Breakfast can set the tone of your day. Maybe you scarf down a protein bar on your way out the door. Maybe you spend a cozy morning making French toast or pancakes. Maybe you sip a green smoothie while writing your to-do list.
Different meals can set you up to feel soothed, balanced, pampered, supported—food fuels both your body and your mood. On days when you need a breakfast that will warm you, sustain you, comfort and nourish you, turn to chai tea oatmeal!
Tea and Oats: A Bounty of Breakfast Benefits
Oatmeal is simple comfort food. It comes together in no time, gives your body a healthy dose of fiber, protein, and antioxidants; and its warming, gooey goodness is satisfying to so many of the senses! Steep it in your favorite chai, and you’ve made yourself a healthy bowl of breakfast perfection.
The flavors in chai are, I find, the ultimate in comfort when there’s a brisk chill in the air and heavy clouds in the sky. While others eagerly anticipate the arrival of pumpkin spice, I can’t wait for the changing leaves to ring in the return of chai lattes! (Although come to think of it, pumpkin spice oatmeal sounds pretty amazing as well…)
Combining tea and oatmeal elevates your breakfast to the next level of delicious, and requires almost no effort on your part. In addition to imparting a whole host of flavor with one simple step, you also reap the extra health benefits tea can provide. If you love the idea of infusing your favorite tea in your daily porridge pot, check out this green tea oatmeal recipe that includes variations for both stovetop and overnight oats! Or check out this carrot cake instant pot oatmeal made with brown sugar, real carrots, and the always-delightful Porch Sippin’ Pecan black tea.
Love for Chai and Oats
If you clicked on this article because you love all things chai and you’re looking for more ways to incorporate it into your life, I can’t resist the opportunity to highlight a few other delicious chai recipes!
Have chai for breakfast every day with chai French toast—golden crispy on the outside, perfectly tender on the inside, and sneakily vegan—or Stargazer Chai muffins, swirled with cinnamon and sprinkled with crumble topping!
Snack on chai throughout the day with chai chocolate chip scones or chai monkey bread, maybe slathered with a creamy layer of chai apple butter!
Sip your chai in a healthy chai latte, a creamy chai smoothie, or an espresso-boosted dirty chai!
And end your day with chai for dessert in a spiced rice pudding, chocolate chip cookies, or a dreamy cocktail!
Or perhaps you came to this article because you love all things oats. In that case, don’t miss out on oatmeal blender pancakes—another simple, quick, and healthful recipe that uses oats as its base! Naturally sweetened, satisfyingly substantial, and easily customizable, once you add them into your breakfast rotation, you’ll never go back!
Spiced maple oatmeal scones are seasoned with classic chai spices and vanilla, lightly sweetened with brown sugar and maple dust, and baked to golden perfection. The perfect addition to any tea table on a blustery afternoon!
If you like to pair a cookie with your cuppa, oatmeal hazelnut cookies with Earl Grey buttercream could be just the thing you never knew you always wanted. Two soft, chewy cookies with a crisp outside and pleasant hazelnut crunch are held together with a velvety layer of bergamot black tea buttercream. Dunk this double cookie delight in your tea and enjoy a perfect moment.
Chai Tea Oatmeal—Technique and Toppings
The process of making chai tea oatmeal is very straightforward. Rather than using plain water to boil your oats, you use your favorite chai! Or cook your oats as normal and top them with a chai latte pour-over!
Depending on your time and preferences, you could use any of following methods:
- Cold brew your chai in the fridge the night before. Then boil your oats and tea at the same time, or bring tea to a boil and then add your oats.
- Bring your liquid to a boil and steep chai using an infuser. Remove leaves, then add your oats and cook according to package directions.
- Combine oats and water in a pan, bring both to a boil at the same time and cook until all liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, bring milk to boil in a separate pan. Steep your tea leaves in the milk, pour over oatmeal when both are finished.
The first method is the simplest, the second is the most traditional, and the third is my personal favorite.
Traditional package directions for cooking oatmeal call for the water to come to a boil and the oats to be added after. The oats and liquid mingle, but they remain fairly separate, and the oats retain a bit of their own structure.
The oatmeal I grew up with was prepared with a very small difference in the recipe, but it makes all the difference in texture! The oats were added to cold water, and both came to a boil together—this results in a thicker, gloopier texture and softer oats. My mom and great-grandma would always finish it off with a hefty splash of milk and sprinkle of brown sugar, which when mixed in, gives you an amazingly creamy dish we called “vena.” In the chai version, we replace the milk and sugar with honeyed chai, and trust me, once you try it, you’ll never go back to regular old oatmeal again!
If you like add-ins cooked with your oatmeal, you can add them to your liquid at the same time as your oats. I like stirring in dried fruit such as dates, raisins, or figs for natural sweetness. Cooking them along with your oats allows them to break down and soften, releasing more of their sugars in the process and sometimes eliminating the need for sweeteners altogether!
Finish your chai tea oatmeal with your favorite toppings and a drizzle of honey https://www.plumdeluxe.com/product/raw-creamed-honey (a sweet pairing that perfectly enhances the Full Moon chai https://www.plumdeluxe.com/product/full-moon-chai).
Possible toppings include:
- Dried, fresh, frozen, or poached fruit
- Nuts
- A swirl of jam (consider this refrigerator elderberry or cinnamon blueberry compote)
- Coconut
- Chia seeds or pepitas
- Peanut or nut butter
- Dark chocolate chunks
- A splash of infused cream
Chai Tea Oatmeal Recipe
Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup quick-rolled oats
- 1 and 1/2 cups water
- 4 ounces milk of choice (whole, 2%, almond, oat, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon loose leaf Full Moon Chai https://www.plumdeluxe.com/product/full-moon-chai or preferred chai https://www.plumdeluxe.com/teashop?fwp_type=chai
- 1/2 teaspoon honey, or to taste
- Add-ins or toppings of choice, optional (ex—nuts, fruit, seeds, coconut, peanut or nut butter, swirl of jam)
*Could also cold brew the loose leaf in your milk or water the night before (see section above for alternative preparation suggestions)
Directions:
Combine oats, water, and any optional add-ins (such as dried fruit, nuts, or seeds) in medium saucepan. (tip: If you’re using a lot of add-ins like dried fruit or chia seeds, consider adding a little extra water, as the add-ins may absorb some of the moisture .) Cook over high heat until water comes to a boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat to medium-high and continue to stir several minutes until all liquid is absorbed and oatmeal has reached desired consistency.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk over medium high heat until it begins to steam, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in honey and loose leaf chai leaves, steep 5 to 6 minutes, according to taste.**
Transfer cooked oatmeal to serving bowl. Pour chai over oatmeal, stir to incorporate. Sprinkle on toppings of choice.
Serve with your favorite tea and enjoy!
**Or use alternative methods listed above to combine oatmeal and chai.
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