Instant Pot Oatmeal makes for a fast, easy, and healthy breakfast. Prepared completely hands-off in just minutes, old-fashioned oats cook up to a perfectly creamy consistency right in the Instant Pot. This simple oatmeal recipe can be dressed up and served in endless ways for a wholesome breakfast you will never tire of eating.
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 many 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.
- Customizable. I can make a large batch of oatmeal that can be customized in a million different ways to please everyone in my family. So the person who doesn't like bananas can have raisins and walnuts instead--you get the idea.
- 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.
- Affordable: Oats are an inexpensive staple that can be found at just about any store or purchased in bulk online.
- Allergy-Friendly. This recipe for oatmeal is naturally egg-free, nut-free, and soy-free. And with a few simple modifications, Instant Pot Oatmeal can also be gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly.
- Kid-Friendly. While I love Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats, my kids much prefer the texture of regular oatmeal, as do most kids. And with limitless varieties, they never tire of eating this Instant Pot Oatmeal.
👉Given that you can prepare Instant Pot Oatmeal so quickly and it is such a healthy breakfast option, this is a recipe you will find yourself making again and again!
What you Need
- Oats: This recipe is designed for old-fashioned rolled oats. not quick-cooking or steel-cut oats. Be sure that your oats are labeled gluten-free if needed.
- Milk: For the creamiest oatmeal, use any variety of milk or nondairy milk as a portion of your cooking liquid.
- Water: For the best results, use water in addition to milk to cook the oats.
- Flaxseed: Flaxseed is an optional ingredient that adds omega fatty acids and fiber to the oatmeal. You can use either whole flaxseed for added texture or ground flaxseed for this oatmeal recipe.
- Heat-Safe Bowl: To cook the oats in a mixture of water and dairy, you will need a heat-safe bowl.. I recommend a stainless steel bowl, but a deep cake pan designed for the instant pot will work as well.
- 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.
- Place the trivet in the inner pot of your pressure cooker and pour in 1 cup of cold water for 6-quart instant pots and 1.5 cups of water for an 8-quart Instant Pot.
👉Remember to use cold tap water, not warm water as that will ultimately change the cooking time.
- In a heat-safe bowl, mix the oats and liquid together with a bit of flaxseed, and then place that bowl onto the rack inside the prepared Instant Pot.
- 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.
- Allow your oatmeal to sit in the Instant Pot for 5-10 minutes before doing a quick release of the 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 bubble up and spill out the pot it is being prepared in.
- Serve the oatmeal 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 and nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of 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 of fresh berries. ½ teaspoon vanilla and ¼ cup yogurt
Preparing In Advance
Even if you are cooking for one, I recommend preparing a full batch of Instant Pot Oatmeal. Once cooked, allow the oatmeal to cool slightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat individual servings as desired.
FAQs on Making Oatmeal in the Instant Pot
No! I prefer to make my oats using milk to keep the oatmeal super creamy. That said, if you are not using dairy or nondairy milk to make your oatmeal, there is no need to use the pot-in-pot cooking method. Simply mix together 2 cups of oats with 3 cups of water directly inside the inner pot. Cook on HIGH pressure for 1 minute (not 3 minutes) with 5-10 minutes of natural pressure release.
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!
Yes! To use quick-cooking oats simply reduce the cooking time from 3 minutes on HIGH pressure to 1 minute on HIGH pressure.
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 rolled oats
- 1 cup water plus water for inside pressure cooker
- 2 cups milk any variety
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed
Instructions
- Insert the trivet into the Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup of 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, 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 the Instant pot. Set Valve to "sealed" and set manual or time to 3 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5-10 minutes before carefully releasing any additional steam by using a wooden spoon to turn 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.
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.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2017, updated in 2022 with a new video.
Wendy
Fantastic! So easy and I don't have to watch and stir a pot on the stove! I made it just like the recipe (with unsweetened almond milk), but I also added raisins and a heaping amount of cinnamon and 1/8 tsp. salt. So good!
Served with more almond milk and pure maple syrup.
Kristen Chidsey
Yum! I love the additions you made Wendy! So glad you enjoyed this simple recipe.
Teresa Williams
Why can't you cook the oatmeal in the pot versus using trivet and a bowl?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Teresa! If you use only water you can certainly cook in the pot. Using milk can cause a burn notice. To do this mix together 3 cups water with 2 cups oat and cook for 1 minute.
Shay
Hey you should or i ably edit this post at the beginning to clarify that you can’t use Pyrex. I followed all the steps up to putting my Pyrex bowl full of water milk and oats into the instant pot only to then find your disclaimer at the bottom. That was a bit frustrating and it was a mask and I end up having to make the food on the stove. It would help if in the top of the post you mentioned what Pyrex said so that early on we know if we have the right equipment to do the recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Shay! I am so sorry for that hassle. I mentioned the issue in the body of the post as well, but just updated to include this not in the 2nd step of the recipe. Great feedback.
karen lavine
Thanks for creating this recipe and posting it. Great idea to add in a tablespoon of flax seed. I found that it's easy to remove the bowl from the instapot pot after cooking if I place the instapot pot in the sink and remove a generous amount of the cooked oats from the bowl. Then I tip the pot at a 45 degree angle so I can slip my fingers between the now cooled pot and bowl and lift out the bowl without spilling any contents.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for the tip Karen! That is a great one!
lovebug12
Turned out really well, thanks mindfullmom!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad to hear this!!
Jim
Hi Kristen,
Oatmeal was a staple when I was growing up in Scotland, so it's great to see a modern recipe. One thing though, in Step 3 you say high pressure for 8 minutes, but in the printed recipe it's 3 minutes. Can you clarify please?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jim! It is 3 minutes cook time. Sorry for any confusion.
