These Instant Pot steel cut oats are ready in less time than stovetop, are perfectly creamy, nutritious, and easy to customize with your favorite toppings. With just four simple ingredients, you can have easy reheat breakfasts for the week.
The Instant Pot has transformed how I cook. Ingredients like spaghetti squash or chickpeas, which typically take longer to cook, are now ready quickly and with very little effort. The same goes for steel cut oats: no more babysitting the pot, making sure they don't burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. Perfect oats, each and every time!
No mushy oatmeal here! Both creamy, yet slightly chewy, steel cut oats convinced me that I actually am 'an oatmeal person'. In fact, I make this recipe on a weekly basis (sometimes twice!).
With a slightly nutty flavor that gets a boost from cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup, this recipe is customizable in about a million ways (find 7 oatmeal flavors here!)
The pressure cooker makes cooking steel cut oats quick and convenient, using ingredients you probably already have on hand. They are so easy to prep you can do it while holding a baby (I can say this from experience), and they can be stored in the fridge or freezer. Basically, this recipe is going to be your breakfast superhero.
Why you'll ♡ Instant Pot steel cut oats
- you can cook breakfast for the whole family for 3-4 days with only 5 minutes of effort
- you can forget your oats in the Instant Pot for 2 hours and they will still taste amazing
- there are only 4 ingredients necessary, and you can customize this Instant Pot oatmeal recipe with your favorite flavors!
Recipe video
A visual guide is always helpful! Watch this 1-minute video to see how easy it is to make this oatmeal recipe! I skipped the toasting step in this video, but see a visual guide below. You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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What are steel cut oats?
Steel cut oats are very close to the natural harvested oat grain, and have simply been cut into 2-3 pieces using a steel blade. Compare this to rolled oats, which are first steamed, then rolled flat.
Because they are thicker than rolled oats, steel cut oatmeal requires a longer cook time than rolled oats, however you are rewarded with a delicious, chewy texture for your efforts.
In addition to this, steel cut oatmeal has a lower glycemic index, meaning that they are slower to digest, releasing sugar into your bloodstream at a slower rate. Translation? They are more likely to fill you up for longer, and less likely to spike your blood sugar levels.
Cooking oats in the Instant Pot
Note that the toasting step (1-3) is optional and may be skipped in favor of a quick prep.
- Using the sauté function, melt a tablespoon of butter in the insert of an Instant Pot.
- Add the oats, then toast for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The oats are toasted through when they turn golden and emit a nutty aroma.
- Add water.
- Add cinnamon.
- Add vanilla.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes, followed by a full natural pressure release (20-25 minutes).
To toast or not to toast
If you take the time to toast your oats before pressure cooking them, you will be rewarded with an even deeper, nuttier flavor. I will be honest and say that I usually skip this step in favor of ease of prep, but in the rare circumstances that I take the time to do so, I have been very pleased with the flavor.
To toast your oats, melt a tablespoon of butter or coconut oil using the sautee function on the Instant Pot. Add your oats and toast for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The oats are toasted when they are golden and you can smell a nutty flavor. At this point, turn off the sautee function and add in the rest of your ingredients.
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Water ratios
Typically, when we cook steel cut oats on the stovetop, we use a ratio of 1 cup oatmeal: 4 cups water. As the oats cook, some of this liquid evaporates, leaving us with thick and creamy oatmeal. When cooking in the Instant Pot with a full natural pressure release, no evaporation occurs, therefore we use a ratio of 1 cup steel cut oatmeal: 3 cups water.
Cook time
I have played around with the cook time for this recipe from a 1 minute cook time all the way up to 12 minutes, and honestly? It's very forgiving. Even after 12 minutes, the oats are creamy + chewy and not mushy.
Here's what I've settled on:
- 2 minutes high pressure (it takes around 15 minutes to come to pressure) + full natural pressure release (25-30 minutes)
The key is to let the pressure naturally release (ie: don't touch the instant pot until the pin drops on its own) so that the oatmeal has time to absorb the liquid and get nice and creamy.
Important- when you first open the Instant Pot after a full natural pressure release, the oats will look very liquidy and soupy (see image below). As the oats cool, they thicken up to the perfect, creamy texture.
steel cut oats will be soupy when the lid is first removed (1), but will firm up and thicken as they cool (2)
Customize the chewiness
If you want to play around with different levels of chewiness, add or remove time from the natural pressure release (the time after the pot beeps, when we let the pot sit until the pin drops)
- creamy oats- pressure cook for 2 minutes with a full natural pressure release (25-30 minutes)
- chewy oats- pressure cook for 2 minutes with a 15 minute pressure release
Double it up
As written, this recipe makes 4 portions of steel cut oatmeal, but you can easily double this up with the same cook time. A good rule with the Instant Pot is to not fill more than halfway full.
