This Keto Oatmeal is the low carb alternative to traditional oatmeal! It’s made with hemp hearts instead of oats for a hearty, filling, breakfast that is the perfect way to start your day with just 6 net carbs per serving!
I can’t tell you how many times I get asked if oatmeal is low carb.
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Oats are a a grain and they’re not low carb.
But, not to worry! I’ve been experimenting with hemp hearts to create a low carb oatmeal alternative and I’ve nailed it, you guys!
This ‘noatmeal’ is a new fan favorite in our house. My kids love it, Chad asks for it just about every day, and I’ve been having a blast trying out all my different topping ideas!
But today? Today I’m sharing my FAVORITE way to enjoy this keto oatmeal recipe!
Want to give this a warm and cozy Fall twist? Try our keto pumpkin noatmeal.
Ingredient Notes:
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Hemp Hearts – You’ll want to use shelled hemp hearts. They have a slightly nutty taste and are a superfood that is packed full of nutritious good stuff. They also just happen to have a soft oatmeal like texture which makes them perfect for this recipe!
Flaxseed Meal – This is another ingredient that works well as a substitute or addition to regular oatmeal. It’s full of fiber and omega-3s.
Chia Seeds – Chia is yet another superfood like the hemp hearts and flaxseed that takes on an oatmeal like consistency when liquid is added to it.
Sweetener – This golden monk fruit sweetener is the perfect alternative to brown sugar!
How To:
Prepare the Noatmeal – If you’re wondering how to make noatmeal, it’s pretty similar to how you would make traditional oatmeal and also just as easy to prepare! You can get started by adding all of the non-topping ingredients including the hemp hearts, flaxseed, and chia to a sauce pan.
Cook until thickened: Some of these ingredients like the chia seeds won’t take on an oatmeal like texture until you’ve added liquid. That’s what the water and heavy cream (or dairy-free milk of your choice) is for. When you’ve added those in with the brown sugar substitute and cinnamon give it a good stir to combine and let it continue to cook until it has thickened.
Adjust as needed: The low carb oatmeal may look thinner than you’d like, but it does thicken a bit more after you take it off the heat. You can always use more or less liquid to get the consistency that you prefer. All that’s left now is to add some toppings. I’ve got some good suggestions below!
Keto Oatmeal Toppings:
You can really dress up your keto oatmeal any way you would traditional oatmeal, but my favorite toppings are below!
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Greek Yogurt
- Almond Butter
We absolutely love the combination of fruit and almond butter over the noatmeal paired with the creamy tang of Greek yogurt.
This breakfast packs a punch and keeps me full until lunch time with no problem.
FAQs:
Hemp hearts (or hemp seeds) are the seed of the hemp plant. Hemp hearts are considered a superfood and are a great addition to your diet. Not to worry…they won’t cause you to fail a drug test or make you feel like you’ve taken drugs, though the shells can contain trace amounts of THC (less than .03%).
Hemp hearts are a great source of protein, high in fat and fiber, and packed with vitamins and minerals.
They’re also heart-healthy!
Sadly no, regular oats are not very low carb friendly since they are a grain. But the substitutes in this recipe end up with a pretty similar taste and texture!
It’s pretty much what it sounds like… oatmeal with no oats! Just lots of good oatmeal like ingredients that are even more nutritious than the real deal.
More low carb breakfast recipes:
Keto Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup hemp hearts
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar substitute
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mixed berries
- 2 tablespoon almond butter warmed
Instructions
- Add the water, hemp hearts, cream, flax, chia seeds, brown sugar substitute, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and divide between two bowls.
- Top each bowl the Greek yogurt, berries, and a drizzle of almond butter.
Gary PROCTOR says
Mine came out tasting ok, but was very goopy/slime like. What did I do wrong?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Gary! This honestly kind of sounds like oatmeal to me, haha. I think goopy is a good word for it. We don’t find it slimy though.
Gary PROCTOR says
I realized that it is do to the binding effect of the flax. The whole thing was a bit gelatinous. Every different recipe that has included flax has been the same. Thanks though! I just have to find some other uses for the bags of flax, hemp and chia I bought. I used to have a good one for microwave flax muffins that I will have to find.
I did try a couple of the other recipes lined on the page, like the Avocado deviled eggs. Those turned out great.
Shannon says
Hi there, i tried the recipe this morning and was pleasantly surprised. I thought the texture was a little closer to farina cereal (cream of wheat) which i prefer to oatmeal. dropped the artificial brown sugar, added peanut butter, a little tiny bit of agave nectar and half a banana. haven’t done the math on that but i was mostly concerned about the texture using it for the first time. I’ll be trying it microwaved for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you!
Michelle Weatherby says
Do you have the nutritional information without the toppings? Also, can you recommend a nutrition calculator that includes fiber and sugar alcohols? I’m looking forward to making this!
Thank you!
Karly Campbell says
Hi Michelle! I don’t have the info without the toppings. You could download Carb Manager and plug in the recipe using the ingredients you want and it will calculate it, I believe. That should also have the option to count net or total carbs and sugar alcohols.
Kristina K Jones says
Amazing!! This recipe has saved me from keto failure because I was on the verge of giving up. I can not even look at an egg at this point. I used to eat oatmeal everyday and I missed it! This has filled that little space right up. Thanks for the great recipe!
Karly Campbell says
So glad to hear that! 🙂
Polly Nash says
We love this noatmeal-I can get all the ingredients at Ingles. I skip the sweetener, but top the hot noatmeal with butter, a few pecans, and sugar free maple syrup. I pre-measured all the dry ingredients together into a mason jar, so I can mix up a couple of servings quickly by just adding the cream called for.
Carol says
They’re ate lots of breakfast ideas. Keto banana pancakes(almond flour based). Low carb bun(excellent) made in the micro just for 1. Chaffles, and another hot cereal too. Just research if you have some time. Don’t eat the same thing all the time, you’ll definitely get bired and give up.
Kati says
Any substitutions for the Heavy Cream? I have tummy issues when I consume dairy.
Karly Campbell says
Coconut milk should work well!
Ginger says
I made this for breakfast today and it was so good! I made 1 serving. I put most of the ingredients (water, hemp hearts, cream, flax meal, chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and almond butter) in a cereal bowl and refrigerated overnight. In the morning I microwaved for 2 minutes, stirred and ate. I did not add any sweetner, berries or yogurt. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making it again.
Karly Campbell says
Oh, love this…I’ll have to try it like this. Would be so easy to prep the night before. 🙂
Laura says
Oh my! Just made this for the first time. Instead of the fruit and yogurt, I added a little peanut butter and small square of 85% dark chocolate and stuck it in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt chocolate. AWESOME! Thanks so much for this recipe. I found a big container of shelled hemp seeds at Walmart.
Jan says
Sounds good, will have to try it.
Adriana van Vlimmeren says
Did you use shelled or whole hemp seeds ?
Chad Campbell says
They’re shelled.
Beckie says
I’m not following the low carb diet but love the idea of this. Can I use semi-skimmed milk instead of water?
Your recipes look great and I’ve saved some already to try!
Karly Campbell says
Hi Beckie! I assume milk would work fine, though I haven’t tired it. Let us know how it works for you!
Donna V says
I made this today, OMG it was amazing. I ground the nuts as I have an issue with texture and I didn’t use any of your toppings but did pour a little almond milk over it. It was sweet and nutty and very, very good. I do have some questions though. It made enough for two so I put the very thick leftovers in the fridge. Will this be good reheated tomorrow? Do I just add almond milk while it’s heating to thin it out? Can I reheat it in the microwave or do I need to do it on the stove?
Chad Campbell says
Hi Donna! It’ll reheat fine in the microwave, but do add more almond milk to thin it out to the consistency you’d like. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
Melani says
Are there any substitutes for the hemp hearts and still have an oatmeal like dish?
Chad Campbell says
You could try a coconut flour porridge. 🙂
Deborah Chetcuti says
If you live in Australia, Woolworths sell it under the Macro brand.
Debbie Weeathersbee says
Where do you fine Hemp hearts, can I order from Amazon.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Debbie! I linked to the ones I used in the recipe card. You can find them on Amazon too.
Lorna Jean Thompson-Anderson says
Walmart
Charles Loeffler says
Trader joes carries them also
Lisa says
My cholestrol numbers are high and my doctor has suggested oatmeal, less fatty meats, and not to eat most of the items you do on keto. Does this ‘oatmeal’ have the same benefits as regular ‘oat’meal? Thanks.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Lisa! Hemp hearts are heart-healthy, though I don’t really know how they compare to oats.
Rene says
Lisa,
I was a daily steel-cut oats eater. Due to my high cholesterol levels, my MD suggested I try a keto-like diet. When I switched to a keto- like diet (high good fat. such as grass fed dairy, olive oil etc, and no grain , no sugar, and No processed foods, my cholesterol dropped 100 points, I lost 20 lbs and I felt GREAT. Hello natural peanut butter, cream in my coffee, and pasture raised eggs!!! Read “Fat Chance.” It will change your life.
Lisa says
Thanks for your comments Rene. I have been doing Keto pretty stricktly since August. I keep my net carbs under 20. I have dropped a few pounds and am woring with a trainer to build my core. (I don’t have a lot of weight to lose; am looking for overall health benefits) I am on a statin and omega 3s for years that I would love to ditch!! I plan on staying the course and hopefully my numbers with balance out.
Mari-Anne Chaney says
This looks interesting. Can I ask where or which ingredient is the “sugar alcohols”? Thanks
Karly Campbell says
Yep, it comes from the monkfruit sweetener I used. It’s an erythritol blend so I can’t it as zero as it should have no affect. 🙂
Teresa Jones says
Is there any way this recipe could be used for overnight noats??
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure these ratios would work for overnight oats, but I plan to play around with it to make it happen. If you test it, let me know! 🙂
JD Schaefer says
I understand about the 6-net carbs but if there are 22-total carbs that are reduced by 10-grams of fiber, doesn’t that leave 12-carbs, not 6-carbs? Thanks
Karly Campbell says
There are 6g of sugar alcohols which can be deducted from the carb count as well. 🙂
CONNIE DUNCAN says
Could this combo, without liquid of course, be used as an oatmeal/flour substitute for my rhubarb crumb dessert recipe? It’s oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, and butter. I really want to be able to make it again without the carbs. (I have the brown sugar substitute.) Maybe you’ve created something else for that purpose though? Thank you for any info.
Karly Campbell says
I am just getting started with testing hemp hearts, so I’m really not sure how that would work. Sorry I can’t help! I do have a streusel topping recipe on my pumpkin pie that might make a good topping…you can find it here.
deb in sc says
Why are you calling them hemp hearts instead of hemp seeds if they are really exactly the same? I’ve never heard of hemp hearts.
Karly Campbell says
They’re generally packaged as hemp hearts. 🙂
Marilyn McCormack says
Is this Keto? It has more carbs for this one meal with few leftover for lunch and dinner. I really don’t understand keto being applied to this. Can you please explain to me how this is Keto? Thank you for your time.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Marilyn! This has 6 net carbs per serving…keto is generally under 20 net carbs a day, so this should fit nicely but you could always adjust the toppings if you wanted to save some carbs.
Pam says
The Nutritional value states carbs 22 Fiber 10 my math computes to NC 12. Am I missing something?
Karly Campbell says
There are also 6g of erythritol, which can be deducted fully as it has no impact on blood glucose.
Pamela says
I missed that thanks for the information
Josie Burt says
that sounds like a yummy breakfast
Annie M Williams says
Where do you find Hemp Hearts Cream.
Chad Campbell says
Hi Annie! I’m not sure what you mean by hemp hearts cream. This recipe uses hemp hearts and cream, but they’re two separate ingredients.
Erika L Ploehn says
Your formula for net carbs is incorrect. It is carbs minus fiber which is NOT 6.
Karly Campbell says
Actually, it’s carbs minus fiber minus sugar alcohols. 🙂