This Butterscotch Oatmeal is my favorite every day breakfast! It is rich and creamy, with a texture almost like pudding. The flavor is sweet butterscotch custard. It only takes 10 minutes to put it together, from 6 pantry ingredients. I have made this recipe twice a week for about 15 years. It’s for sure the recipe on the site that I personally have made more than any other! Still not tired of it. Originally published March 19, 2012.
This last summer, I had plans to make a humungous pot of this Butterscotch Oatmeal for everyone at our family reunion. The morning that I went to make it, I realized we were completely out of milk.
A half hour later, all the kids were moaning over their bowls of oatmeal. My sister Nikki asked me how it was still so good. I said, “Oh it wasn’t that big a deal. I just used half cream and half water.” She shrieked with laughter and went to tell the story to everyone else.
“Karen didn’t have milk, so she used straight cream for the oatmeal!” I sat there blinking, wait, what would you even use, if you didn’t have milk or cream?? Nikki, of course, said, “Well, just plain water! That’s how you make oatmeal normally.”
Okay, apparently Butterscotch Oatmeal has completely spoiled me. Why would you EVER make oatmeal with water? Nasty. Oatmeal made with water is NOT good, you guys. Have some boundaries, please. Love yourself.
Breakfast of champions
Butterscotch Oatmeal is certainly a breakfast-y way to love yourself. It’s super decadent and has tons of flavor! It’s crazy how good it is, for the very few ingredients it has.
It’s like a homemade pudding basically, but made with oats. Dessert, disguised as breakfast, if you make it with all the brown sugar called for. I often use less than the amount of sugar called for to make it a bit healthier for my kids at 7 in the morning…but only sometimes. You gotta live a little.
I make this oatmeal more than any other recipe. Ever.
People ask me all the time what my favorite recipe is that I’ve ever put on the blog. This question is as impossible to me as asking me to pick a favorite child, which I simply could not do, of course. 😂
But if you asked me which recipe I’ve MADE the most…well there’s one clear answer. Butterscotch Oatmeal!
My mother-in-law Kris gave me this recipe when I first got married, I believe it’s an old Better Homes and Gardens recipe. It’s rich and flavorful, and makes you feel like you are eating a special treat for breakfast. I’ve been making it about twice a week for at least 15 years, because my kids adore it. It’s something warm and filling that “sticks to your ribs!” as Kris says.
It is the ONLY recipe I have completely memorized. (I haven’t even memorized Chocolate Chip Cookies, which must be my second-most-made recipe. (I started the blog for a reason guys…I can’t remember my own recipes!! Gotta write them down!)
Subs and embellishments
This recipe is pretty forgiving!
- As mentioned, you can definitely cut back on the sugar no problem. Don’t omit it entirely, as it is the ingredient that brings the “butterscotch” flavor.
- You can use half cream and half water if you are out of milk 😂 or half and half is fine, or literally any kind of milk, including milk subs like soy milk, oat milk, etc, but it won’t be as creamy.
- For an average weekday, even if I have milk, I often use half water and half whole milk (especially if we are running out of milk!)
- You can double, triple, quadruple this recipe to your hearts content. For our family reunions of 30 people, I sextuple the recipe (had to look that one up lol). 6x the recipe is 12 cups of milk. Just get a big pot!
- For my four kids to have a healthy serving plus a few leftover (leftovers keep well) I double the recipe. (4 cups of milk)
- Of course butter makes everything tastes better. But you can leave it out entirely if you want! Or have people add a bit to melt in their bowl.
Key ingredients
It doesn’t get much simpler than this recipe, guys. But there are a few key ingredients that take this from “eh, oatmeal” to “this oatmeal is bomb”!
- Egg is not a common ingredient in your average oatmeal, but it is absolutely clutch here. It provides richness and makes the oatmeal super smooth and creamy. Don’t skip it!
- Using milk adds a creamier feel and more complex flavor than just water. Totally worth it. Or use half water and half cream! Ha.
- Brown sugar gives the oatmeal that classic butterscotch flavor when combined with the milk, egg, and butter. It truly takes the whole thing over the top!
How to make butterscotch oatmeal
Here is everything you need to make this recipe! It’s so simple.
First, add your milk (or cream and water ;) to a pot but DON’T turn the heat on the stove on yet.
Add in the egg and start whisking.
My friend Cindy told me once how much she hates this recipe. (like I said, it’s a Better Homes and Gardens classic that’s been around forever.) I was completely baffled. How could you not like butterscotch pudding in oatmeal form??
Then she described it: “My husband makes it all the time and it’s the worst. Watery oatmeal with little bits of scrambled egg in it.” AH. Okay, so that’s why she doesn’t like it. The eggs were not whisked properly.
The eggs job here is to thicken the oatmeal and make the texture velvet-y, just like in a classic Pudding. If you don’t whisk the eggs vigorously with the milk BEFORE the heat is turned on, then indeed your egg proteins will bunch up and scramble in the heat, and your liquid will be just as thin and liquid-y as it was before.
That’s why I’m showing you not one, not two, but three photos of me whisking eggs and milk together. It’s the MOST important technique in this recipe!
Do you see all these bubbles?? Go at it for at least a full minute. It’s super important to get the texture right!
Once you’re sure all the egg gloops (a technical terms) are broken up, add in the quick oats. QUICK oats, not regular old fashioned! I’ve made this plenty of times with old fashioned oats because it’s all I had, and it just doesn’t get as creamy.
Add in that brown sugar. At this point you can move it onto the stove, no higher than medium heat.
Add in the salt, too. Don’t forget it! Your oatmeal will taste flat and dull without it.
Here it is right after I’ve turned on the heat…
and now after a couple minutes:
This is after another minute or two…
And finally, once you see bubbles coming up from the center, it’s done! It really is ridiculously fast.
And here it is all done! I’ve actually never in all my days added toasted pecans to top this oatmeal but now I’m NEVER going back. It was legit. Make sure they are TOASTY. See, food styling can teach you new things! Ha.
And an extra smattering of brown sugar and cream doesn’t hurt either! Dive in!
What to eat with this oatmeal
This is such a common breakfast at our house that it is often eaten on its own (and still beloved). But here are some ideas that you could use to top or add to your morning meal!
- Top with things like blueberries, strawberries, apple, or any other fruit you love. I also just discovered toasted nuts or coconut as a topping! My kids do NOT like chocolate chips in this oatmeal, I learned that early on. It’s already so sweet, plus the chocolate flavor overpowers the delicate brown-sugary-butterscotch flavor.
- Bake Bacon in the Oven in 10 Minutes >> let the bacon cook in the oven while you make the oatmeal on the stovetop, then enjoy them together!
- Creamy Scrambled Eggs for a Crowd >> or any other version of scrambled eggs would be a great healthy side
- Grandma Prudy’s Rye Bread Recipe >> I love a good piece of toast in the mornings, and the nutty flavor in this rye bread would be so good alongside oatmeal
How to store leftovers
Once the oatmeal has cooled, transfer it to a tupperware with a good lid and keep in the refrigerator for no more than 4 or 5 days. To reheat, you can put all of it back into a pot and warm on the stove over medium with a splash or two of milk until it’s your desired consistency and temperature. You can also warm one bowl at a time in the microwave at 50% heat for a minute or two. Definitely add a little milk to your bowl before reheating.
I posted this recipe in 2012
Here’s my old photo! This is a piece of blue cardstock that I had lying around 😂 nothing is funnier to me than my 2012 food styling choices.
Here’s what was going on in 2012, my daughter Charlotte was just over 1 year old:
Lately I’ve been starting to feel guilty eating in front of Charlotte. It’s like she can somehow tell that my bright red strawberry pie is better than her brown wheat bread. I don’t get it. She stared at me while I licked my plate, and I actually cast my eyes down in shame. I guess that’s how you know when to start eating treats during naptime. (If the most notable part of the previous statement is the fact that I lick my plate after I eat pie, then I’m sorry, we are not friends.)
Charlotte has been on a genuine food strike lately. Yet she hasn’t figured out how to spit out food that she doesn’t want to swallow. The other day I was feeding her oatmeal and she refused to swallow the food in her mouth, so it was just sitting there. I figured she would swallow it eventually, and stopped worrying about it. A good 20 minutes later I took her over to my friend Nancy’s house to be babysat. I was explaining the bedtime routine when suddenly Charlotte sneezed. Spraying Nancy’s carpet with 20-minute old saliva-y oatmeal.
But don’t worry, you will not be spraying anyone with this Butterscotch Oatmeal. It is seriously incredible. It looks like regular oatmeal, but can I just tell you that I have made it at least 10 times in the last month? No joke. It is that good. The egg makes it rich and creamy, and the brown sugar really does morph into a butterscotch flavor as it cooks. Eric grew up eating this stuff and now my kids will too, because I am completely addicted. They will eat it, even if they choose to spray.
