Steel cut oats make a warm and healthy breakfast, and today I want to show you how EASY they are to prepare in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, so they’ll turn out perfectly every time!
Steel cut oats have 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein in just a 1/4 cup dry serving, and the insoluble fiber they contain has been associated with improved cholesterol levels and improved blood sugar levels in diabetics. They’re also a natural source of B vitamins and iron. (You’ll get 20% of the recommended daily allowance of iron if you eat a 1/2 cup of oats in the morning!)
Are Steel Cut Oats Better for you than Rolled Oats?
Steel cut oats and rolled oats both come from the same whole grain cereal, so they have similar nutrition content and really only differ in their processing. Rolled oats are steamed, then rolled to produce their signature flat look and quick-cooking texture. Because they are tender and cook quickly, they are ideal for adding to baked goods, like my Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Steel cut oats, on the other hand, are less processed. To make steel cut oats, the oat groat is sliced with a steel blade to create more of a chopped, rice-like grain that is chewier in texture and takes longer to cook.
Though, the cooking time isn’t a problem when you have an Instant Pot (<– affiliate link for the 6-quart one). Just press a button and walk away until it’s ready! I love not having to babysit my oats on the stove top, or worrying about them burning on the bottom.
The key to cooking perfect steel cut oats in the Instant Pot is allowing the pressure to naturally release after the initial 4 minute cooking cycle. While the pressure releases, the oats absorb the water without burning on the bottom of the pot. This prevents sticking and allows the oats to become perfectly tender. You just have to be patient!
While a 4-minute cook time sounds ridiculously fast for a bowl of steel cut oats, the entire process takes closer to 30 minutes when you take into account the 5 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, 4 minutes for the cooking cycle, and then about 20 minutes for the pressure to naturally release. This isn’t any longer of a process than cooking them on a stove top, but it’s also not significantly faster.
The Benefit of Using an Instant Pot
The real benefit of using the electric pressure cooker, if you ask me, is the hands-off approach. Instead of waiting over the stove for the water to come to a boil, then adding the lid, lowering the temperature, and checking on the oats to check for tenderness, you can truly “set it and forget it” with the Instant Pot.
Just press a button and walk away until you’re ready to eat!
If you forget to check on the oats for 10 minutes, they won’t burn, and in fact, the Instant Pot will keep them warm until you’re ready to eat. I love this thing, and I hope you’ll love these easy steel cut oats just as much, too.
Are Steel Cut Oats Gluten-Free?
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they are often processed in facilities that process gluten-containing grains, and therefore you run the risk of cross-contamination. If you need to stay gluten-free, be sure to look for oats with a certified gluten-free label on the package.
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats (Fool-Proof Method!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups steel cut oats (certified gluten-free, if necessary)
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- 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."
- Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button, then set the cook time to 4 minutes on high pressure. The Instant Pot will read "ON" as it comes to pressure, which can take 10 to 15 minutes. When the floating valve in the lid pops up, you'll know the pot is pressurized and the countdown will begin.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for 20 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.)
- Once the 20 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. They might look watery at first, but should thicken up when you stir them.
- Serve warm with maple syrup, cinnamon, and a splash of non-dairy milk, if desired. Leftover oats can be stored in individual containers in the fridge for up to a week, for a fast breakfast on the go.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Per serving: Calories: 205, Carbohydrates: 35, Fiber: 5, Protein: 8, Fat: 3
Need more healthy Instant Pot recipes? Be sure to check out my cookbook, The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook. You can see a sneak peek here!
Recipe Notes:
- If you follow food combining, you can top cooked oats with pumpkin or sweet potato puree, pure maple syrup, and a splash of almond milk for a properly combined meal. Sliced avocado would work, too!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite breakfast this week? Do you have any favorite Instant Pot recipes already? Feel free to share them below!
Can you just make one serving in the InstaPot?
Yes, I would think so! The Instant Pot just needs at least 1/2 cup of water (in a 6 qt) and 1 cup of water (in 8 qt) to come to pressure, so you just need a batch big enough for that amount of water.
My steel cut oats turned out great! Thanks!
I use the Bob’s Red Mill Quick cook Steel Cut Oats. Would I use the same time to cook this in the Instant Pot? Thank you.
