This chai oatmeal is creamy, full of delicious spice, satisfying and nutritious. Easy to make and ready in minutes! Perfect topped with your favourite fruit.
This chai oatmeal (a type of porridge) uses a homemade chai spice mixture for an aromatic, delicious twist on classic oatmeal. It's creamy, quick and easy to make using your favorite milk (either dairy or plant-based) and tastes best topped with fruit (see suggestions below).
What is Chai?
Chai tea is a beverage originating in India, made by brewing black tea with aromatic spices, often served with milk. These spices typically include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.
These are also spices I used in my fragrant chai spiced oatmeal recipe.
Chai oatmeal ingredients and substitutions
- Oats: Use porridge oats or old-fashioned rolled oats. I do not recommend using instant oats. Use gluten free oats if required.
- Milk: Use any (good options include dairy, almond, oat or soy).
- Water: I prefer a combination of milk and water as it produces a light texture, but you can just use milk.
- Chai spices: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg.
- Sugar: Adjust the amount to suit your taste. You can also omit the sugar if using mashed banana or another sweet fruit (see suggestions below). Sugar can also be replaced with a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Salt and pepper: Enhance the flavour. Some chai tea recipes also use black peppercorns and I thought they would be a great addition to my chai spiced oatmeal.
Recipe instructions
1. Assemble ingredients: Place all the ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Cook chai oatmeal: Bring to the boil, then cook gently for 3-6 minutes or until the porridge is thick and creamy, stirring often.
3. Serve: Remove from the heat, top with your favourite fruit and enjoy!
What fruit can be used with chai spiced oatmeal
- Passion fruit: my personal favourite!
- Banana
- Mango
- Pear
- Apple
- Berries
- Fruit compote
- Dried fruit: such as currants, cranberries, raisins, cherries, chopped apricots, figs, dates or prunes.
TIP: You may like to sweeten your chai oatmeal with just the fruit! When using larger fruit mash it up, cut into chunks or use a bit of both.
What other flavours can be used
Oatmeal lends itself to a variety of flavours so you can change things up depending on what you have on hand. Other than chai spices oatmeal is also delicious with:
- Gingerbread spices
- Pumpkin spice/mixed spice
- Apple pie spice mixture
Top tips
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats (or jumbo oats). I do not recommend using instant oats (they produce a mushy texture).
- Cooking times may vary depending on the type of oats you use as well as personal preference.
- Adjust the amount of milk to suit your taste.
- You can also change the ratio of milk to water (mine is based on personal preference).
- This oatmeal with chai spices is best served immediately. It will thicken as it cools so add a splash of milk or water when reheating it.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to a day.
- Not suitable for freezing.
More oatmeal recipes to try next
See also these other easy, delicious breakfast recipes!
Recipe
Chai Oatmeal with Fruit
Ingredients
- 1 cup (85 g) old-fashioned rolled oats *see Notes
- ¾ cup (180 ml) milk any
- ¾ cup+2tbsp (200 ml) water
- ⅓ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger and cardamom each
- ⅕ teaspoon cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves and nutmeg each
- 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup, add to taste
- A pinch of fine sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients: In a saucepan combine the oats with the water, milk, spices, seasoning and sugar.
- Cook: Bring to the boil then lower the heat and cook for 4-6 minutes or until the oatmeal is thick and creamy, stirring often.
- Serve: Remove from the heat, top with your favourite fruit and serve.
Notes
- *Use old-fashioned rolled oats (or jumbo oats). I do not recommend using instant oats (they produce a mushy texture). Use gluten free oats if required.
- Cooking times may vary depending on the type of oats you use as well as personal preference.
- Adjust the amount of milk to suit your taste.
- You can also change the ratio of milk to water (mine is based on personal preference).
- Chai oatmeal is best served immediately. It will thicken as it cools so add a splash of milk or water when reheating it.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to a day.
- Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Keep in touch!
If you make this chai spiced porridge recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. What topping did you use? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Charlotte Oates says
This sounds delicious. I love porridge in this chilly weather and I'm always after new ideas.
[email protected] says
Thank you! I think porridge is great because there are so many ways of enjoying it:)
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com says
Oh wow - what a fab idea! And such beautiful photos - PINNED!! 🙂 Eb x
[email protected] says
Thank you!
GoodEggFoodie says
Like you, I am not a fan of black tea, but love chai! In fact I don't drink tea and coffee at all except for chai! I also love it in my porridge- great minds eh! I use masala tea Spice Drops. Two drops and honey to sweeten, I will deffo be trying with passion fruit next time I see some for sale, thanks for the top tip x
[email protected] says
Thanks! I've never heard of Spice Drops, must look for them next time I go shopping:)