Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Apples & Cinnamon

This Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats recipe is made deliciously flavorful with apples and cinnamon! Top with peanut butter and your favorite superseeds for a hearty breakfast. Vegan, nut free and gluten free friendly – perfect for meal prep!

This post is sponsored in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help me bring you new recipes!

I’ll just be honest here and say I do not use my Instant Pot nearly as much as I should! But then I made this steel cut oats recipe and I was instantly (see what I did there) reminded of just how handy this countertop kitchen appliance is.

By using a pressure cooker, these steel cut oats were done in less than 30 minutes with no pot-watching necessary.

Re: preventing pot from boiling over because we’re multi-taskers and often forget about said pot on stovetop while multitasking.

Whether you’re looking for a quick steel cut oats recipe to enjoy in the morning or you’re prepping oatmeal for the week, you will love these creamy, perfectly spiced and lightly sweetened apple cinnamon oats!

Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal

This recipe for steel cut oats is going to be on repeat all season long! It’s quick, easy and something the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients for Steel Cut Oatmeal with Apples & Cinnamon

• milk – I like to use part milk for making Instant Pot oatmeal because I want the creamy texture.
• water – Most recipes call for all water, but see above 🙂
• steel cut oats – once cooked, the texture of steel cut oats is slightly chewy compared to regular or quick oats. They take a bit longer to cook but they’re so worth it!
• apples – adds a natural sweetness and texture to the oatmeal.
• cinnamon – duh! Can’t do oats with apples and forget the cinnamon.
• maple syrup – a touch of sweetness to the oats base but you can always omit and add as you’d like once serving.
• vanilla – a little hint of vanilla goes a long way here.
• salt – a flavor enhancer.

Steel Cut Oats vs Regular Oats

This recipe is made in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill and we’re using their Gluten Free Organic Steel Cut Oats!

Bob’s has a large selection of whole grain products and tons of oats, including these steel cut oats that happen to be gluten free and organic.

TIP: Most of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Products have the little red “GF” circular indicator on them. So if you’re looking for gluten-free, keep an eye out for their red symbol!

So what’s the difference between steel cut oats and rolled oats?

When most of us think of oats, we likely think of rolled oats or quick oats – quite possibly having to do with the fact that they’re used in Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and who doesn’t love those?

Honestly, I didn’t even know what steel cut oats were probably until my mid-twenties because I didn’t really grow up eating oatmeal!

The main differences are:

• Steel cut oats are oats that have been cut using a steel blade, hence the name “steel cut oats“. Also referred to as “Irish oats.”

• Regular oats (rolled oats) are oats that have been steamed and pressed. And then quick oats are made from rolled oats, often called “old fashioned oats”

When it comes to making oatmeal, personally I prefer steel cut oats over quick oats. Yes – even in my overnight oats recipes I like using steel cut oats (or mixing them with regular oats!) because I love the texture they keep.

Nutritionally speaking, they’re almost identical but steel cut oats will have more fiber in comparison to their rolled counterpart.

How to Make Steel Cut Oats in a Pressure Cooker

As you may have guessed, we’re using a pressure cooker (in this case, an Instant Pot) to cook these steel cut oats with apples and cinnamon!

And guess what? It’s super easy and essentially hands-off.

Step 1

Chop apples (I like to leave the skins on!)

Step 2

Add milk and water to pot then chopped apples, steel cut oats, cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Give it a stir.

Step 3

Close lid and set vent to sealing position. Then hit manual and set timer for 4 minutes. Allow pressure to build for about 10 minutes before timer starts.

Step 4

Once timer has gone off, slow-release (do not turn vent) for 10 minutes, then you can manually release the rest of pressure and open lid to stir.

Step 5

Dish out apple cinnamon oatmeal and add your favorite toppings!

I can’t do oatmeal without adding a nut butter (peanut butter pictured here!) and throwing on some additional seeds or even granola for more topping. I’ll often scoop a dollop of yogurt in for some more protein too!

Notes

If you make this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing from you and it helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

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How to Make…

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Apples & Cinnamon

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats made deliciously flavorful with apples and cinnamon! Top with peanut butter and your favorite superseeds for a hearty breakfast. Vegan, nut free and gluten free friendly – perfect for meal prep!

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes

• Yield: 4 large servings 1x
• Scale: 1x2x3x

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used oat)
• 1 cup Steel Cut Oats
• 2 medium apples, chopped (honeycrisp or granny smith would work well here)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp salt

optional toppings

• your favorite nut butter, seeds, nuts, maple syrup or honey to taste

Instructions

1. Combine water, milk, oats, apples, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup and salt in pressure cooker pot. Stir until evenly combined then close and lock lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing position.
2. Hit Manual on Instant Pot, and set timer to 4 minutes. Allow pressure to build for about 10 minutes. 
3. Once the timer has begun the countdown and beep sounds after 4 minutes, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. Then you can manually release the rest of the pressure (cover valve with tea towel just to be safe).
4. Remove lid and use large wooden spoon to stir (use oven mitts if holding pot) and then serve into bowls. 
5. Add favorite toppings like peanut butter, a sprinkle of hemp hearts or chia seeds, maybe some honey to taste. Enjoy! 

Recipes Notes:

Recipe will yield 4 good-sized bowls. If you want more leftovers to serve a family of 4, double recipe. 

Adapted from allrecipes.com 

Nutrition Information:

• Serving Size: 4 bowls
• Calories: 170
• Sugar: 15
• Sodium: 122
• Fat: 3
• Saturated Fat: 1
• Unsaturated Fat: 2
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 32
• Fiber: 5
• Protein: 5
• Cholesterol: 0

Category: Breakfast Method: Instant Pot Cuisine: American
Keywords: steel cut oats recipe, apple cinnamon oatmeal, instant pot oats
Author: Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen