If you are looking for a recipe for perfect Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats, this recipe is for you! In less than 30 minutes from start to finish, the instant pot cooks steel cut oats up to creamy, tender perfection.
This recipe for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal is a staple for busy mornings. It is a hands-off method for making a hearty, healthy breakfast. While it is delicious served plain, the idea for toppings and flavor combinations will mean your family will never tire of eating steel cut oatmeal.
Steel Cut Oatmeal has a reputation of being a recipe reserved only for weekends, as the process for making steel cut oats takes just too long for busy weekdays.
However, with the help of an Instant Pot, Steel Cut Oats become possible even on the busiest of mornings!
I am in love with Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal for a few reasons.
- Completely hands-off.
- Ready in less than 30 minutes.
- It can be flavored in a variety of ways.
- A healthy recipe full of texture, fiber, and nutrients.
Now I know that 30 minutes may seem like a long time for busy mornings, but hear me out. Because cooking the Instant Pot is hands-off, you can wake up, start these steel cut oats in your electric pressure cooker and by the time you blow dry your hair, or drag your kids out of bed, breakfast is ready for you.
Key Ingredients
- Steel Cut Oats: Be sure to use regular steel cut oats, not quick cook steel cut oats. Be sure to use certified gluten-free steel cut oats if you are gluten-free. If you have regular oats, follow my instructions for Instant Pot Oatmeal.
- Liquid of Choice: I recommend a mixture of water and dairy of your choice for the creamiest results. Use any type of dairy you like–regular milk or almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk for a dairy-free version. It is important to note if you are using a high-fat dairy (like coconut cream or whole milk) do not use more than 1 full cup of full-fat dairy, to ensure the fat in your dairy will not separate.
- Flax Seed: This is an optional ingredient, but I like to add it to my oats for omega fatty acids and additional fiber.
How to Cook Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot
There are 3 key things to remember to achieve perfect steel cut oats.
- Follow a simple ratio of 1 cup oats to 3 cups liquid for perfect results every time. You will NOT need as much liquid when preparing steel cut oats in your instant pot, as you do when preparing 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.
- Use Pot in Pot Cooking Method. If you are using a mixture of dairy and water to cook your oats, as I recommend, it is best to cook your oats in a separate stainless steel bowl placed on top of a trivet in the instant pot. This will prevent a burn notice and your milk from curdling when cooking. If you choose to only use water to cook your oats, you can cook your oats directly in the inner pot–just decrease the cook time from 8 minutes on high pressure to 6 minutes on high pressure.
- Allow the instant pot to release pressure naturally for at least 10 minutes. Do not do a quick release of pressure when cooking Steel Cut Oats. This will allow the oats to absorb the liquid and become tender.
Flavor Varieties for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal
One of the main reasons I love to make a big batch of plain Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal is so that each person can flavor their oatmeal exactly as they desire.
Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal serving ideas. Each recipe is for one serving of oatmeal.
- Vanilla Maple: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and 1/2 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, 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
- Raisin Nut: top steel cut oatmeal with a dash of cinnamon and 1-2 tablespoons each of raisins and chopped walnuts.
- Apple Pie: top steel cut oats 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 steel cut oats with pineapple chunks, toasted coconut and sliced bananas. Serve with a splash of coconut milk.
- Savory Sausage and Cheese: add in 1/4 cup cooked crumbled sausage and 1/4 cup shredded cheese.
- Savory Bacon and Egg: top steel cut oatmeal crumbled bacon and a fried egg
- Berries and Cream: stir in 1/4 cup fresh berries. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup yogurt
- Banana Chia Almond (pictured): top steel cut oats with sliced banana, 2 teaspoons chia seeds, and chopped almonds.
More Oatmeal Recipes
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Creamy, tender steel cut oats can be made in less than 30 minutes right in the Instant Pot. Steel Cut Oatmeal makes a great gluten-free breakfast that is full of protein and fiber and can be made dairy-free.
Print Pin RatePrep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Pressure Release: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 271kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cups steel cut oats
- 1 cup water plus more for the inner pot
- 2 cups milk your favorite variety
- dash salt
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed optional
Instructions
- Insert steamer rack inside inner pot of Instant Pot. Add in 1 cup of cold/room temperature water to a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot and 1.5 cups in an 8 quart instant pot.
