Oats Upma Recipe

Updated: August 27, 2022, By Swasthi

Oats upma recipe – learn easily how to make oats upma in 15 minutes with step by step photos. To make oats upma, regular rolled oats are best. The health benefits of regular rolled oats are more when compared to the quick cook oats. Regular rolled oats have a low glycemic index than the quick cook oats. So those who want to include oats in their diet for health reasons must favor rolled oats.

However if you do not get rolled oats in the place you live, you can still use Instant oats or quick cook oats. A bowl of freshly cooked oatmeal or porridge could be one of the healthiest breakfasts.

But not many folks like to begin their day with porridge or granola, for them there are many alternates to enjoying this grain.

I make use of oats in various ways like to make masala oats, lemon oats, oats pongal, oats pesarattu, oats dosa, vegetable oats porridge, oats chivda.

Here are some of them you may like to check.
32 Oats recipes
Oats khichdi
Oats dosa
Masala oats
Oats idli

This oats upma is one of the healthiest & can be prepared in less than 15 minutes.

Tips to make oats upma

1. Rolled oats are best to make oats upma as they do not turn mushy. However you can also use instant oats by dry roasting them well.
2. Vegetables will enhance the nutrition & taste of the oats upma. You can use carrots, beans and peas.
3. Always keep track of the amount of water you use in the recipe to avoid the whole thing turning mushy. Rolled oats work with 1:1 ratio of Oats:water. Instant oats work with 1:½ ratio.

In this post, I have shared how to make oats upma in 2 ways. Please scroll down for the second method.

Photo Guide

How to make Oats Upma – method 1

1. Dry roast 1 cup oats until crisp on a medium flame. They do not turn as crisp as poha but a bit. Transfer these aside to a plate.

Dry roast oats until crisp

2. Heat 1½ tablespoon oil in a pan. Add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds(optional). When the mustard begins to pop, add half teaspoon chana dal and half teaspoon urad dal.

3. Then add 2 tablespoons peanuts or 8 to 10 split cashews.

add peanuts

4. Fry until the dals turn golden. Then add half teaspoon grated or chopped ginger and 1 sprig curry leaves. Fry for a minute until the ginger smells good.

add ginger and curry leaves

5. Add 1 finely chopped onion & 1 to 2 chopped green chilies.

Add chopped onions

6. Saute until the onions turn transparent.

Saute

7. This is optional. If using mix vegetables, add ½ to ¾ cup. Half small carrot, 2 to 3 small beans and 2 tbsps green peas. Fry for 2 mins.

mix vegetables

8. Sprinkle 2 tbsps water and cook covered until slightly soft for 2 to 3 mins.

Sprinkle water

9. Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric and half teaspoon salt.

Water for oats upma

10. Pour water and bring it to a boil. If using rolled oats pour 1 cup water. If using instant quick cook oats then pour half cup water. If you like mushy oats then pour more water.

Pour water

11. Then add roasted oats.

add oats

12. Mix well. The water will be absorbed with in a minute or 2.

13. Then cover and cook on a low flame for 2 mins or until no excess moisture is left.

cover and cook

14. With rolled oats it turns fluffy. With Instant oats it turns soft and slightly mushy.

rolled oats

Let cool down a bit then sprinkle some lemon juice and enjoy with curd.

how to make vegetable oats upma

Photo Guide

Method 2

Rolled oats upma in 15 minutes

This method works only with rolled oats. Do not use Instant oats.

1. This is an optional step. Dry roast oats evenly in a skillet for 5 minutes. keep this aside to cool. You can make this a day ahead and save it in a airtight jar.

2. Add oil to a pan and heat. Add peanuts, chana dal, urad dal , cumin, red chili and mustard. fry till they turn golden. Skip peanuts if using green peas.

3. Add chili,ginger, hing and curry leaves and fry till the curry leaves turn crisp. Next add onions and fry till they turn slightly pink. Then add chopped vegetables like carrots, peas, beans. Fry till they turn soft. If needed cover and cook.

