How to Make McDonald's Oatmeal

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 24, 2020 References Tested

McDonald’s fruit and maple oatmeal is a tasty breakfast choice if you’re on-the-go, but what if you need your fix and don’t have time to visit your local McDonald’s? Don’t panic! You can copy the recipe at home using a microwave or stovetop and a few ingredients. In just a few minutes, you'll have your very own delicious McDonald's oatmeal. It might not come out exactly like the way McDonald’s makes it, but it’ll be pretty close and you won’t be late for work.

Ingredients

Microwaving the Oatmeal

1/2 cup (64 g) of brown sugar and maple oatmeal (or plain if you prefer)
1 cup (235 ml) of water
2 tbsp (30 ml) of cream
1 tbsp (14 g) of raisins
1 tbsp (14 g) of dried cranberries
1 tbsp (14 g) of golden raisins
1/3 of a diced apple

Cooking the Oatmeal on a Stovetop

1/3 cup (43 g) of oats
1 cup (235 ml) of water
2 tbsp (30 ml) of cream or half and half
1 tbsp (14 g) of golden raisins
2 tbsp (28 g) of California raisins
2 tbsp (28 g) dried cranberries
2 tbsp (28 g) of brown sugar
1/2 of an apple diced up

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Microwaving the Oatmeal

1
Pour 1/2 cup (64 g) of maple and brown sugar oatmeal into a microwavable jar. McDonald's uses brown sugar oats for its oatmeal, so you can get pretty close to their recipe with brown sugar and maple instant oatmeal.^{[1]
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Research source} Pour 1/2 cup (64 g) or 1 packet of oats into a microwave-safe container to get started.^{[2]
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- The oatmeal expands while it’s cooking, so use a container large enough so it won’t overflow.
- If you only have plain oats, then you can add 2 tbsp (10 mg) of brown sugar to get the recipe closer to McDonald’s.^{[3]
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  Research source} This gives you the sweetness that you're craving from the McDonald's version.
- If you want to be healthier, you can use plain oats and skip the brown sugar to save about 30 calories.^{[4]
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- This recipe makes 1 serving, so increase it if you want to make more.
2
Add water, cream, raisins, and cranberries to the oats. Authentic McDonald’s oatmeal uses light cream, water, dried cranberries, California raisins, and golden raisins.^{[5]
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Research source} This gives it the sweet and fruity flavor that you love. Copy their recipe by adding 1 cup (235 ml) of water, 2 tbsp (30 ml) of cream, and 1 tbsp (14 g) each of raisins, golden raisins, and cranberries. Stir the mixture together.^{[6]
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- McDonald’s oatmeal uses light cream to thicken up the oatmeal.^{[7]
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  Research source} However, you can substitute that with milk, half and half, or heavy cream if it is what you have.
- Feel free to add more or less raisins and cranberries if you want to.
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3
Stir in 1/3 of a diced apple. This gives the oatmeal some great taste and texture. Cut 1/3 of an apple off and dice it up into small cubes. Then stir this into the oatmeal as well.^{[8]
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- Be careful when you’re chopping up the apple so you don’t cut yourself.
- You could also add the apples after microwaving if you prefer them raw.^{[9]
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4
Microwave the oatmeal for 1 minute. Now just pop your oatmeal into the microwave and heat it up on a normal setting. Leave it in for 1 minute.^{[10]
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5
Stir the oatmeal and microwave it for 1 more minute. When 1 minute is up, take the oatmeal out and give it a stir. Put it back in the microwave for 1 more minute, then enjoy your tasty breakfast!^{[11]
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- You can top the oatmeal with some more brown sugar if you want to.
- If you prefer your oatmeal thicker, then leave it in for 5-15 more seconds.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Cooking the Oatmeal on a Stovetop

1
Pour the oats, water, cream, dried fruit, and sugar into a pot. It's also easy to make delicious oatmeal right on your stovetop. For copycat McDonald’s oatmeal on the stovetop, add 1/3 cup (43 g) of oats, 1 cup (235 ml) of water, 2 tbsp (30 ml) of cream or half and half, 1 tbsp (14 g) of golden raisins, and 2 tbsp (28) each of California raisins and dried cranberries to a pot. Then add 2 tbsp (28 g) of brown sugar and stir everything together.^{[12]
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Research source}
- McDonald’s oatmeal uses light cream.^{[13]
  X
  Research source} However, you can substitute that with milk, half and half, or heavy cream if it is what you have.
- You could also use brown sugar and maple instant oatmeal and skip adding the brown sugar. You’ll get the same result.
- For a healthier option, skip the brown sugar to save about 30 calories.^{[14]
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2
Heat the oatmeal until it bubbles. Put the pot over a low heat and stir occasionally. Continue heating the oatmeal until it starts bubbling, then turn the heat off.^{[15]
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- If you're not using instant oatmeal, then you'll have to cook for a little longer. A common cook time is 5 minutes, but check the directions on the oatmeal package.
3
Dice up 1/2 of an apple. McDonald's oatmeal has a nice texture because of the diced apple, and it's easy to copy that. Get a regular apple and cut it in half. Then dice it up into small cubes.^{[16]
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- Be careful when you’re chopping the apple so you don’t cut yourself.
- You could use more or less apple if you want to. It depends on what you like.
4
Stir in the apple. Once the heat is off, then pour the apple chunks in. Stir the oatmeal well so everything is mixed evenly. Then serve and enjoy!^{[17]
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- You could also top the oatmeal with a bit more brown sugar if you want more sweetness.

Things You’ll Need

Pot for the stovetop
Microwavable jar for the microwave
Spoon

Warnings

McDonald’s oatmeal isn’t especially healthy because of the sugar and cream.^{[18]
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Research source} For a healthier option, you can skip the sugar and use low-fat milk instead.

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