tuna into flavorful fritters takes little more than oats, an egg, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce.

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No-Cook Overnight Oatmeal

France C
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Our home cooks customize our most popular overnight oats recipe to use up whatever they have on hand. "This is so versatile," says France C. "You can easily use different fruits or milk. I made it with non-fat milk last night, but tonight I will use almond milk. The consistency is perfect."

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Strawberry Oat Muffins

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"I can confidently tell you these are a perfect strawberry oatmeal muffin, and the recipe needs no tinkering or tweaking to make them so. Tender crumb, just the right amount of sweetness for a muffin, beautiful light brown color, and bursting with plump little chunks of red strawberries. These are perfectly rounded, moist, and delicious with a pleasant and delicate pairing of the oatmeal and strawberry flavors." — naples34102

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Chef John's Meatless Meatballs

catherine.drew
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"I was skeptical that these could be as good as the real deal, but I stand corrected. If the mushrooms are chopped finely in the food processor, even the texture is darned close," reviewer Baricat says.

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Oatmeal and Tomato Soup

Allrecipes
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"Way better than I had expected! It was tasty, healthy, filling and relatively easy to prepare. Like other people suggested, I added dried oregano and basil. I sauteed them with the onion, garlic, and margarine," reviewer sdkc says. "Since it was my lazy one-dish supper, I even added frozen spinach at the very end of cooking. I am so satisfied and glad that I tried this recipe."

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Monster Cookies VI

Dianne
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"This is the first recipe I've tried for monster cookies, and they turned out fantastic! I would not change a thing," Kim K. says. "I ended up giving the entire batch away to family members so I wouldn't have them in the house tempting me to eat them all!"

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