Julie
Super easy and yummy!! I love this recipe.... I and some vanilla and cinnamon and use 2 c coconut milk and 1 c water....my new favorite for my mid morning breakfast with some fresh banana and maple syrup topping 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed. I love your additions as well.
BfromMN
I’ve made this twice both times without the flaxseeds. I did add apples and a bit more milk the first go round and I let the instant pot do NPR but the recipe is perfect.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you have been enjoying this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review .
Anodyne Havoc
Yay!
Here’s another brilliant tip. To be 100% healthy you need to get rid of the anti-nutrients from the grain. For oat you would want to mix the flakes with a tablespoon of buckwheat flour and soak it with 3 parts water for 24 hours. Rinse in a strainer for a minute before boiling. You will only need a third of the required liquid for boiling and if you leave the mix for 48 hours you’ll get sour dough style porride. Smooth as silk and bursting with flavour. I eat it with a small knob of ghee (clarified butter) which, technically, isn’t a dairy due to the lack of milk protein.
Enjoy!
Sue B
Just made this to toast me up on this snowy day! (Gave me an excuse to buy that PIP.) Now what am I going to do with all those single-serve packets of oatmeal in my pantry? Safe to say, this is now my preferred method of cooking oatmeal! Thanks for such a delicious recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed so much Sue.
Lau
Love this! Can’t wait to try it! Would you? By any chance, have a link to the Pyrex bowl you’re using? Thank you!!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lau, here is the link to the pyrex bowl I used: https://amzn.to/2FuFDWP, but to be honest, I am about to update the post using this stainless steel bowl. Pyrex has said their bowls are not pressure cooker safe (now a lot of people use them with no issue) but I would hate for something to happen, now that I know this.
Tricia Russell
You say you need a total of 3 cups liquid to 1 cup oats for oats to cook properly, but the recipe ratio is 2 cups of oats to 3 cups of liquid. Can you please clarify which one is correct? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tricia. You need 2 cups of oats to 3 cups of liquid. I am trying to find where you saw that it was stated you need 3 cups of liquid to 1 cup oats so I can be sure to correct that. Sorry for any confusion.
J
It is the last thing you wrote in the notes in the recipe. I am glad to see this comment clarifying or I would be afraid to try it.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh goodness--thank you for pointing that typo out. Fixing now!
Lizz
I'm not an oatmeal person but wanted to find an easy breakfast option. I did not have a 7 cup bowl that fits inside my IP, so I halved the recipe (1 cup cold water in the pot, 1/2 cup water in the bowl with 1 cup Trader Joe's rolled oats and mixed in 1 cup Half and Half). Also, I did not have any flaxseed on hand but added one tablespoon of honey butter from Sam's Club. Oh my, this was THE BEST OATMEAL I'VE EVER HAD! (FYI: I added a smidge of brown sugar, chopped walnuts with Bourbon barrel-aged Maple syrup, and chopped whole organic dried cranberries, both from Trader Joe's) This recipe made about two servings so I've saved the rest for tomorrow with some tea. Yum!
Thank you for this delicious recipe Kristen - I am officially an oatmeal person now (and hopefully my family will be too)! I can't wait to try your other flavor options.
Kristen Chidsey
This makes me so happy Lizz! I love what you added to your oatmeal--sounds absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing with us! Enjoy tomorrow as well!
Heidi
Im always frustrated with recipes that dont tell you the exact amount for ingredients. Ive never made oats and thats why i was looking up recipes. I dont like guess work. Even though you state 1 cup of water/milk you never stated how much oats. I guess i just move on to the next recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Heidi. Sorry for your frustration, but the amounts are listed in the recipe card.
keith nygaard
No they're not. How many cups of oats???????
Kristen Chidsey
In the recipe card it states 2 cups of old fashioned oats 🙂
Summer
I've had such a hard time finding a recipe for old fashioned oatmeal in the instant pot without added other stuff. I really would love to have a bit more detail in this recipe. I don't want to use dairy - I see where you put one cup of water in the Instant pot, then the oatmeal in an added bowl - but how much water to go with the oatmeal? You say one cup, and then you say one cup of dairy. So if I don't want the dairy is it two cups of water? Is it one cup of oats to one cup of water or one cup of oats to two cups of water? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Summer. You need 3 cups liquid to 2 cups oats. If cooking pot in pot, mix that all together and then place into instant pot on trivet over 1 cup of cold water. If making right in the Instant Pot, just mix it all together and cook as instructed. Hope that helps.
Summer
Thanks for clarifying a bit! I am still sort of confused by what the recipe card says - it does not all match up or seem totally clear, but from your reply I guess I put 2 cups of old fashioned oats in the inner 7 cup bowl, and 1 cup of water. No dairy. All this on the trivet over one cup of water in the instant pot. Then I cook on pressure, high, for 8 minutes, let it naturally release for 5 minutes, then release pressure. Done. Will try this this morning!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Summer. I am so sorry for your confusion. For every 2 cup oats, you need 3 cups liquid. So you need 2 cups oats, 1 cup water, 2 cups milk of your choice (or 3 cups water). Mix that together in a bowl. Place trivet inside inner pot. Pour in 1 cup cold water into pressure cooker and then place bowl on trivet. Then cook as directed. I hope that helps.
Sue
I appreciate reading the flavor suggestions to customize the completed oatmeal. I would like to point out that plant milks are NOT dairy, so there is no problem whatsoever using them in the Instant Pot. In fact, the oatmeal recipe in the Instant Pot recipe book includes plant milk. I have made this as well as many other hot cereal recipes with great success.