Bored with breakfast? Give these Asian-inspired flavors of oatmeal (like Taro Bubble Tea) a try

Or how about Toasted Black Sesame for breakfast?

Photo by author

(CHICAGO) If you find oatmeal boring, you may want to check out Yishi Foods and its innovative flavors of Asian-inspired oatmeal.

Yishi Foods, based in Chicago, was founded by Chinese immigrant Lin Jiang in 2019. Jiang has created oatmeals reminiscent of the flavors she grew up with in China. Jiang founded the company while attending grad school at the University of Chicago.

The protein-packed, plant-based, and sugar-free oatmeal has been available online and in the Chicago region in select stores for a few years. And now, Yishi has announced its Asian oatmeal flavors will be available in every Whole Foods store in the U.S.

"More than ever, shoppers are increasingly demanding breakfast cereals in innovative and delicious flavors that provide a multitude of functional benefits," says Lin Jiang, CEO, and Founder of Yishi Foods, in a press release. "We're thrilled to expand the availability of our nourishing products to Whole Foods Market across the country, continuing to capitalize on our phenomenal growth momentum and market traction. We'll continue satisfying our loyal fans with second-to-none delicacies."

Yishi oatmeal, with its unique flavor combinations, has been featured in magazines such as Bon Appetit and New York Magazine. Because the product received such glowing reviews, and also because I love bubble tea, I knew I had to head to Whole Foods to give it a try.

According to the press release, these are the flavors available at Whole Foods stores across the country:

• Taro Bubble Tea
• Matcha Latte
• Toasted Black Sesame

I was able to find the Taro Bubble Tea and Toasted Black Sesame at the Naperville Whole Foods, but to my disappointment, they did not have the Matcha Latte. Instead, they had the Red Bean Berry flavor.

Taro Bubble Tea

The Taro Bubble Tea oatmeal is inspired by bubble tea but doesn't contain any of the tapioca pearls. According to Timeout Chicago, Jiang tried boba pearls, but the texture didn't work out. The Taro Bubble Tea does contain taro tea powder to replicate the boba tea flavor and black tea powder, to give you a bit of morning energy.

I found the texture creamy with a bit of crunch from the seeds. It's slightly sweet, but not too sweet, and the hint of sweetness comes from stevia rather than sugar.

If you're a fan of taro, you should give this oatmeal a try, as the taro flavor comes through. I also loved the caffeine punch from the black tea powder, which is equivalent to the amount in half a cup of coffee.

Toasted Black Sesame

According to the website, the Toasted Black Sesame is based on Jiang's mother's recipe. I ended up liking this one much more than I expected. It's not the sort of breakfast flavor I am used to, but it was savory, nutty, and satisfying.

Red Bean Berry

Finally, the Red Bean Berry is filled with goji berries, dates, and cherries, and all of those antioxidants are supposed to make you feel "radiant." If you're looking for sweet oatmeal, this is not it, although it is sweeter than the Toasted Black Sesame.

The verdict

I liked these flavors a lot. The savory Toasted Black Sesame ended up being my favorite, which I did not expect. It was also good to feel I was getting a healthful start to my day with no added sugar and plenty of protein.

If you're expecting the typical American oatmeal with brown sugar and other sweet mix-ins, these oatmeals may not be what quite you're looking for. But if you're ready for something a little different, give the Yishi flavors a try.

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