Starbucks' Oatmeal vs. McDonald's Oatmeal - Which one should you choose?

For a person who lives on a McD's budget and not a Starbuck's budget, I have to go with McD's. :/

K Goodson

Well thank you, Snack Girl. This was very helpful. I didn't realize you could ask for the sugar free version at McD's. Seeing that one is cheaper- and everything else is nearly the same- I will have to make the switch!

Mandi

I definitely prefer McDonald's oatmeal to Starbucks and I think it has everything to do with the fresh apple chunks (and probably the delightful maple flavor), but I also find it much creamier (Starbucks tends to be dry and clumpy). I do wish they would add nuts, but I pretty much always have walnuts or almonds handy so I just throw them in. The difference in calories between the regular and sugar free is only 30 calories. I'll walk a few extra steps and just go with the original!

I don't buy either often because I prefer to prepare my oatmeal at home, but it's nice in a pinch. And McD's offers oatmeal all day so if you need a snack, that's a better alternative to a lot of other on-the-go options.

Nicole

Are they the same size? That might account for some of the calorie difference as well.

Angela

Snack Girl, I LOVE your blog! This is sooo helpful! My husband and me have a tradition of having McD's breakfast every Tuesday morning and I always get (in attempt to be healthy) the fruit and yogurt parfait and the egg mcmuffin no meat and I remove the top of the english muffin to cut carbs) Since i eat this weekly should I feel guilty or is this acceptable for someone watching what they eat?

Sarah Kaye

Try this - make oatmeal at home with flaxseed (gives it a nutty flavor) fresh fruit (blueberries or bananas work well) and raw slivered almonds. It is delicious and very healthy!

Kim

Well, for the mere fact of cost...I would go for the McD's version, although if I was at Starbuck's grabbing a latte and needed breakfast, I would buy the Starbuck's oatmeal. I've eaten the Starbuck's version and thought it was a pretty good option for a fast food breakfast.

Nancy~ The Wife of a Dairyman

I have to repeat - try the Jamba Juice oatmeal. It isn't instant. It is organic and the ingredients are oats and soymilk (you can get fruit toppings). If you get a smoothie, the oatmeal is 1 dollar.

Lyn

I just tried the McDonald's version this morning and really enjoyed it. I liked the fresh apple chunks! My main concern was the sugar content, though it was not as sweet as home instant Quaker and had a nice, mild maple flavor. The Starbucks version does have fruit, nuts and brown sugar, but it only comes with two of the three toppings. I went for fruit and nuts. Yes, it was blander, but it was good. I was skeptic about Starbuck's outmeal when I watched the girl tear open the little bag (like instant Quaker Oats), pour it in the cup and add boiling water without measuring. For $3, I expected a vat of oatmeal that they'd spoon out. So much for that... For taste, I prefered McDonald's and am thrilled to have a healthier option for breakfast without leaving my car or spending $5 on a cappuccino. Yeah, I'm just lazy like that...

Dena

I echo @Lyn Jamba Juice has steel cut rolled slow cooked oats. The calories range from 220-340.

Daquel

I do not like instant oatmeal that you buy on the grocery shelf, however I worked at Starbucks and felt that I could not recommend it without tasting it myself. For instant oatmeal Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal is quite good. I do agree that it lacks the oat taste of cooked oatmeal. Because I have the "time" and I prefer cooked oatmeal I have not tried McDonalds.

Kathy

I haven't tried the McDonald's oatmeal, but I didn't care for the Starbucks. It seemed to mushy to me, almost like instant oatmeal. Honestly, I prefer old-fashioned oatmeal made at home.

Grams

You sure you don't want to compare the Jamba Juice Oatmeal next? ;)

Jason

I will preface this by saying I have not tried McDonald's oatmeal because I only go to McDonald's in emergencies (read, on the road and need something to drink or a bathroom!) It smells too much like their food. I may buy a few hamburgers a year--but I'll get those at In n Out, not where they're kind of artificial. (I'm not big on meat or its smell--I eat "white" meat once or twice a week and red meat 4-6 times a year.)

