Name: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 30 min
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)

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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: 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 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 ¼ cup cooked crumbled sausage and ¼ cup shredded cheese.
Savory Bacon and Egg: top steel cut oatmeal crumbled bacon and a fried egg
Berries and Cream: stir in ¼ cup fresh berries. ½ teaspoon vanilla and ¼ cup yogurt
Banana Chia Almond (pictured): top steel cut oats with sliced banana, 2 teaspoons chia seeds, and chopped almonds.

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