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
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.
What other liquid sweeteners s would work? Could I use honey? How much would you recommend, or just use more maple syrup?
Yes, you can use honey or agave or any liquid sweetener of your choice and it can be subbed 1:1 with the maple syrup!
Thanks for the recipe can’t wait to try I’ll let you know how it turns out , love steel cut oats
I love recipes that are effortless but healthy and tasty. I made this recipe before in my crock pot and what a treat. The leftovers were as delicious as the first dish. I’m about to make another batch – love not having to always think about what’s for breakfast when I wake up. Also want to give kudos to Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. Use it all the time.
Ahh yay!! So glad you loved this recipe, Patricia! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
Haven’t tried this yet, but I’m wondering, if I only have rolled oats, what would be the timing for the Instapot? I’ve never liked steel cut oats.
Hey Lija – I haven’t tried rolled oats in the instant pot, so I’m not too sure. Here’s an instant pot recipe that maybe you could use as a reference! Let me know if you try it and how it turns out.
Doubled the recipe and followed the instant pot method and it turned out great! Delicious fall breakfast!
I just made this, and what a great recipe! I used 4 cups of Trader Joe’s maple oat milk instead of almond milk and water, and omitted all other sweeteners. After cooking down, the sweetness from the apples and oat milk were enough for some of us, but it allowed for others to sweeten to their taste. It’s a great recipe to play with. Thank you!
Woo!! Happy to hear you enjoyed this apple cinnamon oatmeal, Taylor! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review and star rating. It means so much to me!
I live in an area that only has quick cook steel oats. Would this work in the crockpot?
I wouldn’t recommend using quick cooking steel cut oats for this recipe as they will cook too quickly and likely become mushy!
I loved this recipe with a few tweaks. I put in 1 whole chopped apple( it was a bit more than 1 cup, 3 tbs of pure maple syrup, no stevia & the rest was how OP did, mixed well in crock pot (slow cooker) & it was ready in 3 hours! Thx!
YAY! I am excited to hear that this recipe is a hit, Jennifer. Your substitutions sound like they worked great. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I so appreciate you being here.
I’ve made this many times in my instant pot on “slow cook”. Sometimes I vary the fruit or spice but it is always delicious!
That is a great option as well, Jacquie. Thanks much for sharing. I also love there versatility of the different fruits and spices that can be used in this recipe. Thank you so much for your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!
Can I make this in a 4 qt crockpot?
Yes – that should work great. Enjoy!