4. Rinse roasted oats under running water in a colander. Drain off the excess water immediately. Add turmeric to the pan. If using tomatoes add them and fry till mushy. i do not prefer to use them.

rinsing oats for lemon oats

Adding oats

5. Add the rinsed oats.Sprinkle salt, lemon juice if you like. Mix everything well.

salt and lemon juice for lemon oats recipe

6. Cook covered on a low flame for about 7 minutes.

cooking oats to make oats upma

7. Add coconut, coriander leaves and lemon juice (if you have not used tomato). If you like it to be soft and mushy, just sprinkle some water and cook further for another 2 minutes.Mix everything well and serve.

Garnishing and serving lemon oats

Best served with curd/dahi or chutney podi or flax seeds powder.

To make this oats upma , you can use ¼ cup of chopped mixed vegetables like green peas, carrots, capsicums. I have used peanuts, you can replace them with cashews.

oats upma

Recipe Card

oats upma

Oats Upma Recipe

5 from 102 votes
A quick and healthy breakfast made with oats, herbs and basic spices. This recipe can be made using rolled oats or quick instant oats. This post shares 2 ways to make oats upma.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings2 people
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • 1 cup rolled oats or quick cook oats
  • 1 cup water for rolled oats , ½ cup for quick cook oats
  • tablespoons oil
  • 1 small onion chopped finely or sliced
  • ½ to ¾ cup mix vegetables optional (chopped ½ small carrot, 2 tbsps peas, 2 beans)
  • 1 to 2 green chilies (slit) or broken red chili
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice as needed or 1 very small tomato
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves for garnish
  • ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons grated coconut (optional)

For tempering

  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • ½ teaspoon ginger chopped finely or grated, (optional)
  • 1 pinch hing (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin or jeera
  • ½ teaspoon chana dal (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon urad dal (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons peanuts or 8 to 10 cashew nuts
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric


Instructions

Preparation

  • Dry roast 1 cup oats in a wide pan for about 5 minutes until crisp. They do not become very crisp. Set this aside to cool. 
  • Heat a pan with 1½ tablespoon oil. Add ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, 2 tablespoons peanuts, ½ teaspoon chana dal & ½ teaspoon urad dal. 
  • Fry them stirring often till the peanuts turn golden and aromatic.
  • Next add 1 pinch hing, ½ teaspoon ginger, 1 to 2 slit green chilies & 1 sprig curry leaves. Fry all of them till the curry leaves turn crisp.
  • Then add 1 small chopped onions and saute until golden. 
  • Optional – If using veggies. Then add ½ to ¾ cup vegetables and fry for 2 mins. 
  • Sprinkle 2 tbsp water. Cover and cook until the veggies are slightly soft.

How to make oats upma

  • Next sprinkle some ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon turmeric. 
  • If using rolled oats then pour 1 cup water. or if using quick cook oats use ½ cup water. 
  • Mix well and then taste the water. The water has to be slightly salty. If needed add more salt. Bring it to a boil.
  • Transfer the roasted oats & give a gentle mix to incorporate the water with the oats. 
  • With in 1 to 2 mins the water will be absorbed. Cover and cook on a low flame for 2 mins or until all the moisture is evaporated.
  • Add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
  • When the temperature comes down, pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice. You can top it with some fresh grated coconut if you have. It tastes good as it is.
  • Oats upma is best served with yogurt.


Notes

You can add pav bhaji masala to make it more flavorful.
If you like the flavour of tomato in the upma , you can use it. But lemon juice goes perfect with this oats upma

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Oats Upma Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 370 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 482mg21%
Potassium 368mg11%
Carbohydrates 43g14%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 2350IU47%
Vitamin C 32.8mg40%
Calcium 51mg5%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

vegetable oats upma

About Swasthi

Iโ€™m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthiโ€™s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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5 stars
Fabulous! Husband wants this every day. Thank you.

