Instant Pot Oatmeal makes for a fast, easy, and healthy breakfast. Prepared in minutes, old-fashioned oats cook up to a perfectly creamy consistency and can be topped in a variety of ways for endless variations.
Oatmeal made in the Instant Pot is a hands-off way to prepare a hearty breakfast that is gluten-free and egg-free and can easily be made dairy-free and nut-free, making this simple breakfast perfect for anyone that has multiple food allergies.
This recipe for Instant Pot Oatmeal is used nearly daily at my house. While I love Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats, my kids much prefer the texture of regular oatmeal. And given that I can prepare this so quickly and oatmeal is such a healthy breakfast option, it is a recipe I make again and again.
While waking up to a slow cooker full of steel-cut oats is dreamy, and grabbing a jar of overnight oatmeal from the refrigerator is a great start to a hot summer morning, I am in love with Instant Pot Oatmeal for a few reasons.
- Completely Hands-Off. No waiting for the water to boil. No stirring while cooking. Just set it and forget it.
- Ready in less than 20 minutes from start to finish. I can set everything up for oatmeal in the pressure cooker when I wake up and by the time I have gotten my kids out of bed and dressed, breakfast is ready to be served. However, I often prep a batch on the weekend and just reheat on hectic weekday mornings.
- Customizable. I can make a large batch of oatmeal that can be customized a million different ways to please everyone in my family--so the person who doesn't like bananas can have raisins and walnuts instead.
- Healthy. Oats are a great source of fiber and whole grains and have a lower GI index, which can help regulate blood sugar. Instant Pot Oatmeal is a breakfast that will keep you full for HOURS.
- Allergy-Friendly. This recipe can be made Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free, Egg-Free, and Soy-Free.
What you Need
- Instant Pot: Use any size instant pot you like. This recipe works for 3, 6, or 8-quart models.
- Oats: This recipe is designed for old-fashioned rolled oats. Be sure they are gluten-free if needed.
- Liquid: For oats to cook properly, you need to use a ratio of 3:2 liquid to oats. When cooking oats in your instant pot, much like rice, you will NOT need as much liquid as you do when cooking on the stovetop. This is because, when you cook oats on the stove, some of the liquid is evaporated, but in the pressure cooker, no liquid is evaporated. I prefer to use a mixture of dairy and water for creamy oats, therefore pot-in-pot Instant Pot cooking method must be used. If using water alone, you can cook your oats directly in the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Use any variety of milk or non-dairy milk you like.
- Heat-Safe Bowl: To cook the oats in a mixture of water and dairy, you will need a heat-safe bowl to mixt the oats in. I recommend a stainless steel bowl, but a deep cake pan designed for the instant pot will work as well. When I first wrote this post, I suggested using an oven-safe glass dish, since then Pyrex has come out to say that their dishes are not safe in the Instant Pot, therefore I do not recommend using.
- Rack: Use a metal trivet to lift the bowl above the water.
How to Cook Instant Pot Oatmeal
Making old-fashioned oats in the Instant Pot is incredibly simple.
RIDICULOUSLY SIMPLE.
Step One: Place the trivet in the inner pot of your pressure cooker and pour in 1 cup cold water for 6-quart instant pots and 1.5 cups of water for an 8-quart Instant Pot.
Step Two: In a heat-safe bowl, mix your oats and liquid together with a bit of flaxseed. The flaxseed is optional but adds omega fatty acids and fiber.
Step Three: Put the lid on your instant pot, turn your valve to "sealed", and set your pressure cooker to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. I have found it takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes to come to pressure.
Step Four: Allow your oatmeal to sit in the Instant Pot for at least 5 minutes before doing a quick release of remaining pressure--see my tips on doing a quick release in my Instant Pot 101.
I would not release the pressure right away, because this may cause your oatmeal to spill out of your pot in pot.
Step Five: Serve warm with any desired toppings.
Flavor Varieties
There are about as many varieties of oatmeal as there are people.
One of the main reasons I love to make a big batch of plain Instant Pot Oatmeal is so that each person can flavor their oatmeal exactly as they desire.
Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot Oatmeal serving ideas. Each recipe is for one serving of oatmeal.
- Vanilla Maple: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and ½ tablespoon maple syrup.
- Almond Joy: use coconut milk as your dairy or top cooked oatmeal with a bit of coconut milk before serving and top with mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and toasted almonds
- Pumpkin Pie: mix in 2-3 tablespoons pumpkin puree, ½ tablespoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
- Raisin Nut: top oatmeal with a dash of cinnamon and 1-2 tablespoons each of raisins and chopped walnuts.
- Apple Pie: top oatmeal with chopped fresh apple, cinnamon, and honey or maple syrup.
- Honey Nut: stir in 1 tablespoon honey and top with toasted nuts of any variety.
- Pina Colada: top oatmeal with pineapple chunks, toasted coconut, and sliced bananas. Serve with a splash of coconut milk.
- Savory Sausage and Cheese: add in ¼ cup cooked crumbled sausage and ¼ cup shredded cheese.
- Savory Bacon and Egg: top oatmeal crumbled bacon and a fried egg
- Berries and Cream: stir in ¼ cup fresh berries. ½ teaspoon vanilla and ¼ cup yogurt
Do you have to cook Instant Pot Oatmeal using the pot in pot method?
