Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

Bowl of slow cooker oatmeal topped with maple syrup and nuts

4.97 from 115 votes

Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

Slow Cooker Oatmeal made with steel cut oats, maple syrup, and a bit of brown sugar cook up in crockpot overnight for an easy, healthy breakfast recipe.

Prep Time5

Cook Time6

Total Time6 5

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 236kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

2 cups steel cut oats no substitution
4 cups water
3 cups milk any variety
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon melted coconut oil or cooking spray or butter
¼ cup brown sugar
chopped nuts for serving

Instructions

Grease slow cooker by brushing with melted coconut oil.
Mix oats, water, milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together in a large slow cooker.
Place lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low for firm texture and 8 hours on low for a softer texture. Alternatively, cook on high for 3-4 hours.
To serve, dish up oats and top with additional maple syrup and chopped nuts if desired.

Video

Notes

You MUST use steel-cut oats for this slow cooker oatmeal. Regular or quick-cooking oats will not work.
Add in up to ¼ cup flax seed or wheat germ to slow cooker before cooking oatmeal for added fiber.
Add in 1-4 scoops of plain protein powder AFTER the oatmeal has cooked in the slow cooker for added protein.
Add in 1 cup plain yogurt to the oatmeal after the cooking time for a creamy, calcium-rich addition to Crock-Pot Oatmeal.
I have never had an issue with the steel cut oats burning in my slow cooker. However, each slow cooker is different. If your slow cooker burns the bottom of the oats, just don't stir the burnt bottom into the remaining oatmeal and you can eat the rest of the crock-pot oatmeal. In the future, cut back cooking time by 2 hours.
Use non-dairy milk for dairy-free and vegan slow cooker oatmeal.
If you would like to use more milk than water, that is fine. You need a total of 7 cups liquid. I don't recommend exceeding 4 cups milk as then the oatmeal would be in risk of scorching the bottom of your slow cooker.
If you would like your oatmeal thinner, use 8 cups of liquid (5 cups water, 3 cups milk), if you would like thicker oatmeal, use 6 cups of liquid (4 cups of water, 2 cups of milk).

Nutrition