High-Protein Savory Oatmeal

This Nutritionist-approved, Anti-inflammatory, High-Protein Savory Oatmeal recipe is packed with fiber and antioxidants, and offers a delicious and flavorful alternative to sweet breakfasts. Suitable for most diabetics.

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👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🥑 Substitutions
📖 How to Make High-Protein Savory Oatmeal
✔️ Expert Tips
High-Protein Savory Oatmeal
⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
🥣 More Savory Breakfast Recipes to Try
⚕️ Health Benefits of This Savory Breakfast
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🥣 Related Recipes
🫙 Optional Toppings
👩🏽‍🍳 Made this recipe?
💬 Comments

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Onion, red lentils, garlic, kale, green chili, cumin seeds, steel-cut oats, spices, and ginger on a white backdrop.

Split red lentils
Steel-cut oats
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Green chili pepper-serrano (optional)
Kale (optional)
Cumin seeds
Turmeric
Black pepper
Allspice (optional)

See the printable recipe card below for quantities.

🥑 Substitutions

Oatmeal - use the same quantity of quinoa instead of oats as desired
Avocado - add chopped avocado for serving
Green chili pepper - omit the serrano for nonspicy
Long pepper - Add long pepper with the antiaging compound, Piperlongumine. It has anti-inflammatory properties that are as strong or stronger than anti-inflammatory prescription drugs in preclinical studies.

For more healthy breakfast recipes, visit my Vegan Breakfasts page.

📖 How to Make High-Protein Savory Oatmeal

For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. This is an overview.

Onion and cumin seeds cooking in a white saucepan.

Cook the cumin seeds in hot oil for 1 minute, or until fragrant. (Or toast them without oil.) Add the onion and a dash of water or oil and cook them until translucent.

Cooked onion, garlic, green chili peppers, and cumin seeds in a white saucepan.

Add the garlic, ginger, and green chili (if using). Cook the aromatics for about 1 minute more, or until fragrant.

Red lentils, steel cut oats, and cooked onion, garlic, and chili pepper in a white saucepan.

Add the red lentils, oatmeal, and water.

Cooked savory oats in a white saucepan with a wooden spatula.

Bring the water to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered until the oats are cooked al dente.

Red lentils, steel-cut oats, kale, and spices cooking in a white skillet.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the kale, turmeric, black pepper, long pepper, allspice, and salt to taste. Mix well until fully incorporated.

High-protein savory oatmeal and nondairy milk in a saucepan.

Add water or nondairy milk as needed until the desired consistency.

High-protein savory oatmeal in a white saucepan.

✔️ Expert Tips

Use this mini chopper to cut the onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, and kale, and save time.
Add the turmeric, black pepper, allspice, and long pepper (if using) at the end of cooking to preserve the most health benefits.
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner: This oatmeal recipe is also suitable for lunch or dinner. It is a complete meal. You can use quinoa instead of oatmeal as desired.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover High-Protein Savory Oatmeal in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Serve warm or at room temperature.

⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)

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🥣 More Savory Breakfast Recipes to Try

Oat Groats Breakfast - A low-glycemic, fiber-rich alternative to traditional oats that keeps you full for hours and supports steady energy.

Miso Vegetable Oats - A savory, high-protein twist with umami-rich miso, lentils, and greens for a balanced, gut-friendly start.

Walnut Date Cream with Fruits - Naturally sweetened with dates and packed with omega-3s from walnuts for a creamy, antioxidant-rich topping or snack.

Mediterranean Chia Pudding with Yogurt - A fresh, mezze-inspired breakfast with Greek yogurt, chickpeas, and roasted red peppers for 34g protein and 21g fiber.

Breakfast Lentils Vegan Porridge - A hearty, savory porridge made from lentils for a unique, protein-dense morning option.

Here's a dinner recipe using similar ingredients: Instant Pot Quinoa Lentil Curry

⚕️ Health Benefits of This Savory Breakfast

Blood Glucose: This healthy oatmeal recipe may reduce blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. It may also improve cholesterol when consumed regularly. Steel-cut oats and lentils are low-glycemic index foods and rich in fiber (20 grams per serving). Fiber can help manage blood sugar levels by slowing digestion and preventing blood sugar spikes. It's a type of carbohydrate that the body can't digest, so it doesn't give us calories or sugar for energy.

Inflammation: Fiber can also help reduce inflammation in our bodies. Studies have shown that eating more fiber can significantly lower the chances of having inflammation, heart disease, and cancer.

Anti-Aging: This recipe uses turmeric and black pepper to enhance the anti-inflammatory benefits of curcumin. There is also antioxidant-rich allspice and optional long pepper with the anti-aging compound, Piperlongumine. These spices are added once the lentils and oats are done cooking to preserve their health benefits.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

Is breakfast the most important meal?

When men and women were randomized to eat breakfast or not, those who ate breakfast consumed more calories daily but did not gain more weight than the non-breakfast group. This is because the breakfast group spontaneously engaged in light activities significantly more than the breakfast skippers, using up the bulk of their excess calories. Plus, it's not just what we eat, but when we eat. The same number of calories at breakfast is significantly less fattening than those eaten at dinner because of our circadian rhythm!

What are steel-cut oats?

Steel-cut oats, also called Irish oatmeal, are the whole oat kernel cut into two or three pieces using steel disks. This type of oats contains the second-highest amount of fiber, second only to oat groats. Steel-cut oats take a little longer to cook for a creamy and chewy porridge.