Instant Pot

Last updated on December 30th, 2021 at 10:16 pm

Ah, oatmeal; the staple hot breakfast for so many of us. Who can forget that old dude with white hair and a grim smile, a smile that says “you’re about to eat a blob of mush, and you’ll LIKE it, kid!” Even worse was the Instant Oatmeal in the microwave.

But then…I found out about Steel Cut Oats. I haven’t had a bite of the mushy stuff in ages.

Steel Cut Oats make a fantastic breakfast because oats are high in protein and fiber. They don’t spike your blood sugar like other starchy breakfasts can. I love the texture of steel cut oats over regular old-fashioned rolled oats because they are chewy, and the oats have form and structure and don’t feel mushy.

The only problem: They take forever to cook on the stovetop!

When my family first started eating steel cut oats, we would stand watch over the stove, stirring and stirring and stirring them for about 30 minutes, making sure the pot didn’t boil over and the oats didn’t stick to the bottom. 

Enter the Instant Pot. GAME CHANGER!

We just throw them in, add water and oil, and press Start. Then we walk away and come back to perfectly cooked Steel Cut Oats in about 20-25 minutes. I love that we can be getting ready for our day while they are practically cooking themselves!

Also, I have discovered that steel cut oats re-heat perfectly! So that means you can have breakfast ready for the week or even cook and freeze the portions in baggies or jars to have a quick breakfast at hand anytime.

Here is how we make a batch of steel cut oats:

Pressure Cook for 10 minutes at High Pressure, then Natural Release for 5 to 10 minutes
Water Ratio: 1 part steel cut oats to 1 2/3 parts water. This is how you can adapt the size of your batch of oatmeal. Any container can be your measuring device. Just use the same one for both the oats and the water.
Add 1 teaspoon of oil per cup of oats to prevent foaming.

Ingredients for a huge batch:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, ghee, or butter
• 1 30oz. container of Steel Cut Oats. I buy these from Aldi for about $2.99. If you prefer to measure, this is about 5 cups of oats.
• 1 2/3 empty oatmeal canisters of water. I use the empty canister to measure the water, then pitch it—no extra measuring devices needed!
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

OR

Ingredients for a smaller batch:

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil, ghee, or butter
• 1 cup of Steel Cut Oats
• 1 2/3 cups of water
• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions:

• Turn Instant Pot ON by pressing [Sauté].
• Add oil, ghee, or butter to Instant Pot and allow to melt on the bottom to help prevent sticking.
• Pour in steel cut oats.
• Measure water into pot. 
• Check the Instant Pot to make sure the sealing ring and other parts are in place and close the lid.
• Turn steam release valve to [Sealing] position.
• Turn Instant Pot OFF by pressing [Cancel/Keep Warm] Button.
• Set cooking program. [Pressure Cook], [Manual], or [Porridge] will all work well.
• Make sure your Instant Pot is on HIGH pressure by pressing the [Pressure] button until it cycles to HIGH pressure. The LUX model of Instant Pot only has High pressure, so you can skip this step.
• Set pressure cooking time to 10 minutes by pressing the [+] or [-] button.
• Pause for 10 seconds while you wait for the Instant Pot to start. Or Press [Start] if you have a model, such as Ultra or Max, that has a Start button.
• Instant Pot will heat up, come up to pressure, and display countdown while pressure cooking for 10 minutes. 
• Allow pot to Natural Release for 5 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure from the pot.
• Open the Instant Pot and add salt.
• You will notice that there is a lot of liquid at the top, and the bottom of the pot has very thick oatmeal. This is normal. Stir the oatmeal well, scraping the bottom and mixing in the liquid from the top.
• Serve oatmeal with any toppings you like. We enjoy getting creative by adding nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, cocoa, bananas, blueberries, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, and milk or cream.

Notes: 

If you like your oatmeal thinner, add more water before cooking. 

IMPORTANT: Remember that the water doesn’t evaporate when pressure cooking as it does when you are cooking on the stovetop, so the recipe on the package of oats will call for lots more water than needed in the pressure cooker. Ignore the stove top instructions on the package.

Starchy foods like oatmeal tend to foam in the pressure cooker. Adding oil helps to keep foaming to a minimum. Don’t skip this ingredient.

Tip: The night before, place oats, water, and oil in Instant Pot and set timer to Delay cooking until 45 minutes to an hour before you want breakfast. Your oatmeal will be ready and waiting for you when you and your family wake up!

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Super Simple Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot

Hot and Hearty Steel Cut Oats made easy in the Instant Pot

Prep Time3 minutes mins

Pressure Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Budget-friendly, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Kid-Friendly, Make-Ahead Breakfast, THM-E

Servings: 4

Calories: 163kcal

Author: Holly

Cost: $0.60

Equipment

• Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil, ghee, or butter Use your preferred oil or fat
• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1 2/3 cups water
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

• Turn Instant Pot ON by pressing [Sauté].
• Add oil, ghee, or butter to Instant Pot and allow to melt on the bottom to help prevent sticking.
• Pour in steel cut oats.
• Measure water into pot.
• Check the Instant Pot to make sure the sealing ring and other parts are in place and close the lid.
• Turn steam release valve to [Sealing] position.
• Turn Instant Pot OFF by pressing [Cancel/Keep Warm] Button.
• Set cooking program. [Pressure Cook], [Manual], or [Porridge] will all work well.
• Make sure your Instant Pot is on HIGH pressure by pressing the [Pressure] button until it cycles to HIGH pressure. The LUX model of Instant Pot only has High pressure, so you can skip this step.
• Set pressure cooking time to 10 minutes by pressing the [+] or [-] button.
• Pause for 10 seconds while you wait for the Instant Pot to start. Or Press [Start] if you have a model, such as Ultra or Max, that has a Start button.
• Instant Pot will heat up, come up to pressure, and display countdown while pressure cooking for 10 minutes.
• Allow pot to Natural Release for 5 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure from the pot.
• Open the Instant Pot and add salt. You will notice that there is a lot of liquid at the top, and the bottom of the pot has very thick oatmeal. This is normal. Stir the oatmeal well, scraping the bottom and mixing in the liquid from the top.
• Serve oatmeal with any toppings you like. We enjoy getting creative by adding nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, cocoa, bananas, blueberries, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, and milk or cream.

Notes

If you like your oatmeal thinner, add more water before cooking.

IMPORTANT: Remember that the water doesn’t evaporate when pressure cooking as it does when you are cooking on the stovetop, so the recipe on the package of oats will call for lots more water than needed in the pressure cooker. Ignore the stove top instructions on the package.

Starchy foods like oatmeal tend to foam in the pressure cooker. Adding oil helps to keep foaming to a minimum, so don’t skip this ingredient.

Tip: The night before, place oats, water, and oil in Instant Pot and set timer to Delay cooking until 45 minutes to an hour before you want breakfast. Your oatmeal will be ready and waiting for you when you and your family wake up!

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 15mg | Fiber: 4g | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg

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