More simple recipes for breakfast
Mornings around here are usually go, go go! That means breakfast needs to be made quickly. Like today’s oatmeal or the Shakshuka below, or something made the night before that can be reheated easily, like egg muffins or breakfast casserole!
Quick and Easy Dinners
Shakshuka, But Better
Breakfast
Spinach and Bacon Frittata
Meat & Seafood Recipes
Pizza Egg Muffins (Make Ahead Weekday Breakfast!)
Butterscotch Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk*
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon butter, optional
Instructions
- In a small saucepan off heat, whisk together 2 cups of milk and 1 egg. Whisk for at least 1 minute. There should be lots of bubbles, and when you lift the whisk, there should not be any egg gloops caught on it.
- Turn the heat on the stove to medium, and don't go higher than that the whole time you are cooking, otherwise it will turn out grainy.
- Add in 1 cup quick oats, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Stir every 30 seconds or so. When the oatmeal begins to bubble from the center, swirl the oatmeal around a couple more times, then turn off the heat. It should be thick and creamy.
- Remove the pot from the stove, and stir in 1 tablespoon butter until melted.
- I usually let it sit off heat with a lid on for a couple minutes so that it gets nice and thick. Serve with cream, brown sugar, and toasty pecans!
Notes
Nutrition
Quick question–in one part of this recipe it says 1/4 tsp. salt, in another part it says 1/2 tsp. salt. Which is it? Thanks.
Whoops, thanks for catching that Mary! It should be 1/4 teaspoon and the recipe has now been updated. Enjoy!
Beat oatmeal ever!!!! So yummy way better than the store bought packs that you fill with water. 10/10 would recommend!!!
Ahahah!! I’m so glad you love it Clara!! It’s hard to beat homemade oatmeal!
I absolutely love this oatmeal. My only issue is I need to be hungry as I live alone and it’s a lot. But I still make it every chance I get. So so good
I made your recipe as written. It was very good. So good that I made it again. However the second time, i added cinnamon, vanilla and raisins after cooking the oatmeal and while it was sitting to thicken. It turned out to be vey similar in taste to rice pudding which I love.
I’m on an oatmeal kick and trying all kinds of recipes on Pinterest. I’m so glad I found yours.
I love this and make it a lot now
That’s awesome Erin! I still make this at least once a week for my kids for breakfast. Thanks for commenting!!
I’m making this as I write this-for your children. I feel compelled to tell you the butter is not optional.
I think you’re absolutely right Kris. I will change my ways.
Karen, the oatmeal sounds delicious. It was so nice to meet you last Sat, it was a great dinner with lots of old friends to visit with!
It was so good to see you Nellie! It’s been years! And I’m glad you like the looks of the oatmeal. I still make this for my kids (with significantly less sugar!) nearly every day. They love it. Let me know if you try it out :)
I tried this oatmeal recipe for breakfast this morning and my kids both asked for seconds! Delish!
I think if you didn’t lick your plate I wouldn’t take you seriously. Who wants to waste delicious food? This recipe looks lovely and I’ve been searching for ways to use up my 10 year supply of oatmeal.
You are both full of bologna, but it makes me feel good!
I love your stories, your recipes, AND that you lick your plate! I also think your mother-in-law should make a cookbook! I would buy it! =D
I would buy it too Sandy!! She always thinks I am trying to butter her up by telling her how awesome her food is but it’s just the truth!!
Karen, it’s 6:30 am and I’m trying not to laugh out loud. Seriously. You crack me up! Is Charlotte really staring at you when you eat better food than her or is guilt making you imagine this? Also, does she really not spit out the food? That is too, too funny! I love that kid! She is awesome! I cannot wait until she is a teenager! Also, why does your butterscotch oatmeal look so much more delicious than mine ever did? I don’t get it. I want to dive into the picture and eat that whole bowl. I think I will make it for breakfast, but I don’t think mine will look like yours!
No, I swear, Charlotte already knows how to give the evil eye, I am not imagining it. And yes, she really does refuse to swallow. The other day she was sitting directly in front of the TV watching March Madness basketball, clutching her sippy cup, with her cheeks stuffed chipmunk-full of peas and carrots that she refused to swallow from lunch, which had ended 20 minutes before. She is a little couch potato!! And Kris I promise, if you put your Butterscotch Oatmeal in a pretty bowl and surround it with colorful fruit, yours will look just like mine :)