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Instant Pot Oatmeal is the ultimate breakfast--fast, hands-off, and completely customizable! In less than 20 minutes, you can enjoy creamy, perfectly cooked rolled oats, prepared effortlessly right in your Instant Pot.
Effortless Instant Pot Oatmeal
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, Instant Pot Oatmeal is my hands-down favorite way to effortlessly prepare oatmeal!
It takes minutes to prepare, is always super creamy, and packs in a nice serving of whole grains and fiber into breakfast. Serve it with any toppings you like for a wholesome breakfast you will never tire of eating.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
How to Make Instant Pot Oatmeal
If you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with my guide for using an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Pour in 1.5 cups of cold tap water into the inner pot of an Instant Pot and add a metal trivet.
- In a stainless steel bowl or deep 7x4-inch cake pan (I find the cake pans easiest to find), combine the rolled oats with water and/or milk of choice. If desired, add in flaxseed, ground cinnamon, etc.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed, and set the cooking time using the Pressure Cook or Manual button to high pressure for following times:
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: 3 minutes
- Quick-Cook Rolled Oats: 1 minute
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure if needed by using a long utensil to knock the steam release knob from sealed to venting--be sure to stand back to protect your face.
- Open the Instant Pot and serve your oatmeal as desired.
Kristen's Key Tips
- Use Rolled Oats, Not Steel Cut Oats. If you have steel-cut oats follow my recipe for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats.
- Cook Pot-In Pot. Use a stainless steel bowl or cake pan for easy clean-up and allows you the ability to add milk or non-dairy milk to your oats without causing a burn notice.
- Flavor it Your Way! Add flaxseed for fiber, protein powder, top with fresh fruit, stir in nut butter--the options are endless!
Not Adding Dairy?
Skip the Pot-in-Pot Method
If you are not adding dairy or non-dairy milk, you can prepare oatmeal directly in the inner pot.
- Combine 2 cups of rolled oats with 3 cups of water directly inside the inner pot.
- Cook on HIGH pressure for 1 minute for old-fashioned rolled oats or 0 minutes for quick-cooking rolled oats.
- Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then serve as desired.
Ideas for Toppings
One of the main reasons I love to make a big batch of plain Instant Pot Oatmeal is so that each person can flavor/top their oatmeal exactly as they desire. Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot Oatmeal variations.
- Maple Syrup & Berries: Drizzle oatmeal with maple syrup and top with any berries you like. Add nuts if desired.
- Peanut Butter & Banana: Top oatmeal with sliced banana and drizzle with peanut butter.
- Almond Joy: Top oatmeal with mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and toasted almonds.
- Pumpkin Pie: Mix in 2-3 tablespoons pumpkin puree, ½ tablespoon maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- Raisin Nut: Top oatmeal with a dash of cinnamon and 1-2 tablespoons each of raisins and chopped walnuts.
- Apple Pie: Top with freshly chopped apple, cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
- Savory: Top oatmeal with cooked breakfast sausage or baked bacon, shredded cheese, and/or a fried egg.
- Berries and Cream: Top oatmeal with ¼ cup of fresh berries and up to ½ cup of yogurt.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Allow the oatmeal to cool slightly and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Reheat individual servings in a heat-safe bowl in 60-second intervals in the microwave.
FAQs on Instant Pot Oatmeal
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.
NO! 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 no longer recommend using any glass heat-safe dish. Stainless steel is the way to go to be safe!
More Staple Easy Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Yogurt
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Instant Pot Oatmeal
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup water, plus water for inside inner pot
- 2 cups milk, any variety
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed, optional
Instructions
- Pour in 1-½ cups of cold tap water into the inner pot and add a metal trivet.
- Inside a 7-cup heat-safe bowl or 7x4-inch cake pan, mix together the 2 cups of rolled oats with 1 cup water, 2 cups milk of choice, and 1 tablespoon flaxseed, if using. Place the bowl or pan inside the inner pot on the trivet.
- Place the lid on the Instant pot and ensure the pressure valve is set to "sealed." To set the cooking time, hit Manual or Pressure Cook and set to cook on HIGH Pressure for 3 minutes for old-fashioned rolled oats and 1 minute for quick-cooking oats.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before carefully releasing any additional steam by using a wooden spoon to turn steam valve to vent.
