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Oats Upma Recipe (Healthy Savory Oats)
4.7 from 68 votes

Oats Upma Recipe (Healthy Savory Oats)

Oats Upma is a savory dish featuring crisp roasted quick-cooking oats combined with sautéed onions, ginger, green chilies, curry leaves, and a mix of fresh vegetables like carrots, french beans, and green peas. The ingredients are cooked together with spices and simmered with water to a soft, porridge-like consistency. This recipe balances crunchy oats with tender vegetables and aromatic seasoning, making it a nutritious option for breakfast or light meals.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 3
Calories: 264 kcal
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For roasting oats
  • 1 cup oats 100 grams, quick cooking
  • ½ teaspoon neutral cooking oil any neutral oil, generic cooking oil
Other ingredients
  • ¼ cup onion tightly packed, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup carrot finely chopped
  • ¼ cup french beans finely chopped
  • ¼ cup green peas - fresh or frozen
  • 7 to 8 curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)
  • 1 teaspoon urad dal (optional)
  • 8 to 10 cashews or roasted peanuts
  • ½ teaspoon ginger - finely chopped
  • 1 or 2 green chilies - chopped
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves cilantro, chopped
  • 1.25 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil any neutral oil or coconut oil, generic cooking oil
  • salt as required

Instructions

Roasting oats
    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat oil in a pan. Add 1 cup quick cooking oats.
  2. Stir and roast on a low heat until the oats become crisp. 
  3. Keep stirring continuously so that the oats do not get browned from the bottom. No need to brown the oats. You really just want a bit of crispness.
  4. Remove oats in a plate or tray and set aside.
Sautéing onions and veggies
  1. In the same pan, heat the oil. Add mustard seeds. Stir and fry until the mustard seeds crackle.
  2. Then add cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal (optional) and cashews.
  3. Stir and fry until the chana dal gets browned.
  4. Add tightly packed finely chopped onions. Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent.
  5. Next add finely chopped ginger, chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Stir and sauté for half a minute.
Making oats upma
  1. Then add finely chopped carrots, finely chopped french beans and green peas, fresh or frozen. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes.
  2. Add water. Cover the pan with its lid.
  3. On a medium heat simmer and cook this mixture until the veggies are almost done. About 8 to 9 minutes.
  4. Then add the roasted oats. Stir lightly. Add salt as required. Stir very well.
  5. Then cover the pan again with its lid and on a low heat, steam for 7 to 8 minutes.
  6. Once done, then add chopped coriander leaves.
  7. Stir and serve oats upma drizzled with some lemon or lime juice.
Serving suggestions
  1. Oats upma is best served hot or warm. Drizzle it with a bit of lemon juice and enjoy with your morning cup of tea. You can also serve it with a side of coconut chutney.
  2. You can also have oats upma as a brunch or an evening snack.
Storage
  1. Oats upma is best had hot or warm. If you have any leftovers, store in an airtight container or jar, in the refrigerator for a day only. Reheat in a microwave oven or steam in a pan or in the Instant pot for a few minutes.

Nutrition Information

Calories 264kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 30g (10%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Sodium 554mg (23%) Potassium 246mg (5%) Fiber 7g (28%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 2044IU (41%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 28mg Vitamin B6 1mg Vitamin C 60mg (67%) Vitamin E 5mg Vitamin K 9µg Calcium 53mg (5%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 301µg Iron 3mg (17%) Magnesium 100mg (25%) Phosphorus 182mg Zinc 1mg

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 264

% Daily Value*

Calories 264kcal 13%
Carbohydrates 30g 10%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Sodium 554mg 23%
Potassium 246mg 5%
Fiber 7g 28%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 2044IU 41%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 28mg
Vitamin B6 1mg
Vitamin C 60mg 67%
Vitamin E 5mg
Vitamin K 9µg
Calcium 53mg 5%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 301µg
Iron 3mg 17%
Magnesium 100mg 25%
Phosphorus 182mg
Zinc 1mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.