- Inside a 7 cup heat safe bowl, mix together the oats, 1 cup water, 2 cups dairy of choice, dash of salt, and flax seed if using.
- Place bowl on top of trivet/rack and put lid on Instant pot.
- Set Valve to "sealed" and set manual or time to 8 minutes on high pressure.
- Allow pressure to naturally release.
- 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
- Use gluten-free steel cut oats for gluten free oatmeal.
- Use non-dairy milk like coconut milk, almond milk, or soy milk for dairy-free/vegan steel cut oatmeal.
- It is important to note if you are using a high fat dairy (like coconut cream or whole milk), use no more than 1 cup of of the full fat dairy product and 2 cups of water. This will prevent the dairy from separating in the instant pot.
- This recipe can easily be doubled as long as it fits inside your heat safe bowl.
- If you are cooking steel cut oats with just water, you can make right in the inner pot--no need for using pot in pot method. The only adjustment is to change the cook time to 6 minutes on high pressure, instead of 8 minutes.
- Leftover steel cut oats can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
- Cooked steel cut oats can also be frozen in individual containers for up to 3 months, and reheated as needed.
- 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 recommend this stainless steel bowl.
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Amount Per Serving
Calories 271 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 40mg2%
Potassium 184mg5%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 165IU3%
Calcium 147mg15%
Iron 2.6mg14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
I would love to know how you enjoy this recipe!Snap a picture and tag #amindfullmom on Instagram or Facebook - I would love to see!
Hi there,
The Hatrigo stainless steel bowl that you recommended is not available on Amazon. Any ideas?
Everything is sold out, isn’t it? Actually, you could use a 3 inch 7 inch cake pan or a metal pot in pot pan The larger pan will work for that.
Thanks so much. I just did a double boiler pan and a 3qt pan with a missing handle. Perfect! Thank you for all that you do and responding so promptly!
I meant to say I just discovered these two pans
Hi there,
I have your recipe that I found last year and you said cook on high for 4 min. I’ve been using a Pyrex bowl. I love the chewy outcome! This one says 8 min. Please advise.
Thanks!
Fran
Hi Postel! I cook my regular oats for 3-4 minutes, steel cut for 8. If you like your oats super chewy, cook for 4 minutes 🙂 And I have never had an issue with pyrex dishes (and they do seem to cook faster for me, so I would recommend 6 minutes) but I want to advise what pyrex officially says to keep you all safe.
Hi Can we use a glass bowl???
Hi Marilyn. I have never had an issue with pyrex dishes, but I want to advise what pyrex officially says to keep you all safe. If you use a glass bowl, be sure it is oven safe and you may want to cut the cook time to 6 minutes–but 8 minutes works for super tender oats.
I have made your recipe countless times and I love how my oats turn out. I want to make a batch tomorrow and I have 1 cup of coconut milk, can I use that and 1 cup of whole milk as my dairy or should I just do the 2 cups of whole milk?
Hi Alissa! I am SO glad you enjoy this recipe. My son LOVES when I make this with coconut milk. It adds a rich coconut flavor–so yes, 1 cup of each milk will be great. I hope you enjoy!
I was looking to do this Pot in Pot to prevent burning and also make cleaning easier, and found your recipe. My oats were from a bulk bin and had been around for awhile, so they were a bit too chewy and watery after the recommended time. I set it for another 6 minutes and opened the lid after about another 8 minutes and they were perfect. Next time, I’ll try 10 minutes with a full NR. I also added a cinnamon stick and 2 chopped dates to sweeten them up- very tasty. Thanks for the recipe, Kristen!
You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed Cheryl. Also, what pot did you use to cook your oats in? Some pots can require a bit longer cook time.
Thank you for the recipe! The best part of using your “pot in pot” strategy was that I could store the leftovers right in the pyrex I cooked them in! That’s a huge win in itself. When I cook my oats with milk on the stovetop, the bottom of the pan always gets a film of milk that takes forever to clean. This was quick, easy, and minimal clean up! Thanks.
I am so glad you enjoyed this method Karen!!!
My oats didn’t fully cook…oops, just realized I forgot the salt!
Hi Joyce, the salt should not impact the cook time. Be sure to use cold water and if you like your oats super soft, you can add 1-2 minutes to the cook time. I hope that helps 🙂
Looking forward to trying your method this week. Love some of your mix-in ideas, but a question. Do you ever do any add-ins before cooking? Like apple chunks or dried fruit, or just stir in the pumpkin or peanut butter when you mix oats and water/milk? I would be doing pot-in-pot, so no worries about burning. I just prefer a more cooked taste to some ingredients and spices.
Hi Colleen! If you are using pot in pot and prefer a more cooked taste, by all means add in before cook time.
Thanks! I did a trial run of half a recipe in my IP Mini with just dried cranberries and spices and it worked fine. I may add a little more water and another minute of cook time as they were a little chewy (I’m not sure how soft they’re supposed to get!), but that might be because I used the mini. Did pot-in-pot and they were super creamy!
Hi Colleen! So glad you enjoyed! If you want the oats softer, I would try adding another minute for sure.
Did you use whole flax seeds or did you grind them?
Hi Jeri! I always use ground flax seed to be able to absorb the most nutrients from them 🙂
Hi, thanks for the recipe. I’m hoping to try it out this weekend. Just wondering if I could use a stainless steel pot instead of a glass dish for the pot in pot method, and if it would require adjusting the cook time? Also, any idea if steel cut quick oats would work the same as regular steel cut oats? I’m having trouble finding steel cut oats that aren’t “quick.” Excited to give it a try. I’m hoping my kids will like it as much as the super sugary quaker oatmeal packages they want every morning. Thank you!
Hi Cass! A stainless steel pot will work for pot in pot, but it would depend on it’s thickness if it would effect the cook time. Most should not. As for the time difference between quick cook and regular steel cut oats it would be different, I just have not tested it myself. On the stove, quick cook oats take half the time as traditional steel cut oats, so I would start by cutting the cook time to 3 or 4 minutes. I hope you all enjoy! I love serving oatmeal to my kiddos each morning as well.
Happy to report, this breakfast was a kid-approved success! I used the stainless steel pot and did not adjust anything else (I used regular steel cut oats, not quick oats). I used whole milk as my dairy of choice because that was all we had on hand. I also did your vanilla maple version, and added a sprinkle of brown sugar. With those additions, it was the perfect amount of sweetness. My four year old had two big bowls and my two year old also ate happily. I also enjoyed a big bowl. I’m looking forward to this instead of their daily sugar-filled quaker oatmeal packets. Thank you!
I am so glad you kids enjoyed Cass! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Thanks so very much for the tip about using a bowl inside the pot! Cleanup is so much easier and the oats turned out beautifully.
Hi Deborah! I am so glad you had such great success and easy clean up with this oatmeal recipe.
I’ve tried making the steel cut oats this way, but I end up getting the “burn” notice and the water seeps out from the water catcher on the back (I don’t remember the technical term for that small part). I used the exact oats: water measurement and set for just 5 mins – what am I doing wrong??
Hi Jen! It seems your instant pot is not sealed, which would cause water/water vapor to escape and leak out of the pressure cooker. It may be that your vent knob is not closed, your inner ring is not on correctly, or a few other issues. Here are some common reasons your Instant Pot is not sealing. Hope that helps.
In the article portion it says to put 1 cup of oats and 3 cups of liquid in the inner pot but in the Recipe box at the end it says 1 cup oats and 2 cups liquid. I was wondering which was correct?
Hi Michael, I am not seeing where it says 1 cup oats to 2 cups liquid (the recipe card states 1 cup water and 2 cups milk for 3 cups total) You definitely want to use 1 cup oats to 3 cups liquid. I will look through again to see if I can catch mistake 🙂
Since I have to make individual servings, I wonder if I could use mason jars. I was thinking of following the recipe as is, then, evenly pour in mason jars, and place them in the instant pot to cook. Do you think that would work?
Hi Brandi! Yes, it would work perfectly. I do recommend placing your Mason jars on the trivet though to protect them for direct heat.
What kind of pot did you use inside the pot..was it stainless steel?
I actually used a glass oven safe dish.