This is my family’s favorite steel rolled oats recipe. I make it on the stovetop, but I’ve also included tips for cooking steel cut oats in a slow cooker or pressure cooker (like an Instant Pot).
My family often eats oatmeal for breakfast.We love it almost any way we can get it, like this easy oatmeal recipe rolled with oats, our baked oatmealand even transform energy balls with peanut butter and honey. We call steel cut oats “fancy oats” in our house and we absolutely love them.
Steel cut oats are whole oats cut into small pieces (instead of flat discs like rolled oats). They take a little longer to cook than rolled oats. My method of making them is also very simple can’t wait for you to try it!
How to make steel cut oats
I like to cook steel cut oats on the stovetop. However, if you prefer the hands-off approach, you can absolutely cook them in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot. You’ll find detailed instructions for those methods below. We don’t recommend cooking them in the microwave Chopped Oats If you need a super quick oatmeal recipe, check out our easy oatmeal with microwave cooking tips.)
When cooking steel cut oats on the stove, I stick to a simple ratio of one part oats to three parts liquid, which ensures perfectly cooked, creamy oats every time. Remember, the liquid ratio may vary slightly when using a slow cooker or pressure cooker you’ll find specific tips for those devices in the accompanying recipe.
To make steel cut oats, start by frying them in a tablespoon of butter, coconut oil or vegan butter for about 2 minutes, adding a nice nutty flavor to the oats. Then pour in the water and bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes will soften and absorb most of the water.
For extra creaminess, stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of milk. Finally, adjust your bowl with spices, a dollop of butter, and a sweet touch like maple syrup or honey. Additional top suggestions are below.
How to serve steel cut oats
You can mix anything you like into cooked oatmeal, but here’s a little extra inspiration for you:
- Pureed or sliced fruit: I like bananas, strawberries and blueberries
- Roasted nuts and seeds such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts or roasted pumpkin seeds.
- Like peanut butter peanut butter, almond butteror cashew butter
- Chia seeds, hemp seeds or ground flax seeds
- Cream, milk, buttermilk, yogurt or non-dairy milk (eg homemade oat milk)
- Vanilla extract or spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
- Brown sugar, honey or maple syrup
- Dried fruits such as cranberries, mulberries or raisins
- Fried spinach or cabbage and a boiled egg or soft boiled egg
Easy steel cut oats
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PREP
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Cook
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TOTALLY
Steel-cut oats are whole oat grains that have been cut into small pieces (instead of flat discs like rolled oats). They take a little longer to cook than other types of oats. When cooked, steel-cut oats have a creamy texture , chewy texture We love them with fruit and nut butter, but see our article above for topping suggestions.
For faster cooking, consider soaking the oats in water overnight before cooking them.Soaking them will cut cooking time in half.
4 servings
You will need it
2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter
1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups of water
Fruit salt
1/2 to 1 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sweetener, such as brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
Optional oatmeal toppings like nut butters, fruit, nuts, and seeds
Directions:
- Stovetop Steel Cut Oats
1:Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the bottom of a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oats and stir them into the butter for a minute or two or until they start to smell nutty.
2:Combine the oats with the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice to lift the oats stuck to the bottom of the pan.
3:Mix milk, butter, cinnamon and honey. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the oats are tender, slightly chewy. If the oatmeal seems dry, add more water or milk. Serve with your favorite oatmeal.
- Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats
1:Slow cooker steel cut oats are much creamier than when cooked using other methods (think creamy, hearty oatmeal pudding).To cook steel cut oats in the slow cooker, combine 1 cup of steel cut oats with 4 cups of water spices you like (I add 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt) Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.Stir the oats before serving. For an extra creamy oatmeal, stir in 1/2 to 1 cup milk.
- Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
1:To cook steel cut oats in a pressure cooker, just like in an Instant Cooker, combine 1 cup steel cut oats with 3 cups water, a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon butter (or vegetable butter). cover and then cook in a mechanical or pressure cooker on high pressure for 3 minutes.When the cooking time is over, let Let the pot release the pressure naturally. Stir well before serving. For creamier oats, add 1/2 to 1 cup milk.
Advice from Adam and Joan
- Storage. Refrigerate cooked steel-cut oats for up to 5 days and freeze for up to 3 months. Steel-cut oats thicken as they sit, so you may need to add a splash of water or milk when reheating them to get them to the perfect consistency.
- Steel cut oats soaking. Steel cut oats do not need to be soaked before cooking. However, if you soak steel-cut oats in water (usually for 8 hours or overnight), they will soften a bit. Because the oats are softer, they cook faster the next day. Soaking can also help unlock some of the oats’ nutrients making them more accessible for us to absorb If you plan to soak steel cut oats, cooking time on the stove will be reduced by by half.
- For gluten-free oatmealmake sure the oats and any supplements you plan to use are certified gluten-free.
- The nutrition facts below are estimates. We have not included fillings in the calculations. We assumed whole milk in the calculations.
Nutrition per serving
Serving size
1/4 of the recipe
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Calories
215 calories
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Total fat
9 g
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Saturated fats
4.5 g
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Cholesterol
18.3 mg
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Sodium
60 mg
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Carbohydrate
28.7 g
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Dietary fiber
3.9 g
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Total sugars
5.9 g
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Proteins
5.6 g
