Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal

by Arman Liew

published on Jul 05, 2020

89 comments

5 from 172 votes
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This cinnamon roll oatmeal is a healthy breakfast that tastes like dessert! Packed with protein and fiber, it’s creamy, and topped with a dairy free cream cheese swirl! Vegan, Gluten Free, and Dairy Free. 

cinnamon roll oatmeal

We love starting our mornings with oats in some form. Our favorites include overnight oats, blueberry baked oatmeal, and this creamy cinnamon roll oatmeal. 

I’ve grown up eating cinnamon and oatmeal together. My standard bowl of oatmeal would have the same three things- cinnamon, brown sugar, and a dollop of cream cheese. 

Now that I am focused on making my oatmeal healthier and more filling, I’ve changed things up a little bit. The cinnamon is still there and the cream cheese has been replaced by dairy free cream cheese but now there is a secret addition- protein powder!

Adding a scoop of cinnamon roll protein powder takes this cinnamon oatmeal to another level. It adds thickness, extra creaminess, and a whopping 35 grams of protein.

Why make this cinnamon roll oatmeal? 

This sticky cinnamon roll batter oatmeal doesn’t need words to describe it- The name says it all. It literally has the taste and texture of a sticky cinnamon bun, but without the sugar, butter, or flour.

While this oatmeal is naturally gluten free, dairy free, and vegan, it’s also completely sugar free. 

How to make cinnamon oatmeal

The Ingredients

  • Rolled Oats– I prefer rolled oats over quick cooking oats, because they have a thicker and chewier texture. Feel free to use quick oats if you prefer smoother oatmeal. Be sure to use gluten free oats, to keep this recipe gluten free.
  • Salt– Brings out the flavor of all the other ingredients.
  • Cinnamon– You can add much more than recommended, especially if you like a stronger cinnamon flavor.
  • Milk of choice– Any unsweetened milk of choice can be used. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. 
  • Granulated sweetener of choice– Gives the oatmeal extra sweetness, without adding sugar. Monk fruit sweetener and erythritol are my preferred sugar free sweeteners. 
  • Protein Powder– Optional, but highly recommended. Use a vanilla or cinnamon flavored protein powder. 
  • Cream Cheese– To stir through the oatmeal to give it a true cinnamon bun flavor. I used dairy free cream cheese, but use standard if you don’t follow a dairy free recipe. 

The Instructions

Start by preparing your oatmeal in either the microwave or saucepan. Combine your oats with salt, cinnamon, and the milk of choice. Microwave or heat on stovetop until the liquid has been mostly absorbed by the milk. Next, add the granulated sweetener of choice, before whisking in the protein powder, until fully incorporated. Finally, stir through the cream cheese and top with extra cinnamon, if desired. 

cinnamon bun oatmeal

Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats

If you prefer your oatmeal overnight oats style, you can definitely prepare it that way. This is great if you’d like to prep your breakfast in advance.

You will only need to use half the amount of milk required. Combine all your ingredients into a cereal bowl or shallow container. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. When ready to eat, mix together all the ingredients together and add extra milk, if desired. 

Slow cooker tips

Easily prepare a big batch of making crockpot or slow cooker oatmeal.

For 4 servings– 3 cups water, 3 cups milk of choice, 2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup granulated sweetener of choice, 2 tablespoons cinnamon. 

Place the water, milk, and oats in a slow cooker and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. Turn off heat and stir through the granulated sweetener and cinnamon. 

