5 Ways to Make Protein Oatmeal
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Published Apr 26, 2019, Updated Jun 12, 2023
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Want to make your oatmeal even healthier? I’ve got you covered with 5 delicious and easy ways to boost the protein content of oatmeal so that it will keep you full until lunch.
Everyone is crazy about oatmeal recipes! I guess I’m rubbing off on you… 😉 I wanted to dedicate a full post to protein oatmeal because if oatmeal has one fault, it’s that it typically isn’t very high in protein! For those of you that think oatmeal isn’t very filling or you’re hungry 1 hour after eating it, all you need to do is add some protein and healthy fat.
Once those are in the mix, you’ll have a healthy, balanced breakfast – AKA a bowl of oats will keep you full and satisfied all morning long!
How to Make High Protein Oatmeal
As I’m sure you know, oatmeal on its own isn’t very high in protein so I have a few go-to ingredients that I add in to up the protein level. I’ll cover each in more detail below but here’s a quick run-down:
- Protein powder
- Cottage cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Eggs or egg whites
- Milk
- Nuts and seeds
- Nut butter
Protein Powder in Oatmeal
I know adding protein powder to oatmeal might seem like something only body builders or athletes do, but I have been adding protein powder to my oatmeal and I love it!. It adds a ton of protein, is super simple to add and can add a fun flavor to the oatmeal as well. This chocolate peanut butter protein oatmeal gets its chocolate flavor from the protein powder. Double win! Protein powder works great in pretty much any kind of oatmeal – mix it into overnight oats or to stovetop oatmeal. 1 scoop of protein powder has about 15-20 grams of protein.
Protein powder is also a great option if you’re vegan or avoid eggs or dairy, considering a lot of the easy protein options (like yogurt and eggs) won’t work for you. Wondering which protein powder to use? Check out this post where I share all my favorite plant-based protein powder brands.
Protein Oatmeal
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ banana, sliced
- pinch of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup water or milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Instructions
- Add oats, banana slices, sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla and water or milk to a pot and stir to combine.
- Heat over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Be sure to stir the oats several times while cooking to make sure the banana slices melt into the oats. You’ll know the oatmeal is done when all the liquid is absorbed and the oats are thick and fluffy.
- Remove oats from the heat and stir in protein powder. If the consistency of the oats gets too thick, add in a little more water or milk. Transfer oats to a bowl and top with your favorite oatmeal toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
There Are so Many Ways to Add Protein to Oatmeal
Cottage Cheese Oatmeal
I feel like people are either in the “I love cottage cheese” camp or the “I despise cottage cheese” camp… Before you jump to any conclusions about cottage cheese, hear me out. You won’t taste the cottage cheese in oatmeal! It makes oatmeal so much creamier (win) and ups the protein content (win)! 1 cup of cottage cheese has 25g of protein.
Granted, you probably aren’t going to mix in a whole cup but still! So much protein. Again, you can mix cottage cheese into any kind of oatmeal. I will say that if you’re not a big cottage cheese fan because of the texture, you’ll want to mix it into warm oatmeal so the “chunks” (for lack of better word) break down and mix in.
Check out my cottage cheese oatmeal recipe.
Egg White Oatmeal
I love adding egg whites to my oatmeal! I’ve found it works best to add in egg whites to stovetop oatmeal while you’re cooking. The key is to avoid scrambling the egg whites. To do this, you simply have to continuously stir/whisk the egg whites while you’re adding them to the saucepan and as they cook. Trust me on this… one time I got distracted and ended up with a bowl of oatmeal with scrambled egg white chunks. Not so appetizing.
Obviously this method of making high protein oatmeal only works for oats that you’re cooking – please don’t add raw egg whites to overnight oats! 1 cup of egg whites has about 26 g of protein. Again, you won’t be adding in 1 cup of egg whites but they pack a punch! Try this protein pumpkin oatmeal with egg whites whipped in or try my egg and oat combo bowl with egg whites scrambled on the side.
Check out my egg white oatmeal recipe.
