Variations / Options / Add
Are you looking for a way to change up this tasty oatmeal? Here are my favorite ways to jazz up the flavor of this breakfast dish.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: Switch out the cinnamon in this recipe for pumpkin spice oatmeal.
Apple Cinnamon: Add one chopped apple to your oatmeal before cooking for a cooked apple cinnamon oatmeal.
Gluten Free: If you want to make this recipe gluten free, be sure to buy gluten free oats.
How To Set The Delay Timer On Instant Pot
To set the delay timer on most Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cookers:
*Note: We have set it to start cooking in 8 hours in the above picture.
It is all set!
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Oats Are Easy To Make
Not only are oats a total powerhouse, but they are also so easy to prep, cook, and eat! You can make them in a microwave, on the stove top, in the oven, or of course, my favorite, in your pressure cooker. You can eat them hot in a bowl, crunchy on top of yogurt, or on-the-go in the form of a bar. Seriously, there is not a more convenient whole grain out there!
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Use Saute Mode To Toast The Oats For 3 Minutes
The first step to make the very best Instant Pot oatmeal is to toast the oats. Now, you could just go right into cooking. But weve found that toasting oats in butter or coconut oil before cooking makes them taste exponentially better!
To toast the oats, turn on Saute mode on your Instant Pot. Melt 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, then add 2 cups rolled oats and stir often for about 3 minutes. Side bonus: It makes your kitchen smell divine!
How To Cook Instant Pot Oatmeal
Making old-fashioned oats in the Instant Pot is incredibly simple.
RIDICULOUSLY SIMPLE.
Step One: Place the trivet in the inner pot of your pressure cooker and pour in 1 cup cold water for 6-quart instant pots and 1.5 cups of water for an 8-quart Instant Pot.
Step Two: In a heat-safe bowl, mix your oats and liquid together with a bit of flaxseed. The flaxseed is optional but adds omega fatty acids and fiber.
Step Three: Put the lid on your instant pot, turn your valve to “sealed”, and set your pressure cooker to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. I have found it takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes to come to pressure.
Step Four: Allow your oatmeal to sit in the Instant Pot for at least 5 minutes before doing a quick release of remaining pressure–see my tips on doing a quick release in my Instant Pot 101.
I would not release the pressure right away, because this may cause your oatmeal to spill out of your pot in pot.
Step Five: Serve warm with any desired toppings.
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Cooking Oats Directly In The Pot
To cook the oatmeal in the bottom of your Instant Pot, youll add the oats and water to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Dont use less than 1 cup of oats and 1.5 cups of water for this method, or you might not have enough liquid to bring the pot to pressure.
Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing. Cook at high pressure for zero minutes. Yes, zero minutes is a real setting!
When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. When the screen reads L0:10, you can move the steam release valve to Venting, to release any remaining pressure.
When the floating valve in the lid drops, its safe to remove the lid. The oatmeal should be perfectly cooked, and it wont be stuck to the bottom of your Instant Pot, because you didnt have the heat on for too long.
The longer you let the oatmeal sit there on the keep warm setting, however, the more likely it will be to eventually start to stick.
What Is Steel Cut Oats
All oats come from oat groats the whole, unbroken grains. Theyre then processed into different varieties of oats.
Steel Cut Oats, aka Irish Oats or Coarse Oatmeal, is a type of oats with the least amount of processing compared to Rolled Oats and Instant Oats. Theyre just coarsely chopped 2 or 3 times, and neither steamed nor rolled.
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Different Types Of Oats
The most common types of oats are Old Fashioned Oats, Quick/Instant Oats, and Steel-Cut Oats. All of these types can be cooked in the pressure cooker too! When properly stored, all forms of oatmeal can stay fresh for years so it is an excellent grain to have in your food storage.
- Old Fashioned Oats, AKA Rolled Oats, are steamed and rolled into flakes. This makes them stay fresh longer and cook quicker than steel-cut oats.
- Instant Oats, AKA Quick Oats, are rolled even thinner and steamed longer, plus cut into smaller pieces, making them cook even quicker than rolled oats.
- Steel-Cut Oats are oat groats cut into 2 3 pieces. They are not steamed or rolled so they take longer to cook. Steel-cut oats are minimally processed and contain more fiber than rolled oats, making them a slightly healthier choice than instant or rolled oats.
How To Make Instant Pot Oatmeal Using The Regular Method
What I mean by the regular method is making it straight inside the inner pot.
I made it in the stainless pot for years. And that works fine.
I must say, though, I am really loving the ceramic non-stick coated version of the inner pot. It makes cleanup a breeze! And I find myself making this way a lot more often these days. That being said, do not feel like you must purchase an extra pot. It works great in the stainless pot too.
