Cherry Bakewell Protein Oats
Inspired by my favourite Yoghurt from Germany, a poppy-seed marzipan yoghurt, but with the added benefit of cherries and protein, these Cherry Bakewell Protein Oats taste like Cherry Bakewell Tart or of those utterly decadent Amarena-Cherry ice cream cups, you get at Italian gelaterias if you are lucky. You can easily make these into the overnight version, by layering them in a jar, instead of cooking. But I needed the warmth in this sad excuse for summer in Ireland.
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Why You Will Love This
Weight loss
This makes a full bowl, which keeps me full until dinner, as I only eat twice per day on average. If you’d like a smaller portion, use 1/3 cup oats instead, 2/3 almond milk and 1/3 soy milk, for mixing the protein powder.
However the full bowl has over 40g of protein, and will keep you full for hours.
Dessert for Breakfast
Frankly, I have this for dinner most of the time, as I always get an intense sweet craving in the evening. So I usually move my dinner to lunch time and have something sweet yet healthy in the evening, so I don’t munch lots of chocolate.
But obviously you can have Cherry Bakewell Protein Oats as incredibly delicious breakfast. 🙂
The Extra Decadent Adult Version
You can easily adjust this to be a super quick weekday breakfast or a decadent weekend treat, by adding or leaving out different layers of the almond flavourings.
I have made this with just the almond extract, which is perfectly lovely, but the added marzipan takes it over the top. Or, if you’d like a tiny bit of booze in your weekend oats, add a tablespoon of Amaretto. I won’t judge.
Great Nutrition
Now, I’m not a nutritionist or expert by any means, but the combination of oatmeal, fruit, contributing to your 5-a-day and protein is really hard to beat for any meal.
Why Do I Add Protein?
You mean apart from the well known physical benefits of protein for the body like helping you to build muscle, keeping your bones strong and increasing satiation, meaning you stay fuller for longer and with that can maintain your weight easier?
Lesser known is, that it also effects the brain by helping it to effectively transport information through neuropathways using the amino acods found in Protein.
This even has been shown to help protect from age related dementia.If you’d like to read more about how and why I use protein, I wrote a blog post about it.
The Ingredients
- I’m using Frozen sweet cherries, but if you don’t mind the destoning and have them around, fresh are fantastic
- Oats of course – I prefer simple rolled oats. But if you are using porridge oats or steelcut you may have to adjust the cooking time
- Chia seeds add creaminess and good fats
- While poppy seeds provide a gentle crunch and pair amazingly well with the almond flavour.
- The 0% fat Greek yoghurt stirred in at the end adds even more creaminess and protein, while tempering the sweetness from the
- Optional marzipan and cherries.
- The addition of protein powder not only adds sugar free sweetness and flavour (if you use one you enjoy, like “MyProtein Buttered Popcorn“, which I’m using here) but brings this to an impressive 43g of protein for one bowl.
- I’m using 2 different plant milks here, as the almond milk keeps the calories low, while the soy milk, when mixed with the protein powder, adds a custard like creaminess. You could use just one type of plant milk instead. Or just milk if you are not lactose intolerant or vegan. It will change the nutrition of course.
The Process
Cook the Oats
The secret to the creamiest protein oats is, to first add 2/3 of the milk into your saucepan (I have since switched to Greenpan cooking pots* for their great non-stick ceramic surface) with the oats, chia seeds, almond extract and poppy seeds if using. Add the cherries, so they can warm up and release their pretty pink juices and cook until the oats have soaked up most of the liquid. This will take about 6-7 minutes on low heat, as the cherries will also release juices to be soaked up.
Mix the Protein into the Oats
Meanwhile mix the protein powder in your shaker with the last third of milk, in my case that is the soy milk, for even higher protein content and shake vigorously. When the oats start to look a little dry and are almost done, add the custardy protein mix. Lower the heat further and stir. Let it warm through, but try not to boil it anymore. The oats will soak up even more of the liquid and become super creamy.
Add Optional Toppings
Add the marzipan at the end and stir in. Top with the fat free greek yoghurt. Garnish with additional cherries if you like. And you have yourself a stunning breakfast.
Meal Prep
If you’d like to make this as overnight oats for meal prep, simply mix the protein powder with the milk by shaking it, pour over the oats in a jar, add almond aroma and, if using, poppy seeds and marzipan. Close the lid and shake vigorously. Then re-open and top with the cherries. Close and leave in the fridge over night and you have yourself a healthy and delicious breakfast the next morning.
If you enjoy this, you might also like
Cherry Peach Clafoutis with Protein
Pumpkin Protein Oatmeal with Apple and Salted Caramel Pumpkin Seeds
Or are you more of a savory breakfast person?
I have a super quick and easy Crustless Spinach-Feta Quiche for you.
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Cherry Bakewell Protein Oats
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup sweet cherries Destoned. Fresh or frozen.
- ½ cup soy milk Can be substituted with more almond milk
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 scoop protein powder I used “MyProtein – Buttered Popcorn”
- 2 tbsp 0% fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp marzipan optional
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, combine the jumbo oats, chia seeds, poppy seeds, almond extract, and pinch of salt. Stir to combine and add the unsweetened almond milk.
- Add the cherries to the oatmeal and stir to combine. If using fresh cherries, keep some for garnishing at the end.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the oatmeal has thickened and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Add the Soy Milk and protein powder to a shaking cup and shake vigorously until creamy and no lumps are left. Don’t skip this step, it adds the incredible creaminess.
- Lower the heat and pour in the creamy custard like protein shake. Enjoy the look and smell for a second, then stir it into the oats.
- Let the whole mix warm through without boiling for a few minutes. The oats will soak up more of the liquid and you will get a very luxurious texture.DO NOT boil at this stage, or your protein might turn grainy.
- Once it has reached your desired creaminess, pour into a bowl, add the marzipan pieces if using and top with the Greek yoghurt. Garnish with fresh cherries and sprinkle with almond flakes if desired.
Perfectly prepared as overnight oats or cooked for a warm, comforting breakfast!
I love that these feel like a treat but there’s protein in them! Perfect breakfast!
Cherry Bakewell protein oats perfect breakfast idea. I loved it I am going to make it again.
I’m finding this recipe at the perfect time! I just bought a bag of fresh cherries from a local fruit stand. I made the Cherry Bakewell Protein Oats as overnight oats and layered the ingredients in small jars. It was the perfect, delicious breakfast on a morning when I had family in town.
I am not a big fan of cherries but this recipe is delicious! Such great flavor!