You may know Jason Mraz from his multi-platinum hits, but the singer-songwriter’s hobbies include cooking, growing avocados and working as a barista for the thrill of it. That’s why his partnership with Planet Oat feels like a no-brainer, and their new Barista Lovers Oatmilk is coffee-lover-approved, according to Mraz himself. 

To celebrate the new product launch, we were given the opportunity to chat with Mraz all about food and coffee, from the breakfasts he loves to his go-to way to prepare his favorite caffeinated beverage. Plus, we learned more about how he stayed energized while filming Dancing with the Stars and the needed recovery after the show. Read on for all of the details.

EatingWell: What’s your favorite way to prepare your coffee?

Mraz: I have a little espresso machine at home, so I make espresso. I usually pull a double shot and then I use Planet Oat. I was getting their Extra Creamy for a while, but now they’ve come out with Barista Lovers which is just perfect for it. I steam and froth, I add it, it’s great.

I also love just adding a little bit of cardamom just to give it a little something different. I’ll actually put the cardamom on the bottom of the mug before I pour the shots, or I’ll put the cardamom into the oat milk and I’ll blend with the milk frother, and sometimes I’ll add cinnamon. That way with every sip, you’re getting this really cool flavor.

EatingWell: What’s your typical breakfast look like?

Mraz: For many, many years it was an avocado smoothie. In fact, my green smoothie is still on the EatingWell website. I still do that, but in the past year I really got into baking and I make my own sourdough bread. So I’ll start my day with a slice of sourdough, sometimes with avo on it, sometimes with peanut butter or honey. I just love that sourdough with my coffee on the side. It just makes me feel like a real hipster.

Get the Recipe: Jason Mraz’s Avocado Green Smoothie

EatingWell: As an avocado toast fan, what’s your favorite way to dress it up?

Mraz: I feel so blessed I get to make [avocado toast] at home because I have avocado trees. Now I’m making my own bread, and they just go so well together. I’ll top it with some everything seasoning because I just think that’s the best. When I go out in the world, I love trying other people’s avo toast. I’m willing to pay the $14—or, you know, in New York City it’s probably $20 now for a little slice of avo toast—but I want to see how people prepare it. At home, I always keep my own pickled onions brewing in the fridge for some added topping. I like to poach eggs or put a fried egg on top as well. But yes, I am and I will push the toast forever.

EatingWell: While on Dancing with the Stars, did you have any go-to snacks, foods or drinks that kept you energized on long work days?

Mraz: I really got into this bev called VYBES. It’s a hemp bev, super good. I think it has like 25 milligrams of hemp CBD in it and for some reason, it was just helping my knees, my joints and my overall energy. I was picking those up almost daily, and I was eating constantly because of how much we were working and working out. I could not eat enough, so every day at rehearsal, I’d have an apple and some kind of bar, like a Perfect Bar, or trail mix. Something usually on the healthier side of snacks.

EatingWell: What was the recovery process like after the show?

Mraz: We ended about two weeks before the holidays and when the show ended, I just, I crashed. It was three months straight of dancing every day, so I just slept. I really had to take a huge break, but what’s been nice is that my range of motion, my flexibility and my endurance has definitely increased. I ate a lot of cookies and pies during the holidays and I probably slacked on your typical healthy diet, plus on all the exercise I was doing. Now I’m back at it and I’m working again. I just feel like that show gave me so much. It gave me not just like the language of dance, but it gave me extra strength and endurance that I didn’t have prior to the show. So luckily I’m still using those skills in another show that I’m working on.

EatingWell: Any food hot takes?

Mraz: I don’t know anything about wine. I don’t know any type of wine or even alcohol or cocktails. I have no idea what to order, I don’t know the difference between any of them and I think that surprises some people. I also just very recently started loving mushrooms. For years and years and years I didn’t know anything about them, and if they were on my plate, I’d probably hold my breath to get them down. Now I’m actually buying them at the grocery store and when I do, I kind of look around like, “Does anyone see me buying mushrooms at the grocery store?” Because I’m impressed with myself, and I love cooking them.

EatingWell: How did your partnership with Planet Oat come about?

Mraz: I am a coffee lover, I think it starts there. I started my career in coffee shops and was a barista. I’ve been a barista many times and I got introduced to Planet Oat at my local coffee shop where we brew coffee—I still work some occasional shifts for fun. It’s not my career anymore, but I do still love working in a coffee shop. When Planet Oat reached out to me—if I’d want to come and be a part of their pop-up, help serve coffee, make delicious lattes and share the Barista Lovers edition—it was a yes because I just love coffee. It seemed like a great opportunity to come and mingle with fellow coffee lovers and help amplify the home experience so everyone can be their own barista and have something cool with the plant-based milk.

EatingWell: What does “eating well” mean to you?

Mraz: For me, eating well means having mindfulness on what you’re eating. I know what I’m eating, I know the ingredients of what I’m eating—and it’s not about putting on glasses and really going through the ingredients on the side of a container. It’s being in harmony with the things that you eat, and it’s having mindfulness and a connection with it. 

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.