Hello Swathi Ma’am, I have a doubt…the oats which I have is Quaker white oats..it doesn’t resemble to any of the pictures you added..mine is slightly powdered one so can I make upma out of these oats if so do I need to rinse it or how much water should be added.

Swasthi, I love the attention to all the details in this recipe! Can you advise for a single adult serving of Oats, what is the minimum suggested ideal/appropriate quantity of Raw Oats in grams? I chose 1 Serving Size and got a bit confused with the metric 0.5Cup (120ML)… Is this approximately 120gms of Oats?

5 stars
Hello! Okay, I was thinking 120g of Dry Oats equals 1 Serving, and thought that was a bit much for a single serving!!! So it is 50g of Dry Oats as a Single Serving… Seems decent enough to begin with ๐Ÿ™‚
Thank you!

It was very useful to me since , I was a med student it helps in the easy breakfast , so i can go to university ASAP, Thank you

5 stars
It was very useful , since ,I was med student , easy simple breakfast helps me a lot

5 stars
Your recipes are mind-blowing!. I particularly love the rolled oats upma. Turns out so good each time without getting mushy. Thank you.

Hi Swasthi I plan to try this with steel cut oats , will any step be different ? , thank you

5 stars
Hello Swasthi,

Thank you for this wonderful recipe. This will be a staple breakfast for me. I donโ€™t like rolled oats but I do like steel cut and substituted them for the rolled. I adjust the recipe for steel cuts by soaked the oats over night, then draining them and letting them dry till no water was dripping from the sieve. The only changes I made to your recipe was that I doubled the ingredients and used 1 cup of water, you may have to add a little more. It turned out delicious. Thanks again.

5 stars
Loved it. My husband doesnโ€™t like pats but he devoured this upma. Thanks for this wonderful and healthy recipe.

Hi Swasti, Thank you for this recipie. Just now I tried this for dinner it turned out really well n it is my first time trying oats upma .

5 stars
All ur recepies are yummy

5 stars
How beautifully you have described the recipes, makes me feel like trying them out. I am taking True Elements Rolled Oats in my diet recently and will definitely try these recipes with them.

5 stars
Hi Swasthi, thank you for sharing your recipes out here. I tried Oats Upma this morning and must say it was fantabulous. My husband who is a bit fussy when it comes to oats loved it. I plan to make it for him regularly now. Thank you very much.
Cheers,
Punita

I have made it thrice already. I have been adding few more veggies than recommended and its turning out amazing. I am going to try Quinoa upma soon ๐Ÿ™‚

5 stars
Thank you very much for nice recipes.

The recipe is easy and your way of cooking is so easy to follow??

5 stars
Hi swasthi gaaru how r u ? never thought with oats we can make tasty recipe, as my husband suddenly asked me to make something else other than rice. Made this with broccoli really very tasty without any stickkyness, he liked it very much ( generally he dont like oats at all). Is it ok to eat for dinner? Can i give this to kid ? She want to eat but i said no as it was not cooked longer.

Thanq swasthi. As usual i forgot about my comment ?. Just checking about horse gram recipes in our site then suddenly remembered. Will u plz advice which nonstick dosa pan is good with less maintanance, need to order for my mom.

5 stars
Thanq u for immardiate reply, becoz of present situation in india she cannot go outside to buy dosa tawa, she lives in village. So asked to me to order swasthi gaaru.

5 stars
Very detailed recipe. Thank you Swasthi!

5 stars
I have recently discovered this site and love all the recipes I have tried so far. Recently I made the tomato chutney and oats upma which were fantastic.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes on line.

Tried this today and it was so yummy. Makes for a healthy and wholesome breakfast. Loved it.

5 stars
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it and it was very tasty.

Good

5 stars
Can you substitute fresh curry leaves with dry curry leaves?

5 stars
Love this recipe, it’s such a wonderful variation on breakfast porridges, and the only dish with oats that my husband loves! My south Indian friend recommended your website, and it has opened a whole new world of healthy vegetarian cooking for me – thank you so much!