If you love a bowl of soft and creamy steel-cut oats for breakfast, you will enjoy this easy dump-and-start recipe for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats! No more standing by the stove and stirring the pot. Simply pour in the ingredients, press start, and sit back and enjoy your coffee!

Two bowls of steel cut oats with assorted toppings

What are Steel Cut Oats? What are the Different Kind of Oats?

If you look in the breakfast aisle of your grocery store, you will typically find the following varieties of oats to choose from:

Steel Cut Oats, also called Irish oatmeal, are groats of whole oats which have been chopped with a steel blade into fine grains. They retain their shape after cooking and have a chewy texture. This variety is minimally processed, which is why they take the longest to cook as compared to other varieties.

Rolled Oats, also called Old Fashioned Oats, are oat groats that are steamed and then rolled into flat flakes. Since they are thin and flat, rolled oats cook much faster than steel-cut oats. Because they cook quickly, rolled oats are a popular choice for baking cookies and cakes along with being a breakfast staple.

Instant Oats- As the name suggests, these are the quickest cooking oats. These oats are similar in cut to rolled oats, but cut smaller and rolled thinner. They cook in minutes, which is why they're not a good choice for the Instant Pot, as they would turn into mush. I cook Instant oats in the microwave for a minute or so.

What is the difference between Steel cut oats and Rolled oats

Are Steel Cut Oats Better for you than Rolled Oats?

Both these varieties come from the same whole grain cereal, so they have similar nutrition content, but differ when it comes to processing.

Since steel cut oats are the least processed of all kind of oats, they are higher in fiber than rolled oats, by a tiny margin. They are also lower on the glycemic index as compared to rolled oats. (more info on this below in 'benefits' section)

Benefits of Steel Cut Oats

Let's see what makes Steel Cut Oats a healthy breakfast! According to this article, Steel Cut Oats have many health benefits:

Gluten-Free: Oats are naturally gluten-free which makes them a great breakfast option for people with gluten intolerance. But look for a certified gluten-free label on the package to avoid any contamination during processing in shared facilities.
Rich in Nutrients: Steel cut oats are a great source of protein, are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
High Fiber: Oats are rich in soluble as well as insoluble dietary fiber. Just ¼ cup serving of uncooked steel cut oats contains 5g of fiber, which is about 20% of the recommended daily intake. High in fiber also means they keep you full and satisfied for long.
Low on Glycemic Index: Steel cut oats rank low on the glycemic index. The glycemic index gives foods a numerical value that tells you how it impacts your blood sugar when you consume carbohydrates. The lower the food is on the glycemic index, the better. Steel cut oats weigh in at a 55, which means their potential to spike your blood sugar to unhealthy levels is minimal.

Steel cut oats cooked in Instant Pot and topped with blueberries and almonds

How to Make Steel Cut Oatmeal in Instant Pot

Cooking Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot trumps the stove-top recipe any day! No more standing by the stove and stirring the pot. I get soft and creamy oats in about 40 minutes, but most of that time is hands-free cooking. That is a huge plus for me. Here's how I make Instant Pot Oatmeal:

Grease the bottom of the inner pot with cooking spray and wipe off the excess. Add oats and milk, or water, to the Instant Pot.

A step by step process explaining how to make steel cut oats in Instant Pot

Stir and close the lid.

Turn to Sealing (DUO model), and set preferred time on Porridge mode. (I set 15 mins for a creamier texture)

Let the pressure release naturally for best results. Open after the pin drops. Add honey, agave or maple syrup to make it sweet. This is optional though.

How to Prevent a BURN Message

If your Instant Pot tends to give you a burn message from time to time, I would recommend the following:

Use Pot-in-Pot cooing method (PIP). This is a 100% burn-proof way of making steel cut oats in your Instant Pot. It is now my preferred way of making oats. Refer to the recipe card for the detailed recipe.
Grease the inner pot with oil or a cooking spray like Pam.
Use the ceramic non-stick inner pot.

Flavor Options for Steel Cut Oats

Here are some of the most enjoyed flavors of steel-cut oats in my home:

Cinnamon Apple- Chopped or grated apple with a sprinkle of cinnamon
Maple Pecan- Chopped pecans with a drizzle of maple syrup
Blueberry Almond- Fresh blueberries with almond chips, sweetened with honey
Cranberry Pistachio- Dried cranberries with chopped shelled pistachio
Cardamom Pistachio- Freshly crushed green cardamom seeds with chopped pistachio, drizzled with a touch of honey
Saffron Almond- A few strands of saffron stirred in warm oatmeal, topped with slivered almonds, with agave nectar
Oatmeal Raisin- All the delish flavors of an oatmeal raisin cookie. Add brown sugar, raisins and chopped walnuts
Raspberry Delight- Fresh Raspberries with a drizzle of honey

Steel cut oats cooked in Instant Pot and topped with cinnamon and apples

Customize your Oatmeal

Oatmeal is such a blank canvas that you can customize it the way you want, by choosing your favorite toppings. The two super hit flavors in my home are listed in the recipe card.

I like to dress up mine with crushed cardamom, chopped pistachios, and a touch of honey. My mother-in-law used to make this flavor a lot, and I just loved it.

Nuts: You can chopped nuts of your choice; almonds, pistachios, pecans, etc.
Fruit: A friend of mine likes fresh-cut banana with her oats, one of my daughter loves fresh sliced apple, the other one loves raspberries with her oatmeal, you get the idea 🙂
Sweeteners: Adding sweeteners is totally optional. Some popular choices to sweeten your oatmeal are honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, brown sugar etc.

A bowl of Instant Pot steel Cut Oats topped with blueberries and almond chips

Tips for Making the Perfect Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats

Grease the Pot: Steel cut oats have a tendency to stick to the bottom, irrespective of how much liquid you add. So, to avoid the burn message, I would recommend that you grease the pot using any cooking oil or spray, like Pam.
Smaller Quantity using PIP method: If you're cooking a small batch of oatmeal, like ½ cup, I would recommend cooking it using the pot-in-pot cooking method. This avoids the burn message. You can cook individual portions in mason jars or any oven safe bowl.
Natural Release of Pressure: This is one of those recipes where patience really pays. If you quickly release the pressure, the oats might stick to the bottom. Also, you don't want the frothy liquid to squirt out from the valve.
Choose your Cook time: This will totally depend on the texture you like. If you like slightly chewy steel-cut oats, go for 10 minutes of cooking time. But if you're like me, and like your oats creamy and soft, 15 minutes of pressure cooking time should be perfect.
Choose your liquid: In this recipe, I cook my oats in milk, because that's how we like it in my home. If you like, you can cook your oats in water and top them with a milk of your choice later. This recipe can also be used to cook oats in Almond Milk.

Steel cut oats in a bowl sprinkled with cinnamon

Other Popular Instant Pot Breakfast Ideas

Here are a some more popular breakfast recipes from the blog:

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below! For more quick & easy recipes, FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube.

📖 Recipe