This is a common trick among food bloggers and very simple to do, not to mention delicious!  Use a half of a banana and puree it in a mini food processor or food chopper to get it to the consistency of whipped cream. Add this to your oats while they’re cooking, or stir in immediately after for a thicker dish. You can use frozen bananas if you’re making overnight oats, but it might take one or two minutes longer in your food processor. Either way, this is a delicious option that beats chopped bananas in oatmeal any day.

Applesauce is another easy stand-in for milk to make your oats creamier because it’s smooth, sweet, and silky all on its own. Use unsweetened for the healthiest option and a natural sweetener like stevia to prevent too much sugar in your morning meal. Applesauce adds an especially warming flavor that is impeccable in oatmeal. Trust me and try it – you’ll love it!

So long as your oats are hot, melted coconut butter will make them even creamier. Use one tablespoon and stir it into your oats while they’re piping hot. The coconut butter will instantly melt and turn your morning bowl of oats into a luscious dessert for breakfast. If you’re using overnight oats this won’t work since coconut butter turns hard at colder temperatures. You could use coconut oil if you don’t have coconut butter, but you won’t get all the nice fiber or full coconut flavor that coconut butter contains.

If you regularly purchase canned coconut milk for curries and soups, leave one can in the fridge overnight flipped upside down. In the morning, scoop out the cream off the top and use that instead of the can of milk. The leftover water in the can can be used for smoothies or to make coconut water ice cubes for iced beverages.

This is my personal favorite way to make oatmeal creamier, thicker, and taste just like vanilla cake batter. I kid you not, coconut flour can be your secret weapon in the kitchen if you know how to use it creatively. I stir two tablespoons of coconut flour into a bowl of hot oats, which helps it dissolve better than using it in overnight oats. Coconut flour gets incredibly thick very quick and turns your oats super creamy as a result. You can add any sweeteners you want at the end if you like. I’m partial to stevia and cinnamon to keep things simple.

Many people add egg whites to their oatmeal to make them creamy, but if you’re vegan, this obviously isn’t going to work. A nice stand in for egg whites is silken tofu. Not only is it very silky but it’s also tasteless so you won’t feel like you’re eating tofu for breakfast. The best way to add it to your oats is to whip about 1/4 cup in after you cook your oatmeal. It’s best to use a hand whisk or a stick blender if possible.

If you have some soy creamer or coconut creamer that you usually use for your morning coffee, there’s your answer to creamy oats in an instant! Add a little vegan creamer to your oats to make them creamy in just seconds. How much easier could it be, right?

Coconut, almond, or soy yogurt all make great, easy add-ins to morning oats without the need for milk at all. The possibilities are endless when it comes to flavors, and most all of them come in no-sugar-added varieties if you’re watching your sugar intake. Try different types of vegan yogurt to see which one you like the best in your morning oatmeal.

Even if you want to cook your oatmeal in the morning, soaking them overnight will actually make them creamier and help them cook quicker. As they soak overnight, the starches break down , which not only helps them cook quicker but may also help them digest better. All you need to do is soak them covered in water in a mason jar in the fridge overnight with a little lemon juice (to enhance the effect) and rinse in the morning before using.

Cashews are actually a legume and not a nut. Therefore they lend a creamier texture that’s more silky and creamy than denser nut butters like almond butter do.  For this reason, cashew butter makes a fantastic option to cream up your oats nice and thick.  Use one to two tablespoons once your oats are cooked and ready to go. Cashews are also a great source of iron and Vitamin B6 so you can also feel good about adding a boost of nutrition to your morning oats.

Seeds of any kind, whether it be chia, ground flax, or hemp, will all add the most amazing creamy texture to your oatmeal. As soon as the seeds hit the oats, they start to thicken up your oatmeal and also make it creamier. The longer you stir, the more profound the effects will be. Taste-wise, chia is tasteless so you may want to add a splash of vanilla and stevia for sweetness, while ground flax and hemp seeds naturally add a luscious, slightly nutty taste to your oats. Just remember not to use whole flax seeds since they go completely undigested in your body and don’t taste that great either.