Masala Oats is a savory oatmeal breakfast porridge cooked with lots of vegetables and aromatic Indian spices. A healthy & delicious vegan breakfast recipe.
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Watch How to Make Indian Masala Oats
Savory Oatmeal with Spices and Veggies
Often, the sweeter oatmeal variant is preferred by most, but these Indian spiced masala oats are amazing, and everyone, including the kids, loved them. You can also call this recipe – oats upma, curry oatmeal, or spicy oats!
This healthy oatmeal recipe is made with wholesome veggies, so it is a great breakfast option and an excellent way to start the day. You can also try to have Indian masala oats for lunch or dinner.
If you have tried and are a fan of the popular Indian superfood, Khichdi, then you are sure to fall in love with this savory vegetable oats porridge, aka masala oats recipe. My kids love this oatmeal with plain yogurt.
Looking for more ideas? Check out the 15+ Indian Breakfast Recipes Collection.
How to make Masala Oats in the Instant Pot?
I have used steel-cut oats to make this masala oatmeal in the Instant Pot. Steel-cut oats take longer to cook on the stovetop but are great to cook in a pressure cooker. You don’t have to soak the oats for this recipe.
I have used onions, tomatoes, and a frozen mix of carrots, green beans, peas, and corn for this savory masala oatmeal recipe. You can use fresh or frozen veggies. Both will cook well in the suggested cooking time.
This masala oatmeal recipe does not use any milk. It is cooked in water, or you can use vegetable broth.
So let’s get started-
- Set the instant pot in sauté mode and let it heat. Then add ghee/oil, along with some cumin seeds, and let them sizzle.
- Then, add the green chili, onions, ginger, and garlic. Sauté them well for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add tomato and spices. Mix well. If you like, you can also add cashews to the masala oats.
- Now, add the mixed vegetables along with steel-cut oats and water. Stir and mix them well. In case any veggie or oats is stuck at the bottom, deglaze it and close the Instant pot lid.
- Now pressure cook mode for 8 minutes at high pressure. (5 minutes for quick cooking steel-cut oats)
- When the Instant Pot beeps, wait for 10 minutes, then release the pressure and open the lid. It is also okay to do a natural pressure release.
- Add a bit of lime or lemon juice to the cooked masala oats and mix well.
- Garnish them with fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy with a dollop of yogurt.
How to make Masala Oats on the Stovetop?
When making this Indian masala oats on a stovetop, I suggest using rolled oats as they cook quickly on the stovetop. For every cup of rolled oats, add 2 cups of water.
Follow the above steps for cooking the masala oats on the stove. But, after adding the oats and water, cook them covered for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat or till they have cooked completely and reached the desired consistency.
Pro-Tips
- Type of Oats: I love to use steel-cut oats to make this savory oats recipe, especially when cooking in an instant pot or pressure cooker. I use rolled oats when cooking on the stovetop as they cook faster. If you have quick-cooking oats, you can reduce the pressure cooking time to 5 minutes.
- Make it gluten-free: If you are looking for gluten-free oatmeal, make sure to buy certified gluten-free steel-cut oats.
- Veggies: You can add fresh or frozen veggies of your choice to this savory masala oatmeal.
- Oats Upma: To make this more like Upma, add curry leaves and mustard seeds along with cumin seeds at the start.
- Adding nuts: Cashews are a great addition to these savory masala oats. You can add cashews along with the cumin seeds, so they are sautéed in oil before being cooked. If you have roasted cashews or other nuts, you can add them at the end as garnish.
- Consistency: Oatmeal thickens as it cools, so make sure to adjust the consistency by mixing in some hot water before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish with some cilantro and roasted nuts. Serve them with a cup of masala chai.
You can enjoy these spicy, savory oats just as is or add a dollop of yogurt (or vegan yogurt) on the side and enjoy them.
Storage Suggestions
Any leftovers can be cooled down to room temperature and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, add some hot water and heat in the microwave or a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Give this delicious Masala Oatmeal a try, and I would love to hear how they turn out!
Here are other breakfast recipes you’ll enjoy:
- Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats
- Banana Bread Pudding
- Sweetened Oatmeal with Cardamom and Nuts
- Banana Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats
Indian Masala Oats (Savory Oatmeal)
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil, use oil for vegan
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper, diced, optional
- 1 cup Onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Tomato, chopped
- 1.5 cup Steel-cut Oats
- 3.5 cup Water
- 2 cup Mixed vegetables, Carrots, Green Beans, Peas, Corn, Edmame, frozen or fresh
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- Cilantro leaves , to garnish
Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, or paprika, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt , adjust to taste
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat it. Add ghee/oil, then add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
- Now add the green chili, onion, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until onion are translucent.