Storing and Freezing Oatmeal

  • To store: If you prep multiple batches of cinnamon oatmeal keep stored in the refrigerator at all times. Oatmeal will keep well for up to 5 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or stovetop when ready to eat.
  • To freeze: Cream cheese oatmeal is freezer friendly and can be stored in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer friendly containers. 
  • To thaw: Thaw oatmeal overnight in the refrigerator or the day of at room temperature. 

sticky bun oatmeal

More healthy breakfast recipes

Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal

5 from 172 votes
A delicious, healthy and hearty oatmeal which tastes exactly like a cinnamon roll! This quick and easy cinnamon roll oatmeal recipe tastes like dessert and can be enjoyed hot or cold! Vegan, gluten free, dairy free.
Servings: 1 serving
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
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Ingredients  

For the oatmeal

Instructions 

  • In a saucepan or microwave safe bowl, combine the rolled oats, salt, cinnamon, sweetener of choice and milk of choice and simmer on medium until most of the liquid is absorbed. If adding protein powder, add it here now.
  • Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Stir through the cream cheese and top with extra cinnamon

Notes

If your oatmeal is too thick, add extra milk to desired consistency. 
This can be batch made the night before and eaten hot/cold.
This can also be frozen- Simply thaw out and reheat.
For even more protein, add an extra scoop of protein powder but add extra dairy free milk to compensate.
* Use any sweetener of choice- erythritol, coconut sugar, white sugar, etc. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 248kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 8gFat: 11gSodium: 956mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 7gVitamin A: 195IUCalcium: 374mgIron: 2mgNET CARBS: 25g
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Author: Arman Liew
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

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Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.

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5 from 172 votes (166 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  2. 5 stars
    This is such an amazing recipe!! I made it for breakfast this morning using 1 cup of a cake batter protein shake in place of the milk. It increased the calories by about 100, but it also bumped up the protein to 29g. Using the cake batter shake also definitely gave it the dough taste one would expect from a cinnamon. This one is definitely going into my regular breakfast rotation!

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    I ended up making a double batch. Not sure if the 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon was meant to be a 1/2 tsp but mine was WAY too much cinnamon – and I’m a cinnamon lover. Made a second plain batch and mixed them up and it was much better 😅

    Reply

    1. 5 stars
      Great recipe. I used almond milk with a touch of honey and left out the sweetener. Also agree that the recipe likely should be a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I too love cinnamon but a half teaspoon is too overwhelming. I made a plain batch per the suggestion of the other comment and it was much better. And now I have breakfast for tomorrow!

      Reply

  8. This just happened for breakfast, and it was A-MAZE-ING!!! Added some pecans to up the ante. I ate too quickly to take a pic, though 🙁

    Reply

  10. You are seriously genius! I made this recipe today and it was TO DIE FOR! The glaze was DEVINE. My 10 year old asked for a taste…..then a bowl. I just read your story and am now stalking you. I can’t wait to try some of these other recipes.

    Reply

  12. I make a similar pumpkin cinnamon oatmeal and posted it on my blog! I gave you recipe credit because it is so similar to your recipe – hope that’s alright 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Deanna,

      I actually received a fair few emails over the last day or two saying several of my recipes had been copied, that being one of them. As blogging is my full time job, I work hard to create unique, original recipes so it’s disheartening to get those kinds of emails. I appreciate you crediting the source.

      Reply

  14. I ate cookie dough like there was no tomorrow when I was in middle school! Took a toll on my health, so I make sure my cookie dough is healthified! I’m going to make your pumpkin cookie dough soon though so I can enjoy it again–except add a lot of cinnamon and protein glaze if I want to make it cinnamon roll flavored!

    Reply

  15. So I am assuming the egg white cooks itself from the heat of the oatmeal as you stir it in? I am so going to be eating this soon!

    Reply

    1. Hi Amy! You sure can- Just decrease the dairy free milk by 1/4 cup (or don’t add the excess dairy free liquid)- You may want to add a dash of vanilla extract too 🙂

      Reply

  18. When it comes to food, I ignore the voice of reason! 😉 Lovin’ this oatmeal awesomeness THIIIIS much!

    Reply

  19. I would eat oatmeal every day if I could have this! Grocery stores are so different everywhere. When my daughter and I were in Sweden, they had rows and rows of candy…I’d never seen anything like it! We were traveling with a youth soccer team and all the girls were quite thrilled…we were in there for hours (what seemed like hours anyway) while they mulled over what to get.

