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Revolutionize your breakfast game with these incredibly Creamy Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats! They’re made with everyday ingredients in a few simple steps, perfect for topping with everything from sliced fruit and maple syrup to nut butter and dark chocolate.
Today, we’re making steel cut oats, Instant Pot style!
Baby J and I often make steel cut oats for breakfast — they’re our favorite because they are nutty, creamy, and more filling than old-fashioned oatmeal. They also do so well with various toppings. She always does maple syrup and berries, and I’ll often play around with different toppings, both sweet and savory.
Regardless of your topping selection, these oats are a nutritious and satisfying breakfast and are incredibly easy to make, thanks to the Instant Pot. Just add the steel cut oatmeal to the Instant Pot with water and salt and give it a good stir. From here, the beloved appliance does all the heavy lifting for you, leaving you more time to sip your favorite latte, play Wordle, enjoy some morning movement, or do whatever you like to do to tackle the day!
For more healthy but tasty oatmeal recipes, check out my Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Mix, Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and my new cookbook: Vegan Vibes!
What Are Steel Cut Oats?
Also known as Irish oats, steel cut oats are oatmeal kernels cut with steel blades, producing small cylindrical kernels. When cooked, steel cut oats are chewy, toothy, and hearty. In contrast, old-fashioned oatmeal is steamed and rolled, making it creamier and smoother. It is also faster to cook than steel cut oats, which need to simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
Steel cut oats can be cooked on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot (as we will be doing today!), and you can also make overnight oats with them. Pressure cooking is the perfect tool for cooking steel cut oats: the Instant Pot cooks them with steady heat and doesn’t require stirring, producing tender, creamy oats.
Oats are a nutritious breakfast option because they are rich in fiber, protein, and whole grains. Though steel cut oats have a similar nutritional profile to old-fashioned oats, they are less processed and have more fiber, meaning they take longer to digest (source) and are a fabulous way to fill up and fuel you through your morning!
Other Ingredients
Water: Use filtered or purified water for the purest flavor, though clean-tasting tap water also works well.
Non-Dairy Milk: I recommend an unsweetened option, such as soy or almond milk. For a light vanilla flavor, use unsweetened vanilla milk.
Salt: Just a 1/4 teaspoon seasons the Instant Pot steel cut oatmeal. Use fine sea or kosher salt. If using table salt, reduce the amount by a pinch.
Ground Cinnamon: For warming spice! Use cinnamon with a good expiration date for the best flavor.
Maple Syrup: Keep the Instant Pot steel cut oatmeal plant-based by using pure maple syrup. If needed, you can also use agave syrup, organic cane sugar, or maple sugar.
How to Cook Steel Cut Oats In the Instant Pot
- Add Ingredients. Place the steel cuts in the Instant Pot along with the water, and salt to the Instant Pot. Give the mixture a few good stirs.
- Pressure Cook. Lock on the Instant Pot lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. The machine
- Release Pressure. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes, then follow the instructions for your machine’s model to quick-release the remaining pressure.
- Add Milk. Stir in the milk until combined. Add cinnamon and maple syrup now too.
- Top & Serve. Add your desired toppings to the pot and stir well, or add toppings to the individual servings. Serve hot!
Jenné’s Recipe Pro-Tips
- Adjust the milk. Stir in the full cup of non-dairy milk for creamy, spoonable oats. Add just half a cup for a thicker consistency.
- Stir in or sprinkle on toppings. Make grab-and-go, easy-to-serve oatmeal by adding the cinnamon, maple syrup, and toppings to the cooked steel cut oats in the pressure cooker. Allow for individual customization by adding them and other toppings to serve.
Toppings and Mix-Ins
Make this Instant Pot steel cut oats recipe your own by varying the toppings, ingredients, and seasonings, such as:
- Seasonings: Add a warming fall touch by adding pumpkin spice seasoning blend to the steel cut oats in the Instant Pot. Or, add a few shakes of ground nutmeg or swap ground cardamom for the cinnamon.
- Milk: For next-level creamy and rich oatmeal, stir in oat milk or coconut milk. For extra protein, use soy milk.
- Toppings: The sky is truly the limit! Consider adding sliced bananas, fresh berries, chopped dates, raisins, dried cranberries, dried coconut flakes, dark chocolate chips, chopped apples, diced peaches, chia, flax, or hemp seeds, nuts, nut butter, vegan butter, and additional maple syrup.
- Maple Syrup: Keep the oats plant-based but still totally tasty by swapping organic cane or demerara sugar or agave syrup for the maple syrup. You can also use maple sugar <swoon>!
Adding Fruit Before Cooking
If desired, you can also add fruit to the oats before pressure cooking, infusing them with fruity flavor. Here’s how to do it:
- Apple Cinnamon: Peel and chop 1 large apple. Stir it into the pressure cooker with the oats, water, and cinnamon before cooking.
- Banana: Love banana bread? Add 1 sliced ripe banana before cooking and stir in vanilla-flavored almond or soy milk with the cinnamon and maple syrup.
- Peaches and Cream: Chop 2 large peaches (canned is okay!) and cook them with the oats. Stir in coconut milk and top with cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, and maple syrup.
Storage Directions
- Refrigerating: Leftover instant pot steel cut oatmeal keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Cool the oatmeal to room temperature before transferring it to a freezer-safe container and freezing it for up to 3 months. Defrost the oatmeal overnight in the refrigerator or on low heat in the microwave or stovetop with a splash of milk.
- Reheating: Warm the oats in a microwave for 1-2 minute bursts, stirring between intervals, or with a splash of milk over low heat on the stovetop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Though some people prefer to rinse the oats before cooking, I find that doing so removes excess starch from the oats, making the cooked oats less creamy.
These pressure cooker steel cut oats are fantastic for meal prep! Make a single or double batch at the beginning of the week, stirring in the cinnamon and maple syrup. Divide the oatmeal between containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Top the oatmeal with your desired toppings before enjoying.
More Easy & Healthy Breakfast Recipes
- Instant Pot Teff Porridge
- Buttermilk Vegan Waffles
- Spelt Pancakes
- Fluffy Vegan Omelette
- Vegan Crepes
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Equipment
- Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker , I use this one
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup non-dairy milk, or 1/2 cup for a thicker consistency
Toppings (As Desired)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup or organic cane sugar
- Sliced bananas, fresh fruit berries, raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, or coconut, nuts, flaxseed, chia, or hemp seeds, dark chocolate chips, nut butter, additional maple syrup
Instructions
- Add the oats, water, and salt to the Instant Pot. Give the mixture a few good stirs.
- Lock on the Instant Pot lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 10 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes, then follow the instructions for your machine's model to quick-release the remaining pressure.
- Stir in the milk until combined.
- Add your desired toppings to the pot and stir well, or add toppings to the individual servings. Serve hot!
Notes
- Refrigerating: Leftover instant pot steel cut oatmeal keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Cool the oatmeal to room temperature before transferring it to a freezer-safe container and freezing it for up to 3 months. Defrost the oatmeal overnight in the refrigerator or on low heat in the microwave or stovetop with a splash of milk.
- Reheating: Warm the oats in a microwave for 1-2 minute bursts, stirring between intervals, or with a splash of milk over low heat on the stovetop.
- Adjust the milk. Stir in the full cup of nondairy milk for creamy, spoonable oats. Add less for a thicker consistency.
- Stir in or sprinkle on toppings. Make grab-and-go, easy-to-serve oatmeal by adding the cinnamon, maple syrup, and toppings to the cooked steel cut oats in the pressure cooker. Allow for individual customization by adding them and other toppings to serve.