If you do not want to use dairy in your oats, there is no need to use the pot-in-pot cooking method. Simply, grease the inner pot with cooking spray and then mix in 2 cups of oats with 3 cups of water (or double the amounts) and then cook for 1 minute on high pressure with a natural pressure release.
More Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
- Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
- Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
- Instant Pot Yogurt
- Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
- Instant Pot French Toast Casserole
If you enjoyed this recipe for Instant Pot Oatmeal, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup water plus water for inside pressure cooker
- 2 cups milk any kind
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed
Instructions
- Insert the trivet into the Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup cold water inside the inner pot for a 3 or 6-quart instant pot and 1.5 cups of cold water into an 8 quart instant pot.
- Inside a 7-cup heat-safe bowl, mix together the oats, 1 cup water, and 2 cups milk, and flaxseed. Please note that Pyrex is NO longer approved for using inside and instant pot.
- Place the bowl on top of the trivet and put the lid on Instant pot.
- Set Valve to "sealed" and set manual or time to 3 minutes on high pressure.
- Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes before carefully releasing any additional steam by using a wooden spoon to turn valve to vent.
- Remove bowl carefully from pressure cooker and then serve with desired toppings or allow to cool and store in fridge to reheat as needed.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- You need a total of 3 cups liquid to 2 cups oats for oats to cook properly. If you want your oats to be really loose, use an additional ½ cup of dairy or water.
- You can use all water or all dairy. In my experience all water is incredibly bland and using all dairy/non-dairy as your liquid doesn't result in oats breaking down into a creamy texture.
- It is important to note if you are using a high-fat dairy (like coconut cream or whole milk) you MUST use only half full-fat dairy products with half water so the fat in your dairy will not separate.
- You will also need additional water under the trivet for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
Margaret A Hileman
These recipes all sound good but I have a question instead. I'm lazy, old and set in my ways. Also my taste palate is limited. I live alone so a recipe for feeding an army is not an option. I like the maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal. The prescribed method does not get it done enough for me. What I would like to know is what adjustments do I need to make to prepare it in the Instant Pot and have it "DONE". Some may call it overdone. I like it soft. Don't want crunchy oatmeal or little chewy bits.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Margaret. Instant Oatmeal packets use quick-cooking oats, so they are smaller and will have a softer texture. You can try using them for this recipe, or add 2 minutes of cooking time for softer oats.
Joshua
The kids love this, and it's so easy. Sometimes I mix in an egg for some proteiny goodness.
Kristen Chidsey
Great idea Joshua! Thanks for sharing.
Megan
This is officially my favorite way of making oatmeal. Turns out perfect every time.
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you for sharing Megan! I love this hands-off method myself.
Dan
I ventured off of your oatmeal recipe. I used the inner bowl method without the milk, only water. It still turned out good. One question, how long is 'natural release'? I'm having trouble knowing when to open the lid. I released pressure 5 minutes after cook time completed, steam came out. Thanks for the advice on how to use the Instant Pot Duo 6 Qrt.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Dan! Natural release means to allow the float valve to float down on its own and the lid to unlock. This recipe specifies to allow natural release for 10 minutes before trying to release any remaining pressure.
Cee
Hi Dan! In my way of understanding; a natural release means that you either press cancel once the food is done, or you just leave it alone until the pressure bobbin drops on its own before opening the pot. Some recipes will designate a set amount of natural release time after the food is done cooking (like 10 minutes) before hitting the pressure quick release switch; then you just open it when the bobbin sinks.
Karen
I got a burn notice. I was able to salvage enough oatmeal for breakfast, but won’t be doing that again.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Karen! This recipe is designed for pot in pot, unless using only water as your liquid with the oats. That is to prevent a burn notice from happening.
Wendy
I have fresh pears from my tree so I sautéed 2 small pears in water, then added 2 Tbls. pure maple syrup, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 c. chopped pecans and a pinch of salt. Then I proceeded to add (1/2) recipe above, except I doubled the flaxseed.
Kristen Chidsey
That sounds like an incredible combination! Thanks for sharing!
Carol R
Absolutely love this recipe ❣️❣️ So quick and easy. I added Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and plenty of Cinnamon before closing the lid. Added half a banana and 2 tbs. Darigold French Vanilla Creamer…DELISH 😋
Kristen Chidsey
I love your additions Carol! And thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Heather Belisle
Hello!! How much is considered a "serving"? I didn't see anywhere how much the final recipe would yield.
Thank you!!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Heather. Each serving is about 1 cup after cooking.
David Ferguson
Just got my 8 qt Hot Pot. Oatmeal is the very first thing I am using it for....
Just to be super clear....
I am using a small stainless steel inner pot on top of the trivet instead of the pyrex. I need to pour water inside the 8 qt liner AND water in the oatmeal preparation pot too?
Your recipe indicates 3-5 min on high, but the button on the pot shows 20 min for porridge. What is the 20 min recipe for?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi David! Welcome to the world of Instant Pot Cooking! To answer your questions, yes you need water in the liner and in the stainless steel bowl as well. The water in the liner is what allows pressure to be build up and reached. And I do not recommend using the pre-set functions on the instant pot. They are not specific--just a guess. The instant pot does not know if you are cooking groats, oats, or steel-cut oats which are all types of porridge and cook vastly different. I talk more in detail about the functions on my post Instant Pot Settings. Hope that helps!