Introducing McDonald's Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal

Two years ago I had the privilege of being one of the first members of the general public to taste McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal, and I've been a huge fan ever since. Their oatmeal is my favorite McDonald's item by far, and hardly a week or two goes by that I don't indulge in its warm, creamy goodness. My whole family loves Fruit and Maple oatmeal; whenever we go on vacation, instead of getting a pricey hotel breakfast, we find the nearest McDonald's restaurant and have Fruit and Maple Oatmeal for breakfast. And since McDonald's oatmeal is available all day, we often swing by a McDonald's drive-thru after soccer practice and have it as a snack!

So I was really excited -- and apprehensive -- when McDonald's invited me to the launch of their latest oatmeal variety, their new Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal. Excited, because who wouldn't be excited at the thought of a new oatmeal flavor, and one featuring blueberries at that? Apprehensive, because McDonald's has already set the bar so high, and I wasn't sure whether this upstart Blueberry Banana Nut could measure up to Fruit and Maple.


The Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal is amazing. It tastes like warm banana bread, topped with fresh blueberries. I love the hot, creamy texture, I love that it's not overly sweet, and I love the sweet-tartness I get whenever I bite into a blueberry.

The "Nut" portion of the dish is a pack of chopped walnuts, served on the side, so people with nut allergies can leave it out. You can also leave it out to save calories, but you'll be missing the health benefits of walnuts if you do!

Here's a big surprise: You get fresh blueberries in this oatmeal! Real, plump, sweet blueberries, not icky bits of dried stuff. Each serving has 1/4 cup of blueberries (I counted 21 berries in mine), so not only is it packed with fiber (5 grams), it's packed with antioxidants.


The very best part? The lower sugar content. Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal has 21 grams of sugar per serving, compared to 32 grams of sugar per serving for the Fruit and Maple Oatmea (I'm guessing this is because the cranberries and raisins, being dried fruit, have a higher sugar content than the fresh fruit).

The decision has been made, I've got a new favorite oatmeal! I will always love Fruit and Maple Oatmeal, and frankly, it's difficult for me to say that one flavor tastes better than other (it's like comparing apples and oranges), but now that McDonald's has an alternative that's lower in sugar, it's clear which one I would rather enjoy on a regular basis.


One caveat: when McDonald's first started selling Fruit and Maple Oatmeal, the quality was inconsistent, and all too often I was served oatmeal that was runny or watery or lukewarm. Now that enough time has passed, I guess all the stores have caught up on the learning curve, because now my oatmeal is pretty much hot and creamy every time. So if you happen to order the Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal and the consistency or temperature is less than perfect, don't be afraid to point it out to your server, and he/she will be happy to make you another bowl. And give it a second chance, because I'm sure that second bowl will lead to a third, fourth, fifth bowl, and so on.

But don't wait too long for your first taste, because Blueberry Banana Oatmeal will only be around for the summer, when the blueberries are at their freshest and sweetest. I have to make the most of Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal while it lasts, and so should you!


Click here for my review of the McDonalds Cherry Berry Chiller!


Disclaimer: I attended McDonald's Flavors of Summer event as a guest, and McDonald's provided all travel and accomodations. I was not asked to blog about this dish or the event. The views and opinions expressed here are my own..
 
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