I have made this recipe in both 6 and 8 quart Instant Pots.
Prep ahead for easy breakfasts
Instant Pot steel cut oats are SO PERFECT for meal prep! The chewiness of the oats holds up in the fridge or freezer for days/weeks/months.
Here's how to store the cooked oatmeal:
- fridge- portion out into meal prep containers and store for up to 4 days
- freezer- you may freeze in meal prep containers OR portion out into muffin tins, then transfer to a freezer bag
To re-heat:
- thaw completely (if frozen)
- heat in the microwave until steaming hot
- add a splash or almond milk or your favorite milk to help loosen up the oats
- add maple syrup, peanut butter, or your favorite toppings
- stir it up and enjoy!
Variations
You can add so much flavor to these oats with a few add ins. I recommend waiting until the oats are fully cooked through to add thick liquids like applesauce or pumpkin puree, as they can lead to the dreaded burn warning.
- apple cinnamon- add 2-3 chopped apples in to cook with the oats; feel free to increase the cinnamon as needed
- pumpkin- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 cup pumpkin puree at the end of the cook time.
- peanut butter- stir in 2-4 tablespoons peanut butter after cooking
- chocolate- add in 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder before cooking; serve with mini chocolate chips
- citrus: add in some citrus zest- you can do this before cooking so the oats infuse with tons of citrussy flavor
- change up the fruit; add in some apples, pears, kiwis, bananas, really anything you can think of!
Find 7 steel cut oatmeal flavors here!
More Oatmeal Recipes
- Baked Oatmeal Recipe
- Baked Oatmeal Muffins
- Spiced Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats
- Maple Apple Steel Cut Oats
- Chocolate Chia Pudding
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Easiest Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
After cooking
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into the inner pot of an Instant Pot.
- Put the lid on, set valve to 'sealed', and pressure cook (high pressure) for 2 minutes. It will take 15-20 minutes to come to pressure.
- Allow pressure to naturally release (let the Instant Pot sit until the pin drops). This will take roughly 25-30 minutes (see notes *)
- Stir in the maple syrup, then serve or portion out.
Storage
- Cooked oats may be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat- heat in the microwave until steaming hot. Stir in some almond or dairy milk and stir to 'loosen' up the oats. Top with syrup, berries, nut butter, or your favorite toppings.
- To freeze- you can freeze directly in meal prep containers (make sure everything is cool before placing in the freezer), or in muffin trays before popping them out and transferring to freezer bags.
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Tips:
- apple cinnamon- add 2-3 chopped apples in to cook with the steel cut oats; feel free to increase the cinnamon as needed
- pumpkin- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 cup pumpkin puree at the end of the cook time.
- peanut butter- stir in 2-4 tablespoons peanut butter after cooking
- chocolate- add in 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder before cooking; serve with mini chocolate chips
- citrus: add in some citrus zest- you can do this before cooking so the oats infuse with tons of citrussy flavor
- change up the fruit; add in some apples, pears, kiwis, bananas, really anything you can think of!
- Melt a tablespoon of butter or coconut oil using the sautee function on the Instant Pot.
- Add your oats and toast for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The oats are toasted when they are golden and you can smell a nutty flavor.
- Turn off the sautee function, add in the rest of your ingredients, and pressure cook as directed.
Video
Nutrition Information
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Rebecca says
Wow, what a great, informative post! I love your thorough approach, meal prep ideas, and all the variations for steel cut oats! This is a keeper!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Rebecca, we're so glad you found this helpful! If you try this recipe, please be sure to come back and let us know how it turned out with a rating and review! Enjoy!
Jon says
Dont know if I'm overthinking this, but when you say vanilla, are we talking vanilla bean, essence, or extract?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jon! I mean vanilla extract. I'll modify the recipe to be more clear 🙂
Kara says
Tried this recipe this morning. LOVE IT! I did toast the oats first. That smells great. I added two Gala apples. I will never make steel cut oats any other way! So creamy! I highly recommend the apples - perfect little nuggets of sweet and tart! And I have enough for 3 more days! Thanks for the recipe!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Kara! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the oats, your version with the apples sounds sublime. Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to leave a review, I really appreciate it <3
HN says
I've made these oats a few times and they have turned out great! I use the Bob's Steel Cut Oats from Costco, which are instant, so I guess they might be mushier, but it's fine for me! I have made the plain, apple cinnamon and pumpkin recipes. My favorite has been apple cinnamon. Great quick way to have breakfast prepared for the week so it saves me so much time.
