We taste-tested 13 brands of instant oatmeal you’re likely to find at your local supermarket or online. To find the very best ones, we cooked each oatmeal according to package directions, then sampled each without knowing which was which. Our winner is Bob’s Red Mill Organic Classic Oatmeal Cup, but we also crowned a runner-up.

When you’re busy, the 10 minutes needed to cook rolled oats and the two or three minutes for instant oats can mean the difference between running late and getting there just on time. Instant oats make for a filling breakfast in minutes, but that kind of convenience can come at a cost: Because they’re thinner than rolled oats and often pre-steamed for quicker cooking, they can be gummy and bland.

To find the best instant oatmeal for your busy mornings, we taste-tested 13 widely available brands. We cooked them according to the package directions and sampled them plain and in random order, without knowing which brand was which. We then tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner and one runner-up.

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

The Criteria

The best oatmeal has a warm, nutty flavor with just enough seasoning to enhance the oats. They shouldn’t taste stale or bland. While cooking, the oats should release just enough starch to thicken the mixture—too much starch, and the oatmeal becomes stodgy. Oats should also retain a slightly chewy texture. It’s a balance. Oats should not be dry and stiff, nor wet and soupy. Your spoon should glide into them effortlessly.

A good bowl of instant oatmeal should be hearty and creamy, and shouldn’t begin to coagulate into a solid mass as soon as it begin to cool. In judging the oatmeals, we also paid attention to the ingredients beyond the oats: If additional seeds or other grains were added, did they add a satisfying crunch and pop, or did their flavors overpower that of the oats?

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Overall Winner

Bob’s Red Mill Organic Classic Oatmeal Cup

This instant oatmeal, which comes in pre-portioned cups, stood out from the pack. Compared to other oats, which dissolved far too easily and became gluey, the oats here retained their shape well. Everyone enjoyed the oatmeal’s satisfying chew, which was supported by the addition of chia and flax seeds. Our associate editorial director, Megan, appreciated the oatmeal’s hearty mouthfeel. “It’s quite thick and creamy, with a pleasant chewiness," she said. Laila, our associate culinary editor, agreed. "I liked the varying textures," she noted, and also praised the savoriness and touch of salt. "It works really well as a hearty porridge." However, this oatmeal was a little dry for Genevieve, our senior editor, who said it could use a splash of milk or cream. But overall, we all still enjoyed this oatmeal’s texture and oat-forward flavor.

Runner-Up

365 by Whole Foods Organic Instant Oatmeal (Original)

Our runner-up, 365 by Whole Foods Organic Instant Oatmeal (Original) comes in a classic pre-portioned packet. If you want a blank canvas without the seeds found in our winner, this is the best bet. It’s dense, chewy, and unapologetically oaty. Megan called it “plain, but inoffensive,” while Laila and I appreciated its flavor. I noted that it tasted nutty and like real oats. Laila agreed. “There’s a gentle warmth to it,” she said.

The Contenders

• Better Oats Steel Cut Instant Oatmeal
• Bob’s Red Mill Organic Classic Oatmeal Cup
• Bowl & Basket
• Iberia Instant Oats
• Nature’s Promise Instant Oatmeal
• McCann’s Instant Irish Oatmeal
• Purely Elizabeth Original Superfood Oatmeal Pouch
• Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal
• Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Oatmeal
• Wegmans Instant Oatmeal Organic
• Wegmans Instant Oatmeal Original
• Woodstock Organic Instant Oatmeal
• 365 by Whole Foods Organic Instant Oatmeal, Original

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Three factors made our winner, Bob’s Red Mill, stand out: the sturdiness of the oats, the addition of salt, and the addition of chia and flax seeds.

Instant oats are often pre-steamed and rolled thinner than rolled oats, and some brands cut the oats into smaller pieces to further expedite the cooking process. Depending on how finely the oats are processed and how much water the recipe calls for, the final texture can range from a thick, gummy soup to a dense brick of hard oats. Our editors loved that our winner had a pleasant chew—indicating that it was likely processed less finely than some of the other oats. While our winner could have used a bit more liquid to keep it from drying out, it’s nothing an extra splash of milk or cream can’t fix.

Our winner has a longer ingredients list than most. While many brands only contain one ingredient—oats—Bob’s Red Mill’s instant oats consist of whole grain oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, and salt.

A lot of the oats we tasted were extremely bland. Editors used words like “papery” and “cardboard” to describe them. However, our winner had a distinct grain-forward flavor and a warm nuttiness that others did not, which was enhanced by the addition of salt. The chia and flax seeds provide extra pop and crunch, making for a satisfying bite.

It’s worth noting what our winner and runner-up don’t contain: additives such as stearic acid and guar gum, which are used to thicken and stabilize various foods. We suspect these additions contributed to the gumminess we detected in several other brands.

If you prefer more of a blank canvas than Bob’s Red Mill provides, the Whole Foods instant oats are a good bet for an oatmeal you can zhuzh up with your own toppings, such as nuts, maple syrup, and a splash of milk.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.