Fancy Superfood Steel Cut Oats (Chai, Chia, Cherry!)

a bowl of steel cut oats topped with yogurt and fruit, and a cup of tea in the background.

Fancy Superfood Steel Cut Oats (Chai, Chia, Cherry!)

Steel cut oats are cooked with chia, flax, dates, and spices, then topped with good old fashioned drippy yogurt and a warm compote of super fruits. It’s a meal prep recipe as well.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: fruit compote, meal prep oatmeal, steel cut oats

Servings:

Calories: 217kcal

Author: Kathy Marshall

Equipment

2 soup pot 3 qt size 'ish should be good

Ingredients

Steel Cut Oats Blend

1 cup steel cut oats sub rolled
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds sub flaxmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chai spice blend - see notes ginger/cinnamon/cardamom/allspice/anise/black pepper
1 pinch sea salt
4 ea dates 4-6 (6 if small)

Fruit Compote

32 ea frozen cherries
2 cups frozen wild blueberries sub regular frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen pomegranate arils
1 tbsp sugar see notes
1 tbsp cornstarch sub tapioca starch
1 pinch sea salt

Yogurt topping

2 cups plain non-fat yogurt sub any type

Additional optional toppings

hemp seeds
sliced bananas
additional fresh or frozen pomegranate arils

Instructions

Make oats - 5 min prep, 20 min cook

Rinse 1 cup steel cut oatsts in strainer under water for 30 seconds or so, until water runs clear (ish).
Place oats, 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/4 cup ground flax seeds, 4 ea dates (pitted/chopped), 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp chai spice blend - see notes, and 1 pinch sea salt in pot with 4 cups water and bring to boil, whisking initially to blend.
Whisk every few minutes or so to be sure chia stays broken up and properly melds and absorbs liquid.

Make fruit compote- 5 min prep and same 20 min to cook while oats cook.

Mix 32 ea frozen cherries, 2 cups frozen wild blueberries, and 1 cup frozen pomegranate arils together in pot with 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. Lower to simmer for 15 min.
As you attend to oats, also keep eye on simmering fruit. At 15 minutes, add 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and 1 pinch sea salt to compote and cook another 5 minutes so mixture can thicken and sugar can melt.

Finish meal prep and/or eat

At 20 min, steel cut oats should be tasted, and as long as they are not too chewy for you, they are done. The mixture will thicken more as it cools.
Top 1/2 cup of oats with 1/4 cup compote and 1/4 cup yogurt for meal prep proportions, and use throughout the week.

Notes

Chai Spice Blend: any variety of this will work, or a few pinches of any of the spices included in the blend I used would work as well.

Sugar: I've only used sugar. The amount is nominal, if that matters to you. You can sub any sweetener or leave it out entirely for a tart compote that is still delicious. If you use a sweetener that is notoriously sweeter than sugar, such as Stevia, be sure to use less, of course.

Added sugar: nutritional information includes natural fruit sugars. The added sugar is negligible (1.5 g).

Cornstarch: tapioca starch can be used or another thickener you are familiar with. You can also skip this, if you prefer. It will just be a bit watery, but will still taste great.

Nutrition