I imagine they would cook faster (maybe only 1 minute of cook time?) but I’d still do the natural release. And I don’t think you can over-cook oats, so they’d probably be fine at 4 minutes, too.
I have been making this recipe weekly for about 4 weeks now. The oats come out perfect every time. Thank you!
Your technique is the BEST for Irish oats. I’ve made several online recipes for instant pot Irish oats and they all stick to the pot. By the way, this works just as well for smaller servings. In my 6 quart pot, I cut the recipe in half and it turned out perfect. Thanks fo the recipe.
I’m so glad it worked well for you!
What if you only want to make one serving?
The cooking time won’t change, but I’d probably use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oats for one serving, and double the amount of water to get started. So, 1/2 cup of oats with 1 cup of water for 4 minutes, with the natural release.
With the warmup time, the 4 minutes cook time, and the 20 minute cooldown, what’s the point of using the Instant Pot here? The traditional stove-top method is actually faster.
The perk for me is that the Instant Pot makes it TOTALLY hands off. I don’t have to watch the pot on the stove to see when the water is boiling, or turn down the heat, or stir the pot to make sure the oats don’t stick to the bottom, and that’s HUGE for me because I have two young children to entertain each morning. I love being able to set it and forget it, so the fact that it might take a couple extra minutes isn’t a big deal.
These turned out perfect. Thank you!
So I was like, “Thats crazy. I’ll just do it stovetop.” I got distracted and spent two days working the black off the bottom of my pot because I burned it! So, your recipe is perfect! It is a tried and true for me. Thank you -and my regular stovetop pot thanks you too.
HA! Yes, that’s the story of my life. Glad this version worked for you! 🙂
This website works very poorly on a phone. It jumps around and reloads constantly. With the pertinent information way down at the bottom of the page, it was very frustrating. I just wanted to let you know.
Sorry to hear that! I’ve included a “jump to recipe” link at the top of all of my posts so you can go directly there, if needed.
Thank you, I see the jump to link now 🙂
Hi Megan, I had instant steel cut oats to use so I tried same portions on Manual 1 mintue high pressure with a 10 minute natural release. It turned out perfectly!
Thanks!
Karen
I have an Instant pot & am pre-diabetic so like to keep my diet high in fibre and unprocessed food. I have porridge with rolled oats every morning but cook it with semi skimmed milk in a saucepan and add 3 dates for sweetening (I am not keep on cooking with just water). From what I have read, steel cut oats are higher in fibre so I am interested in cooking them in the IP. Can I follow your recipe for Steel Cut Oats but use semi-skimmed milk with the dates? At a pinch, I would use skimmed milk.
The Instant Pot can be finnicky about the liquid you use. I’d use at least half water to make sure it comes to pressure, because I’m not sure if milk will be enough in that respect. (Skim milk has the best chance, since it’s pretty watery, though.) If you use a ratio of 1:2 with the oats and water, you’ll probably still want to add more liquid at the end, and then you can stir in more milk for creaminess.
I tried your recipe. This is the first thing I cooked in my InstantPot Ultra after a test water steam and my Instantpot blew a lot of steam out with lots of the milky broth of the steal cut oats all over the top of the instant pot and then the display showed burn. I put two cups of Bobs Mill Steal Cut Oats and 5 cups of water, set the cooker to pressure cook and the timer to 4 minutes with the warm feature set to on. Any idea what happened? When I opened it, the oats were stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Did you cook this immediately after doing the water test? It could be that your pot was still hot, and the sealing ring in the lid expanded, which would let steam escape and not properly seal the lid– which would cause steam to escape out the sides of the lid. If the steam was coming only out of the steam release vent (the thing you move to seal the pot), then you may have forgotten to move the release valve to “sealing” but if the steam was escaping out the sides of your pot, all around the lid, then that is an issue with your sealing ring. Make sure you wiggle the sealing ring every time you use your Instant Pot to make sure it’s properly placed, or your Instant Pot won’t seal. It’s something I check every time because it stinks to have your pot not pressurize and ruin the meal! That would cause the burning at the bottom of your pot, as the pressure was never able to build up.
