Home - Breakfast - Oatmeal with Italian Cherries and Almonds

Oatmeal with Italian Cherries and Almonds

5 from 3 community reviews

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Elevate your creamy morning oatmeal with tart-sweet preserved Italian amarena cherries and a juicy mix of fresh berries, nuts and seeds.

Quickest morning oats, topped with superfood Italian amarena cherries 

Amarena cherries are a type tart cherry grown in northern Italy. They’re packed in flavorful cherry syrup, and let me tell you they are the bombe! They have a tart sweetness and an intense almond-candy smell and taste.

An incredible bowl of creamy oats, topped with sweet, luscious amarena cherries and other healthy add-ons

While the word “amarena”  makes me think of almond-flavored amaretto, it actually derives from the word amara which means “bitter” in Italian.

These darkly colored cherries aren’t bitter at all โ€” they taste amazing over warm, creamy oats (not to mention other treats like ice cream and creative cocktails).

These sweet cherries might be a slightly indulgent garnish for oatmeal,ย  but a little goes a long way. Make this morning bowl even more interesting by topping your bowl with fresh berries, sesame seeds and plain yogurt.

Quickest morning oats, topped with superfood Italian amarena cherries

Oatmeal with Italian Cherries and Almonds

Karen Tedesco
Creamy oatmeal topped with intensely flavorful amarena cherries from Italy. A healthy breakfast to celebrate the day!
Print
5 from 3 community reviews
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine healthy
Servings 1 – 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats, quick or regular
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk of choice, cow, almond, etc.
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup amarena cherries in syrup
  • Toasted sliced almonds

Topping options:

  • Sesame seeds
  • Ground flax seed
  • Cacao nibs
  • Chopped dark chocolate
  • Plain yogurt
  • Fresh berries

Instructions 

  • Mix the oats, salt and 1 cup milk in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high heat for 1 – 1/2 minutes or until the milk is absorbed and the oats are thickened to your liking.ย 
  • Stir the additional milk into the oats until creamy.
  • Top the oats with the cherries, almonds and optional toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g Calories: 1572kcal Carbohydrates: 182g Protein: 46g Fat: 82g Sodium: 339mg Fiber: 32g Sugar: 90g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

Recipe developer Karen Tedesco of the popular website Familystyle Food in her kitchen making a kale salad.

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.

5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment and star rating

Do you have a cooking question? Leave your comment below and let me know how I can help.

Did you love this recipe? Just click on the stars to leave a rating!

Recipe rating




Share your photo!Inspire others by uploading an image of your creation along with your review. The maximum upload file size: 512 MB. You can upload: image. Drop files here

You may want to read my commenting policy before joining the conversation.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

10 Comments

  1. Fresh red, sour cherries, lots of sugar, vinegar, lemon juice or balsamic, vanilla. Be sure to leave in some pits for the special flavor. Marinate for at least a month.

  2. What a sensational combination of flavors. Looks great!

  3. This is great…cherries and almonds. A perfect marriage! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  4. I have got to find those cherries, they sound amazing. Would love ’em in my oatmeal.

  5. Hi, Karen,

    The pits of stone fruits contain kernels that have a strong almond essence (also traces of cyanide), which probably explains the almond essence you’re picking up. The kernels of apricots are actually used in the making of Italian amaretti cookies (i.e., Amaretti di Saronno). I love amarena cherries, too – I like to use them in my flourless choco cake!

    1. Marla – you can find them at an Italian grocery if you have one near you. Let me know how you like them.

      HI Julie; So interesting! I love how science has delicious surprises. I’d heard that about the cyanide in apricot pits, but never noticed the flavor when I ate stone fruits before. Maybe I need to go eat some in Italy.

  6. Ohhh i’m so tempted to buy those $13 dollar cherries! How could you do this to me. ๐Ÿ˜‰ That’s not tooo much money…

    This oatmeal looks good. I love mine with almond milk too.

    1. Lol – Emily, I know, at $13 they are a bit pricey. It’s too bad that being picky about ingredients can be costly! But i’s the kind of splurge I rate with buying good chocolate, olive oil, etc.