• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Green Healthy Cooking logo

  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • By Category
      • Breakfast
      • Main Dish
        • Fish and Seafood
        • Meat and Chicken
      • Soups
      • Salads
      • Sides & Sauces
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Snack
    • By Diet
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Keto
  • Instant Pot
  • Meal Plans
  • Meal Prep
  • About
    • About Lorena
    • Philosophy
    • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Instant Pot
  • Meal Prep
  • Meal Plans
  • About
×

Home » Breakfast

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats + 12 Topping Ideas

January 21, 2021 By Lorena Grater

Pin Recipe Jump to Recipe
An Instant Pot in the background and cooked steel cut oats in a jar in front.

Fail-proof Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats and 12 topping ideas! 4 savory and 8 sweet. Add any milk you want to make it high fat, low fat, vegan, vegetarian, whichever way you like.

An Instant Pot in the background and cooked steel cut oats in a jar in front.

I couldn’t be happier with the result of multiple recipe tests. I love steel-cut oats and I love my Instant Pot! The pressure cooker makes just about any grain taste amazing. I mean, has there ever been anything better than Instant Pot Rice? Exactly!

What Liquid Should I Cook The Oats In?

Water!! For many reasons. Cooking dairy under high-pressure kind of end ups super weird. Dairy can curdle or separate when pressure cooking. You also risk your pressure valve getting clogged because dairy foams at a high temperature.

Nut milks can burn and you end up with the dreaded burn warning on your display.

Water is and always will be the best liquid to cook steel cut oats and the best part: it tasted “neutral”. You can play will your toppings to make your oats taste like anything you want.

You can make your steel cut oats savory or sweet. They just have an amazing texture with which you can now work to transform into your favorite breakfast bowl.

If you insist in wanting to add milk to your oats I recommend you check out these overnight oats. Those are awesome with milk instead of water :)

What Is The Best Steel Cut Oats To Water Ratio?

The best ratio for perfectly cooked through steel cut oats that end up creamy but not mushy is:

1:2 steel cut oats to water

For savory oats you will want to

How Long Do I Have To Pressure Cook Steel Cut Oats?

After extensive testing, I figured out 3 minutes on high pressure breaks down the grain but it needs natural pressure release to get silky smooth without falling apart.

Imagine boiling your steel cut oats in constantly boiling water and eventually when it’s cooked take it out of the water, just like you would cook pasta. Ever tried? Why not? Nobody suggests doing that, right? Because it simply doesn’t turn out well. The oats overcook and absorb way too much water that way. They become a big mush tasting like absolutely nothing because it’s full of water.

You have to “steam” oats but they also need to absorb enough water so they break down.

So the magic formula is 3 minutes of pressure cooking to break down the oats and 16-18 minutes natural pressure release to “steam” them so they can absorb the exact amount of water necessary.

How To Make Savory Steel Cut Oats

To make savory steel cut oats you will add 1 tsp sea salt to every cup of oats right into the Instant Pot before pressure cooking.

Then, once they are cooked you don’t add milk, you serve them as they are in a bowl and top them with savory toppings. Here are 4 suggestions:

Creamy steel cut oats with savory toppings such as vegetables and eggs.
  • Asparagus, egg, and pine nuts: Preheat the oven to 400F, cut off the dry ends of a hand full of asparagus, and season with a little avocado oil and sea salt, and then roast on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes. In the meantime, bring water to a boil in a small saucepan and then cook a fridge-cold egg in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then remove the egg and let it sit on the counter for another 5 minutes before peeling. Also, preheat a small pan over medium heat and add a hand full of pine nuts to the dry pan and toast the nuts while constantly stirring for approximately 2-3 minutes. Then top your Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with everything.
  • Mushroom, bell pepper, baby spinach, and egg: Preheat a pan over medium heat then add a knob of butter and once melted sauté 2 sliced scallions, 2 sliced mushrooms, and about 1/4 cup diced bell pepper until the mushrooms are nice and brown. Then add a hand full of baby spinach and season everything with sea salt. Sauté for 30 seconds and remove from the pan. Add a drizzle of avocado oil to the same pan and fry an egg in it. Season the egg with sea salt and pepper. Then top a bowl of Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with the veggies and egg.
  • Baby bok choy, egg, and peanuts: Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan and then add a fridge-cold egg for 8 minutes. Remove the egg and let it cool on the counter for 2-3 minutes before peeling. Preheat a pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of avocado oil, and then sauté 3 halved baby bok choy, a chopped clove of garlic, and a teaspoon of grated ginger in it until the bok choy softens. Season with sea salt and pepper then remove from the pan. Add the bok choy, hard-boiled egg, and a small hand full of chopped peanuts to a bowl of warm Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
  • Fried egg and pico de gallo: Preheat a large pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of avocado oil and then fry an egg in it and season with sea salt. Then top a bowl of Instant Pot steel cut oats with the fried egg and add 3-4 cherry tomatoes cut in half, about a tablespoon of chopped red onion, about 1/2 a tablespoon of chopped jalapeño, about one tablespoon of chopped cilantro. Drizzle everything with lime juice and season with freshly cracked black pepper.

How To Make Sweet Steel Cut Oats

To make sweet steel cut oats in the instant pot you still cook them in just water. Omit or reduce the salt to just a pinch though.

Once they are cooked through add 1/2 of milk of your choice and 1/4 cup maple syrup for every cup of raw oats you added to the pot at the beginning. Stir until well combined and creamy.

Then top a bowl of creamy bowl of steel cut oats with an assortment of fresh fruits, nuts, nut butters, seeds, and chocolate.

In fall/winter I suggest:

4 bowls of creamy steel cut oats topped with fall/winter fruit, nuts, and seeds.
  • Sliced banana, unsweetened peanut butter, shaved dark chocolate.
  • Sliced apple, chopped pecan, cinnamon.
  • Kiwi, passion fruit, unsweetened shredded coconut.
  • Sliced clementine, pomegranate seeds, hemp seeds.

In spring/summer I suggest:

Four Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats bowls with different toppings, garnished with fresh flowers.
  • Raspberry, chia seeds, shaved white chocolate.
  • Cherry, almond butter.
  • Strawberry, chopped hazelnuts, dark chocolate.
  • Sliced peach, blueberries, chopped pecans.
An Instant Pot in the background and cooked steel cut oats in a jar in front.

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
NPR: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 bowls
Fail-proof Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats! Add any milk you want to make it high fat, low fat, vegan, vegetarian, whichever way you like.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

  • instant pot

Ingredients

  • 1 cup steel cut oats
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 pinch/tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup milk of choice
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup - (or honey or agave nectar)
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Add oats, water, and either a pinch of sea salt for sweet oats or a teaspoon of sea salt for savory oats.
  • Put on the lid and turn the valve to sealing, then set the Instant Pot to 3 minutes on high pressure.
  • Let pressure release naturally (this will take 15-20 minutes).
  • If making savory oats, your oats are done. Mix and serve and top with savory toppings.
  • If making sweet oats, add milk and maple syrup, and stir to combine. Then serve and top with sweet toppings.

Notes

You can store the steel cut oats with milk and sweetener but without toppings in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 54.6g | Protein: 5.6g | Fat: 3.6g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 278mg | Fiber: 4.4g | Sugar: 23.9g | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 2mg
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American, International
Keyword instant pot steel cut oats, steel cut oats
What’s your clean eating vibe?Take this fun QUIZZ and find out in 10 seconds!
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Breakfast, Instant Pot, Vegan, Vegetarian

« Easy Healthy Meals You Can Eat Every Week
Failproof Instant Pot Chili »

You may also like:

  • Ratatouille on polenta in a bowl on a wooden table.The Best Ratatouille With Creamy Polenta
  • Chia Seed Pudding in 3 jars with text overlay Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding, Almond Milk Chia Seed Pudding and Coconut Milk Chia Seed Pudding.Failproof Chia Seed Pudding
  • Healthy Homemade Granola in a bowl with milk and a spoon, and topping another bowl of yogurt and sliced apple. A spoon and milk jar next to it.Healthy Homemade Granola

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rafi says

    December 22, 2019 at 8:06 am

    5 stars
    You should try peach and tahini :) I have a nutbutter + fruit combination for every day of the week. I food prep on Sundays for the entire week.

    Reply
  2. Diane says

    April 18, 2019 at 2:18 pm

    I have been following your recipe for the last week and a half in the cafeteria that I am managing. I bought an 8 quart Instant Pot for the express purpose of making whole grain hot cereals in the morning. The problem I have been having part of the time is that I get the burn food sign coming on. It isn’t exactly burned, but it is sticking, so I have to take the oats out of the pot, clean the pot and put the oats back in. The problem is that I have to figure out the fool proof system before I can delegate it to a student and feel like the cereal will be made with success and no problems.

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      April 18, 2019 at 6:18 pm

      Diane, I’ve heard from many people that the 8-quart is a lot trickier because of exactly this reason. It seems to get the burn warning all the time. How much are you making in them? The amount I suggest here or double? I would start the troubleshooting process by doubling the recipe as the surface of the 8-quart is bigger.

      Reply
  3. Rachel R Blackmer says

    February 17, 2019 at 10:30 am

    My Instant Pot Duo doesn’t have “manual” on it. Should I push “Pressure Cook?” And do I set the knob on the top to “sealing” or “venting?”

