3 x Breakfast Oatmeals + Copenhagen Guide

gks_oatmeal

Even though we have posted countless porridge recipes on this blog – baked, soaked and cooked – we recently realized that we never have posted one of our standard breakfast oatmeals. Oatmeal is one of the most common breakfasts for us on early weekday mornings. It’s quick to make and you only need one ingredient for the most basic recipe. But it can also be prepared in endless varieties depending on season and preference.

You can cook oats with water, fruit- or vegetable juice or any kind of milk. And you can either stick to just rolled oats or mix them with quinoa flakes, rye flakes, chia seeds, linseeds or any other kind of seed.

We have shared three different set-ups here. One with oat and rye flakes cooked on carrot juice, one standard oatmeal cooked with coconut milk and the last one has egg added to the oatmeal for a protein boost. We have also used different toppings on them. Berries, dried fruit, seeds, nibs, compotes, nut butters and even vegetables are often added to our oatmeals. Remember that the actual oatmeal is only 45 percent of the experience. The most important part are the toppings. So don’t be shy, build mountains of different toppings.

We’d love to see your oatmeal creations on Instagram. Hashtag it #gksbreakfast so we won’t miss out on anything. To be on the safe side you could also tag either David: @gkstories or Luise: @luisegreenkitchenstories

We’re looking forward to see what you come up with!

gks_oatmealx3_2

Oatmeal_toppings

We were inspired to do this post about oatmeals after our recent visit to the Copenhagen porridge restaurant Grød. They serve both sweet and savory porridges and going there feels just like coming home, as they share our love for these warm grainy bowls. The carrot oatmeal further down is similar to something we had there.

We have also put together a list of our other favorite places in Copenhagen, in case some of you plan a visit during the summer.

Copenhagen Eating Guide
PapirØen – Copenhagen Street Food. Food trucks, containers and vendors. Indoor and outdoor food mekka, colourful and affordable food for everyone. Try the egg wrap filled with bean stew or enjoy a smoothie or drink with the beautiful view of Copenhagens canals. Hal 7 & 8, PapirØen, Trangravsvej 14, 1436 København K.
The A la Menthe – Morroccan cafe with amazing vegetarian lunch or dinner platters and of course fresh mint tea. Rådhusstræde 5 (near Strøget) 1466 Copenhagen K.
Stedsans – Organic rooftop restaurant located in Østerbro. You’re sitting in a greenhouse surrounded by a beautiful garden and a hen house. You pre-book and pay for the menu ahead and are then served a seriously delicious 6 course dinner. Everything is local, organic and seasonal, the menu is gluten free and optional vegetarian. Æbeløgade 4, 2100 Østerbro.
Foodie – Vegetarian, Vegan and gluten free falafel bar. They bake their own slow rising sourdough bread everyday and create very interesting and flavourful sandwich combinations. They have a large selection of vegetarian sandwiches and stews. Amagerbrogade 13, Copenhagen S and Jagtvej 133, Copenhagen N.
Bang & Jensen – Cool cafe with traditional danish food with a trendy twist. Istedgade 130, 1350 Vesterbro.
Torvehallerne – Indoor and outdoor food market with 60 different shops. You can find everything of Copenhagens most popular and delicious food scene here. A must visit! Frederiksborggade 21, 1360 Copenhagen K.
Höst – Beautiful restaurant with a modern nordic cooking style – Nørre Farimagsgade 41, 1364 Copenhagen K.
42 Raw – Our favorite Raw food cafe in Copenhagen with great food, breakfast, desserts, smoothies and juices. Pilestræde 32, 1112 Copenhagen K.
Simple Raw – Cute little Raw food cafe with delicious food. Try their brunch or lentil burger. Oehlenschlægergade 12, 1663 Vesterbro.
Raw & Rustic Urtehuset – Great health food store with a separate health cafe serving salads, shakes, shots and snacks. We love everything on the menu. Gammel Kongevej 113, 1850 Frederiksberg C.
Morgenstedet – Organic cafe at Christiania, great homemade food! Christania, 1440 Copenhagen K.
Parterre – Cute little cafe with danish and french pastries, lunches and cakes, beautiful location by the water. Ovengaden Oven Vandet 90, 1415 Christianshavn.
Grød – A cafe that only serves porridges, sweet and savory. Very delicious and top quality. Jægerborgsgade 50, 2200 Nørrebro or Torvehallerne, Linnésgade 17, 1362 Copenhagen K.
Atelier September – Old antique store turned into a cafe. The food is simple tasty danish/french food. Freshly squeezed juices and good coffee. Gothersgade 30, 1123 Copenhagen K.
Rist Kaffebar – A coffee shop with a great atmosphere and nice food. Værnedamsvej 4b, 1619 Vesterbro.
Café Granola – Charming cafe in the most charming street in Vesterbro. Try their brunch. Værnedamsvej 5, 1619 Vesterbro.
Smag – Salad bar with a wide range of healthy salads, delicious toppings and sourdough rye bread. Remember to try their vegetarian zucchini patties. Get the take away boxes and go to a park nearby. Located 4 places: Fælledvej 25, Ndr. Frihavnsgade 13, Store Kongensgade 44, Torvehallerne.
Isværket – Organic ice cream bar. Stefansgade 15, 2200 Nørrebro.
Laundromat – A cafe where you can also bring your dirty laundry. They also have a large play corner for kids. Elmegade 15, Nørrebro or Århusgade 38, Østerbro or Gammel Kongevej 96, Frederiksberg C.
Anne’s Gademad – Homemade take away dinner. Vegetarian option every day. Enghavevej 3, Vesterbro.
LêLê – Vietnamese restaurant with great vietnamese food with a modern twist. Vesterbrogade 40, 1620 Vesterbro.

 

Oatmeal – 3 ways

Protein_boosted_oatmeal

Protein Boosted Oatmeal
Serves 2

1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if you prefer)
2,5 cups water
2 eggs
1/2 tsp ground vanilla
1 pinch sea salt

Topping:
avocado, sliced
raspberries, fresh or thawed frozen
hemp seeds
chia seeds
quark yogurt

Place oats, water, eggs, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium to low heat. Stir to combine. Let simmer until the water is just absorbed and the porridge has thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Serve in bowls with with plant milk and toppings.

Carrot_rye_oatmeal

Carrot & Rye Oatmeal
Serves 2

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled rye
1,5 cup carrot juice
1 cup water
1 pinch sea salt

Topping:
raisins
flax seeds
unsweetened apple sauce with grated fresh ginger (cook chopped apples, a little water and grated ginger until tender)
cacao nibs

Place oats, rye, carrot juice, water and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium to low heat. Stir until the water is just absorbed and the porridge has thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Serve in bowls with with plant milk and toppings.

Coconut_oatmeal

Sweet Coconut Oatmeal
Serves 2

1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if you prefer)
1,5 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1 pinch sea salt

Topping:
almond & cacao nut butter (mix nut bitter and cacao powder)
toasted desicated coconut
toasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
strawberries, fresh or thawed frozen
raw hazelnuts, chopped
goji berries

Place oats, coconut milk, water and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium to low heat. Stir until the water is just absorbed and the porridge has thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Serve in bowls with with plant milk and toppings.

Tip: For grain free options use rolled flakes of whole buckwheat, millet or quinoa.

