Oatmeal: a breakfast staple and also an easy snack to prepare at any time. With different brands, it can be hard to chose which one is best. So I, Brianna Graham, took it upon myself to discover which brand has the superior oatmeal.

For the sake of my own body and wallet, I chose three brands from Walmart: a premium, mid-range, and value brand to even the field. The brands I will be discussing are Kodiak, Quaker, and Great Value. To keep consistency, I chose to use maple syrup and brown sugar as the flavor.

Before even opening one box, it is important to compare the prices and weight between the three.

	Kodiak	Quaker	Great Value
Store price	$5.28	$2.87	$1.82
Price per packet	49 cents	23 cents	12 cents
Packets per box	6	8	10
Grams per packet	50g	43g	43g

Great Value

Now, to the oatmeal itself. I began this journey by starting with Great Value. The first thing to mention is the packaging. It is basic and unflattering. Do not be fooled by the image on the box, that is not how it looks in reality.

The packaging also says it is heart healthy, with no artificial flavors or preservatives, and is made with whole grain oats.

Opening the box did not boost my opinion of this brand. A strange, yet familiar, scent came from the inside of the box. No, it was not oatmeal or a sweet aroma like maple or sugar. I still can not pinpoint the scent, but it wasn’t pleasant- keep this in mind for later.

Taking a side note here, to keep consistency between the three brands, I chose to use milk and microwaved all three. I also used the medium cooking time as per the instructions:

• Great Value: 1 minute and 30 seconds
• Quaker: 1 minute and 30 seconds
• Kodiak: 37 seconds

➤ Flavor and strength

The flavor was not strong. At times I questioned if I was eating maple syrup and sugar or just slightly sweeter oats.

➤ Texture

The oatmeal was very thick and sticky. It almost looked scary coming out of the microwave. The thickness made it more of an effort to eat.

➤ Time to settle and cool

I let it sit for around one minute after it was done cooking in the microwave. It thickened up almost immediately and there was not a lot of excess juice in the bowl. After the minute of cooling, I could eat it without without burning my taste buds off.

As I finished my last bite, an aftertaste subtly lingered on my taste buds. It was that strange scent again, yet this time in taste. Much like the first time encountering it, I still can not describe it.

Great Value disappointed me. It was middle of the road. Nothing about it stuck out to me in a majorly positive or negative way.

Quaker

While Quaker’s packaging is not wowing, there is something about it that sets it apart from the others. Quaker’s box is designed with the pantry in mind. The back and top of the box has a special way to open it, allowing ease of access.

Much like Great Value, Quaker also says it is heart healthy, has no flavors or preservatives, and is made with whole grain oats.

While cooking Quaker’s oatmeal, it should be advised to keep a keen eye on the bowl, as the milk has a habit of boiling over and creating a mess in the microwave. This is not an issue I had with Great Value or Kodiak.

➤ Flavor and strength

Quaker’s oatmeal had a great balance of sweetness while not becoming overly sweet.

➤ Texture

While it did thicken up, it did not become overly thick. It also was not slimy.

➤ Time to settle and cool

This oatmeal took a while to settle and cool. After cooking, it had a lot of standing liquid left. It took around three minutes for it to start to thicken and cool. Even after setting for over six minutes, it was still a bit hot.

Quaker met my expectations of quality. The oatmeal was just as I like it, but the cooling time after cooking is a bit lengthy.

Kodiak

Kodiak is the last oatmeal I tried. If there is one thing I learned from this, it is that no one should consecutively slam oatmeal down their throat. So, be aware that I took a few hours to rest my weary stomach before finishing this review.

Kodiak’s packaging is unique when compared to the others. Not only does the design go for an outdoors theme, even the texture of the box is different. Instead of a smooth, shiny surface like the others, Kodiak’s packaging feels more like cardboard.

One negative side of Kodiak’s packaging is the absence of a measuring line in the packet.

Kodiak’s oatmeal is also different in an entirely different aspect. It focuses on a richer protein content. With 12g of protein per serving, it outshines the others by 8g.

➤ Flavor and strength

Kodiak had a strong, sweet aroma right out of the gate. I would argue that it smelt too sweet. After cooking and giving it a taste, it did not carry that sweet smell into the actual flavor.

This oatmeal also has tiny bits of dried maple. These did not make a difference in taste.

➤ Texture

This oatmeal was very wet, even after cooking and over six minutes of settling. Other than that, the overall texture of the oats was fine.

➤ Time to settle and cool

Perhaps due to the low cooking time, this oatmeal was almost ready to eat right out of the microwave. I gave it around six minutes to settle, and it was still wet.

While the packaging design is admirable, the taste of this oatmeal is a let down, especially when taking into consideration the price. Yes, it has more protein, but it tastes middle of the road.

Conclusion

After putting all three against each other, Quaker takes the victory. Quaker’s taste, texture, and price all reasonably work together to make a quality bowl of oatmeal.

Other reviews

Here are some reviews of all brands directly quoted from their respective websites.

Great Value:

“In my humble opinion, these packets of instant oats taste better than Quaker instant oats. AND they cost 1/2 as much as the Quaker brand. Great Deal – hence -Great Value!” Barbara said.

“worst oatmeal ever. even if you use the hottest water it doesn’t do anything for all of the oats. most are cooked through but those that aren’t are firm and chewy. like old oats,” Sharon said.

Quaker:

“These are the YUMMIEST! AND super healthy too!!! They are perfect for a healthy snack, a nice bedtime snack, breakfast, or anything in between,” neet said.

“I eat the protein Maple and Brown Sugar every day and have loved it until recently. They had to have changed their formula and it is NOT good at all. In fact I can’t eat it anymore,” Disappointed Diner said.

Kodiak:

“I was pleasantly surprised!! Love it!! Made with whole milk, added blueberries and an ounce of pecans…well I’m in love. Nice and warm, super filling,” mamaluvtiger said.

“It tastes like barely cooked whole oats mixed with protein powder. Not at all pleasant to eat,” Suebo1959! said.