A few weeks ago I made some riced cauliflower and stashed it in my freezer. Since then I’ve been adding a little here and a little there to just about everything. It’s such a versatile way to bulk up recipes and add some extra fiber. This week I stirred some into my morning oats and OMG it was so good! Who would have thought? So today I present to you my Cinnamon Pecan Cauli Oats. A totally unexpected winner!
Look at that bowl of oats. You can’t even see the cauliflower in there! And I promise, it doesn’t taste like cauliflower, either.
What Does it Taste Like??
Okay, I know some of you are cringing reading about this right now, but let me promise you, these cauliflower oats do not taste or smell like sulfur (you know, that classic cauliflower smell). The cauliflower itself barely has any flavor, so it’s easily masked by the cinnamon, brown sugar, and milk.
And the texture? It’s absolutely delightful. I don’t know how else to explain it other than that. If you’re someone who has avoided oatmeal because it’s too goopy, you’ll welcome the added texture of riced cauliflower.
What Kind of Oats Can I Use?
The cooking method listed below will work for quick oats, rolled oats, or old-fashioned rolled oats. I highly suggest using old-fashioned rolled oats because they give the most texture. quick oats are more processed and tend to create that more gloopy-gluey texture that so many people dislike about oatmeal.
While you can certainly add cauliflower rice to steel-cut oats, you’ll need to follow the cooking instructions on the package for your steel-cut oats. They require more liquid and a much longer cooking time than rolled oats. You shouldn’t need to change anything about the cooking method when adding the cauliflower rice. Just add it in with the oats and go with it, or if you want more texture, add the cauliflower rice toward the end of the cooking time (about 5 minutes or so) so it doesn’t break down as much.
Do I Need to Cook the Cauliflower Rice First?
Nope, the cauliflower rice will cook right along with the oats, so whether you’re using fresh or frozen riced cauliflower, just toss it in there with your oats. No need to thaw frozen cauliflower rice first.
Cinnamon Pecan Cauli Oats
Servings 1Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats ($0.09)
- 1/2 cup riced cauliflower ($0.21)
- 1/2 Tbsp butter ($0.07)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/2 cup milk* ($0.19)
- 1/4 cup water ($0.00)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.04)
- 1 Tbsp chopped pecans ($0.13)
Instructions
Microwave Instructions
- Combine the rolled oats, riced cauliflower, butter, cinnamon, salt, milk, and water in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring every minute or as often as needed to avoid the oats from boiling over (you'll need to stir more often toward the end).
- Stir in the brown sugar and pecans just before serving.
Stove Top Instructions
- Combine the riced cauliflower, butter, cinnamon, salt, milk, and water in a small sauce pot. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on top and bring the pot up to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once boiling, add the rolled oats and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and let the oats simmer for three minutes, stirring occasionally. After three minutes, turn the heat off and allow the oats to rest for 2-3 minutes.
- Top the oats with brown sugar and chopped pecans just before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Cinnamon Pecan Cauli Oats – Step by Step Photos
To make your cauli oats in the microwave, combine ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup riced cauliflower, ½ Tbsp butter, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ⅛ tsp salt, ½ cup milk (any type of milk), and ¼ cup water in a bowl. Stir to combine.
Microwave the ingredients for three minutes, stirring every minute or as often as needed to prevent it from boiling over (this tends to be more often toward the end of the three minutes.
Top the bowl of oats with 1 Tbsp brown sugar and 1 Tbsp chopped pecans just before serving.
To make your cinnamon pecan cauli oats on the stove top, combine ½ cup riced cauliflower, ½ Tbsp butter, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ⅛ tsp salt, ½ cup milk, and ¼ cup water in a small saucepot. Stir to combine.
Place a lid on top and bring the saucepot up to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, stir in ½ cup rolled oats, then reduce the heat to low. Let the oats simmer over low for three minutes, stirring occasionally.
After simmering for three minutes, turn the heat off and let the oats rest for a few more minutes, with the lid on top.
Top with 1 Tbsp brown sugar and 1 Tbsp chopped pecans just before serving.
WOW. I never would have thought to add cauliflower to my oatmeal. Thank you, Beth, for the great idea! It’s nice to start the morning with a dose of veggies. I tried it both sweetened with brown sugar and also savory just with butter and salt. Both ways were a winner for me.