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      February 18, 2019 at 9:13 am

      Yes, Pressure Cook and Manual are the same button just new and old model. The knob has to be on sealing. Otherwise, it will never come to pressure.

      Reply
  4. Rachel says

    February 16, 2019 at 9:11 am

    I’d like to add quinoa to my steel cut oats so that I stay full longer. Could I use this same recipe and just replace some of the parts with quinoa?

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      February 16, 2019 at 7:47 pm

      Hi Rachel, yes, you can do that. Quinoa takes 1 minute + NPR so it will definitely cook through during the 3 minutes + NPR. No problem at all.

      Reply
  5. jasper says

    January 29, 2019 at 4:11 am

    5 stars
    typos: nut butters + *cheery; 3-5 *minutest to get to pressure

    love the recipe!

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      January 29, 2019 at 9:06 pm

      Awesome!! Thank you so much. Just corrected them :D

      Reply
  6. Shirley Ikemeier says

    December 29, 2018 at 11:52 pm

    4 stars
    Hi! Would I need to change anything to make this in my 8 quart IPot? I love Stell Cut Oats and your recipes look great!

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      December 30, 2018 at 1:10 pm

      Hi, you just have to check what the minimum liquid requirements are for your instant pot. I believe it’s 2 cups so you should be fine. I think your can follow the recipe as is.

      Reply
  7. Beth says

    November 17, 2018 at 9:26 am

    I’ve used your method several times with 100% success. Thank you!!!
    Do you think a pot in pot method would work for a smaller batch? Would I put the 1/2 ratio in the smaller pot and a cup of water in the inner pot as well? I don’t like experimenting if it might cause a waste of food.

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      November 18, 2018 at 10:43 am

      Hi Beth, do you have a 6qt like me? I’ve successfully made this recipe with as little as 1/2 cup steel cut oats and 1 cup water because the 6qt only needs a minimum of 1 cup water to get to pressure. I sometimes help it a little when it’s about to get to pressure I press down the lid so it seals faster and the pin jumps up before too much water evaporates through the pin hole. Otherwise yes, I think the pot in pot method should work. Put 1 cup water in the bottom, then the trivet, then your pot with oats (no need for a lid), add as little oats as you want, double amount of water and then proceed as instructed here.

      Reply
    • Christa says

      November 18, 2018 at 1:45 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for this post. It was really helpful. My oats came out perfectly.

      Reply
      • Lorena says

        November 19, 2018 at 5:44 am

        I’m soooo happy to read that!!!

        Reply
  8. Michelle Stafford says

    January 28, 2018 at 5:18 pm

    5 stars
    These all look delicious!! I am yet to use the timer function on my Ipot & over here in the UK people on Facebook have been raving about coming downstairs in the morning to ready cooked oats after preparing the night before & setting the timer for it to be ready for breakfast time! So, my question to you is have you tried to do your oats this way and if yes what timings did you use? Many thanks for your recipes, I just stumbled upon your page by accident but from what I’ve seen so far I’m going to be here A LOT so you’re in my saved favourites :-D

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      January 28, 2018 at 8:00 pm

      Hi Michelle, I haven’t used the time yet either. The thing is it works so fast I’ve never really needed it. Coming to pressure plus 3 minutes high pressure plus natural pressure release comes to maybe 20-25 minutes with my Instant Pot. I always get up 45 minutes before I have to leave the house so that’s plenty of time. I wonder if by using the timer you’d have to reduce the cooking time because the oats would have been soaking in the water all night. Hmmm. I would try add ingredients the latest possible and then set timer so everything is ready by the time you want to have breakfast and I’d reduce high pressure cooking time to maybe 1 minute only. Should “in theory” be enough. But I’ve obviously never tried. Thank you for your lovely comment and I hope you enjoy my page now that you found it :D

      Reply
      • Michelle says

        February 7, 2018 at 4:27 pm

        Hi Lorena, had a busy couple of weeks so not had chance yet to try any of your recipes BUT I have been doing porridge oats every evening using the timer function! Took me a few attempts at getting the water/oats ratio just right for my liking but I’ve about perfected it! Using your methods as a rough guide I have been using 40g oats with 200-300mls of water, depending on what time I set them for, so the later I set the timer the less water I need. I also stir in a teaspoon of green tea powder when I prepare the oats for a morning boost. Timer finishes at 6am so by the time I come downstairs at 6.30 my oats are lovely & thick ready to stir in some homemade Instant Pot yoghurt & top with blueberries or raspberries (or both!) and that’s me good to go for the day! Now to convert your Peruvian Green Rice recipe for the Pot, I have a huge bunch of coriander to use, it’s my favourite herb (and basil!!).
        Michelle :-D

