Red Berry Risotto Oatmeal
This red berry risotto oatmeal is absolutely divine. Arborio rice plumps perfectly, melds with oats, and is highlighted with sweet berries!
If you haven’t tried this recipe, I implore you to make it immediately.
Creamy arborio rice plumps to perfection and melds with hearty oats, all of which is highlighted with tart and sweet red berries. Seriously, this is absolutely divine.
AND, it happens to be gluten-free*, which is perfect since I’m posting gluten-free recipes all week!
*Rice itself is gluten-free, however there is debate about whether the coatings used to enrich rice are gluten-free. Uncle Ben’s Arborio Rice and S&W Italian Arborio rice are both confirmed as gluten-free. Also, according to my friend, Chris, steel-ground oats are best for a gluten-free diet. Just keep in mind that there are varying levels of gluten intolerance. Always check labels and use your own experience to be sure.
One Year Ago: Soft Wrap Bread
Two Years Ago: Chicken with Mushrooms and Zucchini
Red Berry Risotto Oatmeal
Ingredients
- ½ cup regular rolled oats or steel-ground oats, such as McCann’s Irish Oatmeal
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ½ cup heavy cream, half-and-half or milk (using lowfat milk will make it less creamy but still delicious)
- 6 cups water
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ripe raspberries
- 1 cup ripe strawberries, quartered OR 1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed and lightly drained
Instructions
- In a rice cooker (or large pot) add all the ingredients, except the fruit. Cook until done in a rice cooker. If using a pot, bring the mixture to a quick boil and then lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the raspberries and stir to combine. If using fresh fruit, stir in the strawberries and continue to stir until the berries have turned the risotto slightly pink, 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately. If you are planning on saving leftovers and heating up in the morning, only add berries to each individual serving the morning of and not to the whole batch.
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Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe
I have been making this for years. Last week at a 4-H meeting, students were working with a speech coach to prepare for a competition. One of the topics for practicing in front of a group was “My Favorite Foods.” This was on my daughter’s top five list of her all-time favorite foods! It’s so simple, creamy, and satisfying. I promised her I’d make it for breakfast this week. This recipe is one that stands the rest of time and is a refreshing change from oatmeal or other hot cereals.
I agree, Wendy – and your comment makes me realize I need to make this – it’s been a while!
Does anyone know how much liquid to use if making this in the instant pot?
I would love if you converted this to the InstantPot!!!
Yes, It’s on my to do list!
I am hoping to make it overnight in the instant pot ready for breakfast…
I made this using the rice setting on my instant pot, and it turned out very well except for having about double the liquid necessary thanks to the pressure cooking. I just strained out the extra liquid before adding the berries and will use it for making oatmeal again later. The only thing I changed was slightly reducing the sugar to 1/3 cup.
Thanks Mel – the kids loved it!
Thanks for the tip. I was just trying to figure out how much water to use in my pressure cooker!
Thanks for the tip! I just made it in my instant pot with the 1/2 c milk and 3 cups of water. It was just a tiny bit too liquidy, so I might go with 3 cups of liquid total next time. (Rice setting with and additional 10ish minutes of natural release seems to be a really good time as well)
I went back to 3 cups of water because the leftovers needed soooo much milk to get the reheated texture right. 3 cups still needs some milk, but it’s a better compromise. Mmmmm.
This was delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I cooked it on the stovetop and halved the recipe. I always cook my oats in milk, not water, so I used 1 cup of water and 2 cups of 2% milk, and I went with the heavy cream. 🙂 It’s wonderful both with and without the berries.
This looks awesome. I am trying it tomorrow for breakfast!!
Delicious breakfast option this morning for our family. We used dried blueberries in it, as it is all we had and it was wonderful. My kids ate it up and my husband thought it was great. Thanks!
Has anyone ever tried this in a crockpot? I’m taking breakfast somewhere in the morning and wondered if there was a way to do it overnight instead of in the midst of getting kids dressed and off to school… :o)
I have a sweet tooth and while it was good, it wasn’t quite sweet enough for me. I am trying to eat healthier, so I just added a bit of cinnamon after adding the berries and this is fantastic!!! Just thought I’d pass it along.
Could I freeze this minus berries and reheat and add the berries?
Judy – I have never tried to freeze it. I imagine it would work OK though. You will have to experiment and see how it works. Good luck!
Tried this for breakfast this morning with fresh berries, so good!!! Works well with quick oats and white/brown sugar mix as well. Looking forward to having more for breakfast tomorrow!
Thank You so much for this recipe. I have made it quite a few times now. I use regular steel cut oats, (not ground) and they turn out beautifully. The Risotto and Cream allow for a wonderful creamy texture. Yum!
Tried this recipe over the weekend using almond milk and it turned out beautiful and yummy. Steel cut oats are my everyday breakfast so the addition of rice gives me some variety. Great recipe Mel!