So what is the regular method good for? Big batches! I will make a big pot of this . It also cooks a little quicker. And you can still walk off and leave it for longer, if you need to. We use the leftovers to reheat and eat on busy school mornings. More on that in a second!
I just cook mine on low pressure for 2 minutes, and I allow for at least 10 minutes of natural release. Then release any remaining pressure.
When you open the pot, it will look a bit separated, like this.
It may or may not have an extra layer of liquid floating at the top. This batch sat for a few extra minutes, while I got my camera set up. Just give everything a good stir until it is well-mixed, like this.
Optional step: if it is too thick for your liking, add a splash of almond milk or water, and stir to combine.
If it is too thin, let it sit with the lid off for a couple minutes, stirring once or twice, and it will thicken up on its own.
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Whats In This Instant Pot Oatmeal
This Instant Pot oatmeal recipe can be made using steel cut or old-fashioned oats, so feel free to use whichever you have on hand. Besides the oats, heres what youll need to make perfectly creamy oatmeal:
- Water
- Cinnamon stick
- Kosher salt
One of the things that you need to know about making oatmeal in the Instant Pot is that the oatmeal turns out best when you use almond milk rather than dairy milk in your recipe because almond milk wont scorch.
I used Almond Breeze almondmilk Vanilla for this master recipe but you could use any of the flavors from Unsweetened Original to the Almond Coconut Blend Original that work equally well. Almond Breeze is available in both refrigerator cartons and easily store-able, shelf-stable cartons so its always easy to have it on hand.
Ive shared some of my favorite oatmeal toppings further down this post, so keep reading to find out all the ways you can jazz up your morning bowl of oatmeal.
Whats The Difference Between Rolled And Old Fashioned Oats
There is no difference. They are the same thing, just different names.
Steel cut oats are different though, as well as quick cooking oats. You can use steel cut oats in this recipe, see the substitution section below but I wouldnt recommend quick cooking oats which cook too fast and wont withstand well to the high pressure.
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Why You Will Love This Healthy Oatmeal In The Instant Pot
- No spillovers on the stove top or microwave. Flashbacks of my childhood and starchy microwave oatmeal spills just flashed through my brain, anyone else?
- No mushy, lumpy, glue-y, oatmeal here! This oatmeal is ridiculously creamy, dreamy.
- Leftovers can turn into a healthy, fast 2-minute breakfast all week long. That’s like 12 minutes of extra sleep per day you just earned! You’re welcome snooze button pushers.
- This is a bit of a basic oatmeal recipe which means, PERFECT blank canvas for many wonderful topping combinations! We’ll get to that in a sec.
- If needed, oatmeal can be Gluten Free! Oats are a great breakfast for those who need to avoid gluten. Make sure the package says that it is certified gluten-free since not all oats are produced in a certified gluten-free plant.
Safely Pressure Cooking Oatmeal
I do not recommend pressure cooking oatmeal directly in the pressure cookers base for both safety and convenience reasons.
All pressure cooker manuals advise against pressure cooking oatmeal, and thats because cooking oatmeal directly in the base will cause the oatmeal to foam, splatter and clog the pressure release valves, which is a safety concern. Using a bowl cooks the oatmeal more delicately, in that it ensures that pressure builds in the cooker before the oatmeal itself is boiling. This reduces foam and splatters because pressurized steam will actually be pushing down on the oatmeal preventing it from actively boiling .
Another issue is that the amount of oatmeal you can pressure cook directly in the pressure cooker is dictated by your cookers minimum liquid requirement- making it impossible to make oatmeal for just 1. And even then, the only liquid you can use for the oatmeal is water because milk will scorch and burn -you can use whatever, and however much, liquid you with the oatmeal-in-the-bowl method as long as the contents of the bowl do not go over the 1/2 full mark, of course. )
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Why Make Instant Pot Oatmeal
If youre on this post, youre likely a huge oatmeal fan like us. We love overnight oats, baked oatmeal, stovetop oatmeal, and steel-cut oatmeal. We also love Instant Pot Oatmeal.
Pressure cooker oatmeal is a fabulous way to start your morning for a few reasons:
- 4-Ingredient breakfast 4 pantry-staple ingredients that are easy to find at the grocery store.
- Kid-friendly top your bowl with oatmeal and a little honey and your kids will gobble this right up.
- High-fiber: a 1/2 cup serving of oatmeal has 4g fiber in it.
- Naturally gluten-free and vegan: this breakfast is both gluten-free friendly and 100% plant-based!
- No-stove oatmeal- no stove no problem. The Instant Pot can make you PERFECTLY cream oats in no time.