        Reply
        • Lorena says

          February 8, 2018 at 12:03 pm

          OMG, your oats sound absolutely AMAZING Michelle!!! For the Peruvian Green Rice check out these two posts: Instant Pot Rice and Instant Pot Chicken and Rice. I’m sure you’ll get it perfect the very first time ;)

          Reply
        • Kate says

          July 7, 2019 at 8:03 pm

          If the oats sit in water at room temperature onite then bacteria can grow very quickly. Not necessarily destroyed by cooking so can cause food poisoning. I would like to set it overnight too but not worth the risk, there’s bacteria waiting for the right conditions even in dry oats

          Reply
  9. Lydia says

    January 23, 2018 at 11:16 pm

    If I make a batch of it how long do you think it will last in the fridge? I’m hopong to make it on Sunday and divided it throughout the week for a quick breakfast. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Zubalea says

      January 24, 2018 at 5:29 am

      I make it on the weekend and freeze the oats in microwaveable containers sized by breakfast portions. (I make enough for 5 portions). I take out the frozen portion the night before otherwise they take forever to reheat. I also put my toppings in a separate container. In the morning, I reheat the oats in the microwave (stopping every minute to stir. Usually takes 2 to 3 minutes). I then add the toppings. Quick Breakfast!!

      Reply
    • Lorena says

      January 24, 2018 at 9:21 am

      Zubalea’s methods works really well if you like. I just keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days as oats/water mixture only. I don’t add milk and maple syrup when keeping in fridge, I add milk and maple syrup and fruits/nuts etc right before serving. Also, I love just bringing the milk to an almost boil and then add to the fridge-cold oats to warm up to my favorite temperature. I hate sitting in front of oats that are too hot and I can’t eat them. By adding hot milk to cold oats I get the perfect temperature to gobble up right away :P

      Reply
      • Kate says

        July 7, 2019 at 8:09 pm

        That’s a good suggestion, to add hot milk to cold oats as refrigerated oats form a clump that’s a pain to mash down into water to reheat

        Reply
  10. Lindsay says

    January 22, 2018 at 8:29 pm

    Hi Lorena,
    What is the purpose of the coconut oil in this recipe? I am wondering if it Is necessary or if there are alternatives I could use instead?

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      January 22, 2018 at 8:32 pm

      Hi Lindsay, I use it to toast the steel cut oats in it and so they get kind of “infused” with the oil. If you don’t like coconut oil you can use any other flavorless oil or even no oil at all. It’ll work either way :)

      Reply
  11. Christy Maurer says

    January 13, 2018 at 10:41 am

    5 stars
    These look so good! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      January 14, 2018 at 8:25 pm

      Thank you for coming back and rating and commenting Christy :D

      Reply
  12. Kim says

    January 4, 2018 at 11:06 am

    How should I adjust the recipe for the quicker-cooking kind of steel cut oats? Less time under pressure, or quicker release time?

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      January 4, 2018 at 11:37 am

      Hi Kim, I’ve never cooked other oats in the Instant Pot unfortunately so I couldn’t tell. You’ll have to give it a try. I would guess it’s just 1 minute high pressure and then natural pressure release but I can’t say for sure.

      Reply
  13. Rachel L says

    December 8, 2017 at 11:32 am

    I’m getting an Instant Pot for Christmas and will have to try steel cut oats. I like to eat savory oats for dinner with roasted veggies, goat cheese, and either a poached egg or smoked salmon. It’s so good!

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      December 9, 2017 at 1:27 am

      Oh wow!! I would never have thought of eating oats this way!! Thank you for the inspiration!!

      Reply
  14. lindsay Cotter says

    November 29, 2017 at 11:12 am

    5 stars
    This is so good! Love my instant pot. ANother great recipe!

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      November 29, 2017 at 2:30 pm

      Thank you so much Lindsay!! :D

      Reply
  15. Rachel says

    July 17, 2017 at 9:27 pm

    What if I don’t have an instant pot, would the pats still come out good on the stove?

    Reply
    • Lorena says

      July 18, 2017 at 3:21 pm

      Hi Rachel, you can absolutely make these on the stove in a regular pot. Simply add more water because the water will evaporate and cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring often.

      Reply
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Lorena Grater
and I’m passionate about healthy recipes made with clean ingredients! 
Find out more about me!

FIND OUT ABOUT MY PROVEN METHOD FOR EATING BETTER >>

6-WEEK CLEAN EATING PROGRAM

Ipad with 6-Week Clean Eating Program Thumbnail showing on the screen.

AMAZON DISCLOSURE:

Green Healthy Cooking is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Footer

FIND OUT ABOUT MY PROVEN METHOD FOR EATING BETTER >>

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

MORE INFORMATION

  • About Lorena

Copyright © 2022 Green Healthy Cooking on the Seasoned Pro Theme