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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.
My new favorite way to make oatmeal! Delicious!
I am so glad you enjoyed Stephanie! IP oatmeal is so creamy.
Hello. I was browsing the web looking for how others cook their oatmeal in the IP, as I have been doing it for a few weeks (rolled oats, not quick or instant) and, while tolerable, is way too pasty. I use pot-in-pot for 3 minutes and it is way too paste-like for me. We add ground flax and oat bran, so I tried waiting to add that until the end, and it is still paste. I even adjusted the pressure to "low" but with the same result. Hmmm..... any thoughts?? (p.s. I use same proportion of oats to water (I don't use milk or soymilk in my oats)
The best advice I can give you is to follow my recipe as written. Which is 1 part oats to 3 parts liquid (water is fine) and 8 minutes high pressure. My oats do not turn out gummy and this recipe has been tested many, many times. Your oats will get very pasty without enough liquid. Hope that helps.
I am now making oatmeal we like! Per your suggestion, I increased the water greatly....but, I also make sure the water is boiling before I add it. So: 1.5 cups oats+ 5.5 cups boiling water==> set timer for morning==> 1 minute at low pressure==> remove lid, add ground flax/oatbran/cinnamon==> stir for a bit while we finish getting ready==> perfect oatmeal that is not pasty at all 🙂 (note, this is still pot-in-pot...the 1" water in the liner can be cold)
I am so glad you were able to adapt the recipe to suit your needs. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Favorite basic recipe for oatmeal. Works with even a halfcup of oatmeal with appropriate proportions.
I am so glad you have found a great go to recipe here Joe!
I was looking for an oatmeal recipe to try in my Nina Foodie and yours looked the easiest. I put apples, cranberries, raisins and brown sugar in with the oatmeal and will be adding cinnamon and walnuts. Just heard the beep that it's done cooking. The foodie didn't take 10 min to pressurize. Can't wait to see how it turned out.
I hope you enjoy Dawn! I love cranberries with apples 🙂
Dawn’s recipe adding apples, etc sounds delicious. Any suggestions as to how much of the apples, cranberries, raisins and brown sugar to add? And do I cook it for the same amount of time?
Hi Rose, I hope Dawn will reply with her exact amounts, but if not, I would add 1 cup chopped apple, 1 tablespoon brown sugar (you can add more after cook time if desired sweeter), and 1/4 cup raisins. And cook time will remain the same.
I also tried half the recipe, and while it came out great, it must have blown a bubble up and out, because there was oatmeal all over the inside, including the cover.
Oh dear...I bet a bubble did form. I make this weekly and have never had that happen. But I am glad it turned out.
I halved this recipe (1 cup oats, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup milk, 1/2 tbsp milled flaxseed, plus a dash of salt). I still added 1 cup of water to the pot for steaming. After cooking, I added chopped strawberries and xylitol sweetener. It turned out PERFECTLY. So yummy! Thank you!
Wahoo!! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Really good. I made this with 1% milk and topped it with just raw brown sugar. Next time I think I will try full fat milk or 1% plus a little half-and-half for a bit more creaminess.
I am so glad you enjoyed! Ans yes, full fat milk or half and half will certainly make this creamier!