Savory oatmeal is a warm, nourishing breakfast flavored with miso and topped with jammy eggs, greens, chili crisp, and your favorite toppings! It's the perfect way to switch up your morning oats in one cozy breakfast bowl.
If you've only had sweet oatmeal all your life, this is your sign to try savory oatmeal! I remember making it in college a few times, but have only recently brought it back into my life, made even better with a jammy egg, sautéed greens, and chili crisp.
Savory oats are a warm, nourishing breakfast made by cooking oats with savory ingredients like broth and miso rather than your typical sweet ingredients. It's perfect for when you're in the mood for more of a savory breakfast bowl topped with eggs and sautéed vegetables, rather than a bowl of sweet steel cut oats.
I used steel cut oats here, which are great for slower mornings but also reheat beautifully for work day meal prep. Quick or whole rolled oats work beautifully as well (more on these below!). This breakfast is easily customizable with with different toppings, and honestly? You could even eat it for lunch or dinner.
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Key Ingredients
- Oats - I usually use steel cut oats here. Once on a slow Sunday morning so I can simply reheat for the next couple days. But you can absolutely use whole rolled oats or quick oats on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Miso - White miso paste is our primary savory flavor. We'll sauté it with some onions, almost like starting soup, and then add the oats and water to simmer.
- Toppings - Feel free to get creative here. This recipe will feature jammy eggs, avocado, sautéed kale, green onions, chili crisp, and seeds. Scroll down for more ideas!
A note on using broth: You could absolutely simmer the oats in broth (bone broth would be great for more protein!). Water will let the oat flavor shine through a bit more, but both ways are delicious.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat olive oil in a medium-large pot. Add onions and sauté until softened, then add miso and sauté for a couple more minutes.
- Step 2: Add oats, seasonings, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until steel cut oats are soft and thickened.
- Step 3: While oatmeal is simmering, sauté kale (or veggies of choice) lightly in some olive oil. Boil jammy eggs during this time as well (7 minutes and 30 seconds submerged in a rolling boil, then plunge into bowl of ice water).
- Step 4: Assemble the savory oatmeal bowls! Scoop into bowls, then top with the sautéed kale, jammy egg, diced avocado, chili crisp, seeds, salt + pepper, or any other toppings your heart desires.
More Topping Ideas
- Cooked vegetables - As a seasonal eater, I usually swap the veggies seasonally, which is also a fun we to keep it interesting. Sauté spinach or mushrooms, or even reheat leftover roasted butternut squash for fall and winter toppings. Sun-dried tomatoes are amazing.
- Eggs, other ways - Top with a fried egg, poached egg, or even some chili scrambled eggs for a spicy twist.
- Nuts & seeds - I douse my savory oats in hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds.
- Seasonings - Everything but the bagel seasoning, always. Plus I've been really into this seaweed gomasio (sesame seeds, seaweed, and salt blend).
- Extra virgin olive oil - So good drizzled on top.
- Cheese - Feta, cheddar, parmesan, or your favorite.
How to Use Different Type of Oats
You can totally use quick-cooking oats or old-fashioned rolled oats based on what you have available and how much time you have to cook. Here's how I'd approach it for about two servings.
Quick Oats
Ratio: 1 cup quick oats + 1 cup water + pinch of salt
- Stovetop - Bring to a boil in a pot, then simmer for one minute until soft and thick.
- Microwave - Combine in microwaveable bowl; heat for about 1 minute.
Whole Rolled Oats
Ratio: 1 cup whole rolled oats + 1 ¾ cups water + pinch of salt
- Stovetop - Bring to a boil in a pot, then simmer until soft and thick, up to 5 minutes.
- Microwave - Combine in microwaveable bowl; heat for 2.5 - 3 minutes.
More Oat Recipes
Made this savory oatmeal recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a ⭐️ rating and comment below, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and my newsletter for more everyday seasonal recipes.
📖 Recipe
Savory Oatmeal Bowl with Miso, Kale & Jammy Egg
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Description
This savory oatmeal bowl is packed with umami flavor from miso and topped with sautéed kale, jammy eggs, creamy avocado, chili crisp, and crunchy seeds. It's a nourishing savory breakfast that comes together in about 30 minutes and works just as well for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + more for kale
- ¼ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water + more for jammy eggs
- 2-3 cups chopped kale
- 3 eggs
- ½ avocado, diced
- 1-2 green onions, sliced
- For serving: chili crisp, seeds, salt, pepper, and any other desired toppings
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Sauté onions + miso. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, add the diced onion, and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the miso and cook for another 1-2 minutes to deepen the flavor.
- Add oats + simmer. Add the steel cut oats and stir for about 1 minute to lightly toast them in the miso-onion mixture. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, cover once the boiling has settled a bit, and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, or until the oats are tender.
- Sauté kale. While the oats cook, heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the kale and sauté until bright green and lightly wilted.
- Cook jammy eggs. Fill a small-medium pot with enough water to cover eggs by one inch. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then carefully lower eggs into the water using a tongs. Cook for 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice water. When your timer goes off, transfer the eggs immediately to the ice bath to stop the cooking.
- Assemble. Once the oats are done, spoon into bowls and top with the sautéed kale, jammy eggs, salt, pepper, chili crisp, avocado cubes, green onions, and seeds (and/or your favorite toppings!).
Notes
- Storage instructions. Store oats in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. I recommend storing any toppings separately to make reheating easier.
- Eggs. You can also fry or poach eggs as the steel cut oats become close to done. The recipe calls for three, but if you're poaching or frying, make as many as you plan to eat right away.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (includes kale + 1 egg)
- Calories: 302
- Sugar: 1.2 g
- Sodium: 476.5 mg
- Fat: 17.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.1 g
- Fiber: 6.4 g
- Protein: 12.8 g
- Cholesterol: 186 mg
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