This cherry berry oatmeal is deliciously fruity and sweet without added sugar. Tastes like gummy bears! Try this easy kid-friendly recipe with oats and cherries for your next breakfast. Great for batch cooking or weekly meal prep, too.
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For another super easy oatmeal recipe, learn how to make the best basic vegan overnight oats.
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🧄 Ingredient notes
To make this healthy, low-fat cherry berry oatmeal, you'll need the following ingredients:
- frozen cherries and berries (I buy a bag of frozen cherry berry blend that has mixed cherries (sweet and tart/sour) and berries at Aldi) You could also use fresh, pitted cherries and assorted berries (like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries).
- rolled oats
- bananas
- vanilla extract
- frozen raspberries (these add bright pink color and that lovely raspberry tartness)
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
Toppings!
This sugar-free oatmeal is so delicious with thawed frozen raspberries and sliced banana on top.
But, you could top it with anything you love, like:
- diced strawberries or other pink fruit
- fresh blueberries
- vanilla or plain dairy-free yogurt
- walnut and/or pecan pieces (dry roasted in a pan for a few minutes brings out even more flavor)
- whole or ground flaxseed
- hemp hearts
- sweetener of your choice (maple syrup, brown sugar, cane sugar, agave nectar, honey, brown rice syrup, blackstrap molasses)
Vegan weight loss meal
This cherry berry oatmeal is a great option for vegan weight loss because all the basic ingredients are low in calorie density. It will keep you full, as well.
To keep it low calorie density, then choose to top your oatmeal with fruit (like sliced banana, cherries or raspberries). Omit or limit higher calorie dense foods, like dried fruit, nuts, seeds and nut butters.
Alternative: Another low calorie density oatmeal recipe is carrot cake oatmeal. The addition of shredded carrots brings the calorie density down and adds natural sweetness, fiber and nutrients.
Change up your morning oatmeal
If you're looking for ways to spice up your everyday morning bowl of oatmeal, check out the below article → 10 Ways to Spice Up your Oatmeal.
❓ FAQ
The top most popular fruits to eat with oatmeal are: blueberries, apples, peaches, strawberries, cherries, bananas and raisins. These fruits also go really well with oatmeal: blackberries, raspberries, nectarines, cranberries and nectarines.
Mix in fresh or frozen fruit (apples, berries, cherries, banana) when cooking your oatmeal or add it fresh on top. Or, add warm spices like ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice and ground cardamom. Also, vanilla extract and almond extract.
Add sliced frozen or fresh banana to your oatmeal while it's cooking! It will melt into the oatmeal and sweeten it naturally. You can also add fresh or frozen sweet fruit to your oatmeal (like apples, peaches, cherries). If you are trying to stay away from cane sugar, try a natural sweetener like maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, agave nectar or honey.
🔄 Variations
Use all cherries
Instead of using a cherry berry blend, use all cherries (sweet, tart or sour). Or, use all berries!
Tart cherry oatmeal and sour cherry oatmeal are delicious! The frozen cherry berry blend I use from Aldi has sweet and tart cherries, so it's a nice combination.
Switch up the toppings
Switch out the toppings different weeks or spread out an oatmeal bar, so everyone can add whichever topping they like best. This works great for a weekend brunch or traveling with family. Some good choices are:
- diced apples
- sliced banana
- diced pineapple
- frozen cherries
- frozen berries
- dried cranberries
- raisins
- nuts and seeds like slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts, pepitas, flax seed
💭 Tips
Batch cook this meal by making a double recipe, so you'll have plenty for breakfast over the week.
This recipe is great for kids, especially since it cooks up into such a beautiful color. My son says it tastes like gummy bears! So, I'd call that kid-friendly.
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you love this healthy recipe with cherries and oats, check out these other plant-based breakfast ideas!
Or, check out my other kid-friendly plant-based recipes!
Love this recipe? Please rate it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below in the recipe card. And, if you make it, please tag me on Instagram or Facebook in your posted photos! I would love to see your creations. 😄
📖 Recipe
Cherry Berry Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- 1 cup frozen berries
- 2 ripe bananas sliced, fresh or frozen
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- 2 cups rolled oats old-fashioned
- 1 cup frozen raspberries plus more for optional topping
- 1 banana sliced for optional topping
Instructions
- Add frozen fruit, 2 ripe bananas, water and salt to medium pan and bring to a boil.
- Add oats, bring back to boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Stir regularly, to prevent the oatmeal from sticking to the bottom of the pan or from boiling over.
- Cook until thick, about 10 minutes, then mix in frozen raspberries and turn off heat.
- Serve with more frozen raspberries and sliced banana on top.
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