Product Reviews

Why it’s a-okay to start the day with a bowl of Quaker Oats

With the fast-paced lifestyle everyone’s living these days, it’s no longer uncommon to hear the words ‘I skip breakfast’ being uttered. I’ve always stood by the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I make an effort to have a good breakfast before I jump into work. And of course, nothing beats a balanced breakfast that includes supergrains! Maybe a bowl of Quaker Oats?

Every time I think of grains for breakfast, I think about oats. And why not? They provide a lot of the nutrients our body needs to function well. Oats are rich in fiber to help keep the digestive system clean and running, which is something I find very important.

It’s also rich in B vitamins and minerals, protein, as well as good carbohydrates. We all need carbs for energy after all! A breakfast with oats keeps you full longer, and taking everything else into consideration it’s no wonder oats are being called a supergrain.

Here at home we like to cook oatmeal each and every morning, so when I received a package from Quaker Oats I was quite delighted. However this is my first time trying out their Instant Oatmeal variety since we normally buy and cook old-fashioned oats, so I was excited to see if I was going to like them.

Quaker Instant Chocolate Oats

Right off the bat, I already had a feeling I would enjoy this flavour. I love chocolate and it seems like such a hard flavour to mess up! The basic instruction for making this is 3/4 cup liquid for every 4 Tablespoons of the instant oatmeal.

The oats here are chopped very finely to help it “cook” more easily using just warm liquid. Instead of using hot water or hot milk, I used some room temperature fresh milk instead. I think it worked out well although it turned the brown colour into something very light.

I liked how the Chocolate Oats wasn’t too sweet. With milk, the chocolate taste becomes a little light but still enjoyable. I added some bananas into the oats and that really made me eat this with a smile. Chocolate and bananas are a great match!

I actually prefer eating my oatmeal warm, so I tried this again with some hot water. The chocolate taste is definitely stronger that way, but milk or water is good with this one!


Quaker Instant Fruit & Nuts Oats

Probably my favourite among the bunch that I was sent. I’m a fan of dried fruit with my oatmeal, and this one gave me a satisfying amount of that! Plus, we’ve got some bits of pecans in here too.

This one needs only 1/2 cup of liquid for every 4 Tablespoons of instant oats. The oats only manage to thicken when a warm liquid is used, so I really prefer just using warm water when I make these. I also like to leave them for a minute to sit and develop a bit more “body”.

The Fruit & Nuts flavour has a pleasant cinnamon taste, and coupled with the rehydrated apples and raisins, eating it makes me feel warm and cozy inside. Smelling it does too actually! 😀

You know how cinnamon-y things take centre stage around this time of year; when the weather starts to cool somewhat and Christmas is approaching? The thought of that adds a lot to my enjoyment of this particular flavour. Also, it’s not super sweet, which I always appreciate.

I love that I get a generous dose of fruits and nuts in every scoop! I’m already thinking about eating this again tomorrow morning. 😀


Quaker Instant Banana Oats

My least favourite, which saddens me considering how much I like bananas. This one again has you adding just 1/2 cup of liquid to your 4 tablespoons of oats. Opening the package, the scent of bananas is nice and strong. I’m a fan of that scent, but I was a little nervous about how it would taste. When it comes to bananas, a strong scent doesn’t necessarily always equate to something yummy.

I find that this tastes a lot better with just hot water, although it is a bit sweeter than I would’ve liked. With milk, the artificial banana taste is very strong! I was half expecting that to happen but I was still disappointed to be proven right. Banana flavour is often a tricky one. 🙁

I had the same observations here as when I tried the Fruit & Nuts variety. Using hot water once again allows the oats to thicken, replicating traditionally cooked oats in texture. This is the texture I like the most.

For this one, I added more banana slices just because nothing can duplicate the real thing, not even “real banana bits” that look like pieces of overripe bananas. For fun I added some peanut butter, and this actually helped control the sweetness of the oats somehow by adding another dimension of nutty flavour.

I’m a huge sucker for the peanut butter-banana combo so thanks to my add-on’s, I ended up enjoying this all the same.


Quaker Whole Grain Rolled Oats

Frankly speaking, nothing beats some classic, old-fashioned oats. This variety of Quaker Oats is made with 100% whole grain, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Plus it’s easy to cook, and it goes well with any flavour combination. I prefer fresh fruits with a semi-warm bowl of oatmeal. These oats are also perfect for many baking recipes.

To deviate from the normal way of cooking oats for breakfast, I wanted to share with you another of my favourite ways to eat Quaker Oats Rolled Oats: The Breakfast Parfait. Not only does it look pretty, it’s also packed with all the goodness you will ever need to start your day right!

First you have to toast your oats in a pan on the stovetop. I normally portion about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of rolled oats per 8-ounce serving. You want the oats just to get slightly browned, nice and toasty, so that it develops a light nuttiness.

Now you get all your ingredients ready. What you’ll need is a little less than a cup of yogurt in the flavour you like, plus your fruit of choice. Today we’re using bananas and some strawberry yogurt. Yum!

You don’t have to wait for the oats to cool before starting with the layering process. First add in a bit of yogurt, then some oats and chopped fruit.

Then you add another layer of yogurt, plus the oatmeal, but this time instead of adding the fruit, add a thin layer of yogurt and then decorate the fruit on top. And that’s pretty much it!

Put this in the fridge for a bit to allow the yogurt to seep into the oatmeal layer and soften it a little. The oats will be quite crunchy if you eat it immediately after layering, so I prefer to let it sit in the fridge for about 10 minutes tops before eating. The oats do soften up nicely by then without turning soggy. And now you’re all set to eat this very simple but very filling breakfast parfait!

Any time I eat a whole serving of this I stay full until lunchtime. And it’s also got just the right hit of sweetness from the fruit and the flavoured yogurt. Just a great way to start the day, in my opinion!


Well, I already know that I really like Quaker Oats Rolled Oats, but the Instant Oatmeals aren’t so bad either! Have you guys tried any of these? What did you think? 🙂

Full disclosure: Quaker Oats Philippines provided me with samples of their products, but all opinions stated above are my own. You can check out their website, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more info.

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One Comment

  • reluctantstylista

    I love this! I never thought about toasting the oats first. What a great idea. <3 I'm about to try doing easy oatmeal cookie recipes using the rolled oats and now I wonder if I should toast them first haha.

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