Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

A bowl of brown sugar maple slow cooker oatmeal in a white bowl topped with chopped pecans and maple syrup.

4.95 from 159 votes

Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

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

Prep Time5

Cook Time6

Total Time6 5

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Equipment

Slow Cooker (no bells and whistles, but gets the job done!)

Ingredients

1 teaspoon melted coconut oil, canola oil, or cooking spray for greasing crockpot
2 cups regular 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
¼ cup brown sugar
chopped nuts for serving

Instructions

Grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker insert using coconut oil, cooking spray, or canola oil.
Combine the steel-cut oats, water, milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together in the slow cooker.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours for a firm texture OR 8 hours 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. Quick-cooking steel-cut oats, regular or quick-cooking oats will not work.

Change the Texture: For thinner oatmeal, use 8 cups of liquid; for thicker oatmeal, use 6 cups of liquid. I don't recommend exceeding 4 cups of milk as then the oatmeal would be at risk of scorching the bottom of your slow cooker.

Note on Burning: 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 or use a slow cooker liner.

Halving/Doubling the Recipe: It is best to use the recipe as written, as adjusting quantities will impact how the recipe slow cooks for this particular recipe. To half the recipe, you can do so with success in a 4-quart slow cooker. To double the recipe, use a 10-quart slow cooker, stirring every 4 hours. You may also need longer cooking time.

Dairy-Free: Use your favorite unsweetened, vanilla, or plain non-dairy milk.

Storage: Store leftover oatmeal in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat individual servings in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, adding milk if needed to thin. To freeze, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight, then place in a heat-safe bowl and then reheat it in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval until warmed through. Add milk to thin if desired.

Nutrition