    Reply

  20. This is some sexy oatmeal.
    Raw Cinnabon dough sounds like a college dorm resident’s dream. (*cough* MY dream). So thank you for enlightening us with this recipe. Although, if I tried to give this version of Cinnabon to my mom, she might not talk to me for a day or two. She doesn’t take replacements for her Cinnabon.

    Reply

  21. This is totally my kind of breakfast. I love how oatmeal is pretty much a blank slate and you can get as creative with it as you want. This one is a must try!

    Reply

  22. Oh my gosh, Arman! I am literally laughing out loud reading this post! My kids are asking what’s so funny so I had to read the part about whipping your hair back and forth. LOVE your writing. And this oatmeal? Genius.

    Reply

  23. It’s so creamy I could DIE — I want to swan dive right into it. Or belly flop with my mouth wide open. And I actually won’t touch raw cookie dough if it has eggs in it. But I’ll usually eat the eggless kind before I have a chance to make it into actual cookies. Oops.

    Reply

  24. Oh man, we’ve totally gotten into the habit of making a big batch of oatmeal at the beginning of the week, and then reheating it for breakfast. I’m totally going to need to make this cinnamon roll version appear…and soon. I also love that you ate the cinnamon roll dough plain. (I can’t blame ya…well, not much!) And now you know why Americans are so weight-challenged. Haha!

    Reply

  26. I am a huge oatmeal fan and cinnamon roll fan, but who isn’t? What a great way to start of your day! Pinning!

    Reply

  27. Oh yum- this looks fantastic..bet it would kill my Cinnamon Toast Crunch craving – best cereal out there in my ever so humble opinion 😉 It makes me laugh just how much variety is available in the US. A friend of mine just got back from New York and came back with Peanut Butter Twix for me–> I had no idea it even existed but I’m ever so glad it does!

    Reply

  30. The supermarkets here are still such a novelty for me – I still make david go down every single aisle with me every time we go! Well, I don’t want to miss anything! Haha!
    The whole cookie dough thing wasn’t really done in the UK! Yeah we all snuck some cake batter/ dough from the bowl but to be honest, we all wanted the final product more!

    Reply

  31. Wow, man this looks so good! You know how make breakfast look SUPER GOOD. <3 I think, the next time we have a cool day, this is going on the stove.

    Reply

  32. I don’t know if I’ve ever eaten a non-cookie dough…Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever bought non-cookie dough either. I seem to be missing out here 🙁 Thanks for the idea! I need to get back into oatmeal this fall. It always looks delicious, but I don’t make it because it “takes too long” 😉

    Reply

  33. Defo going to try this one out. I’m an oatmeal eater in the morning since it’s so easy to prepare, so this would be perfect. Do that the same results could be made for a big batch via crock pot or in chilled container (overnight oats style)? I wake up quite early and normally don’t feel like cooking, especially at 430-5 in the morning.

    Reply

    1. Hey Justin! Definitely- I initially trialled this out using a slow cooker- If you go that route, I’d recommend using steel cut oats- They take it up a notch! If you want to add protein powder, add it AFTER you’ve cooked it up 🙂

      Reply

  34. Ditto Meghan’s comment above! I’m totally psyched to give this a try – I’ve missed oatmeal. Now that its cooling down, its the perfect time to get reaquainted.

    Reply

      1. Made it this morning using almond milk. Fantastic! Tastes like its WAY unhealthy for you…yet its not. I particularly like that its got a nice dose of protein in it. Great work!

        Also impressed at how great your pics of it are. I tried several times but daaaamn, oatmeal is a hard subject to capture!

  37. All of these cinnamon bun recipes are making me so happy! There is nothing like a fresh, warm, gooey cinnamon roll, but you already know that 😉

    Reply

  38. Confession: I have never had a Cinnabon cinnamon roll before. As long as I make this oatmeal, I don’t think I will feel like I am missing out.

    Reply

  40. I admit I’m a fan of raw anything dough, which probably does mean I should dip into some oatmeal 🙂 this is maybe the best recipe story ever! Way better than making lemonade from lemons 😉

    Reply