Apple Steel Cut Oatmeal (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
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Published Oct 31, 2013, Updated Aug 02, 2022
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Apple cinnamon oatmeal made with steel cut oats and filled with soft apple chunks. You can make this oatmeal in your slow cooker or Instant Pot for a warm, filling breakfast that’s loaded will fall flavors.
I love oatmeal and have a ton of healthy oatmeal recipes to prove it. On Tuesday night I made a big batch of steel cut apple cinnamon oatmeal in my slow cooker. I’ve made steel cut oats on the stove top and as baked oatmeal before, but never cooked them in my slow cooker so I was apprehensive about how it would turn out.
I put the ingredients for the apple cinnamon oatmeal together and started the slow cooker around 10PM, went to bed and upon waking up at 6AM, our house smelled like baked apples and my oats were perfectly cooked and waiting for me to dig in – quite a lovely circumstance to wake up to if you ask me. The only thing I needed to whip up was a pot of coffee.
Here’s What You Need For Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
- steel cut oats – using steel cut oats in this apple cinnamon oatmeal makes for an oh so creamy breakfast. Rich in fiber and protein, steel cut oats are a great way to start the day. My go-to brand is Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats. I wouldn’t use another type of oats for this recipe as the cook time and liquid to oats ratio would differ. If you’re looking to make a recipe with rolled oats try my apple cinnamon baked oatmeal or apple pie overnight oats instead.
- almond milk – I prefer unsweetened almond milk, but any nut or dairy milk will work just fine. You can also make your own almond milk or just use water.
- apple – chunks of warm apple with this creamy oatmeal are a match made in heaven! You can use whatever apple variety you have on hand. I like sweeter varieties like Honey Crisp and Fuji.
- maple syrup – maple syrup as a sweetener pairs perfectly with apple and cinnamon. Feel free to use honey or agave instead if you prefer.
- liquid stevia – a few drops of liquid stevia makes the maple syrup a touch sweeter without the extra calories. If you want, you can skip the maple syrup and add more stevia to taste.
- vanilla extract – I love adding vanilla to my oats just to enhance the flavor a bit.
- cinnamon – the perfect warming spice to pair to the rest of the ingredients.
- salt – brings the flavors together.
How to Make Slow Cooker Oatmeal
The best part? I’ve tested this apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe in the slow cooker and the Instant Pot so I’m giving instructions for both within the recipe!
I note this in the recipe, but the big difference between cooking the apple cinnamon oatmeal in the slow cooker and the Instant Pot is the amount of liquid. For the slow cooker you need 4 cups of liquid and for the Instant Pot you only need 2 cups. It can be water or almond milk, whichever you prefer. Almond milk will make for creamier oatmeal.
Slow Cooker Instructions
Prep your slow cooker – Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray, butter or coconut oil.
Add ingredients – Add all the ingredients besides the toppings into the slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve – Place in a bowl to serve and sprinkle on toppings of choice.
Instant Pot Instructions
Add ingredients – Add all ingredients except the toppings to your Instant Pot, but be sure to only use 2 cups of liquid (water or almond milk) instead of 4 cups.
Seal and cook – Cover with the lid and turn the vent to “sealing.” Press the manual button and set the time to 4 minutes on high pressure. The Instant Pot will automatically start. Once done cooking, allow the pressure to naturally release.
Serve – Once all the pressure has been released, carefully remove the lid and stir the oatmeal and serve.
Slow Cooker Oatmeal for Meal Prep
This recipe makes four servings of apple cinnamon oatmeal so you can share with others! This would be great for a holiday brunch or is perfect for meal prep so you have a quick breakfast ready to go throughout the week — just let the leftover oatmeal cool and place it in the refrigerator for up to one week. Simply reheat the oatmeal on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Tip! Just add a little water or milk when reheating if it’s too thick.
Popular Apple Recipes
- Vegan Apple Bread
- Apple Granola Bars
- Apple Crisp
- Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Apple Crumble Bars
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Try These Other Oatmeal Recipes
- Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Easy Basic Overnight Oats
- Egg White Oatmeal
- Single Serving Apple Baked Oatmeal
- Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Protein Overnight Oats
- Maple Pecan Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal
Ingredients
- cooking spray, butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup chopped apple pieces
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup + 5 drops of liquid stevia, or other sweetener of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- toppings: chopped nuts, nut butter, extra maple syrup, coconut sugar
Instructions
Slow Cooker Method
- Coat slow cooker with cooking spray, butter or coconut oil. Add all the ingredients besides the toppings into slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Place in a bowl to serve and sprinkle on toppings of choice.
