Add A Protein Boost To Oatmeal With These 9 Ingredients

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Oatmeal is a nutritious meal option for any time of day, though it's commonly made for breakfast. There are a few packaged options available at the grocery store, and you can grab a 12-pack of Quaker instant oatmeal on Amazon. But oatmeal is easy to make at home, too, and you have the freedom to add anything you want — including an extra protein boost.

In its simplest form, homemade oatmeal only requires old-fashioned oats (or rolled oats) and water. But other ingredients can elevate bland oatmeal, like honey, maple syrup, or a little brown sugar. However, you won't get much protein from any of these ingredients. Instead, opt for ingredients like nuts or nut butters (choose the former to add some textural crunch) or a handful of your favorite seeds. Even the type of liquid you use can alter the dish's protein content. These ingredients can be applied to standard oatmeal or overnight oats, and some should be paired with other ingredients to balance their flavor and texture.

Oatmeal can easily be made with water, but adding some dairy milk can boost its protein content. However, don't make the mistake of using only milk. Blend milk and water, or your oatmeal could turn out gooey. One cup of 2% dairy milk has 8 grams of protein, and while you can use a dairy substitute, it won't add the same protein. Oat milk only has around 2 grams of protein per cup, while almond milk is surprisingly even less at just 1 gram.

For a sweet and savory flavor, fold in a tablespoon of peanut butter. Peanut butter's nutrition facts can vary depending on the type, but for store-bought creamy peanut butter, one serving (2 tablespoons) adds about 7 grams of protein. PB2, a popular powdered peanut butter brand, offers 8 grams per serving.

Other nut butters work, too. A serving of almond butter will also add 7 grams of protein per serving, though hazelnut butter offers just 4 grams per serving.

For extra crunch, swap the smooth nut butter for chopped nuts (you can also add both for some balance and extra protein). Just about any nut type will work, though some have more protein than others. Slivered almonds have 6 grams of protein in a ¼ cup serving, while ¼ cup of whole walnuts offers slightly less at 5 grams. A serving of unsalted peanuts (one ounce), has 8 grams.

Fold in some creamy yogurt to easily add protein to oatmeal, but keep an eye on what kind you use — some types can be high in sugar and have less protein than you'd expect. Stick with nonfat or whole milk plain Greek yogurt; both have 14 grams per serving.

Plain Greek yogurt can taste bitter, especially if you opt for the nonfat version. To balance out the flavor, consider adding a natural sugar, such as honey or natural maple syrup, to improve its flavor.

You can purchase large- or small-curd cottage cheese, which just means each has a slightly different texture (large curd is a little more lumpy). When blended, cottage cheese has a similar texture to yogurt, and the protein value is similar, too, though cottage cheese is slightly higher. A ½ cup serving of cottage cheese has 12 grams of protein. Keep in mind that standard cottage cheese is salty, so add in some sweet ingredients for balance.

There are plenty of seeds that will add protein and crunch to plain oatmeal, and in general, most seeds have similar protein content, so choose your fighter here. Chia and flax seeds are comparable; flax seeds offer 1.5 grams of protein per tablespoon, while chia seeds are slightly higher at around 1.7 grams per tablespoon. Sunflower seeds fall within this range, too.

If you don't want the crunch from seeds, opt for hemp hearts instead. Hemp hearts are similar in size to seeds, but they're the inner, soft part of an unshelled hemp seed. They have 3 grams of protein per tablespoon, which is higher than any of the previously-mentioned seeds. Plus, they're a great alternative to seeds if you don't want that crunch in every bite.

While the oatmeal cooks, stir in some egg whites or one whole egg. The egg white from one single, large egg contains around 3.6 grams of protein, while the whole egg — yolk included — yields 6.3 grams. Egg whites lack flavor compared to eggs, which might make them better-suited for oatmeal, especially if you want to avoid the egg flavor in favor of sweeter ingredients.

Finally, a great way to get more protein in your oatmeal is to simply add protein powder. It comes in a variety of flavors like vanilla and chocolate, and while there are tons of protein powder brands on the market, a scoop of grass-fed whey protein powder (which comes out to just under an ounce) contains a whopping 19 grams of protein. If you're looking for the most protein per serving on this list, whey protein powder is the easy winner.