Steel Cut Oatmeal (Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Recipe)

Name: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal (Slow Cooker Option included)
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 4 min
Ingredients: 3 cups water or milk of your choice (plus more milk for serving); 1 cup regular steel cut oats (not quick cooking); pinch of salt; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp ground cinnamon

By Amy Dong
Updated Aug. 17, 2022

Steel Cut Oatmeal takes only 4 minutes to pressure cook. Treat yourself to a hearty bowl of healthy and deliciously satisfying steel cut oats, without the fuss. Add your favorite toppings for the ultimate breakfast. Slow cooker instructions included.

How to make Steel Cut Oatmeal in the Instant Pot

I’m so not complaining about finally seeing London and Paris for the first time. It did not hurt to have Nutella crepes made fresh from no-nonsense street vendors. There’s nothing painful about buttery, flaky, super-soft croissants made by French bakers first thing in the morning.

I did the cliché thing and fell in love with Paris. I even got all wanna-be and donned a Parisian floral scarf while carrying a baguette around.

I only missed 2 things from home: flip flops (apparently nobody in Paris shows their toes in spring) and my daily ritual of Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal.

Despite the abundant Pain au Chocolåt available at every corner, I occasionally longed for my morning hot bowl of hearty steel cut oatmeal topped with pure honey or maple syrup and juicy berries.

Once you try this fast and fail-proof strategy of cooking steel cut oats in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot, you’ll ditch all other methods to your favorite steel cut oatmeal.

Two Ingredients for the Perfect Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal

It couldn’t be easier. You only need 2 ingredients to make tender, creamy steel cut oatmeal in the Instant Pot. Other ingredients are optional and can be varied according to taste.

steel cut oats (not the quick cooking kind)
water or milk: I prefer water, since milk can be added later if desired. That said, if you love that extra creaminess, feel free to cook your steel cut oats using your favorite kind of milk. Cow’s milk, almond milk, coconut milk – it’s your choice.

The trick to having perfectly cooked steel cut oatmeal is being sure you have the correct liquid to oats proportion. The 3:1 proportion is super easy to remember. You generally want 3 cups of liquid to 1 cup of steel cut oats when using your pressure cooker.

The below recipe includes vanilla extract, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Feel free to omit those if you want plain oatmeal as your starting point.

Once your oatmeal is cooked to perfection, you can take it from there – mix in any toppings you love. My personal favorites include raw honey, sometimes chopped apples, and always berries.

instant pot oatmeal, instant pot steel cut oatmeal, instant pot oats, slow cooker oatmeal — Steel Cut Oatmeal takes just 4 minutes in the Instant Pot

How can I adapt for slow cooker steel cut oats?

The slow cooker requires more liquid. You’ll need 4 parts liquid to 1 part steel cut oats. Cook on Low setting for no longer than 6-7 hours.

If your slow cooker tends to run hot, you may need to cut the time down in order to prevent sticking/browning on the bottom of pot. It’s even better if you’re able to give it a quick stir during cooking. You can also stir in some milk once the oatmeal is done, to soften up the bottom and get your oatmeal to a creamy consistency.

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Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal (Slow Cooker Option included)

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Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal takes only 4 minutes to pressure cook. Treat yourself to a hearty bowl of healthy and deliciously satisfying steel cut oats, without the fuss. Add your favorite toppings for the ultimate breakfast.

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 4

Servings:

Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients

3 cups water or milk of your choice, plus more milk for serving
1 cup regular steel cut oats, not quick cooking
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Add all ingredients into Instant Pot. Set to Pressure Cook high, for 4 minutes. Allow pressure cooker to do its own natural release after cook time. Do not move lid or try to release pressure yourself, as the oats need the natural release time to cook properly. You don't have to remove lid immediately once natural pressure is done; if desired, you can leave the finished oatmeal alone for an hour or so.
Carefully remove the lid and stir. If desired, add milk of your choice to your preferred consistency and stir well.
Serve warm steel cut oatmeal with your choice of honey, maple syrup, fruit, or nuts.

Notes

You can use half water and half milk of your choice, if desired. However, we've found that simply mixing in the milk after the oatmeal is finished works even better.

I've made big batches of steel cut oatmeal to last several days. Leftover oatmeal can keep well covered airtight in fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to re-heat, be prepared to stir in extra water/milk, as the leftover oatmeal will likely have thickened up.

The slow cooker requires more liquid. You'll need 4 parts liquid to 1 part steel cut oats. Cook on Low setting for no longer than 6-7 hours.

Slow Cooker option: As slow cookers can tend to run hot on the bottom, you may need to cut the time down in order to prevent sticking/browning on the bottom of pot. It's even better if you're able to give it a quick stir during cooking. You can also stir in some milk once the oatmeal is done, to soften up the bottom and get your oatmeal to a creamy consistency.

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