69 Comments

  • A friend and I are planning a trip to Europe next summer and Copenhagen is one of the places we are visiting! Wrote down some of the Cafes you listed! Can't wait to check them out. Love the blog. Keep up the good work:) Victoria
  • Nina
    Lovely! Would you say it is better to use old style rolled oats because of the nutrition than the quick oats?
  • Hi Luise and David! I was wondering do you add any sweeteners to your porridge? And what kind of extra plant milk do you recommend for these 3 bowls? You are such inspirational and creative people! You've really helped me to make my diet healthier AND tastier, thank you so much!
  • Luise & David, thank you once again for giving us 14 more reasons to come and visit Copenhagen! Northern Europe sounds more and more attracting as years pass. Keep up the great work!
  • Wow, these are such original and creative ideas yet you still manage to maintain the ease of making oatmeal that we all love. I've never thought of putting egg in oatmeal, but I'm dying to try it now!
  • Emma
    Hej med jer :) I skulle prøve et sted, der hedder Raw & Rustic (http://www.rawrustic.dk/). Det er også kaldet Urtehusets Cafe på Gammel Kongevej. Det er økologisk og fyldt med vegetariske, glutenfri og lactosefri lækker mad. I må ikke snyde jer selv for den oplevelse næste gang. Hilsen Emma (fra yogaweekenden sidste år i Falsterbo)
    • Hej Emma, Dejligt at høre fra dig :-) Selvfølgelig ska den med på listen, der har vi været mange gange, skønt sted og skøn mad! De bedste hilsner Luise
  • Need to head back to Copenhagen! Love love love your blog and recipes. Very inspiring and beautiful. Bring on breakfast!
  • An entire restaurant dedicated to porridge?! That sounds amazing! Copenhagen seems like a great city for plant-based diets. Love love these porridge recipes; people always tell me they hate porridge because it's bland but you're right, it's all in the toppings.
  • I love oatmeal and this post is very close to my heart. The pictures are stunning and so are the recipes. My favorite way to have oatmeal is either with stewed apple, cinnamon/ginger/cardemom, walnuts and cacao nibs or a baked version, topped with pear, figs, pecans and more. Love, Lieke
  • Aleksandra
    Oatmeal is my families go-to breakfast and the third one Looks very similar to one of our favourites.Since there is such an abundance of fruit now it is such a joy to come up with new combinations. I love the idea of using carrot Juice and will have to try that one next. Thank you for the Inspiration and for your tips about Copenhagen. This is on my list of next places to visit! Best wishes!
  • can't wait to try the carrot juice, I never would have thought to do that! thanks for sharing :) http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
  • You are a flippin' genius! I love the idea of an "oatmeal bar" with all the fixings. It makes breakfast fun and yummy again. Thanks for the inspiration!
  • Oh my, lovely! The colors are so beautiful, and the toppings so inspiring. Thank you for making oatmeal exciting for me again!
  • Wow! These are just beautiful! I am really inspired by the use of the eggs and the avocado with the sweetness of the raspberries. Brilliant!
  • Wow, these are very decadent oatmeal recipes. I've never been a fan of oatmeal, but perhaps I've just been doing it wrong my whole life. I never would have dreamed up these topping combinations. Thanks for the inspiration to try something new!
  • Those are indeed the prettiest oatmeals I have ever seen! Ok, it's on. I'll make some and Instagram about it! I also love, LOVE the bowls themselves. In fact, I won't be in Copenhagen, but I'll be in Stockholm in August (!!!) and I'm really searching for some shop where to buy dishware like that in the city. Does anyone have any recommendation? I'm having a bit of a hard time finding stuff online...
    • Thank you Valentina, we're looking forward to seeing your creations! Some of our bowls are from Erika Petersdotter. Her pottery is on St Paulsgatan 11 on Södermalm. You also might want to visit Manos shop on Renstiernas Gatan 22 on Södermalm. They have some beautiful handmade ceramic plates and bowls. /David
  • I'm quite a lover of coconut so naturally the last breakfast bowl would be more suitable to my taste buds.
  • Can't wait to try the sweet coconut oatmeal. Love your photos!
  • Emily
    That are the three most beautiful bowls of porridge I have seen. Will definitely try these during the week. Can't decide which I should start with. The protein boosted oatmeal sounds great before a workout!
  • Delicious! And your list makes me want to go to Copenhagen just to eat!
  • Amazing! In love with your recipes and photography! So healthy and inspiring.
  • mhmm...they all look SO good! never tried it with carrots before, but that sounds so delicious! laura&nora
  • This breakfast looks so good! Thanks for the addresses in Copenhague we are coming over with our kids in August (and we'll go to Sweden too). But every addresses looks so fine we'll have to stay longer than we've planned if we want to try everything!! I'll check also your addresses in Stockholm I think you've done that in an older post. Cheers ;-)
  • That shot of all the toppings is easily one of the most beautiful things I have EVER seen---amazing!!!
  • Kristina
    Oatmeal is my go to breakfast on weekdays too so this post is right up my alley. I have just one question regarding the egg in the oatmeal. Does this change the taste or texture of the oatmeal? I'd love to have that extra dose of protein in my breakfast but the thought of cooking an egg with my oats is a little strange to me to be honest. Would love to hear what you think!
    • It sounds a little bit like french toast to me!And I personally loooove french toast. Thank you again Luise and David for being such an inspiration!
    • Hi Kristina, don't be scared, the egg actually doesn't change the consistency of the oatmeal very much. It still tastes and feels like oatmeal, just slightly richer. It's well worth a try ;) /David
      • Kristina
        Thank you David! I will then most definitely try it.
      • Sally
        I just took the plunge and tried it. It is creamy and not eggy :) Quite tasty and great to have a new way for my oats. Than you
  • Sandra
    Perfect timing this post! I have been looking for alternative porridge recipes, since I always eat the same kind of combination for breakfast. Do you have any suggestions for the summer? I'm writing from Portugal where we have fortunatly a very hot summer. Thanks. And I love your blog and book, were I often look for inspiration.
  • You are so right - the toppings make such a difference. Love the look of the sweet coconut one in particular - it's like dessert for breakfast!
  • Jamie
    These all look fantastic! Thank you for another beautiful post GKS! Also, I'm off to Copenhagen for my first ever visit in a couple of weeks, so your restaurant recommendations could not have come at a better time! Excited to get myself some savory porridge and delicious raw treats!
  • Yum! The coconut oatmeal looks amazing and love the sound of topping with creamy avocado! http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
  • They all look so delicious - thank you for the inspiration as well as the Copenhagen recommendations. We're hoping to go there later this year and I can't wait to visit as many of them as possible!

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