It’s amazing how you can’t even taste the cauliflower! I love sneaking veggies into things, thanks so much for the idea.
Can this be made the night before and reheated?
I haven’t done that, but I don’t see why not. :) The oats may get super thick with refrigeration, but you could just stir in a bit more water when you reheat to loosen them up.
I modified this for me – but the idea is brilliant! Added a cup of cauliflower rice to my oats and also Arroz con leche (protein style) Trying to eat more veggies throughout the day and this helps! Thank You!
Sounds wacky, but turned out absolutely delicious! Great idea :)
You forgot to mention putting the lid on on the text-only stovetop directions. But it’s ok, I put it on last minute and it turned out fine. I was doubtful because I realized as I was cooking my homemade riced cauliflower that there were many large pieces I hadn’t noticed when “ricing.” And I could “smell” the cauliflower. But actually eating it, it was quite good. I may add raisins next time.
Thanks for catching that! Fixing it now. :)
I want to make this and was wondering if it is okay to use frozen riced cauliflower or if that would alter the recipe at all? Thanks!
Yes, you can use frozen with no adjustments to the recipe. :)
I’m curious if riced cauliflower could go into an oatmeal bake, purely for convenience as I like to bake a casserole dish and just reheat for the week. Any ideas on this? I am a huge Budget Bytes fan and love all of your recipes!!!
Yes, I think you could definitely add riced cauliflower to baked oats. :) I don’t think you’d need to do anything differently.
Question: Would the cauliflower work with an overnight oats situation?
You could potentially do that, but you’ll probably want to cook the cauli rice first to soften it. :)
My go to breakfast most mornings is oatmeal with cinnamon, almonds and whatever fresh fruit i have on hand. I would never have thought of adding cauliflower to my oats, but will be giving this a try tomorrow AM. Great way to add some veg into breakfast. Love your creativity with food.
What a great idea! DH has recently had to seriously restrict carb consumption due to worsening Diabetes 2, so I’m constantly looking for ways to lower carbs. Oatmeal isn’t his fave thing, but since I grew up the grandchild of a Scottish immigrant, I fix it it at least once a week. I used stevia instead of brown sugar or honey as it has less aftertaste than most artificial sweeteners–it’s not “artificial,” but it isn’t sugar. Fortunately I had riced cauliflower in the freezer–I couldn’t find it fresh anywhere in my small town this morning on my weekly shopping expedition. Thanks, Beth, for another terrific option!
I make savory oatmeal by sautéing onions garlic cabbage carrots mush broccoli cauliflower you name it. Once starts to wilt I sprinkle in oats & stir add seasoning then pour in enough water to cover it. Stir add lid boil then simmer a few minutes stir check oat texture turn off heat leave on stove to finish covered. This is such a hearty meal reminds me of barley .
Sooo in saying that. Adding cauliflower in tiny rice form with cinnamon should be delicious . I like my oat meal not cooked too just a lil soaked still firm so I am thinking you are in to something with that texture girlfriend!!
Great Job thanks, let’s try it!
This looks sooo good.. So, just a question… wonder since riced cauliflower is a replacement for rice, wonder if you can just make this without he oatmeal completely for a low carb breakfast instead??? May have to do an experiment on this???
Beth: Hey, lets throw cauliflower in oatmeal!
Me: Whaaat?…….Actually, yes, lets do that.
I love this idea. I also have riced cauliflower hanging out in my freezer, mostly thrown in into smoothies to up the veg count, but I’m also kind of obsessed with using it in place of rice for stuffed peppers as well. But this…..this is great, and I wish I could try it out for dinner tonight. However, I have suspicions my family would NOT be on board with this particular executive decision. Their loss. Hooray for Beth and her (seemingly) weird combinations!
Hahaha, I’m glad you appreciate my food experiments! 😂
I make steel-cut oats in the following manner: I take 3 cups of water up to the boil and take it off the heat. I stir in 1 cup of steel-cut oats and a pinch of salt. I cover the pot and leave it overnight. In the morning, I add another cup of water (or milk, or OJ), bring it to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. I bet your recipe would work beautifully adding the cauliflower, butter, and flavorings for that morning cook.