If you’ve been trying to lose weight, you’ve probably incorporated exercise and dieting into your routine and lifestyle. But one of the best ways to stay healthy and eat nutritiously to lose weight is to make smoothies or oatmeal shakes.
When you start to lead a healthy lifestyle, it becomes extremely important to pay attention to everything you consume during the day. This is why oatmeal is worth adding to your smoothies.
With this ingredient you can prepare endless different smoothies that will offer you freshness, flavor, and many benefits for health and weight loss.
Today we will show you 5 of the best oatmeal smoothie recipes. In the end, you will appreciate this ingredient and will undoubtedly make it part of your smoothie routine.
Oatmeal basics
If you still consider yourself a newbie to the world of oatmeal, you are probably only familiar with instant oatmeal that comes pre-seasoned.
So below, you can learn the differences between steel cut, rolled and instant oats in a matter of a minute.
Steel cut oats
When it comes to oats, varieties refer to the amount of processing that has been done to them.
In this case, the steel cut oats have not been cooked or pressed beyond initial roasting. They are more like rice in that they have not been flattened yet. Also, they take longer to cook and soften.
Laminated
This oatmeal has undergone another process whereby it is steamed and flattened with a rolling pin. The process makes the flakes much more malleable and easier to cook.
Instant oatmeal
These are rolled oats that have been cooked longer and pressed to be finer. The result of this is that they can be prepared in much less time than the steel cut or rolled variety.
So which type is the best for making oatmeal smoothies? Perhaps the best in this case is the laminated one as it gives the drink more texture, although instant oatmeal works well too. However, steel cut oats are not highly recommended, as it will make your drink much thicker and have more chunks to chew.
Is oatmeal good for weight loss?
A ½ cup serving of dry oatmeal contains 150 calories, which is fewer calories than a couple of slices of bread. Oatmeal is rich in fiber, which helps you feel full long after you’ve eaten it.
It’s no wonder experts promote oatmeal as a classic weight-loss ingredient.
Just make sure you buy plain oatmeal. Packaged flavored oatmeal can be tasty, but it is usually loaded with sugar, which adds calories but does not contribute to the nutritional value of the oatmeal.
The 5 best oatmeal smoothies for weight loss
Berry Pie Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe
One of the benefits of incorporating oatmeal into a smoothie is that it adds a lot of texture and smoothness to the drink. Best of all, it adds more fiber and protein, which means you won’t have to use any powders to get the results you want.
To make your drink more refreshing, you can freeze your almond milk to give it more flavor, but frozen fruit should be enough.
As for spinach, it is better if they are fresh. If you’re using something less powerful than a high-performance blender, be sure to chop it up before putting it in the blender. Otherwise, thick chunks of spinach will remain floating in your drink.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup frozen cherries.
- A frozen banana.
- Half a cup of orange juice.
- Half a cup of unsweetened almond milk.
- Half a cup of chopped spinach.
- ¼ cup oatmeal.
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt.
- A handful of walnuts.
Instructions:
Put everything together in your blender and blend until smooth.
For best results, top your smoothie with a pinch of oatmeal and walnut pieces. You can also add chia seeds for additional nutrition.
Chocolate Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe
Another great benefit of using oatmeal is that it allows you to make smoothies that are more lightly dessert than a traditional smoothie.
However, just because it tastes sweet doesn’t mean it really is. The thickness of the oatmeal allows you to create a drink that is almost like a chocolate shake but much healthier.
If you want this to be as thick and delicious as possible, it is best to mix the ingredients by hand and then let it cool in the refrigerator for a few hours before blending them. That will also make it more refreshing, as there will be no cold or frozen ingredients in this recipe. The only thing you will be excluding is milk.
The vanilla extract adds a new layer of flavor, but if you don’t have it, nothing happens. The almond milk and butter will do most of the work in this case.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats.
- A tablespoon of almond butter.
- Two tablespoons of cocoa powder.
- A cup of vanilla and almond milk.
- A tablespoon of maple syrup.
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
Instructions:
Once you have cooled the mixture, put it in the blender until you get the desired consistency.
For best results, sprinkle some chocolate chips or small marshmallows on top.
Oatmeal smoothies with apple and cinnamon
If you’re a fan of regular instant oatmeal, you’ve most likely tried variations that included apple and cinnamon. These three ingredients really go very well together, so making a smoothie out of them comes as no big surprise.
This is also one of the best milkshakes to have breakfast!
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup oatmeal.
- A cup of skim milk.
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt.
- ¾ cup of applesauce.
- Two tablespoons of peanut butter (or almond butter).
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- A teaspoon of honey.
Instructions:
It’s best to let the ingredients sit for a few hours after mixing. However, that’s just to let it soften and thicken a bit, so if you like your shake to be a bit smoother, feel free to drink it right away.
First mix all the non-liquid ingredients and blend until the mixture is uniform. Then add the skim milk or other low-fat milk and honey until you get the desired consistency.
Oatmeal, pineapple and coconut smoothie
This particular recipe is like a non-frozen version of the famous cocktail, only non-alcoholic and much thicker (that’s because of the Greek yogurt and coconut milk, which is both fat and thick). However, the taste is very similar.
Regardless, this particular recipe is like a non-frozen version of the famous cocktail, only non-alcoholic and much thicker. However, the flavor profile is very similar.
For best results, freeze the milk and pineapple beforehand to make it cooler and more refreshing.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup oatmeal.
- A cup of coconut milk.
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt.
- A cup of frozen pineapple chunks.
- A teaspoon of honey.
- ⅓ teaspoon vanilla extract.
Instructions:
Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix until you get the desired consistency. For an added touch, add some honey (or agave syrup) over the smoothie when it’s done.
Recipe for oatmeal smoothies with banana bread
Who doesn’t love banana bread? At least this way, you can get the same flavor and texture without having to wait for the bread to puff up from the yeast and cool after it comes out of the oven.
You can sprinkle some crushed walnuts on top of your smoothie or just mix the crushed walnuts with the rest of the ingredients. Peanut butter gives this smoothie a creamy texture and healthy fats; just be sure to use 100% natural peanut butter with no added sugar.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup oatmeal.
- Two frozen bananas.
- A cup of almond milk.
- ½ cup Greek yogurt.
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Pinch of nutmeg.
- Pinch of salt.
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened natural peanut butter.
- A teaspoon of maple syrup.
- A handful of walnuts (optional).
Instructions:
Mix all the ingredients in the blender jar and blend until smooth. As mentioned before, you can add some nuts on top of the smoothie, or you can add a little extra honey or syrup for flavor.