Denise Bustard says
Hi HN! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipes. If you are using 'quick' steel cut oats (or 2 minute?), they are not quite the same as regular steel cut oats, but I'm glad to hear you didn't mind the mushier texture! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Karyn Zister says
HI Denise
What brand of steel cut oats do you use?
I wonder if this would work for the bob's red mill quick steel cut oats that are sold at Costco Stores in Canada.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Karyn! I use President's Choice brand. Unfortunately the quick cooking steel cut oats do not work for this recipe and in my experience have been pretty mushy.
Simon vacca says
What brand of measuring cups do you use? If you no can you send me a link?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Simon, I use a variety of measuring cups from the grocery store, none of which are available online.
Anna says
This may be a silly question but in your video you put frozen fruit on top and then out in fridge or freeze for meal prepped breakfast. When your ready to eat do you eat up with the fruit in the container??
Denise Bustard says
Hi Anna! When I go to serve I often add a splash of oat or almond milk to help loosen the oats back up, then after reheating in the microwave, I drizzle with peanut butter and sprinkle with hemp hearts. Sometimes I will add a little bit more maple syrup too. Hope you give them a try!
Anna says
I’m sorry spell check changed my comment.. do you HEAT the oats up with the fruit in the container.
Denise Bustard says
Ahh! Yes, I do heat the whole thing, fruit and all 🙂
Nora Chahine says
I usually do overnight oats. I prep 3 mason jars at a time and put quick oats, hemp seeds, chia seeds, protein powder, almond milk and frozen fruits. I have never tried cooking steel cut oats in an instant pot before... do your think your method is better than mine? I am just trying to know if method is the most efficient. Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Nora! It totally comes down to personal preference. Overnight oats are quicker to prepare, but my tastebuds prefer steel cut oats as they are less 'mushy'. If you love overnight oats, you should keep making them! Here's my fave overnight oats recipe: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/fruit-on-the-bottom-overnight-oats/
Tiffany says
Trying your recipe now.
In your directions, you might consider re wording the word base for liner.
I believe the base is what the outer part of the appliance is called . The liner is the stainless steel bowl you cook in.
I hear of a lot of new Instant pot users making this mistake and pouring ingredients into the base .
Denise says
Hi Tiffany, great idea! My mom actually did that last week!
Jamie says
I just got my instant put and this is the first pressure cooker recipe I have ever made. It came out great! FYE, I used the 3-quart mini and the recipe worked fine! Enjoyed the oatmeal with the vegan yogurt I made in the instant pot overnight. Thanks for the recipe!
Denise says
Hi Jamie! So glad you enjoyed and thanks so much for reporting back with info for the 3 quart! I still need to try making yogurt in my IP.
Keith says
Do you ever prepare it ‘pot-in-pot’? Any changes to the recipe to do so?
Denise says
Sorry, I don't understand this question. I thought Pot in Pot was when you cook two different things in the IP at the same time? Like chicken + rice.
Keith says
In addition to cooking multiple items “pot in pot” you can also cook one thing “pot in pot” by putting the oatmeal ingredients into a Pyrex or other heat tolerant dish on top of the trivet and putting a cup or so of water on the bottom of the instant pot. You can serve, eat or store directly from the Pyrex dish and don’t have to clean oatmeal out of the instant pot, just out of the Pyrex. Cooking pot in pot can change the cooking times, depending even on the conductivity of the material that your “pot in pot” is made of. I made your oatmeal recipe directly in the instant pot and it was fantastic. Thank you.
Ryan says
Love these recipes. I will have to try doubling them because prepping twice in a week is not saving me much time. I’ve made the Apple cinnamon ones, and the last three times I made them my IP flashed burn. I had to open and scrape the bottom. Not sure what made this happen all of a sudden, especially since it didn’t happen the first two times I made them. I did 3 cups of water, 1 cup of oats, and 1 cup of apple sauce. It’s annoying because I need to monitor it and can’t leave and let it do its thing. Any thoughts?
Denise says
Hi Ryan! That's so weird! If it gives you a burn warning it means there is not enough thin liquid to create steam. I would try cooking it without the applesauce, then stir it in after cooking. Also, you can freeze your oatmeal! So if you want to double up and freeze it, you just have to remember to pull them out mid-week. Hope that helps! Thanks for the review 🙂
Sherri says
This turned out amazing! I added a few raisins because my son goes crazy for them 🙂 I'm wondering if you would add more cooking time if you doubled the recipe. Thank you!
