If necessity is the mother of invention, then my not being a morning person has forced me to create creative and delicious breakfasts that will fuel my family and keep them full until lunchtime. This homemade instant breakfast mix is the perfect example!
We’ve all heard that it is important to eat a healthy breakfast. If you’re looking for easy, no-fuss breakfasts that you just heat and eat, be sure to also check out my homemade breakfast casseroles.
This instant breakfast mix costs pennies to make and can sit in your freezer until you’re ready to use it. Learn to keep your pantry stocked with bulk foods so you can make this healthy instant breakfast any time you want. It’s also a great way to beat inflation at the grocery store!
Why I Love This Recipe
My favorite breakfast is the one that whips up in just a few minutes with very little hands-on time. Because I am not a morning person, I don’t want to have to slave over a stove to feed my very large family. So any meal that only takes a few minutes to prepare is a win in my book.
This hot breakfast requires no actual cooking at all, just heating up some water to boil. I also love that this recipe is low in sugar, high in fiber, contains healthy grains and nutrients, and has endless flavor variations.
The best part? This instant breakfast mix is so much cheaper than you can buy at the grocery store!
Where to Buy an Oat Flaker
You may notice that I’m freshly rolling my grains for this recipe. That isn’t necessary, but it does make this recipe a whole lot more nutritious. I’ve actually had my grain roller for over 18 years now, so that tells you how well some of these machines hold up!
There are a few options I would recommend when it comes to buying a grain roller (aka, a grain flaker). If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, you could buy this oat flaker attachment. Or, if you have a Bosch, this Bosch oat flaker is a great attachment. If you’re looking for a non-electric hand-crank option, this Komo oat flaker works great.
If you don’t want to buy a grain roller, you can just buy your grains already rolled from the grocery store and skip the step of rolling them yourself.
DIY Instant Breakfast Mix
The recipe below makes seven 1/3 cup servings. I usually serve 1/2 cup because we definitely have active kids that need extra calories for their homestead chores, but it is up to you.
Also, rolling your grains with an oat roller allows you to use the freshest grains possible.
Homestead Hack: Store freshly rolled oats in the freezer to retain their nutritional value. The nutritional value will diminish over time, but the freezer extends its shelf-life. Store-bought rolled oats do not need to be stored in the freezer as they’ve lost most of their nutritional value by the time they hit the grocery store shelf.
Ingredients Needed
- Oats – If you use an oat roller, you can buy unrolled oats in bulk and then roll them yourself. If not, use old-fashioned rolled oats.
- Whole Wheat Berries – This is a very good grain for you.
- Barley – This grain is readily available and reasonably priced.
- Quinoa – You can also use millet, amaranth, and other grains.
- Chia Seeds – You can use oat bran or wheat bran as well.
- Walnuts – Feel free to use almonds or any other nut you like.
- Dried Fruit – Use dried apples, peaches, raisins, cranberries or dried apricots.
Homesteading Hack: I get my apple juice-sweetened dried cranberries from Azure Standard. If you’re a first-time Azure Standard customer, use coupon code “HOMESTEADINGFAMILY15” at checkout for 15% off your order of $100 or more! - Cinnamon – I love using cinnamon, especially in the colder winter months. You can pair it with walnuts and dried apples for a tasty combination.
- Ginger – This makes the instant breakfast have a real punch and adds healthy nutrients found in ginger.
- Ground Cloves – This adds a cozy Christmas flavor, especially when combined with ginger and cinnamon. It’s almost like a chai-flavored instant breakfast mix.
You can mix and match the grains until you find your favorite combination. This is our favorite mix, and all the kids love it.
Flavor Variations
Get creative with your flavors! A few of our favorites are listed below:
- Berry Spice – This is the variation shown in the video above. Use dehydrated cranberries, cinnamon, walnuts, and ginger.
- Apple Nut Spice – Use dehydrated or freeze-dried apples, walnuts (or slivered almonds) and cinnamon.
