Oatmeal with Kiwi and Chia Seeds
I adore breakfast recipes that are quick, easy to make, and full of nutrients. This oatmeal is a real hit: delicate, creamy, with a refreshing kiwi flavour and crunchy chia seeds. And speaking of chia, or Spanish sage, these little seeds are rich in omega-3 acids, which support brain function, have anti-inflammatory effects, and keep your skin healthy. Thanks to them, this breakfast is not only a delicious meal, but also a real dose of energy for the whole day.
Method
First, I brought the oat drink to a boil, added the oat flakes and a bit of xylitol to give it a slightly sweet taste. When the oatmeal thickened and became pleasantly creamy, I took it off the heat. I cut the kiwi into small pieces and stirred them into the oatmeal, which gave the whole thing a nice fresh touch. I transferred it into a bowl and sprinkled with chia seeds, they add a slight crunch and make the dish even more nutritious.
You can prepare this breakfast in no time, it tastes amazing and provides you with a lasting energy boost. Try it, I’m sure you’ll like it! 😋
The ratio is what makes it creamy
Half a cup of flakes to a cup of oat drink is one to two, and that is the proportion worth remembering, because everything else in this recipe is flexible. More liquid gives a loose porridge you drink rather than eat, less gives a stiff one that keeps cooking in the bowl.
Bring the drink to a boil before the flakes go in rather than starting them together in cold liquid. Flakes dropped into boiling liquid keep their shape and release starch gradually, which is where the creaminess comes from. Five minutes of gentle simmering with a few stirs is enough for ordinary flakes, and it finishes thickening off the heat, so take it off looking slightly too loose.
The kiwi goes in off the heat
Stirring the kiwi into a pot still on the burner is the one thing that can spoil this breakfast. Heated kiwi turns from fresh to faintly bitter within a minute, and the fruit falls apart into the porridge instead of staying in pieces.
Off the heat, it warms through and keeps both its shape and its sharpness, which is what makes the dish read as fresh rather than sweet. Choose a kiwi that gives slightly under your thumb: a hard one is sour enough to fight the xylitol, and an overripe one turns to pulp as you stir.
Chia on top, not stirred in
Chia seeds are sprinkled on at the end for a reason. Stirred into hot porridge they start to swell within minutes and turn gelatinous, which changes the texture of the whole bowl and removes the crunch they were added for.
If you do want them to gel, that is a different breakfast: soak them separately in a few tablespoons of the oat drink for 15 minutes and fold that in at the end. Both work, but you have to choose one.
Sweetening, swaps and making it ahead
A teaspoon of xylitol is a light touch and it dissolves completely in hot porridge, unlike a dusting added at the table. If your oat drink is already sweetened, start with half and taste, since flavoured plant drinks carry more sugar than the recipe assumes.
Any plant drink works in place of the oat one, though almond and coconut give a thinner result and may need a couple more minutes on the heat. For an overnight version, skip the cooking entirely: combine the flakes, the drink and the chia in a jar in the evening, and add the kiwi in the morning. If you would rather have breakfasts like this planned into the week with a shopping list, that is what the Diet & Training by Ann app does.
Oatmeal with kiwi and chia seeds
Ingredients
Method
- Bring the oat drink to a boil.
- Add the oat flakes and the xylitol and simmer gently, stirring, until the porridge thickens and turns creamy.
- Take the pot off the heat, then cut the kiwi into small pieces and stir it in.
- Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle the chia seeds on top just before eating.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Half a cup of flakes to one cup of oat drink, so one to two. More liquid gives a porridge you drink rather than eat, less gives a stiff one that keeps cooking in the bowl. It finishes thickening off the heat, so take it off looking slightly too loose.
Heated kiwi turns faintly bitter within a minute and falls apart into the porridge. Off the heat it warms through, keeps its shape and keeps the sharpness that makes the dish read as fresh rather than sweet.
Not if you want the crunch. Stirred into hot porridge they swell within minutes and turn gelatinous. If you would rather have them gelled, soak them separately in a few tablespoons of the oat drink for 15 minutes and fold that in at the end.
Yes. Almond and coconut drinks both work, though they give a thinner result and may need a couple more minutes on the heat. If your drink is already sweetened, start with half the xylitol and taste.
Yes, as an overnight version without cooking: combine the flakes, the drink and the chia in a jar in the evening and add the kiwi in the morning. Breakfasts like this one come planned into the week with a shopping list in the Diet & Training by Ann app.
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