Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Published 12/19/2022
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Instant Pot steel cut oats in less than 20 minutes! Learn how to make the creamiest Instant Pot steel cut oats with just 3 simple ingredients + get inspiration on how to flavor and top your bowl of oats.
We Love Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
We are big fans of oatmeal here at Fit Foodie Finds. Some of our all-time favorite and most popular recipes on FFF are our peanut butter banana overnight oats or our crock-pot maple cinnamon steel cut oats. We just love the endless combinations of toppings, mix-ins, and varieties of oats!
We especially love steel cut oats because of its glorious texture and the nutrition that it packs in.
We’re excited to share this Instant Pot steel cut oats recipe because your oats come out so creamy, it’s easy to make, and you can easily serve a crowd!
Steel cut oats nutrition
What are steel cut oats? Steel cut oats are whole oat groats cut into 3 or 4 pieces to create smaller oat groats. Steel cut oats are also referred to as Irish or Scottish Oats.
They feel like thick pieces of rice when uncooked and their cooked texture has a chewy bite to it. A typical bowl of stovetop steel-cut oats can take around 40 minutes to cook because it is less processed than rolled or quick-cooking oats.
Nutrition per 1/4 cup, uncooked: 170 calories | 3.5g fat | 31g carb | 4g fiber | 1g sugar | 4g protein
Try it!
Best Steel Cut Oats
This is the best set it and forget it steel cut oats recipe on the internet! Combine steel cut oats, almond milk, water, mashed banana, and spices in your slow cooker before bed and breakfast will be ready in the morning!
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats less than 20 Minutes!
Today’s steel cut oatmeal recipe takes a fraction of the amount of time it does in the slow cooker and takes less than half the amount of time than the stovetop. But how you ask? The Instant Pot AKA a pressure cooker!
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats pressure cook so fast that the cooking time only takes 10 minutes to make the creamiest, most delicious oats ever. I do want to note that your Instant Pot will take up to 10 minutes to build pressure before it starts to count down, but that is still way less time than 40+ minutes on the stovetop!
What does steel cut oatmeal Instant Pot taste like? Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats are creamy and a bit chewy. They’re meant to be eaten warm and make for a healthy breakfast idea!
kitchen accessories you need
While the most important kitchen accessory you need for this pressure cooker steel cut oats recipe is the Instant Pot, there are a few other things that will make your life so much easier!
- Instant Pot
- Measuring Cups
- Storage Containers
- Bowls
3-Ingredient Steel Cut Oatmeal Instant Pot
We thought we’d keep this Instant Pot steel cut oats recipe as basic as possible so that you can deviate and flavor it as you wish! Here’s what you need to get started:
- Steel Cut Oats – make sure you buy original steel cut oats and NOT the quick-cooking kind. Our favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill.
- Milk – we used unsweetened almond milk in this Instant Pot steel cut oats recipe, but you can use any kind of milk or liquid your heart desires.
- Salt – a pinch of salt goes a long way!
Can you use rolled oats?
Want to make Instant Pot Oatmeal with rolled oats? Check out our Instant Pot Oatmeal with Rolled Oats recipe.
Can you use quick-cooking steel cut oats?
The short answer to this is yes, but the long answer is that the liquid to oats ratio will change. You need less liquid for quick cooking steel cut oats.
Can you use any kind of milk?
Good news! Use whatever liquid your heart desires. The only requirement is a 1:3 ratio of steel cut oats to liquid. Here are some liquid suggestions to test out:
- coconut milk
- water
- cows milk
- soy milk
- oat milk
- almond milk
How to Make Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
- Place steel cut oats, your choice of liquid, and salt into the Instant Pot. Mix.
- Close Instant Pot, turn the valve to seal, and set your Instant Pot to manual > high pressure > and set the timer to 10 minutes. It will take a few minutes to build up enough pressure, but it will count down from 10.
- When the timer goes off, quick release your Instant Pot and let the steam pour out. Open your pressure cooker and stir the steel cut oats. There may be some liquid on top, but this is normal. Just stir to combine.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings!
Flavor Variations
You already know that this is as basic as it gets with Instant Pot steel cut oats and that’s why we’re here to give you some epic flavor variations to really make this recipe your own!
- Apple Cinnamon: grate a medium apple before cooking your oats and add it to the Instant Pot. Then add a teaspoon of cinnamon and cook as directed.
- Maple Pecan: Add in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup before cooking and then top your cooked steel cut oats with a few tablespoons of pecans before serving.
- Blueberry Cream Pie: Add in a cup of fresh blueberries before cooking and then top with your favorite granola.
- Chocolate Protein: Once the oats are done cooking, stir in a few tablespoons of chocolate protein powder and a splash of milk.
- Peanut Butter and Jelly: once the oats are done cooking stir in a tablespoon peanut butter and your favorite jam.
Toppings for Steel Cut Oats
Oats aren’t oats without the toppings! While we kept things classic with nut butter, hemp seeds, and raspberries, you can absolutely go wild with the toppings!
- nuts
- fruit
- milk/coconut milk
- chia seeds
- chocolate chips
Check it out!
How to Make Oatmeal
How to Make Oatmeal: Learn how to make every variation of oatmeal (steel-cut, rolled, and quick-cooking) in every method (stovetop, slow cooker, Instant Pot, overnight, and microwave)!
Storage
Let steel cut oats cool completely. Then, store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
To reheat: transfer into a microwave-safe bowl and then microwave on high for 60-90 seconds.
Freezer Instructions
Let steel-cut oats cool completely. Then, transfer oats into a freezer-safe gallon-size bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Follow a more robust tutorial HERE.
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oatmeal
- 3 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk, or any kind of milk
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place steel cut oatmeal, almond milk, and salt into your Instant Pot and mix.
- Close Instant Pot and turn the valve to seal. Set Instant Pot to manual >> high pressure >> and set the timer to 10 minutes. It will take a few minutes for the pressure to build up enough to start counting down from 10 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, quick release the pressure by opening the valve to let the steam out.
- Once you remove the lid from your Instant Pot, you may notice that there is still some liquid on top of your steel cut oats. This is normal! Simply stir to combine everything together.
- Serve oats with desired toppings such as nut butter, fruit, and hemp hearts.
Tips & Notes
- Storage: store steel cut oats in a glass air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If it still seems like there is too much liquid, put the lid back on the Instant Pot and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was delicious, but I wanted to post a warning. My foodi has a high and low setting, use the low setting for this one. I’m glad I saw it and was able to stop it before things got bad. But I was able to recover and will have yummy steel cut oats with my homemade apple butter all week, Yum!
I rub the very bottom of my inner instapot pan with a little butter to avoid ‘sticking’. Use 2 cups low fat milk, 6 cups water, 2 cups SC oats..cook 10 mins..let cool until able to open lid…store in frig in covered container
Love the butter idea!
Do NOT us cow milk or dairy! It will curdle and go sour under pressure!
Thanks for the tip!