That said, I think of oatmeal as part of breakfast, and that includes coffee or tea--usually coffee out, either at home... and McDonald's coffee is absolute swill. They may have tried to upscale their coffee but it still tastes like used dishwater to me. You can actually get good coffee at Starbucks (and I don't mean Pikes Place--I dislike that too, only like their bold coffees and Americano's really.) On the other hand, Starbucks VIA instant is really good so if I had to on a road trip, I suppose I could carry that with me and go to McDonald's for oatmeal and hot water...

I do like the nuts in Starbucks oatmeal. I don't like real sugar so it's good to know you can omit that at McDonald's.

By the way, if you want instant oatmeal at the office, erewhon makes wonderful maple oatmeal--it's not made with sugar and flavoring, they actually dehydrate maple syrup--what a concept.

Sue

Here in Vermont McDonald's has to serve real maple syrup with their oatmeal rather than the "natural maple flavor" (which is not from a maple tree at all but some shrub related to maples.)

Anyway, I'll go with Micky D's if I don't make oatmeal at home since I like real maple syrup a lot.

Vladdie

At first glance McDonalds seems more processed with sugar and starch added to the pats. It's also higher in sodium and sugar. My vote for starbucks (or homemade).

Lauren Slayton

Love the PB & apple oatmeal recipe idea--thanks!

And McDonald's has been trying, haven't they? Considering many would want to buy a coffee along with their oatmeal, the price point of the McDonald's oatmeal breakfast is a nice alternative to Starbucks prices.

But oh, the wasteful packaging of both...

Here are some more ideas for a quick, nutritious (& cheap!) oatmeal breakfast, for home & on-the-go: http://goo.gl/7be9c

FreshStartRD

Thanks for the info. Snack Girl! I also appreciate hearing that McDonald's has oatmeal available all day-I'm often out and running around at lunchtime, and it's another healthier option. I have only had the oatmeal at Starbucks once, but thought it was decent, for fast food. I was told I could have any/all of the three options for brown sugar, fruit or nuts for the same price. Thanks also for the info. about the Erewhon (sp?) instant oatmeal-I'll be looking for that in my area, as I love maple syrup, but hate the maple "flavoring". Thanks everyone!

Rachel Pargeter

I'm eating my McD. oatmeal as I type. Yum! I eat it without the apples though. They will leave those out if you prefer, like me. I'm not much of an apple person. The other fruit is good in it though.

Susan

I enjoy the Starbucks one. Not sure if it's because I can eat out on their patio in the summer (as long as people are not smoking out there) or if it's the fact that it's easy to take on the go and make at my desk. I have not tried the McDonalds one but I will sometime soon. I prefer to make my own oatmeal at home (with real maple syrup) or at work in the packets from Whole Foods. Once in a while though I do like the Starbucks one. :)

Leah

Lisa, thank you for the information!

Regarding unit size, Starbucks does list a size: 38 grams. I'm sorry but you're the one with a PHd, not me! I am assuming 38 grams is approximately similar to 9.2 oz.

but my actual question was which one puts more chemicals:

whole-grain rolled oats (with oat bran), oat flour, calcium carbonate, salt, guar gum, caramel color, reduced iron, vitamin a palmitate, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid. This is the ingredient list off of Starbucks. I'll post the nutritionals on Blue Bell mini fudgepops too, I guess that is a regional brand like Edy's Dreyers as they are based out of Texas. Thank you again for the very helpful information about the oatmeal, nutritionally speaking it would appear that Starbucks is less fussed around with, at 140 calories thank you for the idea about creamer, I find perfection for me is I keep a container of french vanilla creamer at my desk at work and just stir a table spoon into my brown sugar Quaker oatmeal. If the comment about Starbucks just using regular Quaker oats, I"m okay with that since I don't go out to breakfast but maybe three or four times a year! Also thank you to the other commenters for the great insight!

