Cook Your Next Bowl Of Oatmeal In Tea For A Richer Flavor

One of the many beauties of oatmeal is its versatility, possessing a mild base flavor you can build on. There are plenty of tasty oatmeal toppings for a better breakfast, but we're going to highlight an oatmeal upgrade that often goes under the radar: cooking your oatmeal in tea instead of water or milk.

Great teas to start with are Earl Grey, Masala Chai, or any fruit tea. Earl Grey will give you a citrusy floral note from the added oil of bergamot. Indian Chai is a heady mix of black tea and spices, including, but not limited to, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and star anise. Incidentally, "chai" is Hindi for "tea," so you don't need to say "chai tea." Keep in mind, both would add caffeine to your breakfast. Fruit teas would infuse the whole bowl of oatmeal with a lovely sweetness that a topping wouldn't achieve. Other herbal teas, like chamomile or hibiscus, could be added for a floral flavor or potential health benefits.

To create oatmeal with tea, first make a jug of tea as you usually would. Once the teabag has steeped for a while, remove it, and then simply use your tea in place of water when cooking your oatmeal.

Earl Grey with blueberry is a common combination for a reason. The soft sweetness of the berry blends well with the floral citrus of the bergamot. Stirring in some heavy cream will turn it into a pleasant London Fog latte oatmeal. Chai would benefit from making the creamiest oatmeal possible, as the tea is often made with thick, rich whole milk. Taking inspiration from our chai-poached pears recipe, adding slices of pears would add some delicious fall fruit to your breakfast.

A dollop of yogurt atop a berry tea-infused oatmeal brings a hearty creaminess. If you're using an apple tea, you can add spices like cinnamon to make a fun hot apple cider. Drizzle honey onto your chamomile oatmeal to bring a balanced sweetness that enhances the delicate floral notes of the tea, or add the zest of lemon to make the bowl zing! This is just the beginning; take a look in your tea drawer and start dreaming up what would go well with the teas you could use to make your own fun combinations!