Name: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 23 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup steel cut oats; 3 cups whole milk (you could also use almond milk or water); pinch salt (optional)

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Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats are easy enough for even busy weekday mornings! Put everything in the Instant Pot, set it to cook, go get ready for the day, and then sit down to a warm and hearty breakfast!

bowl of steel cut oats topped with banana, cinnamon, maple syrup, and almonds

When I have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, I really feel like I’m starting the day off right. Steel-cut oats are my favorite because they have such a great chewy texture and nutty flavor – but they take a lot longer to cook than regular oats.

On most mornings, standing at the stove babysitting a pot of oatmeal for 30 minutes isn’t usually an option, so I used to only make steel-cut oats on the weekend. BUT, thanks to my handy-dandy, trusty Instant Pot, now I can have steel-cut oats just about any day of the week!

First, full disclosure: In terms of total time, it takes just as long to cook steel-cut oats in the Instant Pot as it does on the stove (maybe even a tad longer). HOWEVER – don’t run away – when you use the Instant Pot, it’s a completely hands-off process! Just put everything in the Instant Pot, set it to cook, and go about your morning routine. Your steel-cut oats will be waiting for you when you’re ready!

This recipe is also great for meal prep. Make a batch of this oatmeal to use throughout the week. Refrigerate it once it’s cooled. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top, adding a little milk or water to thin it out. Easy!

bowl of steel cut oats with a napkin and spoon on the side

STEEL-CUT VS. ROLLED OATS

How are steel-cut oats different from rolled oats? It’s simply how much the oat groats have been processed (groats are the oat kernels that have had their tough outer shells removed).

Steel-cut oats are less processed and are the closest thing to the unprocessed oat groat. They are simply oat groats that have been cut/chopped up with steel blades. They have a firm, chewy texture and nutty flavor.

Rolled oats are more processed (they steam and flatten the oat groats). They have a much softer texture and, because they have been partially cooked during processing, they cook much quicker than steel-cut oats.

plate with dry steel cut oats and dry rolled oats

POT-IN-POT METHOD

I use the pot-in-pot method to cook oatmeal in the Instant Pot, which means you cook the oatmeal in a pot or oven-safe bowl that is placed on the trivet over water inside the Instant Pot rather than cooking it directly in the Instant Pot pot.? The oatmeal turns out perfect every single time. Plus, there’s no worries about sticking or burning, and clean-up is so much easier!

There’s also no fear of getting a burn warning on the Instant Pot, which can sometimes happen when cooking the oatmeal in just the Instant Pot pot, especially if you are making a smaller batch. With the pot-in-pot method, you can even cook one serving without worry!

A few rules when using the pot-in-pot method:

Always use a bowl that is oven-safe.
Make sure the bowl is large enough to hold the food without touching the sides of the Instant Pot or preventing the lid from closing properly.
Always place the bowl on the raised trivet over water (never put the bowl directly in the pot without the trivet).

instant pot with trivet and bowl inside showing the pot in pot method

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:

Steel cut oats
Whole milk (or almond milk or water)
Salt (optional)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Instant Pot
Trivet (comes with Instant Pot)

HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT STEEL CUT OATS (POT-IN-POT METHOD):

three images showing steps to make instant pot steel cut oats

two images showing steps to make instant pot steel cut oats

Don’t skip the step of letting the pressure naturally release, as the oatmeal is still cooking during this time. If you skip this step, your oatmeal will likely be undercooked.

If your Instant Pot trivet doesn’t have handles that allow you to lift the bowl out of the pot, and you don’t have one of those fancy inserts with the handles, make a sling with aluminum foil. It works like a charm! Like this:

TIPS & TIDBITS:

When you first take the oats out of the Instant Pot, you might think they are not cooked because they will be a bit thin. Just give them a good stir and let them chill out for a minute or two. They will thicken up nicely as they cool a bit.
I have always used milk to make my oatmeal because it makes the oatmeal creamier, and I think it just tastes so much better. I’ve recently started using almond milk to cut down on the calories, and it works well. To me, oatmeal made with water is very bland, but you can use water if you’d like.
Adjusting the amount of servings is simple! All you have to remember is that it’s a 3:1 ratio of liquid to oats. So, if you are using 1 cup oats, you need 3 cups liquid. If you are using ½ cup oats, you need 1½ cups liquid, etc. That’s it! The cooking time will stay the same.

bowl of steel cut oats with bananas, cinnamon, maple syrup, and almonds with a spoonful being taken out

Your beautifully-cooked steel-cut oats are a blank canvas for flavoring them however you like! My favorite way to eat them is to mix in a little pat of butter, some maple syrup, a splash of vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Then I top it with sliced bananas and sliced almonds. YUM! What a great way to start the day!

I hope you try this recipe for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!