- Maple Nut – Use walnuts and add maple syrup when preparing.
- Strawberries & Cream – Use freeze-dried strawberries and add a splash of cream and a drizzle of maple syrup once your mix is cooked.
- Peaches & Cream – Use freeze-dried or dehydrated peaches and add a splash of cream and a drizzle of maple syrup once your mix is cooked.
- Chai Spice – Use cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg and add maple syrup when preparing.
How to Make Healthy Instant Breakfast Mix
If you’re planning on making this recipe, do yourself a favor and whip up a few batches at once. Making extra batches takes very little extra time, especially since you already have all the ingredients out. You’ll be glad you did as you enjoy your quick and easy no-fuss breakfasts!
- If starting with whole oats and whole wheat berries, you’ll need to roll them first. If starting with rolled oats, move to step 4.
- Add oats, wheat berries, barley and quinoa to the oat roller.
- Place a bowl under the roller and turn it on. Process the breakfast mix until everything has run through the machine.
- Stir to combine oats and other ingredients together.
- Add chia seeds, nuts, dried fruit, and spices and stir to combine.
- If using dry sweetener, add it to the mixture at this time.
- Using a funnel, pour mix into a jar or other storage container and seal. Homesteading Hack: Print and add this label with directions to the container. That way, if you’re not around, your loved ones will know how to prepare it.
- Store in the freezer (or pantry for store-bought oats).
How to Cook & Serve Instant Breakfast
When you’re ready to eat, follow these directions and have breakfast on the table in minutes!
- Boil water in a kettle or microwave.
- Put 1/3 cup of the instant mix into a serving bowl. If you want, you can add liquid sweetener here, such as honey or maple syrup.
- Pour the boiling water over the mix just until the mix is covered.
- Cover the bowl with a plate.
- Let it sit for two or three minutes to soften the grain. This will bring out healthy nutrients as the mix begins to soften.
Don’t forget to print your labels for the jar!
Now you are ready to eat. This very rich and hearty instant breakfast tastes good and smells fantastic. A healthy, quick, inexpensive and incredible breakfast is much better than what you can buy already made at the store.
Did you make this recipe? If so, we’d love you to leave a star rating on the recipe card below! Then head to social media and tag us in a photo so we can hear how much you enjoyed your new instant breakfast!
Click the image below to print your labels:
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Homemade Instant Breakfast Mix
Equipment
- Oat Roller
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup oats
- 1/2 cup whole wheat berries
- 1/2 cup barley
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup dried fruit
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- If starting with whole oats and whole wheat berries, you’ll need to roll them first. If starting with rolled oats, move to step 4.
- Add oats, wheat berries, barley and quinoa to the oat roller.
- Place a bowl under the roller and turn it on. Process the breakfast mix until everything has run through the machine.
- Stir to combine oats and other ingredients together.
- Add chia seeds, nuts, dried fruit, and spices and stir to combine.
- If using dry sweetener, add it to the mixture at this time.
- Using a funnel, pour mix into a jar or other storage container and seal.
- Store in the freezer (or pantry for store-bought oats).
Cooking Instructions
- Boil water in a kettle or microwave.
- Put 1/3 cup of the instant mix into a serving bowl. If you want, you can add liquid sweetener here, such as honey or maple syrup.
- Pour the boiling water over the mix just until the mix is covered.
- Cover the bowl with a plate.
- Let it sit for two or three minutes until grains have softened and water has been absorbed.
Notes
- If you do not have an oat roller, you can use old-fashioned rolled oats. These do not need to be stored in the freezer after being made.
- The serving of this recipe is for 1/2 of a cup.
- You can use any type of dried fruit, such as raisins, dried apples, dried peaches, almonds, or dried apples.
- If you want to use sweetener, add dried sweetener to the oats before storing them, or add a liquid sweetener such as honey or maple syrup to the bowl with the boiling water as you prepare it.
