Salted Caramel Oatmeal
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Published Jan 13, 2022, Updated Jun 12, 2023
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This warm and gooey salted caramel oatmeal is swirled with an easy date caramel sauce giving it that perfect blend of sweet and salty. Vegan + gluten-free.
January is National Oatmeal Month so obviously Eating Bird Food had to celebrate! I am a huge oatmeal fan… my blog may have survived on 90% oatmeal recipes for the first year it was on the internet. LOL! So needless to say, I was super excited to come up with oatmeal recipes for you alllll week long.
Why I Love Oatmeal
Oats are an amazing grain. They’re naturally gluten-free and provide a good amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber and even antioxidants. Oats have been shown to help lower cholesterol, help control blood sugar fluctuations, help improve skin concerns and even help with weight loss. They are basically a “super grain.” Oats can be used in a variety of ways – oatmeal (duh!), energy balls, muffins and other baked goods.
Ingredients in Salted Caramel Oatmeal
- rolled oats – old fashioned rolled oats are best for this recipe. Make sure you grab gluten-free oats if needed. I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats. If you have steel cut oats, try my recipe for steel cut oatmeal or steel cut overnight oats.
- water or dairy-free milk – I like using water in my oatmeal and think its plenty creamy, but if you prefer you can always use your favorite non-dairy milk! My go-to is unsweetened almond milk. Try making your own almond milk!
- banana – bananas add the perfect amount of natural sweetness to the oatmeal without adding an overwhelming banana taste.
- sea salt – to bring all the flavors together.
- date caramel sauce – the key component to this oatmeal is my 4 ingredient salted date caramel sauce! Follow this recipe first!
Date Caramel Sauce
I can hardly type date caramel sauce without my mouth watering! Once you make it, you won’t be able to get it off your mind. It’s the perfect sauce for just about anything sweet, it uses only 4 ingredients and is super quick to put together!
How to Make Salted Caramel Oatmeal
Making this salted caramel oatmeal is a breeze, especially if you make your date caramel ahead of time. You can find the recipe for date caramel here.
For the oatmeal, start by adding your oats, water, banana slices and salt into a saucepan. If you usually just add in flavorings after your oats are done cooking, you’re missing out! The banana and oats combine super well (the bananas slices sort of melt) and the end result is a big bowl of naturally sweetened oatmeal. Highly recommend!
The oats usually only take about 5-7 minutes to cook. Once the consistency is to your liking, they’re ready. Just spoon into a bowl, top with a (hefty) drizzle of date caramel sauce and a little almond milk if using and dive in!
Recipe Variation
Want to boost the protein in this oatmeal? Stir in 1/2 -1 scoop of vanilla protein powder after cooking.
While the sugar in this recipe is all-natural if you want to lessen the amount you can skip the banana all together or add less date caramel sauce.
Love Oatmeal? Here’s More Recipes to Try
- Peanut Butter Banana Chia Oatmeal
- Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal
- Banana Bread Oatmeal
- Protein Oatmeal
- Baked Oatmeal Cups 4-Ways
- Maple Pecan Baked Oatmeal
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal
- Cauliflower Oatmeal
- Blueberry Oatmeal
- Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
More Recipes Using Date Caramel Sauce
Be sure to check out all of the oatmeal recipes here on EBF!
Salted Caramel Oatmeal
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup water
- ½ banana, sliced
- ¼-½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 Tablespoons date caramel sauce
- almond milk for topping, optional
Instructions
- Place oats, water, banana slices and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook stirring frequently until the oatmeal is cooked and creamy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Portion oatmeal into a bowl, drizzle date caramel sauce on top of oats and stir. Add a little almond milk on top, if using.
Notes
- To lower the sugar content: skip the banana or use less date caramel sauce.
- To up the protein content: stir in 1/2 -1 scoop of vanilla protein powder after cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Brittany – this looks DELICIOUS! Do you think the oat part would work with microwave oats similarly? Just trying to save time some mornings! Thanks for all the oatmeal inspiration 🙂
Hey Jess! Great question. So I just recently testing cooking rolled oats in the microwave. I think it will definitely work but you’ll likely want to reduce the amount of liquid. Here’s what I think should work — add 1/2 cup oats and 3/4 cup water, banana slices and salt into a microwave-safe bowl and stir to combine. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir and continue to microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until the oatmeal is the consistency you like. I usually cook them for a total of 3 minutes, but you’ll know it’s done when most the liquid is absorbed and oats are hot. Carefully remove from microwave (bowl will be hot) and top with date caramel sauce. Let me know how it works out if you try it.
Thanks Brittany – I really appreciate the details! I’ll be sure to report back when I try this, and thanks again for all the oatmeal inspiration!
What a fun breakfast twist!! I made it exact as your recipe except I had 1 extra date so I just threw it in! My husband would have preferred it without the banana, but 5 stars for me! Use the smallest blender you have. My smallest Ninja bowl was still to big and I had to scrape it down a bunch. I put the rest of the sauce in the fridge to have with apples this weekend.
I have been loving all of these fantastic oatmeal recipes this week! I am allergic to oats but I sub in Eden Foods rolled brown rice flakes for the oats perfectly. I had at least 20 recipes for morning oats but now I have some new ones to add into the mix! I cannot wait to try the savory oats as that is one application I have yet to try! Thank you Brittany for your fantastic recipes!
Can I add egg whites to this for added protein? Can’t wait to try this one!
Totally. Just whip them in while you’re cooking the oats and stir constantly so they get incorporated and don’t turn into scrambled eggs. 🙂
Sweet! I can’t wait to try it 😀 Thanks Brittany!!
This looks delicious!! Is there a substitute you can recommend for non-banana lovers? Thanks, Brittany!
Hi Jess! I think you can just leave the banana out!
I love all of your oat/oatmeal recipes that I’ve tried before, and this is another winner! Very creamy and indulgent without being overly sweet.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this oatmeal recipe, Amy!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
Such a great way to start the day off right!
Hello,
Your recipe looks superb.
We wish to use your photo on our website.
Can we use it please.
THIS RECIPE IS SO GOOD! The caramel sauce is amazing! My oatmeal may never be the same! Haha! I also used this caramel sauce in blended baked oats and am going to try it with “nice” cream!
Yay!! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Grace. Thanks for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
can I just use a sugar free carmel sauce
Sure!
Very good oatmeal! The date syrup added just the right amount of sweetness with the oatmeal
Happy to hear you enjoyed this salted caramel oatmeal, Gretchen! Thanks so much for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!