Wondering how to cook steel cut oats in the Instant Pot? The pressure cooker will make your mornings easier because you can press a button and walk away while your breakfast cooks to perfection.
Instead of waiting for a pot of water to come to a boil on the stovetop, and then watching it to make sure the oats don’t burn to the bottom of the pan, you can get more accomplished around the house while your oats cook with this hands-off method.
It will make your mornings feel productive, plus you’ll get to enjoy a hearty bowl of oats when you’re done!
Make a large batch as part of your meal prep routine this week, or serve this steel-cut oats recipe as an easy weekend brunch for your family with various toppings. Everyone loves an oatmeal bar where they can customize their bowls!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need 2 1/2 cups of water for every 1 cup of steel cut oats when you cook them in the Instant Pot. Feel free to add a pinch of salt or a dash of cinnamon when you cook these, too!
It’s best to leave sweeteners and milk for AFTER the oats are done cooking, however. Dairy milk can trigger a burn error during the cooking process, and that will interrupt your easy morning.
No one wants to scrape a burnt crust off the bottom of their pots, so don’t use milk for cooking.
Detoxinista Tip
Almond milk and other non-dairy milk options are mostly made of water, so if you’re determined to use a different liquid for cooking, you can replace 1 cup of water with 1 cup of your favorite non-dairy milk. If you’d like to add dairy milk, save it for AFTER the oats have cooked to loosen the texture and add creaminess.
How to Cook Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot
In the bottom of a 6-quart Instant Pot, add 2 cups of steel-cut oats and 5 cups of water. You can also add a pinch of salt or a splash of vanilla extract if you’d like.
Secure the lid on your pressure cooker and move the steam release valve to the “Sealing” position.
Use the Manual or Pressure Cook button on your machine to cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. It will take roughly 10 minutes for the pot to pressurize, so the machine will read ON until then.
Once the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for at least 15 minutes. This means you don’t have to touch the Instant Pot until the screen reads L0:15.
It’s okay if you let it sit longer, too.
(The Instant Pot is fantastic for distracted or busy cooks.)
The floating valve in the lid should drop when your natural pressure release is done. If it hasn’t, move the steam release valve to the “Venting” position to ensure all of the pressure is released from the pot.
Safety Tip
Oats tend to create foam and starchy water as they cook, so never perform a quick release after cooking them. Hot starchy water cook shoot out of the valve if the pot still contains a lot of pressure, so that’s why the natural release is important. Plus, it gives the oats a chance to finish cooking without burning to the bottom of your pot.
Once the floating valve in the lid has dropped, it’s safe to remove the lid. You may see some water sitting on top of the cooked oats, but once you give it a stir the water will incorporate with the oats and give them a creamy texture.
You may notice that as the oats cool, they thicken up slightly. Loosen the texture by adding a splash of almond milk or water. This will help them cool down faster for eating, too!
Serve these Instant Pot steel-cut oats warm with your favorite toppings.
Drizzle them with peanut butter, almond butter, or any other nut butter you love. Add a little maple syrup or honey for sweetness, or top with fresh fruit like sliced banana, strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries.
You can add chia seeds, pecans, or walnuts for crunch, or stir in some ground flax seeds to make your breakfast more filling. If you want to add a pinch of ground cinnamon, flaked coconut, or chocolate chips, the topping ideas are endless!
Storage Tip
Cooked steel-cut oats can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. They make an easy gluten-free breakfast idea that you can enjoy warm or cold.
Oatmeal tends to firm up when chilled, so you may need to add an extra splash of milk to them in the morning to help loosen the texture again. They can be quickly reheated in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop.
Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Try juicy Instant Pot Chicken Breasts, Instant Pot Quinoa, or Instant Pot Lentil Soup for more ideas.
- 2 cups steel cut oats (certified gluten-free, if necessary)
- 5 cups water
- pinch of salt (optional)
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Combine the steel-cut oats and water in the bowl of a 6-quart Instant Pot and give them a stir. (If using a different size machine, please see the notes for modifications.) Secure the lid and turn the steam release valve at the top to “Sealing.”
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Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. The Instant Pot will read “ON” as it comes to pressure, which may take about 10 minutes. When the floating valve in the lid pops up, you’ll know the pot is pressurized and the countdown will begin.
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When the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for at least 15 minutes. (The timer on the Instant Pot will remain on after the cooking cycle to let you know how long it’s been kept warm unless you press the OFF button. I like to keep it on for the timer function.) It’s okay if you let them sit in the pot longer, too!
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Once 15 minutes have passed, turn the steam release valve to “venting” to release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove the lid and stir the oats to incorporate any water that has risen to the top. The oats will thicken as they cool; feel free to add extra water or your favorite milk to loosen the texture.
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Serve warm with your favorite toppings. Leftover oats can be stored in individual containers in the fridge for up to a week, for a fast breakfast on the go.
Pro Tip: Don’t replace the water with dairy milk when cooking oats in your Instant Pot. It can scorch to the bottom of your pot and trigger a “hot” or “burn” error on your machine. You can always add milk after cooking for extra creaminess.
Use a 3-quart Instant Pot: Cut the recipe in half to make sure you don’t fill the pot more than halfway full. The cooking time should remain the same.
Use an 8-quart Instant Pot: Reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes, since the pot will take longer to pressurize and de-pressurize.
Update Note: This recipe was updated in May 2024 with more tips and new photos. The only change is adding an optional pinch of salt and reducing the natural release to 15 minutes instead of 20. You can find the original recipe here.
Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 10mg | Fiber: 5g | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2.2mg
If you try this Instant Pot steel-cut oats recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