Laurel – I don’t know because I’ve always made it with arborio. You might try googling to see how much liquid is usually called for in arborio versus jasmine and then adjust the recipe accordingly.
I’m not familiar with arborio rice, and have jasmine on hand. How would jasmine rice work in this recipe?
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Thanks 🙂
So sad… my rice cooker was one of the boil over ones (and I even halved the recipe). Looked like maybe it got hot too quickly or something… slightly burnt on the bottom with still too much liquid on top when it clicked done. However, it still smelled and tasted delicious (the part I salvaged, that is)! Sad I can’t do the easy rice cooker method, but am sure to use the stove top soon because it really was delicious. Thanks for the many recipes. You are my go-to site when I need dinner ideas… and I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed. Tonight I’m trying your chili mac!
We had this today for breakfast and we loved it!! I made it in the rice cooker and it was perfect! Thanks for a great recipe that we will definately be having more often!!
This recipe is so yummy! We thought it tasted like rice pudding, mmmmm! I.did test it out using more oats to make it more like oatmeal. It worked great! And that’s coming from someone that has always despised oatmeal. I used 1.5 cups oats, 1/2 cup arborio rice, a little less sugar (maybe 1/3 cup?) and 5 cups of water, and reduced the cooking time by 5 minutes because I think I had quick oats rather than regular. It is still so creamy – amazing what a little cream and berries can do. This is the only way I will eat oatmeal! Thanks Mel!
I would love to try this, but have a question. I do not like the seeds in fresh raspberries. Do you think I could use seedless red raspberry jam/fruit spread instead?
Jen – this recipe is fairly adaptable, so yes, I think you could us a fruit spread, although you probably want to keep an eye on the sugar content so the whole dish doesn’t end up too sweet.
Oh, you know what, I didn’t think that through! Of course, the addition of the cream changes things a bit (my overnight method is just water/oats)….but I know some friends who once they turn off the heat and put on the cover, will put a hotpad in the refrig and let it sit there overnight, just as an exercise of good caution. Maybe that would be the solution?! I have to say, with 3 boys and a hubby on different morning scheds, the overnight method is a killer time saver 🙂
Melanie – I make steel cuts oats almost daily during the fall/winter, but I make them using the “overnight” stove-top method (pretty simple: boil the water, put in the oats, return to a boil, cover and immediately turn off the stove, let sit until morning, reheat gently when ready to eat)….Do you think this could be done the same way or would that not work given the addition of the rice??
Kristin – to be honest, my answer is a big, “I don’t know!” I’ve never tried the overnight method and my only hesitation in saying to try it is that I’m not sure it is considered “food-safe” for the cream ingredients (milk, etc.) to be left at room temperature for that long. I could be wrong, but that’s my gut feeling.
So I can’t stand oatmeal, but decided to try this for my little girl . She just turned one so I’m at that phase of getting off baby food, but still can’t eat much adult food. This fit the bill! I decided to try some and I am in LOVE! Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I would like it. I made it in the rice cooker and had the same thing happen as that other woman – it started spewing out of the vent holes in the top. So I transferred it to a pot and it cooked beautifully. I wonder why it does that for some people? Anyways, thanks for the great recipe!
This looks amazing and just what we needed for a Tasty Tuesday Gluten Free inspiration! Thank YOU! We love your blog!
Melanie,
I LOVE this recipe! I just blogged about my ‘version’ today with a few changes that I made. You know me…food storage fanatic, I used powdered milk instead of the cream or milk and you would not believe how creamy it is! I also used evaporated milk because I have lots of it also in my food storage. I am a new raving fan of arborio rice–delicious! Thanks for the great recipe and tip on adding steel cut oats–love the added nutrients! You’re the best!
I made oatmeal this morning. I’ll have to try adding the rice. Good suggestion. I am trying to use food storage, so I added some powdered milk to my cooking water. I also added dehydrated blueberries about halfway through cooking. I didn’t see my cinnamon right off which I usually add, so I added some Pumpkin Pie Spice. This is some of the creamiest oatmeal I’ve made. I think the powdered milk really helped.
I made this last weekend and only added berries to individual servings so I could save the leftovers. The next morning instead of adding berries to my bowl of delicious creaminess I added cinnamon. Oh my! It is perhaps the best breakfasty think I’ve ever put in my mouth. I’m going to make another batch right now.
Mel, I made this this morning and we loved it! Though my husband is more of a ‘purist’ and prefers it without the berries. I had blueberries on hand, so that’s what we used. Yummy! Almost like a good-for-you rice pudding, isn’t it?!? Thanks once again, for sharing another great recipe!!
Renee – glad you loved this one. I’ve never tried it with blueberries but bet it would be delicious!
love love love your site! thanks for wonderful recipes galore!!! do you know how pearl barley would sub in for the rice in this recipe? Even in the rice cooker? It sounds so easy and wonderful, but I just don’t have the special rice.
