A fool-proof method with a hands off approach at cooking Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot for the week!

Perfect Steel Cut Oats
I had a health scare and was determined to improve my health once and for all. But this time, I was going to put in the work. I decided I wasn’t going to just eat less of what I love, because that plan didn’t work the past 536 times I tried it. It always ended with me going back to eating too much of what I loved.
I didn’t know where to start so I decided to ask a friend of mine, who is a health nut, for help. She practices what she preaches and makes it look easy! I need easy, especially as I journey through giving my entire lifestyle a makeover. I needed her help learning how to sustain the changes I knew I needed to make.
She invited me to her house on a Sunday morning, for what I thought was to look through her recipes. To my surprise, she had recipes laid out on her counter, with the ingredients, and everything I needed ready to go so I could make and try the recipes myself!
Spending that morning with her changed my life forever – I was given the tools I needed. I came away with easy meal ideas, recipes to fall back on when I am short on time, and recipes that are family friendly. She knew what I needed before I did and that morning spent with her will live with me forever. She gave me inspiration, confidence, and courage, and I love her for it!
This Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats recipe is hers and I’ve had it for breakfast every morning since that day. I keep it from getting old by changing up the toppings. I make enough for the week, so my mornings are really easy!

What You’ll Need:
- 4 cups Water
- 1 cup Steel Cut Oats

How to Make Steel Cut Oats in Instant Pot
- Place 4 cups water and 1 cup steel cut oats in your Instant Pot.
- Close the lid to your Instant pot and turn the Quick Release Valve (knob on top of the lid) to ‘sealing.’
- Set your Instant Pot to 5 minutes on normal pressure and press ‘Pressure Cook.’
- Just let it sit on your counter until the time is up and the Float Valve (next to the Quick Release Valve) goes down.
- Then remove the Instant Pot lid and stir the oats. You’ll have extra water, that’s okay. Just stir every now and then until the oats have absorbed the water.

Recipe Notes:
- Faster Alternative – If you would like to cut down on the wait time, just turn your quick release valve from ‘sealing’ to ‘venting.’ This will release the steam right away, versus waiting for it to naturally release.
- Releasing Steam – If you are going to release the steam with the quick release, throw a towel over the release valve first so it catches the steam. Otherwise it goes everywhere and creates a mess you don’t have time for!
- Double Batch – You can easily double this recipe.
- Storing – Once the oats have absorbed the water and they look ‘normal,’ I transfer them to a container and keep them in the refrigerator for the week. Each morning I just scoop them out into a bowl, warm them up, and stir in my toppings!
- Toppings – As standard practice, I add chia seeds to each bowl of oats in the morning. But then I add additional toppings, always making sure to include seeds and/or nuts, too.
10 Steel Cut Oats Toppings
I like to scoop a heaping cup of Steel Cut Oats into a bowl, warm them up, then stir in chia seeds and a little almond milk and syrup. I vary the toppings each day. You can use toppings like:
- Peanut Butter & Banana
- Mixed Berries
- Blueberries & Pepita’s (Pumpkin Seeds)
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Cocoa Powder & Peanut Butter
- Blueberries & Bananas
- Apples & Cinnamon
- Strawberries & Nutella
- Apples, Caramel & Nuts
- Dried Fruit & Seeds/Nuts
Are Instant Pot’s Worth It?
Yes, I think so! But here are some things to consider:
- If you give up easily, the Instant Pot is not for you. If you are willing to practice using it so it can do the work for you then I think it will be a good investment!
- Make sure to have storage space available for it in or near the kitchen, or you’ll never use it.
- The Instant Pot requires time to get ready, just like pre-heating the oven. You can’t just push 5 minutes and feel like you got ripped off if your oats aren’t literally done in 5 minutes. It absolutely speeds things up, and takes a lot of the work out of some things for you, but it’s not instant (contrary to it’s name)!
- It takes a small window of time one day a week for me to prepare my Steel Cut Oats for the entire week. And I can walk away from the Instant Pot, I don’t have to stand over it like a stove. That’s why I love it!

More Oatmeal:
- Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Squares
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Overnight Oats
- Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats + VIDEO
- Easy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Squares + VIDEO
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter Brownie Oatmeal Breakfast Squares

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats, a fool-proof method with a hands off approach at cooking Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot for the week!
Ingredients
- 4 cups Water
- 1 cup Steel Cut Oats
Instructions
- Place water and steel cut oats in your Instant Pot.
- Close the lid to your Instant Pot and turn the Quick Value Release (knob on top of the lid) to 'sealing.'
- Set your Instant Pot to 5 minutes on normal pressure and press 'Pressure Cook.'
- Just let it sit on your counter until the time is up and the Float Valve (next to the Quick Release Valve) goes down.
- Then remove the Instant Pot lid and stir the oats. You'll have extra water, that's okay. Just stir every now and then until the oats have absorbed the water.
