Homemade Oatmeal Packets

I have seen lots of articles about how to make your own oatmeal packets. Our family loves oatmeal, and I have recently become interested in food storage, so I thought these would be fun to try and easy to store.

 

Depending on what type of instant oatmeal you like, it turns out that making your own oatmeal packets is MUCH cheaper than buying them from the store.

 

With about $5 worth of instant oatmeal (look for it in bulk), I prepared 35 double serving packets of oatmeal, which is the equivalent of 70 of the Quaker oatmeal packets! I would say that is a big cost savings.

 

Where you will run into some expense is if you add dehydrated fruits to the oatmeal. These aren’t as inexpensive.

 

Raisins are the cheapest, then dried apples, then dehydrated strawberries. Dehydrated blueberries are the most expensive.

 

By making your own oatmeal packets you are also controlling the amount of sugar and salt in your oatmeal, not to mention leaving out any added colors, additives, or preservatives.

 

And they are so easy to make there is no reason not to!

 

Buy some of the snack size ziploc bags. They are the perfect size for these. For each bag you will need:

• 1/2 c. instant oatmeal
• 2 tbsp. powdered oatmeal*
• Dash of salt
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar or Splenda

 

*To make the powdered oatmeal place several cups of instant oatmeal in your blender or food processor and pulse until the oatmeal becomes a powdered consistency.

 

This is the secret to really thick creamy oatmeal!

 

These packets are the equivalent of two of the small packets you get from the store, so you can cut this recipe in half if you want smaller servings.

 

This is a generous serving for adults but might be too much for some children.

 

To prepare the oatmeal, you just pour the packet into a bowl, and add 1 c. boiling water. Let it set for a minute and it is ready to serve!

 

You can also store these in plastic ziploc containers if you want to transport them and just add the water to the container.

 

You can add the flavors to the bags when you assemble them, or you can add them when you actually prepare the oatmeal. Here are some ideas for flavored oatmeals:

 

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Oatmeal

 

Just add a dash of cinnamon to the basic recipe.

 

Raisins and Cinnamon Oatmeal

 

Add 2 tbsp. raisins and a dash of cinnamon to the basic recipe.

 

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal

 

Add 1 tbsp. powdered milk or powdered coffee creamer and 2 tbsp. dehydrated strawberries to the basic recipe.

 

Blueberries and Cream Oatmeal

 

Add 1 tbsp. powdered milk or powdered coffee creamer and 2 tbsp. dehydrated blueberries to the basic recipe.

 

Peaches and Cream Oatmeal

 

Add 1 tbsp. powdered milk or powdered coffee creamer and 2 tbsp. dehydrated peaches to the basic recipe.

 

Note: If you are preparing these packets to put into long-term food storage, then do not add powdered milk to the packets.

 

The powdered milk will eventually spoil when mixed together with the dried fruits. If you are going to eat these within a month, then it is safe to go ahead and add it now, but if you are going to be storing it longer than that use the non-dairy coffee creamer instead.

 

I purchased a small plastic storage container with a lid on it to place all my packets in and will store the box along with my food I have set aside for long-term storage.

 

These still should probably be eaten within a year, but as you eat them you can replace them to build your storage back up.

 

Like this recipe? You might also like my recipes for instant pot oatmeal or crock pot oatmeal.

 

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