Oatmeal is a popular breakfast choice on the trail: It is nutritious, filling, and the perfect warm meal on a cold morning. Usually, oatmeal is cooked in a pot for a few minutes in order to thicken, but with a little preparation from home, you can make a version that simply needs soaking in hot water. We love this version because it is delicious, saves us time, and spares us cleaning the (sticky) pot afterwards. Also, by adding nuts and seeds to our oats, we get an extra boost of calories and unsaturated fats.
This recipe serves as a base recipe that you can easily adjust according to the ingredients you have at home, or simply what you feel like eating. You can add all sorts of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits to switch it up and bring some variety from day to day on a longer hike. In this version, we have added a candy bar for flavour and extra calories, but you can easily exchange it with other toppings. We hope you enjoy it!
Servings
1 large portion
Prep time
10 min
Cook time
5 min
Here is all you need for one serving of instant oatmeal:
- 75 g (2.5 oz) rolled oats
- 1 tbsp almonds (or other types of nuts)
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds (or what you have at hand)
- Salt
- ½-1 candy bar, e.g., Mars or Snickers
- 2-3 dl (1 cup) water
Preparation at Home
- Put half of the oats in a food processor or blender and grind until they are almost pulverised.
- Chop up the almonds.
- Mix together the powdered oats with the other half of the oats (not pulverised), almonds, sunflower seeds, and a pinch of salt.
- Store your oat mix in a zip lock bag.
How to Make Oatmeal on Trail
- Chop up the candy bar in 1×1 cm pieces and mix half of it in a bowl with the oat mix.
- Boil the water and pour about 2 dl (3/4 cup) over the oat mix.
- Put a lid or a plastic bag over the bowl and let the oats soak for a couple of minutes. Stir once or twice. You can add more water if you find the porridge too chunky.
- Top your oatmeal with the rest of the candy bar and additional toppings of your choice.
Have you tried this recipe when hiking? What are your favourite toppings to add?
Let us know what you think in the comments below!