This recipe was amazing! We are not vegan, so we add cream and brown sugar. I also added raspberries into the instant pot, and it turned into a wonderful raspberry porridge. I don’t understand why you gave it a one star, Mark, because of YOUR misuse of your instant pot. The fact that everyone else agrees this recipe is amazing, and the fact that it’s not her fault your Insta pot is spitting everywhere. You probably didn’t have your Valve sealed all the way again after your first use, that’s likely the only way it could spit.
I can’t have oats but I can have buckwheat can you post your buckwheat porridge recipe you made in instant pot
I followed this recipe to a T, but my instapot indicated “burn” after it came to pressure. I don’t know if it’s because I have the smaller size? Then when I panicked and tried to release pressure, goopy liquid and steam went all over the place. So I shut the valve back off and let it come down on it’s own. When I lifted the lid, the oats were pretty much cooked, so at least it wasn’t a total loss. But I have no idea why I got the burn indicator. Wondering about less water? (I used 4.5 c) or less time on the pressure cooker?
Help! Mine didn’t work. It didn’t pressurize and burned to the bottom. I know it wasn’t the sealing ring. I’ve had this problem with oatmeal before. Could it be because I have an 8 quart? I did add shredded zucchini but would that have messed it up? Please help!
Zucchini shouldn’t cause a burn error, so I’d guess it’s something else. The 8-quart pots do tend to be trigger-happy with the Burn error, which is frustrating, so next time you could either cook the oatmeal in a separate bowl on a trivet (with a cup of water underneath so that the pot will come to pressure) or you might even make the zucchini layer on the bottom, to protect the oats from overheating/sticking to the bottom of the pot?
Worked perfectly. Thanks!
Hi! What are your thoughts on doubling the recipe? I have the 6 qt, too. Thanks!!
Hi. I just made the oatmeal and it came out perfectly! Thank you for a perfect recipe
Can I cook steel cut oats in milk please? What quanity and timinss what I use for 1 sarving?
The milk might cause the Instant Pot to trigger a burn error. I would cook it in water using the lower end of the water recommended in this recipe, follow the timing in the recipe, then stir in milk at the end to thin it out at the end.
My instant pot went to a burn cycle & never got into pressure cooking. Had to open, stir & scrape the bottom & return it to slow cook. Was not able to make it as recipe states, but still came out fine- just not as fast orunder pressure.
Could you program this the night before to cook and be ready in the morning or would the oats soak up too much of the water through the night?
I think if they soaked overnight they might not need as long of a cook time. Maybe just 1 minute, with the natural release?
Could I halve this recipe?
I think so! Some people choose to do the pot-in-pot method to make smaller batches, to make sure you don’t get a burn error before the pot comes to pressure, so that’s always an option, too.
I am NOT a great chef! I need very specific instructions. I checked out MANY Instant Pot Oatmeal recipes, and yours is BY FAR the most detailed and specific and perfect! Thank you SO much for this most excellent and EASY recipe!
I need to fix oatmeal for about a dozen people. Can I double the quantities (6-quart IP) and do everything else the same? Thanks!
Yes, as long as you don’t fill your pot more than 2/3 full, you should be fine. Cook time stays the same when you double recipes in the Instant Pot. Hope it’s a hit with everyone!
Oh! That just answered the question that I just submitted. Thanks Megan!
I made them once and they were flawless! This morning I did it again and I got a burn notice, I released pressured and looked inside and oatmeal was caked on bottom. Any thoughts, also suggestions of how to salvage oatmeal, start again or do I need to start from scratch?
I have a 3-qt instant pot and there are just 2 people I feed. Will it work to adjust the recipe down to 2 servings? If so, do I reduce the time?
I followed the instructions for steel cut oats to a T, but ‘burn’ appeared in Instant Pot Viva. What am i doing wrong?
I was never a fan of steel cut oats until I tried this method. I used 5c of water because I prefer creamier oats and added a chopped apple and tsp of cinnamon and it was terrific! Can’t imagine making this any other way.
Perfect recipe for a healthy family breakfast on a snowy morning. So easy. I hope there are leftovers, but I doubt there will be. Thanks for the recipe!
Can I use oat milk instead of water
This was great! I used my stovetop pressure cooker, and these came out perfect. They ALWAYS overflow and I lose all the starch when I cook them in a regular pot. So glad I tried this! My family will enjoy steel oats now for years to come.