- Add tomato and spices. Mix well.
- Add the mixed vegetables, oats and water. Mix well. If anything is stuck to the bottom of the pot, deglaze it. Press Cancel and close the lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to pressure cook (manual) mode for 8 minutes at high pressure.
- When the instant pot beeps, do a 10 minute NPR. This means let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the pressure manually.
- Open the lid and add the lime juice. Mix well.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves and enjoy with a dollop of yogurt.
Stovetop Method
- To make this recipe on stovetop, I recommend to use rolled oats. For every cup of rolled oats, add 2 cups of water.
- Follow the above steps for cooking the masala oats on the stovetop in a large pan. But, after adding the oats and water, cook them covered for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat or till they have cooked completely and reached the desired consistency.
Notes
- Oats Upma – To make this more like Upma, add curry leaves and mustard seeds along with cumin seeds at the start.
- Adding nuts – Cashews are a great addition to these savory masala oats. You can add cashews along with the cumin seeds, so they are sautéed in oil before being cooked. If you have roasted cashews or other nuts, you can add them at the end as garnish.
This recipe is really amazing . I can prepare this with Whole Oatmeal with Chia & Fruits – Vitamin Rich from True Elements- a clean label food brand which I have been using for a year and it really is great! One doubt whether we can use this recipe for all age groups? Please let me know. Can’t wait to try this recipe. YAYY !
Thank you for sharing. Will definitely try. Can I use Gluten Free Rolled Oats – Protein Rich Oats from True Elements for preparing this recipe? Please let me know if I can do that? Also the recipe looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try this out !! YAYY !
Hi Siddhi – I have not tried, but I believe it will work well with gluten-free oats too. Use the stovetop method for rolled oats.
Hi!
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Seeing this recipe really made me excited to try making it as it looks so delicious & will surely make breakfast enjoyable.
Thanks Janhavi. Hope you enjoy the masala oats.
Awesome recipe. I used quick cooking oats and made it on stovetop while being covered for 5 mins after the water was rolling boiled. Just that I had to add water twice the quantity of oats. Thanks for yum yum recipes 😘😘
Hi Bhavna – So happy to hear you enjoyed the oats!
You have good taste – says Chinese fortune cookie, and me!
Hi Rod – Glad you (and the fortune cookie) enjoyed it 😊
Can I make this recipe with rolled oats in Insta Pot? How should I adjust the water amount?
Hi Julie – I have not tried with rolled oats for this recipe in the instant pot. If you do, use 2.5 cups of water and pressure cook for only 1 minute. Hope you enjoy the masala oats!
This was very good. I used frozen mixed vegetables, added mustard, curry leaves, chana and urad dals, and coconut for a final garnish, just as we South Indians prefer! The upma looked “watery” when I opened the lid, but after a few minutes, it set very nicely. This recipe sure beats the constant stirring making upma the traditional way. I look forward to making your recipe with sooji.
Hi Asha – So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing your experience. 🙂
Real good recipe if a person does not have a liking for oats. Due to my diet I have to start eating oats for breakfast since I can’t do wheat, egg or dairy. This was a lifesaver for me
Hi Lavina – Happy to hear that. Thank you for trying my Recipe 🙂
Hi, I’m wondering if any leftover masala oats
can be saved and reheated. This sounds absolutely delicious.
Hi Georgia – Thank you. Leftovers will work fine for this recipe. You can reheat in the microwave. Add a little water to adjust the consistency.
this is my go-to breakfast whenever I feel bored of regular porridge!
instant pot saves m daily more than my job does lol
Hi Siri – So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing back. 🙂
I’m not a fan of oatmeal and I begrudgingly eat it for the health benefits. I’ve been trying different savory oat recipes and this one was my favorite. I’m not a big fan of masala (even though I’m Indian), so I like the mild flavors in this dish a lot. I add a lot of frozen mixed vegetables, onion and bell pepper and it’s done super fast in my mini instant pot. Love it!
Hi Dee – Glad to hear you liked this recipe, even if you are not a big fan of oats. Thanks for sharing back!