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If you’re not a fan of steel cut oats, it may very well be because you haven’t tried them like this yet! The Instant Pot is the best and easiest way to get creamy, rich steel cut oats – it’s so fast and foolproof you’ll want to make them every morning!
🥣 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- When you cook steel cut oats in the Instant Pot, they turn out creamy, buttery, slightly toasted – everything oats should be. Say goodbye to bowls of bland, mushy oatmeal that feels more like wet cardboard than a satisfying, comforting breakfast dish.
- The Instant Pot makes cooking so much easier in general, but it makes cooking steel cut oats in particular just flat-out foolproof. Plus it’s so easy, which is pretty much essential for anything I have to cook before everyone rushes out the door to work and school. No standing over the stovetop, stirring and monitoring and adjusting and stirring.
- If your mornings are really wild, you can use this recipe to make a weeks’ worth of steel cut oats for grab-and-go breakfasts! The recipe easily doubles or triples as long as your Instant Pot is big enough. Just transfer the cooked oats to airtight containers (mason jars work great for this) and let the oats cool completely. Seal them up and stick them in the fridge. They’ll keep for 5 days or so, and you can reheat them in the microwave with a touch of water or milk.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- If you want to cook your oats in milk rather than water, I recommend using almond milk. Dairy-based milks typically don’t do as well in the pressure cooker, and they’re more likely to give you a burn notice. Cook in almond milk, and save the heavy cream or the half and half for serving.
- I’ve listed a handful of topping suggestions in the recipe card below, but really, steel cut oats are SO versatile. You can put almost anything with them. It just depends on what you’re in the mood for!
- This recipe was developed and tested for regular steel cut oats, not quick-cooking steel cut oats! The quick oats don’t take as long to cook, so they’ll definitely overcook here. Make sure you use the right kind!
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Rich & Creamy Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
- Silicone spatula or large wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 3 cups water or almond milk
- 1 large pinch salt
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 2 tablespoons butter and let melt, moving butter around Instant Pot insert occasionally.
- When butter has almost completely melted, add 1 cup steel cut oats and stir to incorporate. Toast oats until butter is fully absorbed and mixture is fragrant.
- Pour in 3 cups water or almond milk and 1 large pinch salt. Stir to incorporate.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot, making sure vent is in Sealing position, and set to Manual High Pressure for 6 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.
- When 6-minute cook time is up, Natural release pressure 10 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid and set aside.
- Stir oats, then divide oats into preferred portions. Top as desired and serve warm.
- Make it Dairy Free: Use a plant-based butter.
Topping Suggestions
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half
- Toasted pecans
- Raisins
- Brown sugar + cinnamon
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Banana slices
- Shredded coconut
- Chocolate chips
- Maple syrup
- Peanut butter or almond butter
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Toppings: Maple syrup, heavy cream, toasted pecans, and chopped, pitted dates. MMMM–MMMM–MMM!!! I make the oats simply so that I can choose to top with those wonderful things, or I can use them as a base for a couple of fried eggs, maybe with a spoonful of salsa or pico de gallo added. SO good!!
All of that sounds so delicious! Thanks for sharing, Joyce!