Denise says
Hi Sherri! Nope, if you double the recipe it's the same cook time (I do this all the time!). Glad you enjoyed!
Cindy says
Thanks for the recipe!! However, I HIGHLY recommend sauteing the oats in butter until they are toasted. You have to actually see and smell the toastiness, or it isn't worth the effort. But if you do...oh, the nuttiness it adds! That single step is what changed me from a "yuck, oatmeal!" person to a "Hooray, oatmeal!" person. 😀 Thanks for the IP instructions! Really appreciate it!
Denise says
You know I have tried it a few times and for me the flavor payoff is just not there...but different tastebuds for different people 🙂 Thanks, Cindy!
Anni C says
Thanks! Came looking for new ideas, because I couldn't make my stand-by, pumpkin spice with walnuts. For some reason, our stores are entirely out of canned pumpkin lately. Supply issues during the pandemic are just unpredictable. I tried several of these and really like the peanut butter and the lemon blueberry. I prefer to make mine by adding all ingredients but nuts before cooking. I realize some people get burn warnings, but I just never have. I have a 6 at Duo Plus. I use a lot of spice and fresh ginger and have had a tiny bit stuck at the bottom a few times, but there was no burnt flavor and it came up easily. It does cook fruits down to nothing, so if you want texture, like with nuts adding them after makes sense. I just like having mine ready to go when I open the pot. I may add nuts or seeds and some extra oatmilk, but my kitchen is cleaned up by then and I'm ready to eat and leave the house. I do usually sub one C of water with unsweetened oatmilk for cooking and that works, too. It adds about 20 cal per serving but is richer. Last week, I tossed in a full C of halved, hulled strawberries with the spices used for pumpkin, maybe a little more of each plus some cardamom, allspice, vanilla, and fresh ginger, and that worked well, too. The strawberries cooked down and didn't have a strong strawberry flavor, so I stirred in more afterward this time to get the strawberry flavor I was looking for. I hope to find an amount that cooks down all the way and still tastes like strawberry-vanilla spice.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Anni! Thanks so much for reporting back! It's so weird how some people get the burn warning and not others. I wonder if it comes down to tiny things like altitude? Anyway I'm glad you liked this post and appreciate your feedback!
Diane L Manley says
Can be doubled recipe in 8 qt?
Denise says
Yes! I can even double it in my 6 quart 🙂
Juliette says
Absolutely LOVE these and they are so easy to cook compared to on the stove top! Thank you for sharing!
Denise says
SO happy you enjoy them so much, Juliette! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂
Helen Southall says
Hi
How do you go about this just on the stove, is it possible?
Denise says
Hi Helen! Yes, you can totally cook these on the stove top. Here's my recipe:
1. Heat water in a medium pot until boiling.
2. Add the steel cut oats and other ingredients listed, and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25-35 minutes. * check frequently as they have a tendency to stick to the pot & burn*
4. Remove from heat and enjoy.
Deirdre Dowd says
Have you ever done this with the instant steel cut oats? I purchased a GIANT bag at Costco, and didn't realize they were instant.
Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Deirdre! I did try this with instant SCO once and it was completely mushy. I think they're supposed to be really easy on stove top/microwave, though?
Abbey says
I’ve been using these (Bob’s I think) and quite like them. I cook them in soy milk and it is nice and creamy with the oats still firm.
Sherri says
I used Costco Bob's Mill Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats and it turned out great.
Colleen88 says
I take it a step ahead and pre-soak overnight the oats overnight in water with a splash of apple-cider vinegar. Then I rinse it real well. While I'm rinsing, I saute a 1/4 cup of hemp seeds in the instant pot (for a really nice toasted taste). I add my dried cherries, raisins and nuts and cook it all together. Once it is done, I spoon it by the 1/2 cupful into a pre-non-stick sprayed muffin tin and let it cool overnight. To do the meal-prep part of this, I put 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds in a ziplock bag, peel out one muffin (now nice and firm on top, and sticky inside the muffin tin, and drop it into the baggie. Roll it around enough that the chia seed sticks to the oatmeal muffin, squeeze out excess air and they bags are now freezable. I take one out of the freezer each morning and put it in the fridge for the next day. You can break up the muffin before dropping it into your bowl while it is still in the bag, then add milk. Very portable.
Denise says
I love this idea! I have heard that soaking the oats makes them cook even quicker. Does the apple cider vinegar give it a bit of tangy flavor?
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
I haven't made steel-cut oats in awhile, but I need go again because I love how they can be so meal-prep friendly! 🙂