Instant Pot Method
- Add all ingredients except the toppings to your Instant Pot, but be sure to only use 2 cups of liquid (water or almond milk) instead of 4 cups. Cover with the lid and turn the vent to "sealing." Press the manual button and set time to 4 minutes on high pressure. The Instant Pot will automatically start. Once done cooking, allow the pressure to naturally release. Once all the pressure has released carefully remove the lid and stir the oatmeal and serve.
How to Reheat
- Let the oatmeal cool and place in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. You can reheat the oatmeal on the stovetop or microwave. Just add a little additional milk to loosen the oatmeal, if needed.
Video
Notes
- The big difference between cooking the apple cinnamon oatmeal in the slow cooker and the Instant Pot is the amount of liquid. For the slow cooker you need 4 cups of liquid and for the Instant Pot you only need 2 cups. It can be water or almond milk, whichever you prefer. Almond milk will make for creamier oatmeal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sounds amazing and can’t wait to try this. What do you think about replacing some or all of the water with apple cider or apple juice? Think it would work?
Definitely! It will just add more sugar, but I bet it’d be delicious!
Can I substitute GF oats instead of steel cut? And if so would I need to adjust the liquid for slow cooker? I have fresh picked apples I’d love to use for this for a warm yummy fall treat! Thanks!
Hey Missi, If you’re looking for an apple oatmeal recipe to make with rolled oats, I would make this apple baked oatmeal. I don’t think the recipe would work with rolled oats since they cook much faster than steel cut oats.
If you don’t have almond milk on hand wpuld oat milk work?
Totally. Actually any milk you have on hand will work. 🙂
For the instapot option, are you suggesting only 2 cups water or to choose between 2 cups water or 2 cups almond milk? Thank you! I love your oatmeal recipe options!
For the instapot, you only need 2 cups of liquid total – so either 2 cups of water, 2 cups of milk or 1 of each. 🙂
If you only use milk in the instant pot do you wait to add it or add it with everything?
For the instant pot you only need 2 cups of liquid total, it can be water or almond milk, whichever you prefer and you’d want to add it in with everything else.
Instant Pot directions say “add all ingredients except almond milk”??
Hi Lisa! I can see where that’s confusing. It was instructed like that because you only need 2 cups of liquid instead of 4 cups. I’ve updated the instructions so it’s more clear!
Just made this in the crockpot for the first time and it was a huge hit with myself and two young kids! Healthy, delicious, and so convenient! I love how simple it is and that it’s already ready for breakfast the next morning. Will definitely add this to my weekly breakfast meal planning list! Thank you!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Allie. I’m so glad this oatmeal was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
My new Instapot mini arrived yesterday and I broke it in making a soup. But I’ve been wanting to try this recipe in the slow cooker so I set it up as a slow cooker for 8 hours and it turned out perfect.
I used 4 cups of water since I don’t keep any non-dairy milk around. I also used two tablespoons of maple syrup.
I was delighted with the results. It couldn’t have turned out any better! This breakfast will become a staple for me.
Woo-hoo! Thanks for trying this recipe, Terry. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 And thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment + star rating. The reviews are super helpful to other readers, so I appreciate it!
I tried making this in my 8qt instant pot but halved the recipe. I got a burn notice so added another cup of water and tried again and still got burn notice ;-(
I enjoyed this today with a red pear instead of apple. And I didn’t have stevia so I added an extra half tablespoon of maple syrup instead and that resulted in the right level of sweetness for me. Also because the last time I made steel cut oats in the Instant Pot I thought they were too hard, I added an extra half cup of liquid and the texture was more to my liking. Thanks for another great recipe!
if you would post nutrition values, that would also be a big help. Thank you.
Just updated the nutrition info for you, Julie. If you ever see a recipe that doesn’t have it, you can always use the recipe importer function on MyFitnessPal as well. That’s what I use and it’s pretty awesome! 🙂
My doctor said I needed to quit eating my highly processed, heavily sugared maple brown sugar oatmeal, so I gave this a try. As I ate a bowl his morning, I went from “well, it’s okay” to “steel cut oatmeal, where have you been all my life?” Thanks for posting the recipe!
I just finished making this recipe. Can barely wait to taste in the morning. Have recently changes my diet to include healthier food. This seems healthy and filling! Will let you know the outcome. Thanks!
Yay! I hope it made your Sunday morning extra delicious.