It’s been a strange week. My husband had his first business trip since starting full-time and it’s the first time I’ve been alone with the baby for more than just a day (first overnights alone). I have been on a bagel for breakfast binge being they’re filling and with a little squirt needing to eat right when we wake up, there’s not a lot of time for me to make breakfast. That is why I resorted to making peanut butter cup oatmeal. It’s great for overnight oats, but also delicious as a microwave oats.

Since I’ve been alone this week I haven’t had a need to make much for meals (cooking for one goes a lot longer than two). That being said, I could do a little more breakfast prep, which is right up my alley. This oatmeal recipe was something I decided to throw together for a satisfying and delicious breakfast. Simple four ingredient breakfast is made up of staples in the kitchen: steel cut oats, milk of choice, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.

What you need to make this oatmeal?

All you need to make these oats are your oat of choice. I use steel cut being they’re less processed and higher fiber, but they also take a little longer to make so rolled or old fashioned work well too. The milk can be of your choice. Vegan options are oat milk, nut milks, coconut milk, or even pea milk. If you use dairy milk, that works just fine as well. Peanut butter or nut butter of choice is perfect. You can use a powdered peanut butter but I prefer the real thing.

If you prefer your oatmeal a bit drier, you can substitute powdered peanut butter for reduced calories, fat, and higher protein. I’ve made this with both regular peanut butter as well powdered peanut butter. They both turn out well, but I prefer powdered peanut butter for the fact that it’s less messy. With a little one, I don’t have a lot of time to be scrubbing extra dishes. The final ingredient is chocolate chips. Use your favorite kind. We usually have semi-sweet from Costco being the bag is massive and the ingredients list is very short. Feel free to use milk chocolate or white chocolate if you like those better. 

How to make peanut butter cup oatmeal

Oats are very versatile being you can make them in overnight form in the fridge with no heating required. They can be cooked on the stovetop, instant pot, or even in the microwave. If I’m in a hurry and didn’t make overnight oats, I’ll throw them in the microwave. If you microwave, be careful to watch close because the milk will boil over unless you use a massive bowl. I don’t like to waste my big bowls on 1/4 cup of oats, so I just stop the microwave when the milk starts to foam.

Instant Pot

A meal prep trick is to make a big batch of oats and portion it out for several days. I do this in the instant pot. You mix the liquid of choice (you can even use water, but milk is much tastier), and then set it to pressure cook for 6 minutes. Ratio of 3:1 liquid to oats for the instant pot and steel cut oats. If you don’t have an instant pot, don’t fret. Stove top oats work well too. You can meal prep this way as well. Ratio is 3:1 liquid to oats, and you just boil in a pot for 20-30 minutes, test for how tender they are. The firmer you like your oats, the less time needed.

Microwaving

Microwaving is a different animal. I typically measure out 2:1 ratio liquid to oats, and if using regular peanut butter, do slightly less than 2:1 so they get less runny. A trick to using the microwave is running the milk without oats for 60 seconds to heat it up prior to adding the oats. This helps speed up the cook time and makes it easier to catch boiling over. After 60 seconds, add the oats and cook for another 30-45 seconds. It may vary based on your microwave, but I usually test the tip of a spoon to make sure they’re cooked to my desired texture.

Making the Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal

Once the oatmeal is cooked, you need to add your toppings/flavors. Measure out one tablespoon of peanut butter or powdered peanut butter and one tablespoon of chocolate chips (or more if you want) and mix them in. You can also add 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon or salt for flavor. 

Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal

This peanut butter cup oatmeal is a great make ahead or quick breakfast with only four ingredients. It is a healthy version of a peanut butter cup. Vegan friendly.

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Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 7 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 1 serving

Calories 267 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ¼ cup oats
• ½ cup milk of choice
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp chocolate chips
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

 

• For overnight oats: place all ingredients in a jar and seal. Place the in the fridge overnight.
• For instant oats: Mix oats and milk together in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds.
• Mix the peanut butter in well and place back in the microwave.
• Microwave in 30 second intervals until the liquid shrinks down and the bubbles slow. If using steel cut oats, this takes about 2 minutes additional.
• Remove from the microwave and top with chocolate chips.

Notes

We prefer these with steel-cut oats being they’re less processed and higher fiber. If you eat them microwave style, the chocolate is melted versus the overnight style will have chocolate chunks you’ll eat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 267kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 8gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 247mgPotassium: 177mgFiber: 4gSugar: 11gCalcium: 178mgIron: 1mg

Keyword oatmeal, vegan breakfast oatmeal

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

I hope you enjoy these. It’s almost more of a dessert than a breakfast, but why not have dessert for breakfast! Considering these have less sugar than most coffee drinks you could pick up on the way to work, I’d count it as a win. Let me know what you think in the comments below! If you’re looking for another good meal prep option, this chocolate fruit baked oatmeal is a great option.

-Cassie 🙂