- Remove the bowl carefully from the pressure cooker and then serve with desired toppings or allow to cool and store in fridge to reheat as 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 while cooking under pressure.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in 2017, updated in 2025.
HELP! I have tried 3 times and 3 times I have got the BURNT signal.
I put 1 cup of old fashioned oats with 3 cups of skimmed milk. Then only 1 min on high pressure and half way it says it is burnt. Why??????
🙁
Hi Alicia, I am so sorry for your frustration. You can not put dairy into your instant pot, unless you are using the pot in pot method. Dairy will cause your Instant Pot to get a burn notice. My directions state you need to place your oats and milk in an oven safe bowl. Then pour 1 cup water into the inner pot. Place trivet inside your instant pot and then place your oven safe bowl on trivet and proceed with cooking. If you do not want to use pot in pot you need to use only water to cook your oatmeal.
Third time I have used my insta pot. I didn't have a glass bowl that fit in my 6 qrt .instapot. I put ingredients into pot directly and I also used 2 cups if 1% milk for the liquid. Added raisins and cinnamon. Turned out perfect. Pot doesn't look to hard to clean up.
YAY! So glad this was easy for you to follow!
I have the 8 quart instant pot. I like to use Pot in Pot so I am trying your recipe now. Should the pip be covered? With something like aluminum foil? How would it turn out if it was or wasn’t covered?
Hi Jane, there is no need to cover your pot in pot, unless the recipe states to do so. (In that case you would use foil) But this works perfectly uncovered. Enjoy!
sooo i don't want 6 servings, can i do 1 cup oats and 1 cup water and 1 cup almond milk
Hi Annee! I have tried doubling this recipe and cutting in half with fabulous results. Use 1 cups of oats to 1.5 cups total liquid.
Thank you for this pip recipe. It came out perfectly creamy and delicious. I added 3/4 T of pure maple syrup, 2 T chia seeds and 2 cups vanilla almond cashew (25 calorie ea. cup) "milk" with the 1 cup of water mixed into the oats. I put in 1cup HOT water into the pot so that it would come to pressure faster, which it did (2 minutes to pressure). The entire time was 15 minutes. When I opened the lid I thought that there was too much liquid but then I remembered that stirring it several times would make the liquid get more incorporated into the oats. My other suggestion is to make aluminum foil packets (foil folded into thirds lengthwise and wrapped around the trivet handles to act like long handles) to make taking out the bowl with the oats in it easier. I just finished my last spoonful with banana and cinnamon. DELICIOUS! Thanks again, Judy
Yay!!! I am so glad you enjoyed this Judy! And love the tip for the aluminum foil trivets.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I’m a newbie to IP cooking and this is my first PIP attempt. It turned out great. I used 3 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk with my 2 cups oatmeal. So creamy. Going in as a breakfast rotation.
YAY!! I am so glad you enjoyed! This Instant Pot can be overwhelming, so I am glad you found my explanations helpful.
Is the 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pot our of the 2 cups in the recipe? so 1 cup in the bottom and 1 cup in the oatmeal with 2 cups of dairy?
That is correct Matt! Enjoy!
Is the bowl placed inside the pressure cooker in order to make it easier to clean?
I reduced the water to 1c, and made it without the bowl and rack. (I couldn't find the rack.)
I am making the oatmeal now. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hi Erica. The pot in pot method is NECESSARY if cooking your oatmeal with dairy. You can not pour dairy directly into your pressure cooker and not get the burn warning. If you are using all water, you will be fine--just a bit messier to clean up.
Thank you so much for asking this question .... I was confused too and I was hoping someone had asked. I love things cooked in the instant pot and I think my husband will really enjoy this ... plus I don't have to worry about getting distracted and burning my oatmeal. Win/Win
I am glad you ask questions too!! It helps me better write posts in the future 🙂 I hope you love this oatmeal Kathleen!
Can steel cut be substituted? And would the water and or almond milk amounts change?
Hi Bill, the directions would be different. Here are my directions for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats.