Sticky Date and Brown Butter Oatmeal
Published Sept. 10, 2025
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4Medjool dates, pitted and torn into smaller pieces
- 1¼ cups milk (plant-based milk also works well)
- ¾cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛teaspoon ground cinnamon or cardamom
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
- Fresh fruit, for serving
- Heavy cream, for serving, optional
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
427 calories; 16 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 40 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 168 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a small pot over medium heat, melt butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter foams and browns, about 2 minutes.
- Step 2
Add dates and ½ cup water and cook, undisturbed, until the dates soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, mash the dates into a paste.
- Step 3
Add milk, oats, vanilla and cinnamon, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are tender and the oatmeal has reached your desired consistency, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Step 4
Divide the oatmeal between bowls, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve with chopped fruit and a drizzle of cream, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
Wow, what a treat! I prefer steel cut oats, so I added 1/2 cup of oats and increased almond milk to two cups. It does take longer to cook and more stirring, but I thought the result was worth it. I otherwise followed the recipe. Served my oatmeal with sliced banana and a sprinkle of slivered almonds.
To up the protein, I use dairy or soy milk to make my oatmeal and then I stir some plain protein powder into it after it's cooked. Haven't tried this recipe so you might need a bit more liquid - you want it a little soupy before you stir in the protein.
@Katie Add nut butter or even an egg. Steel cut oats even better (as someone that also just had GDM!)
@Katie -- you could try reducing the number of dates from four to two. There's still a lot of sugar with sliced bananas or other fruits added. If you still want it sweeter, you could add erythritol and/or monkfruit, which do not affect blood sugar, to taste. I will try it this way, since it will also reduce the carbs by about half.
@Dewi -- No, the nutritional data is per serving if made as two servings. So the 40 gms of sugar is for one bowl of oatmeal, but you are correct about it being "good" sugar. Dates do not significantly raise the blood sugar for most people.
This was nice and lightly sweet! I liked the texture the dates added I toasted the oats before starting to add texture. I added some nonfat milk powder with the butter to intensify the brown butter flavor, then ground up two cardamom pods and put them in with the milk. For my taste, I cooked the oatmeal much longer than 6 minutes. But I bet this would be great as written as well.