This chai-spiced apple oatmeal is a healthy and heart-warming breakfast for chilly mornings!
Oatmeal is a staple breakfast; it’s rich, filling, creamy, and can keep you going for a busy morning ahead. The key to a good bowl of oatmeal is all about the cooking method and flavors you can add to it. A bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal is most certainly delicious, but sometimes you just need a little more spice in your life and this chai-spiced apple oatmeal does just that.
Spices are so much fun to play around with, and truth be told, they used to scare me. I had no idea what spices to buy, let alone how to use them, when to use them or why I should use them. My idea of ‘flavor’ came in the form of a pre-packaged seasoning or a jar of sauce. As I learned to cook and experiment with new recipe ideas, the more my spice cabinet grew and the more I began to pay attention to how combining certain spices could create specific flavor profiles. I could easily create an Italian flavor by combining a little basil, marjoram, oregano, and thyme, or a quick Mexican taco seasoning by combining some chili powder, paprika, cumin, and garlic – the options were endless! The more I experimented the more confident I became in the kitchen and the better my food tasted. I no longer relied on the Mrs Dash’s of the world, as I could create my own spices blends to make dishes from around the world. Plus, my taste buds were no longer excited by salt, sugar, and fat, but by the things that give real food flavor; herbs and spices.
Healthy Oatmeal Recipe with Chai and Apple
This chai spiced apple oatmeal is a simple recipe that does just that, packs a world of flavor into a simple bowl of oatmeal to give you a breakfast to look forward to. The word ‘chai’ by itself actually just means tea, and the way we know chai in North America is actually masala chai, meaning a tea with a mix of spices. There are a variety of different spices that you can add to a chai spice mix; everything from cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, star anise, and fennel all show up in different blends. I opted to keep this blend really simple with common pre-ground spices you might already have in your pantry (there is no need to pull out the pestle and mortar for this one!) however feel free to experiment with your own personal blend of preferred spices.
More Healthy Oatmeal Recipes:
Chai Spiced Apple Oatmeal
If you don’t have spices on hand, you could use a chai tea bag to brew a small amount of tea and cook the chai spiced oatmeal directly in the tea.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes -
Cook Time: 10 minutes
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Total Time: 15 minutes
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Yield: 2 servings 1x
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Category: Breakfast
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Method: Stovetop
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 apple, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- Optional Toppings: Maple syrup, milk of your choice
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, add in rolled oats, spices and a pinch of sea salt.
- Reduce heat to a low-medium and gently cook oats, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until oats are creamy. If you like your oats a little runnier or softer, simply add a bit more water until the desired consistency is reached
- With 2 minutes remaining in the cooking time, add in the diced apple. Stir the apples into the oatmeal to ensure everything is well-combined, and finish cooking to allow apples to soften slightly.
- You can also reserve some extra apple pieces to add on top once the oatmeal is done cooking.
- Once oats are done cooking, transfer them to a bowl and top with a little drizzle of maple syrup and a splash of milk of your choice.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 268 calories
- Sugar: 16 grams
- Fat: 3 grams
- Carbohydrates: 47 grams
- Fiber: 7 grams
- Protein: 9 grams
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