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This Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal has the perfect amount of sweet. It’s totally creamy, and you can customize it with berries, apple slices, jam, maple syrup, and more.
This simple maple brown sugar oatmeal recipe is one of the most requested breakfasts in my house. I make it at least a few times a week! Just add all the ingredients to a medium sized pot, bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook until the oats have absorbed most of the liquid.
From start to finish this oatmeal only takes 15 minutes to make and is easily customized with your favorite add-ins. Some of our favorite toppings include fresh berries, thinly sliced apples, animal crackers, crumbled graham crackers or a drizzle of honey.
Why You’ll Love This Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Recipe
- Quick & easy. Because this recipe comes together in about 15 minutes it’s the perfect way to start your day, even during the work or school week.
- Customizable. Make this oatmeal recipe your own by adding your favorite toppings and creating delicious flavor combinations. I’ll share some of our favorite ideas below.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need just 5 ingredients to put this hearty breakfast together (minus toppings, of course). Scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
- Milk: Any kind of milk is fine, including soy, coconut or oat milk.
- Oats: I use old-fashioned rolled oats.
- Brown Sugar: Packed. Light or dark brown sugar works.
- Maple Syrup: For a hint of sweetness. You can also use agave or honey.
- Salt: You’ll need just a pinch of kosher salt.
Why Add Salt to Oatmeal?
Good question. The answer is that salt helps to enhance the flavors in whatever you’re making (in this recipe, the brown sugar and maple syrup), and also ensures that it is not overly sweet. This concept usually applies to desserts but, in this case, it also applies to breakfast.
How to Make Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
- Add Ingredients to Saucepan: Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Cook. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook at a gentle boil, stirring frequently, until the milk is absorbed and the oatmeal has a creamy texture. About 5 minutes.
- Let Cool and Enjoy: Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes minutes. Ladle into bowls and enjoy a warm, hearty breakfast!
Pro Tip: Sometimes if a morning is extra busy I won’t have time to stand at the stove and stir the oatmeal. In this case, I bring the oatmeal to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Then I cover the pot and leave it on the burner to sit for about 15 minutes while I do whatever needs doing. When I come back the oatmeal will have absorbed most of the liquid and will have cooled enough to serve. Just give it a good stir first.
What is the Ratio of Liquid to Oatmeal?
If you guessed 2:1, you’re right! This recipe, for example, uses 2 cups of a liquid and 1 cup of oats, but you could also use 1 cup of a liquid and 1/2 cup of oats, etc. As far as liquid goes, milk or water both work but I prefer to use milk.
Tips for Success
As you can see, making this oatmeal is a breeze, but here are some extra tips to help you get the best results:
- Use Old Fashioned Oats: They take a little longer than quick oats to cook, but they have a better texture/consistency. I would also avoid using steel cut oats because those are cooked differently. I do have an easy recipe for Creamy Steel Cut Oats though!
- Maple Syrup Substitute: If you’re out of maple syrup, honey or agave also works as a sweetener in this oatmeal recipe.
- Don’t use high heat. When you are bringing the oatmeal to a simmer if the oatmeal gets too hot, the milk will bubble up and possibly go over the sides of your pot. If you start to see this happen, simply reduce the heat and give the oatmeal a stir to break up the bubbles.
Topping Ideas
In terms of toppings, the options are almost endless for oatmeal! Animal crackers and sliced bananas used to be my kiddo’s favorites when they were a toddler. Now they mix it up every time!
- Fresh fruit: blueberries, sliced apples, diced mango, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, peeled & sliced kiwi and sliced bananas.
- Dried fruit: raisins, currants, dried cranberries and finely chopped pitted dates.
- Jams, Preserved and Fruit Butters: Strawberry jam, raspberries jam, blueberry jam, apple butter, there are so many options.
- Animal crackers or crushed graham crackers
- Ground cinnamon: sprinkling a bit of this on top of your oatmeal smells so good.
- Almond butter or peanut butter: Swirl these into the oatmeal same as with the jams.
See what I mean? Endless!
More Breakfast Ideas to Try
- Creamy Steel Cut Oats
- Easy Blueberry Scones
- Fluffy Homemade Popovers
- Spinach and Cheese Croissant Strata
- Challah French Toast
- Apple Baked Oatmeal
Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk, any kind of milk, including soy, coconut or oat milk
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook at a gentle boil, stirring frequently, until the milk is absorbed and the oatmeal has a creamy texture. About 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes. This will allow the oats to soak up a bit more liquid.
- Ladle into bowls, add your favorite toppings and enjoy a warm, hearty breakfast!
Our favorite oatmeal! I make this recipe at least twice a week.
Me too! 😀 So glad to hear you love this recipe as much as we do, thank you for letting me know!
This is my family’s favorite oatmeal recipe.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I make this oatmeal at least once a week. We love it too.
This oatmeal is really good! I made a big pot of it today and we didn’t have any leftovers. The flavors are great and I loved your ideas for toppings. Will definitely make this oatmeal recipe again thank you.