Almond Cherry Oatmeal Recipe
A good bowl of oatmeal is all about building flavor from the start. This version is built on cherries that collapse into jammy pockets, a deep warmth from brown sugar and spices, and a texture that’s creamy, not gluey. It’s ready in about 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/4 cups sweet cherries, pitted and halved
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Toasted sliced almonds, for topping
- Unsalted butter, for serving (optional)
Start the Oatmeal
Pour the milk, water, and salt into a medium saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat.
You’re not looking for a rolling boil, just for bubbles to start breaking around the edges of the pan. Using a mix of milk and water gives you a creamy texture without the oatmeal becoming overly thick or prone to scorching.
Once it’s simmering, dump in the oats and cherries.
Stir and Cook the Oatmeal
Immediately reduce the heat to low and start stirring. For the first minute, stir constantly; this is what prevents the oats from sinking and cementing to the bottom of the pan.
Continue cooking and stirring frequently for ~7-9 minutes. You’ll see the cherries start to break down, bleeding their color into the oatmeal as the mixture thickens.
I like to pull it off the heat when it’s still a little looser than I want, as it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Finish and Serve
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the dark brown sugar and all the spices. The residual heat will wake up the spices and melt the sugar.
Taste it. If you want it sweeter, add a little more brown sugar.
Spoon the oatmeal into bowls while hot. Top with a generous amount of toasted almonds and a small pat of butter, if you’re using it. The butter will melt into pools of richness.
Eat immediately.
Almond Cherry Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/4 cups sweet cherries pitted and halved
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Toasted sliced almonds for topping
- Unsalted butter optional, for serving
Method
- Bring milk, water and salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add oats and cherries, reduce heat to low.
- Stir constantly for first minute, then frequently for 7-9 minutes until thickened.
- Remove from heat when slightly loose, stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla.
- Adjust sweetness if needed.
- Serve hot topped with toasted almonds and optional butter.
