Blueberry, Chia & Flax Oats

Ok ok ok, these might just look like blueberry oats, but this recipe is my secret to getting the thickest, creamiest oats ever. It’s a bit about timing, a bit about technique and of course, a little bit about ingredients.

You know I take my oatmeal recipes very seriously, because why give a recipe for something most people eyeball? And my answer is: I give a recipe when I think it’s really worth it. These bloobs? Worth it.

This recipe is not only about the texture of the oats, but it’s about the ingredients. I think too often we sleep on ingredients like chia or flax because we see them as tasteless fluff, but they can add SO much to a bowl of oats, both with nutrition, and also with satiation and texture.

I’ll detail out how to make this bowl as well as the timing and tricks below 🙂

Ingredients you will need for these blueberry oats

The measurements are important for this one, so I made sure to make everything as accurate as possible. It’s totally ok to eyeball this once you have the hang of it, but when making it the first time I recommend trying out the measurements here:

• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 & 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 & 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup hot water set to the side, for mixing
• Optional nut butter for topping

How to cook your oats

Ok, one of the MOST common questions I get is how I cook my oats. And if I can give you any tip – it’s all about patience. I’m a microwave girl, but this also goes for the stovetop too.

I like to cook my oats 1 minutes at a time on high – this eliminates the dreaded “overflow” and also makes it so that your oats have time to absorb the water. And again, I’m super patient with it, I usually go about 3-5 minutes before I see my oats start to thicken.

With the stovetop it’s a bit different. You’ll see oats start to thicken as soon as your water comes to a simmer. It’s kind of nice to see it happen all at once, but I always recommend simmering it for 1 minutes longer just to make sure you’ve gotten maximum ~thickness~ out of your oats.

A breakdown of my timing & technique for this blueberry oatmeal recipe

This is how I break down the timing of this particular recipe. The important thing to note is you add water before cooking AND after cooking. Here’s a step-by-step:

• Combine the 2/3 cup oats and 1 & 1/4 cup water. Either cook on the stovetop until they begin to thicken, or add them to a very large microwave safe bowl and cook for 4 minutes, stopping every minute to stir.
• Remove the oats from the stove or microwave when they have begun to thicken. Add in the chia seeds and flax meal and stir to combine. These seeds are natural thickeners and will immediately begin to absorb water. Let the oats sit for 3-5 minutes so the seeds can absorb moisture and thicken the oats.
• If the oats get too thick, dilute with a splash of the hot water you have to the side and give a quick stir to combine.
• Once the oats are reasonably thick, add the cinnamon, salt and blueberries. The residual heat from the oats should thaw the blueberries and the oats will turn a purple-blue color as you stir. Feel free to put them in the microwave for another 30 seconds if you want your oats very hot.
• Top with peanut butter, more cinnamon and serve 🙂

Looking for other oatmeal recipes?

These are a few of my go-to favorites. A lot of them are overnight, but a few use this thickening technique as well!

And that’s it for this blueberry chia oatmeal recipe!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3