Leslie Haon

I live in Canada and Tim Hortons also started selling oatmeal, I looked and it's 220 calories

Kristin

this is how it's advertised

Try our new Homestyle Oatmeal in Maple or Mixed Berries. It's slow cooked, the way you would make it at home and it's whole grain, low in fat, and high in fibre.

Kristin

I just tried McDonald's oatmeal and ended up throwing half away. I didn't realize you have to indicate that you DON'T want added sugar and toppings. The apple was good, but I didn't care for the dried fruit and the sugary taste was too overwhelming.

Long live Starbucks. ;)

Laura

Good to see there is a lively discussion about oatmeal! I tried McD's yesterday. First impressions after opening the lid: Why is it so runny and why is the oatmeal all cut up in tiny fragments? Going beyond aesthetics, I tasted it. Flavor was okay, clearly not as good as I make at home. Apples tasted like apples that are prechopped and stored. All in all I was going to declare the oatmeal as adequate as an emergency alternative to skipping breakfast...until I read the nutritional info on the container. I was stunned!!!! How in the world could oatmeal contain 10 my of Cholesterol!!!! My husband and I have been eating oatmeal regularly for two years and have successfully lowered his high cholesterol through diet alone. When I goggled the ingredient list I found that they add an ingredient called "light cream" which contains cream and milk as well as some other chemicals and ingredients. So for my purposes, McDonald's oatmeal it not only minimally palatable, it is nutritionally unacceptable. So while McDonald's has provided a healthier alternative for the millions who consume their other products, for those of us who already partake in eating right, it falls dreadfully short of what we are looking for.

Brigid

Good to see there is a lively discussion about oatmeal! I tried McD's yesterday. First impressions after opening the lid: Why is it so runny and why is the oatmeal all cut up in tiny fragments? Going beyond aesthetics, I tasted it. Flavor was okay, clearly not as good as I make at home. Apples tasted like apples that are prechopped and stored. All in all I was going to declare the oatmeal as adequate as an emergency alternative to skipping breakfast...until I read the nutritional info on the container. I was stunned!!!! How in the world could oatmeal contain 10 mg of Cholesterol!!!! My husband and I have been eating oatmeal regularly for two years and have successfully lowered his high cholesterol through diet alone. When I goggled the ingredient list I found that they add an ingredient called "light cream" which contains cream and milk as well as some other chemicals and ingredients. So for my purposes, McDonald's oatmeal it not only minimally palatable, it is nutritionally unacceptable. So while McDonald's has provided a healthier alternative for the millions who consume their other products, for those of us who already partake in eating right, it falls dreadfully short of what we are looking for.

Brigid

To be honest I would choose neither one. Oatmeal is just too easy to make yourself at home. I prefer the regular oatmeal and not the instant.

Maketta

I hate both of them. I first tried Starbucks and realized it was nothing more than insant oatmeal. I then tried McDonalds which was so watery and nasty smelling, I couldn't wait to get it out of my car. Yuk!

I love the stone cut oatmeal from Jamba Juice. My daughter and I eat it on a regular basis. It may be more expensive...but so worth it.

Tara

I have to say I am in LOVE with the Tim Horton's Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal.

They cook the oatmeal for 45 minutes and I like the bigger oatmeal pieces rather than if I had just brought a package of the instant stuff from home. Thanks you Tim Horton's you have me hooked on the stuff... when I want a warm morning pick me up :)

piceseas

NY Times article on McDonald's oatmeal, comes to the same conclusion as Snack Girl: it's not good for you!

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/how-to-make…

Michelle

Looks like Starbucks is not gluten free with the barley, it is so difficult to get breakfast snacks on the run for kids. Looks like McD thought through this one.

JM

FYI, McOatmeal should probably be avoided...

http://calorielab.com/news/2011/03/03/mcdonalds-oatmeal/

Laura

I am addicted to Tim Horton's Oatmeal with mixed berries. I have been searching for tips online that might help me make it at home to duplicate the recipe...or close. No success so I'll continue hitting the drive through until I do.

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