Healthy Oatmeal Smoothies

Oatmeal Smoothies that pack a nutritional punch make the perfect healthy breakfast and are a smoothie that will actually keep you full.

I love a good smoothie and lately, I have been loving the addition of oats for some fiber and staying power. I make this healthy oatmeal smoothie many different ways, usually based on what fruits I have in the house. I like to blend oats, almond milk, and yogurt to make sure I get a good dose of protein as well. A breakfast smoothie with oats is both delicious and filling. It’s a quick and easy way to start your day, and tastes a bit like drinking a muffin! You’ll feel really satisfied with this as your breakfast and can avoid those mid-morning hunger pangs.

Use this recipe as a jumping point to make your own delicious oatmeal smoothie creations. Some of my favorite combinations include adding 1 frozen banana, a scoop of PB2 or peanut butter, and a scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder for some chocolate banana peanut butter action. I also love adding 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup berries, 1 cup spinach, and some flax or chia seeds.

How to Make Oatmeal Smoothies

A good trick to ensure a really smooth oatmeal shake is to first put just the dry oatmeal all by itself into the blender. Once the oatmeal is ground up and is reduced to a fine powder, then add the fruit and other ingredients to the blender and mix together. This method will yield a really smooth textured shake with no lumps that you can drink with a straw. Using frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit will yield a colder, thicker drink. You can freeze fresh fruit overnight if you prefer a thicker texture for your smoothie.

What Oatmeal to Use in Smoothies?

Oats come in several forms: milled, steel-cut or rolled. For a smoothie, you want to use rolled oats, which are available in two types. You can use either style of dry oatmeal flakes (either the old-fashioned or quick cooking type oats) for your oatmeal smoothie. The old-fashioned type of oats are thicker and less refined, and have the benefit of more fiber and a higher nutritional profile. You will need to grind them a bit longer in the blender for a smooth texture.

If you are on a gluten-free diet, be sure to choose oats that are certified as GF. You can find this information on the packaging on the back of the box, or sometimes even listed on the front of the box (it should be clearly labeled as “GF.” don’t buy it if it doesn’t clearly state it). Buyer Beware! Here is a little known fact: Although oats themselves are naturally gluten-free, unless labeled as GF most oatmeals contain traces of other grains in amounts that can be a problem for anyone who must maintain a totally GF diet.

Why put oatmeal in a smoothie?

Putting oatmeal into a drink might sound a bit strange, but wait till you try it! Oats add a nice creamy texture and have many healthy extras. Your grandmother was absolutely right, oatmeal is good for you! It’s full of nutrients and contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber has been shown to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

Breakfast on the Go

An oatmeal protein shake is a great breakfast for people in a hurry. No longer do you have an excuse for dashing to work with an empty stomach. In five minutes, you have a power breakfast you can drink on the go. It packs a wallop of healthy nutrition in the form of a really tasty treat. Finicky breakfast-resistant kids will also love these breakfast smoothies with oats, and you know they have had a complete balanced meal-in-a-glass.

Fun Variations

• Try adding a dash of cinnamon or vanilla to your smoothies. Suddenly your oatmeal smoothie tastes a lot like a fruit cobbler. Now, you’re drinking a dessert! (And it’s healthy, to boot.)
• Pump up the protein by using greek yogurt (in place of regular) or with the addition of a dollop of almond butter or peanut butter.
• Go Vegan with dairy-free milk (almond, cashew, or soy) and dairy-free yogurt
• Mix-it-up with a variety of fruits, either frozen or fresh. Strawberries, raspberries, bananas, mangoes, whatever you have on hand. Fruit juice can replace some or all of the milk as the liquid in the smoothie. The oatmeal adds a creamy texture, so you might not miss the dairy at all!
• An oatmeal protein shake is good for more than just breakfast. Try one as a pre-workout meal, or as an afternoon snack.
• Some like it hot! Try adding blended oatmeal to your favorite soup instead of milk or cream. Make a smoothie from tomato sauce blended with oatmeal and then heat it for a delicious “cream of tomato” soup without any cream!

This recipe was originally published in 2012. Here is the old photo.