Ranking 16 classic oatmeal flavors from Quaker Oats

According to the Quaker Oats website there are 16 classic flavors (minus the 2 variety packs offered), and we decided to do what we do best here at Guilty Eats, and that’s to put forth an opinion on which are the tastiest flavors, from worst of the best to best of the best.

Oatmeal is probably one of the best ways to start the day, in my opinion—just after cereal that is—but really what’s not to love: The warmth, the sustaining element of a hearty bowl of oatmeal; or what about the overall flavor?

Gone are the days of simple oatmeal with a wee bit of honey on top. Quaker Oats has been offering up flavored instant oatmeal for years, and if you’re trying to keep that old cholesterol down, oats are the greatest way to do that.

Did you know? According to mayoclinic.org, oatmeal is a type of food that contains soluble fiber, which is primo for lowering amounts of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is considered the bad type of cholesterol that can cause serious issues. Apples, pears and kidney beans also contain this miracle ingredient. Why miracle, you ask? Soluble fiber is key in ridding the blood of cholesterol absorption.

Quaker Oats was established in 1877. Now that’s a whopping 144 years ago. We’d say that they most certainly know what they’re doing after all that time, wouldn’t you. But like anything else, the proof is in the pudding…or in this case, the porridge.

Well, perhaps it’s enough about the health benefits, as this website is called Guilty Eats, and at the end of the day, it tastes good, no matter how healthy it is, and these flavors prove that to a T. Though who says food that tastes great has to be unhealthy? Certainly not the good people at Quaker Oats, that’s for sure, and with a plethora of flavors, they’re sure delivering on the tasty front for sure.

So without wasting another nanosecond, how about we get to ranking the 16 classic flavors of Quaker Oats?

16. Original Flavor

The word bland comes to mind and it brings me back to my weightlifting days…tons of sugarless oatmeal and egg whites. I’ll pass, thank you very much.

15. Cocoa and Sea Salt

I’ve never been a fan of the chocolate and sea salt combination. I know it does well with some people but I’d rather leave the wonders of the sea far away from the wonder that is chocolate, thank you very much…especially in my morning oatmeal.

14. Raisin, Date and Walnut

Okay…we’re getting close to perfection with the raisin, here, as you will see later in this piece, oatmeal and raisins go together like milk and cookies, but why did they have to ruin it with the walnuts?

13. Apples and Cranberries

I love the apple bits found in instant oatmeal by Quaker Oats, but cranberries in my opinion are good in juice form and juice form alone—particularly by Ocean Spray. They lend too much of a bitter hint to this flavor that I could most certainly have done without.

12. Cinnamon and Spice

Okay, we’re getting even closer to perfection, but not quite there yet. The cinnamon is a tad overpowering here without another element that the spice could have been paired up with.

11. S’mores Flavor

Sitting by the campfire, strumming an old Nirvana tune, some wondrous treat containing the graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow warming off atop the flame…I’m most certainly there. But to put this flavor in my oatmeal, I’ll pass.

10. Strawberry/Banana

For some reason, I love this combination in a muffin and in juice of course, but in my oatmeal, it just seems wrong.

9. Blueberry/Strawberry

Okay…we’re pretty much there now, as any one of these following flavors are fine by me, and all that needs to be seen is which flavor takes that top spot.

8. Strawberries and Cream

The first time I saw the packet of flavors containing cream, I wasn’t sure, figuring that this flavor should be saved for the likes of Campino candies, but was pleasantly surprised when I warmed some of this in my microwave.

7. Blueberries and Cream

Same as above (#7).

6. Peaches and Cream

The first of the flavors I ever tasted with the cream ingredient and like I said, I enjoyed my first foray into the fruits and cream Quaker Oats flavors.

5. Coconut and Caramel

I think coconut goes with anything quite perfectly; heck, even shrimp, so I won’t complain about this one and caramel is like bacon…it goes with everything.

4. Banana and Maple

This one works for sure. It gives that hint of banana bread, and maple syrup just screams breakfast with a capital B.

3. Maple/Brown Sugar

Like I said, maple syrup belongs in many a breakfast food…even baked beans, and who amongst us doesn’t slide their bacon and eggs through the syrup when eating pancakes, bacon and eggs? Come on…be honest.

2. Apples and Cinnamon

They can put all the cinnamon they want in this one and I won’t complain. As long as they keep putting those chunks of apple in there that remind me of the sweetest of apple pies, I’m there.

1. Raisin and Spice

You might as well just have an oatmeal cookie, right? Sure, but at the end of the day, in oatmeal form, eating it warm with a spoon, looking out your window, getting prepared to brave the long hard day…perhaps there’s no greater breakfast.

How do you feel about these 16 oatmeal flavors, dear readers. Perhaps you’ve got some recipes you’d like to share.