Nicole – since I have never used pearl barley (sad, I know!) I have no idea how it would substitute. Let me know if you try it!
I made this a few nights ago and have been eating it every morning since. It is so delicious! I used whole milk and it was still super creamy. I was surprised how long I stayed full afterwards too. Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi Katie – anyone who likes this oatmeal is an instant friend of mine. I’m thrilled you liked it!
I’ve never heard of this! Can’t wait to try!!
Hi Mel,
I am making this in my rice cooker right now (a large Aroma one from Costco) and the liquid is all boiling up through the vent hole on the top. Is this normal? I set it on the white rice cycle. Any ideas what might be happening?
Thanks
Katie – I’m not sure why that would be happening – especially if you have a large rice cooker. I’ve made it both in the rice cooker and on the stovetop and while I do remember it bubbling a bit more in the rice cooker, it never overflowed. I’m sorry! I hope it still works out for you.
Try rinsing the steel cut oats. They sometimes need to be rinsed to help avoid excess bubbling. (I realize this was written 4 years ago).
=-)
This just happened to me, too! I have a large rice cooker as well and I left it for a bit while I went upstairs and came down to milky residue pouring out… Did you ever figure out what happened?
This still looks delicious. Perhaps I should just stick to the stovetop on this…
I am curious if you think this would work with almond or soy milk instead of cows’. I’ve recently put my kids (autism spectrum) on a gluten and casein free diet and so the dish looks perfect for breakfast except for the milk/cream. I may just go ahead and try it but I’m wondering if you have thoughts on which might be better?
Michal – to be honest, I haven’t cooked at all with almond or soy milk so I don’t know how it would work in this recipe. With no expertise at all, I’d probably go with the soy milk first to try it, but for all I know, both would work great. Let me know if you try it!
I totally dreamt about this last night after drooling over the post! Just printed it out to make! Gotta make my dream come true…. =)
This is one of my favorite breakfasts! Especially on a cold winter morning! I was wondering what might happen if you used a cup of oats and only a 1/2 cup of aborio rice??? I was thinking I would try it in an effort to be even more healthy, but are oats healthier than rice?? I don’t know. Just curious. I made this in my rice cooker and it was perfect!!!
Leisel – well the change is worth trying, I think! The only thing is you may have to cut down on the liquid a bit since the oats won’t absorb as much liquid as the rice.
hello,
curious. did you use the steal cut oats or the reg. ones. Also, did you use the heavy cream or the half and half. Yours looks sooooo creamy , so I want to duplicate it exactly.
Hi Margo – I almost always use the regular oats. If you really want the ultimate in creamy results, use the heavy cream. If you want to cut down on fat a little, use the half-and-half. In the picture for this particular post, I used heavy cream.
Hey Mel! This is like healthy prettiness in a bowl! Yum… I would eat it:)
what a looker! if i had this for breakfast, i suspect everything else i ate that day would pale in comparison… 🙂
What a great way to mix up breakfast! I am going to have to try this one!! Thanks!!
What an interesting combination! I have to try this!
This sounds FABULOUS!!!! I must try this. Thanks for re-sharing–I missed it the first time.
Any chance this would work with a short brown rice? I’m not a fan of rice in general but I have learned to appreciate the nuttiness of brown. Love oatmeal and fruit- this sounds delicious!
Marnie – to be honest, I am not sure! It’s worth trying but you may need to adjust liquid (depending on how short brown rice absorbs liquid) and cooking time. Let me know if you try it.
cannot wait to try this!
I am excited to try this recipe! I am a little confused about the raspberries and strawberries though…Do you use 1 cup of fresh raspberries AND either fresh strawberries or frozen raspberries or is it 1 cup fresh raspberries OR strawberries OR frozen raspberries? Thanks for all the delicious recipes you post!!!
Krystal – the berries are very adaptable but this is how I do it: if I have fresh berries, I use fresh raspberries and fresh strawberries. If the berries are out of season and I am only using frozen, I use the bag of frozen raspberries – they taste a little better in this than the frozen strawberries. Hope that helps!
This looks great..I have 3 girls that eat instant oatmeal daily for breakfast..my huge stockpile is about out and I’m looking for more homemade stuff to serve them in the morning. Will add this to my list.
This looks so summery & refreshing!!
It made me smile to see that you posted this today. I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a long, long time but I just keep forgetting to get steel cut oats. Just yesterday I finally got all of the stuff to make it and I was getting on here to print out the recipe and you had reposted it! 🙂 I’ll let you know how it turns out for me!
Oooh a sweet oatmeal?! Yum! Can’t wait to try this on a lazy weekend!
What a wonderful combination…risotto and oatmeal! I can’t bring myself to eat hot breakfasts right now (we have had the hottest summer on record here in Maryland), but I will bookmark this for the (hopefully) upcoming cool, Fall mornings! Bring on the cool weather! 🙂
This sounds fabulous! I would love it make it and switch it up from the regular oats.