Pressure cooker steel cut oats cook up in minutes and make for better for you breakfasts all week! This apple cinnamon oatmeal is a cozy pressure cooker breakfast.
This post was created in partnership with ALDI. All opinions are our own.
It’s back to school time for many…and for the first time ever, Alex and me! It’s still hard to believe that we’re parents, after a long season of uncertainty and an adoption journey. But here we are with 1 ½ year old Larson, who’s already started preschool this fall. Alex and I miss him, but we’re enjoying more productive work days and he’s enjoying learning with other kids!
For school day breakfasts, we’ve created the perfect solution: this pressure cooker steel cut oats recipe. Larson cannot get enough of this apple cinnamon oatmeal! And we found all the ingredients for this pressure cooker steel cut oats recipe at ALDI. We love that ALDI offers nutritious, high quality products that are affordable for families of all budgets. ALDI is a great place to stock up on all back to school needs.
Related: Looking for healthy breakfast ideas? Acai Bowl Recipe
Steel cut oats vs rolled oats
So, what are steel cut oats, and how are they different from “normal” oats? Steel cut oats and rolled oats are made out of the same whole grain oatmeal. You’ll notice that the steel cut oats have more of the grain kept intact and look more like pieces of rice! To make rolled oats, the oats are processed through a roller that flattens them, allowing them to cook more quickly.
Nutritionally, steel cut and rolled oats have the same benefits: lots of fiber and plant-based protein to start your day. A potential health benefit of steel cut oats is that since they are processed the most minimally, they may be digested more slowly and have a lower glycemic index. This may allow you to feel fuller and have less of a “spike” of energy after eating. But the difference is very slight! For more, go to Steel Cut vs Rolled Oats.
Related: Easy Breakfast Ideas | Vegan Breakfast Ideas
How to make pressure cooker steel cut oats
Cooking steel cut oats on the stovetop takes about 40 minutes. This pressure cooker steel cut oats recipe cook time is just 4 minutes! The entire process of making steel cut oats in a pressure cooker takes about 30 minutes total including prep, preheat and cool down time. The even bigger benefit is that cooking steel cut oats with a pressure cooker is totally hands off. You don’t have to “babysit” the oatmeal make sure it’s stirred or at a perfect simmer. Simply add all ingredients to the pot and set the cook time for 4 minutes!
After cooking, wait for 10 minutes for the natural release process and then it’s ready to go! We’ve created this pressure cooker steel cut oats recipe to be a large batch. This way, you can cook it up at the beginning of the week, and munch off of it all week long. It’s one of our favorite apple recipes and perfect for busy mornings.
On this pressure cooker steel cut oats, the serving size for an adult would be about 1 to ½ cups cooked. For kids like our 1 ½ year old Larson, the serving size is much smaller, maybe ½ cup or so. So he can eat off of this batch for days and days! In terms of toppings, you can go wild and use whatever fruits, nuts, and nut butters you enjoy! Here we’ve topped with a drizzle of maple syrup, some fruit, and cashew butter! We love how the creamy cashew butter adds additional protein to keep us full throughout the day.
Related: The Best Cup of Coffee | How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
Looking for healthy pressure cooker recipes?
If you’ve read our other pressure cooker posts, you’ll know Alex and I used to be skeptics. We thought that pressure cookers were totally unnecessary to add to our kitchen. Instead of being just another kitchen appliance, we’ve enjoyed using the pressure cooker to simplify some of our vegetarian basics like sweet potatoes and chickpeas! Here are some of our other favorite healthy pressure cooker recipes:
- How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in an Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
- Instant Pot Thai Sweet Potatoes
- How to Cook Chickpeas in an Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
- Chickpea Couscous Bowls with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- All our healthy pressure cooker recipes!
This pressure cooker steel cut oats recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant based, dairy free, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free.
Print
Apple Cinnamon Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings (11 to 12 cups cooked) 1x
Description
Pressure cooker steel cut oats cook up in minutes and make for healthy breakfasts all week! This apple cinnamon oatmeal is a cozy pressure cooker breakfast.
Ingredients
- 3 apples
- 3 cups Millville Steel Cut Oats
- 8 cups water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Toppings: SimplyNature Cashew Butter, SimplyNature Organic Pure Maple Syrup, milk, fruit, etc.
Instructions
- Chop the apples: core them and cut them into thin slices, then chop the slices into bite-sized pieces. Place the apples, steel cut oats, water, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt into the pressure cooker. Lock the lid. Place the pressure release handle (vent) in the “Sealing” position.
- Cook on high pressure 4 minutes: Press the Pressure Cook button and set the time for 4 minutes. It takes about 10 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. Wait while the oats cook. (Note: During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.)
- Natural release for 10 minutes: After the pressure cooker beeps, wait for another 10 minutes to let the pressure cooker naturally release pressure. (Tip: We set a timer for this part so we don’t forget!) After 10 minutes, vent any remaining steam by moving the vent to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. Never put your hands or face near the vent when releasing steam.
- Open the lid and stir to form a creamy texture (the oats will have settled on the bottom). Serve immediately and topped with a bit of maple syrup, milk, sliced apples, and cashew butter. Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Instant Pot, Instant Pot Recipes, Pressure Cooker, Pressure Cooker Recipes, Oatmeal, Steel Cut Oats, How to Cook Oatmeal, Pressure Cooking, Healthy, Breakfast, Pressure Cooker Breakfast, Apples, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Love how you don’t add any sugar…let the natural sweetness from the apples shine through! :)
Steel cut oats are soooo good. I love putting them in my overnight oats, a technique I learned from the Fauxmartha’s cookbook. :-)
Steel cut oats for life!!! Love the addition of the cashew butter :)
Could this recipe be made in a slow cooker? Instead of cooking fast, I would put it on before bed and it would be ready for breakfast. Recipe sounds delicious!
We’ve never tried these in a slow cooker — so sorry! I would probably Google a slow cooker recipe to make sure the timing and liquid quantity works! :)
This recipe is brilliant! I love that the oats are so hands-off and cook up so quickly! I’ve long wanted a pressure cooker but have never taken the leap – this recipe definitely has me thinking about it.
Zo is obsessed with oatmeal, but still eats her baby oatmeal (because why mess with a good thing? haha). Except THIS is worth messing with that for – I know she’d love this and she’s especially loving eating what we’re eating so this is on the menu for this week!
Made this today for my wife and I to have breakfasts for a few days … definitely makes a lot but tastes really good. I used granny smith apples since that is what I usually cook with, but will try a sweeter kind when I make again.
Oh perfect! Yes, Granny Smith apples are pretty tart — you’d probably have to make up for the tartness with a bit more maple syrup :) I’d agree that a sweeter apple would probably be best. Thanks for making it!
I fail every oatmeal recipe I attempt but I have never tried them in a pressure cooker. This recipe seems simple and looks delicious. I am going to have to give oatmeal another go! Thank you for sharing!
How do you store the oats after cooking? Do you just throw them in the fridge?
Yes, store refrigerated! I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks!
I see it stores up to 5days in the frig. Can I freeze it?
Yes, I think it would freeze well!