How To Make Perfect Oatmeal In The Instant Pot
When it comes to oatmeal, it seems like people either love it or hate it. Those who hate it often complain about its sticky, gooey texture. Those who love it, appreciate it for its flavor, nutritional value and versatility. I am in the love it crowd. Oatmeal has been proven to lower cholesterol and is a great source of fiber. Eating oatmeal can help you stay full longer, thus eliminating your need to snack between meals. My grandma used to say that oatmeal sticks to your ribs. I think shes right.
Recently, I have been experimenting with making oatmeal in the Instant Pot. I love the convenience of the Instant Pot and how perfect the oatmeal turns out. Here are some tips for getting the perfect oatmeal every time.
As you know, there are different kinds of oatmeal. I am going to share with you how to make quick oats, old-fashioned oats, and steel cut oats in the Instant Pot.
For quick oats, the ratio of oats to water is 1 cup of oats to 1 2/3 cups of water. Pour the water and the oats into the Instant Pot. You can add a pinch of salt if you would like. Secure the lid and make sure the pressure nozzle is sealed. Select manual, high pressure, and cook for 7 minutes. If you prefer your oatmeal a little less gooey, you may want to select 6 minutes. Quick release the pressure and you have oatmeal for breakfast! This makes 2-3 servings.
For old-fashioned oats, the ratio of oats to water is 1 cup of oats to 1 ¾ cups of water. Everything else is the same as the quick oats.
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Easy Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
My family loves having oatmeal for breakfast. Making it in the Instant Pot is our favorite way! You get the perfect consistency every time, and its completely hands-off. There really isnt an easier way to make oatmeal.
This vegan and gluten-free breakfast can be flavored in so many yummy ways. You can add berries, nuts, peanut butter, dried fruit, or whatever else you like to pair with oatmeal. The possibilities are endless! And this steel cut oatmeal is the tasty foundation of them all.
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers
Instant pot oatmeal keeps well, which makes it great for meal prep! You can store cooled oatmeal in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you want to freeze your oatmeal, separate it by pouring individual portions into a muffin tin. Flash freeze the pan for an hour, then transfer the oatmeal cups to a freezer-safe container. Enjoy them within 4 months, and thaw them out overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Before you heat up leftover oatmeal, youll want to add a splash of water or milk to make up for the loss of moisture during storage. Microwave individual portions of oatmeal for 15-second increments, adding water or milk as needed, until warm.
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Pressure Cook Steel Cut Oats
Add 80g steel cut oats in the pressure cooker. Pour in 313 ml 375 ml cold water and make sure all the steel cut oats are submerged in the water.
Close lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing position.
- Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes, + Full Natural Release
Open the lid carefully.
What You Need For Instant Pot Oatmeal
Other than an Instant Pot, you only need 4 simple ingredients you probably already have on hand to make Instant Pot Oatmeal!
Rolled Oats : Old fashioned rolled oats are a staple in our house. They cook much faster than steel cut oats, but you get all the same benefits. Make sure that you buy old fashioned AKA rolled oats. Do NOT use quick-cooking or steel-cut oats for this recipe.
Almond Milk: to make Instant Pot oatmeal, you need to use some kind of liquid. Our preferred liquid is unsweetened almond milk, but you can really use any kind of milk or water.
Maple Syrup: I love adding a little bit of sweet to my oatmeal and my favorite is maple syrup. Its warm and all-natural. Dont have maple? Try using honey or even brown sugar.
Salt: a little bit of salt brings out the nutty flavor of the oatmeal and heightens the sweetness of the maple syrup without needing to use more sugar.
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What Kind Of Bowl Can You Use In The Instant Pot
If you are using a 6-quart Instant Pot, it needs to be 7-inches or less in diameter. If you have an 8-quart Instant pot, you can use a bowl that is up to 8-inches in diameter, but I still use a 7-inch bowl in that size, too.
That way theres still room around the bowl when its placed in your Instant Pot for steam to build up against the lid. Dont use a bowl that fits snugly in your Instant Pot, or it could be dangerous, with pressure building up under the bowl.
The bowl you use also needs to be oven-safe. Ive used porcelain, tempered glass, and metal cake pans in my machine with success, and Ive never had anything shatter on me.
What Causes Oatmeal Burn In An Instant Pot
It is very common that when cooking a food like oatmeal in an instant pot, it may end up burnt. Especially common is when the bottom layer of oats becomes dry, overcooked, burnt, and stuck to the sides of the pot.
There are several reasons why your oatmeal could be burning when you cook it in your Instant Pot.
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How To Make Oatmeal On The Stovetop
Among the recipes that friends and family ask about most frequently, including how to make a proper pot of rice or how to cook perfect chicken breast every time, how to make a decent pot of oatmeal is always up there on the list. It seems that every home cook is chasing that elusive ideal pot of oatmeal: thick but not mushy, and fluffy but not chewy. Making good oatmeal can happen without much brain power this recipe will show you just how to do it.
