Dietitians and fitness trainers encourage their clients to eat a balanced diet, complete with all three macros (protein, carbs, and fat). But getting enough daily protein [1] seems to be a hot topic. As far as breakfast goes, registered dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition [2] recommends getting 13 to 20 grams of protein [3] for that first meal. If you love to dive into a bowl of oatmeal in the morning, check out how much protein that hearty bowl offers you.
As you can see from the chart below, it depends on which oats you choose. Quick oats offer the least amount of protein per serving, and also the least amount of fibre, so those get the breakfast veto. Both steel cut oats [4] and rolled oats offer seven grams each of protein, which definitely doesn't meet Leslie's recommendations.
| Steel-cut oats | Old-fashioned (rolled) oats | Quick oats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Also called Irish or Scotch oats, these are cut, not rolled. They look like chopped-up rice, take the longest to cook, and have a slightly chewy consistency. | Sometimes called rolled oats, these look like flat little ovals. When processing these oats, the kernels are steamed first, and then rolled to flatten them. They take longer to cook than quick oats but are quicker than steel-cut oats. | Also called instant oats, these oats are precooked, dried, and then rolled. They cook in a few minutes when added to hot water and have a mushy texture. |
| Typical Serving Size | 1/4 cup dry | 1/2 cup dry | 1/2 cup dry |
| Calories | 170 [5] | 190 [6] | 150 [7] |
| Total Fat | 3 g | 3.5 g | 3 g |
| Carbs | 29 g | 32 g | 27 g |
| Fibre | 5 g | 5 g | 4 g |
| Protein | 7 g | 7 g | 5 g |
In order to increase the amount of protein in your bowl, scroll through to see some ingredients you can add [8], such as nut butter or protein powder. They'll up the protein, but they'll also add fibre, and healthy fats, and offer a pleasing texture, making your bowl even more satisfying. Choose a few of these ingredients and you'll be on your way to the 13 to 20 grams of protein you need.
Chickpeas
Just mash one-quarter cup of garbanzo beans into your bowl [9]. Then add the rolled oats, liquid, sweetener, and toppings of your choice, heat it up, and boom — for 65 extra calories, you get 3.5 grams of protein [10].
The smashed chickpeas add a creaminess that blends right into the oatmeal, so you won't notice them one bit. This hack works with white beans, too, and if your oatmeal is chocolate flavoured, you can use black beans.
Try this recipe: banana cashew overnight oats [11]
Nut Butter or Seed Butter
Stir in two tablespoons of a nut butter. Both sunflower seed and peanut butter add eight extra grams of protein [12], and almond butter adds seven grams.
Try this recipe: chocolate peanut butter overnight oats [13]
Hemp Seeds
Instead of just using rolled oats, throw in hemp hearts [14] (raw shelled hemp seeds). One tablespoon offers 3.3 grams of protein and one gram of carbs [15], so this little bowl packs in over 19 grams of protein!
Try this recipe: overnight hemp seed and oat cereal [16]
Soy Milk
Forget cooking your oats in plain water. Increase the protein by swapping soy milk (or cow's milk if you eat dairy). Half a cup of soy milk adds 3.5 grams of protein [17]. Ripple milk made with pea protein [18] is another excellent choice — it offers four grams of protein [19] per half-cup serving.
Try this recipe: slow-cooker pumpkin steel-cut oats [20]
Protein Powder
Mix a little protein powder [21] to transform your bowl of toasty warm oatmeal into a protein-packed breakfast (over 18 grams!).
Try this recipe: high-protein oatmeal [22]
Flaxmeal
One tablespoon of flaxmeal offers one gram of protein [23], so this can be one of many protein-packed ingredients you add to your bowl.
Try this recipe: blueberry banana protein-packed baked oatmeal [24]
Yoghurt
Mix in some Greek yoghurt (or soy or almond yoghurt if you're dairy-free [25]), and you'll not only up the protein in your bowl, but increase the creaminess as well!
Try this recipe: cookie dough overnight oats [26]
Chia Seeds
Mix a tablespoon of chia seeds into your oatmeal and you add two grams of protein [27]. You may prefer this texture better than straight-up chia pudding [28].
Try this recipe: vanilla almond raspberry overnight oats [29]
Peanut Butter Powder
Try adding powdered peanut butter [30], like the brand Crazy Richard's (which is unsweetened), to your oats. A two-tablespoon serving adds six grams of protein [31] for just 50 calories.
Try this recipe: peanut butter and banana oatmeal [32] (use peanut butter powder instead of peanut butter)
Nuts
Sprinkle on some pecans, walnuts, chopped almonds, peanuts, or pistachios — they'll add protein plus fibre and hunger-satiating healthy fats.
Try this recipe: slow-cooker banana steel-cut oatmeal [33]
Almond Meal
Leslie recommends adding three tablespoons of almond meal to oatmeal to increase the protein. It adds four grams of protein [34].
Try this recipe: overnight oatmeal cookie [35] (use it in place of the flaxmeal and peanut butter)