Greek Yogurt Oatmeal
Similar to cottage cheese, you can mix in Greek yogurt to your oatmeal to increase the protein (and probiotics!). I typically reach for full fat and plain just because the flavored kind can have a lot of added sugar. Greek yogurt works great in any kind of oatmeal – cold or hot!
1 personal container of Greek yogurt (about 5 ounces) has 17 grams of protein… that’s as much as a scoop of protein powder! I love using Greek yogurt in overnight oats like this banana bread overnight oats.
Check out my Greek yogurt oatmeal recipe.
Nuts or Nut/Seed Butter Oatmeal
Adding nut and seed butter is another great way to increase the protein in oatmeal. You can mix it right into the oats or drizzle on top for added flavor. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter has 8g of protein, 2 tablespoons of almond butter has about 7 g of protein and 2 tablespoons of sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) has about 6g of protein. Try my 3-minute peanut butter protein oatmeal or my peanut butter cup overnight oats.
Other Ways to add Protein to Oatmeal
- Use milk instead of water or almond milk to cook the oats. Most non-diary milks don’t have that much protein, but 1 cup of soy milk has about 8 grams and 1 cup of skim milk has 8 grams as well.
- Top oats with high-protein toppings like hemp seeds, chia seeds and flaxseed.
More Protein Packed Recipes
- Protein Balls
- Blueberry Protein Pancakes
- Banana Protein Pancakes
- Protein Cookie Dough
- Protein Mac and Cheese
- Peanut Butter Yogurt Bowl
- Strawberry Protein Muffins
- Blueberry Protein Muffins
- Protein Bars
- Protein Baked Oatmeal
Be sure to check out all of my oatmeal recipes as well as all of the protein recipes here on EBF!
Great recipe!
So delicious!
Thanks for sharing!
Nice one!
This is exactly what I need!
It’s delicious! What about adding some fruits in?
Protein powder oatmeal-
Delicious!! Add the vanilla after cooking. Adds more flavor. Vanilla flavoring is easily cooked off. Great way to get more protein!
Thanks for sharing!!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed the protein powder oatmeal, Sara. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. 🙂
I just found this site. I already found four new recipes to try. Ty!
Ahh I’m so glad you found me and found some new recipes to try! Definitely come back and let me know how they turn out for you.
Hi!
Had a couple of questions:
1. If you put the protein powder in while the oatmeal is cooking (stove top) does that change the properties/effectiveness of the protein? (I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of protein powder)
2. When using greek yogurt, could you add it in while its cooking on the stove top? Or is it best to add on as a topper?
Thanks!
Hey Joana – No, adding the protein powder to the oatmeal while cooking shouldn’t change anything about the protein powder. You can add the Greek yogurt in while it’s still cooking on the stove top, I just prefer to mix it in once I remove the oats from the burner.
OMG, thank you. I tried a few recipes for oatmeal as I don’t like the taste of it only cooking with water. This one is by far the best. I added a bit of granola on top too.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Amanda!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this oatmeal. Thanks for giving my recipe a try and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
The protein powder oatmeal was the first oatmeal recipe I ever used (I used to make an omelet every single morning) and now I make oatmeal even more than omelets! Like it is literally one of my favorite foods ever; I always add a tbsp of brown sugar & top it with peanut butter, a spoonful of vanilla yogurt, banana slices, and berries. Like this is the perfect oatmeal recipe, I cannot stress it enough!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Ashley!! So glad you’re a fan of the protein powder oatmeal. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Do you think using steel cut oats would change anything? Also…if adding the protein powder or cottage cheese or yogurt, could these be made the night before and kept refrigerated?
Hey Donna – I’d use this recipe for my steel cut oats and you can add protein powder or cottage cheese or whatever protein you prefer. If adding protein powder, you might need to add in some more liquid.
A serving size of the protein powder I typically use is two scoops. Should I still only use 1/2 a scoop of protein powder for this recipe or was it your intention that I use half a serving (in my case, 1 scoop) of protein powder? Thanks!
Hi Leah! You could do either, but I’d start with 1/2 scoop and then add more if you want more! I recommended doing 1/2 scoop because sometimes too much protein powder can make the oatmeal tacky or dry. Hope this helps!