Really good method. Soft, chewy oats, and good consistency. Thank you for taking the time to share this one!
My husband and I are doing the whole 30 but I make this for my 2 boys using canned coconut milk for part of the water roll make it more filling. They eat it for 2 days so only 4 servings but thank you for the recipe! It beats cooking them in a crock pot all day!!
I tried to make steel cut oats in the instant pot for the first time this morning and this is the first recipe I found, with 90 reviews and a 4.9 rating. Obviously I thought it would be a trustworthy recipe. However, I got a BURN signal on my IP (and again after adding more water) and thought I’d go to the comments and reviews to see if anyone else had he same issue. After scrolling through for a minute, I only saw ONE of the people giving a five-star rating had actually tried this. I’m glad so many people like this blog and her other recipes, but please leave those reviews on the ACTUAL recipe you tried. I love Detoxinista too, but this was so frustrating and left me with a mess, wasted food, and no time to get my kids a decent breakfast this morning.
Sorry to hear that you got the burn error. Did you definitely use traditional steel cut oats, and not the quick cooking kind? That’s caused a burn error for others. Some pots also seem to be more burn-error “trigger happy” than others, though this recipe consistently works for me in both my 6 quart and 8 quart pots. (My 8 quart pot loves to give burn errors, too.) So, it could be that the steam release valve wasn’t moved to venting and the water would evaporate in that case and cause the burn error. If the vent was sealed and the floating valve popped up, signaling that the pot is pressurized, I would recommend just LEAVING IT ALONE if you get the burn error. Leave it for 20 minutes, and the oats will be cooked and the bottom will re-hydrate since the heating element turns off, so nothing will be burnt to the bottom. Other recipes call for cooking the oats for 8-10 minutes, so that won’t help your burn error, either. I find that the shorter cook time and longer natural release creates soft oats that don’t stick to your pot. One other option to guarantee results is to cook your oats pot-in-pot. So they’d be in a separate bowl on top of a trivet, and only water will be on the bottom. Hope that helps!
I always use this instant pot oatmeal recipe. I’m practicing with batch cooking to prepare my return to work in a few weeks. If I want to make a double recipe, do I double all ingredients as well as cooking time?
Thanks!!!
I upped the cook time to 5 minutes because I like the oats a bit softer, but still just a bit of tooth. Also, I use the delayed start function so that I can get everything ready the night before and wake to ready to eat oats.
Short and simply delicious recipe, thank you
Thanks for the recipe! I use to eat steel cut oats everyday and I do it every Monday evening for the week but sometimes is the time I want to relax. So I decided to buy an instant pot. It arrived Friday and I’m about to cook my first oat meal there! Yay! So I can put the oats and water into the pan and go to relax! 😀
Do you use any salt for flavor enhancement and 1-2T of oil to prevent foaming? I’m so looking forward to your web-site…it will be a great enhancement to eating healthy!
If you double the recipe,do yo have to cook it longer?
No. The Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure in that case, so the overall time will be longer, but you don’t change the cook time when doubling the recipe.
I scaled this back to one cup oats and 3 cups liquid. It is so easy to mix it up. Sometimes I sub a cup of almond milk or coconut milk with a dash of cinnamon. Divine!
Hello, I tried but my steel cut oats are causing the instant pot to show ‘burn’ signal. What can I do to avoid that?
I just made you steak cut oats and I was wondering if I could use milk instead of water?
I just got an Insta PotDuo Plus.
It has a button for Porridge and
Pressure cook. Which one do I use?I don’t see it in your recipe for Steel Cut oats. Thanks.
I always use the Pressure Cook button.
Perfect! I used 4 cups water b/c I like it thick
Instant pot steel cut oatmeal recipe is great. Yummy and a time saver. Easy. Just set and come back. Then too to your liking. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
This worked perfectly! We added some dried cranberries, local hazelnuts, coconut milk, and maple syrup. It was AMAZING. Thanks!
I like this recipe. Nicely done!
Savory oats for breakfast.
I cook the oats in vegetable broth and add some chopped spinach.
Before serving I top the oats with a lightly fried egg. Yum!!!