I’m not an Oatmeal fan. (don’t like the smell) But I tried this, because today was cold and I didn’t want a cols smoothie after CrossFit. I used cappuccino flavored Protein Powder. I used coffee as the liquid added chia seeds and ground flax just as I would in my smoothie. I was impressed. I added the 1/2 banana and some Lilly’s dark chips. Yum! I’m so glad I stumbled on to your site.
I’m so glad you stumbled upon my site too! And so pumped you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for giving it a try and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Becky. I so appreciate it. <3
This was so tasty! I usually can’t eat just oatmeal because I am hungry an hour later. Hopefully the protein powder does the trick!
So glad you enjoyed the protein powder oat combo! Thanks for giving it a try and for the review. 🙂
i was just scrolling through oatmeal recipes when i found this one. it sounded so good so i had to try it! i substituted the water with unsweetened almond milk and it was so good. thanks so much for this recipe!!
Great ideas. Still, I wonder why no mention of adding other grains? Small amounts of flax, too much flax and and you’ll have some great glue to stick in a garage bag.
I add a little of whatever grains I have on hand.
It’s fun and tasty to experiment with grain combos.
I like it so much better than buying a box of multigrain cereals.
Thank you for the inspiring additions. I will continue on the otmeal path to jolly health. Alohugs!
Me and an hawaiian friend came up with that. So I’m sharing, I hope alohugs spreads around the world,. We could certainly use them hugs.
Thank You Much for your awesome 👌Healthy and nutritional recipes. I will definitely be cooking and trying them all. 😋please send me more of your nutritional recipes to my email. Have A Good Day. Sincerely Mr Mendoza.
Doubled this recipe (protein powder oatmeal) except for vanilla and cinnamon. Other changes: Coconut Milk Substitute for water, pumpkin spice for cinnamon, and omitted banana.
This was delicious!! Will be making it again, topped it with blueberries dark chocolate.
Woo!! So glad this oatmeal was a success, Emily! Thanks so much for the review and star rating. It means the world to me!
Pleasure to go through such wonderful work!!
The protein powder oatmeal was amazing!!! Loaded with flavour and the banana added to the cooking process, results in a creamy flavourful texture!! Would strongly encourage anyone to try this recipe!! Can’t wait to try the cottage cheese version!! 5 stars for this one!!
Delicious oatmeal! I added cruising and almonds since I didn’t have any bananas and topped it with Lily’s chocolate chips to keep it keto and almond milk as well. Thanks for your wonderful recipes
Woo! Happy to hear this recipe was a hit for you, Renee! Thanks for making it and leaving a review. I appreciate it.
Great ideas! Will defo try some of them!
You’ll have to come back and let me know how it goes and which you try!
BRITTANY,
thank you for bringing Eating Bird Food Recipes to me and hopefully to others,
I like Eating Bird Food and the Recipes. I am going to try your protein oatmeal recipes. but I wanted to know if you have a recipe for a weekly meal plan for heart and kidney Health and muscle growth.
Thanking you in advance. Adrian
I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes, Adrian. Thank you for the kind message. Let me know if you try the protein oatmeal recipes and how they turn out.
I didn’t actually add any toppings. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but I ended up liking it a lot just plain. I did add bananas in during cooking
Yay! I am excited to hear that you are enjoying this recipe, Nicole. Thank you so much for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it.
Thanks for this recipe,Mostly every morning i eat this
Of course! I am glad to hear you are enjoying this recipe!
Is there any way to meal prep this?
Hi Tara – Here is a great recipe for meal prep protein oatmeal. Is there a specific recipe you’re wanting to meal prep?!
Is the nutrition info with your toppings or without?
Without!
Finally found a protein oatmeal that is pretty good. The only thing that I would change is useless cinnamon that was way too much. I thought in my head wow that’s a lot of cinnamon but I put it in anyway next time I got to listen to my brain. But I will be using this recipe again.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Kimberly. I am so glad you loved this recipe and it turned out great for you. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!