Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
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Published Oct 28, 2016, Updated Jan 14, 2022
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Have pumpkin pie for breakfast with this healthy slow cooker pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe featuring steel-cut oats cooked overnight with pumpkin puree and spices. Hello fall!
I love all things oatmeal and have a ton of oatmeal recipes to prove it. I also love all things pumpkin and since it’s pumpkin season I figured this slow cooker pumpkin pie oatmeal would be the perfect recipe to celebrate with! I’ve already made these oats twice this week and I couldn’t hold out on sharing any longer. They’re way too good not to share.
This recipe is inspired and adapted from my slow cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal which features steel-cut oats cooked with warm apple chunks, cinnamon and vanilla. I love cooking steel-cut oats in the slow cooker so a pumpkin pie version was a natural progression.
Pumpkin Pie Creations
The thing about pumpkin pie is that most people only have it once a year — on Thanksgiving. For people like me who love pumpkin pie all year round this is kind of sad, so we improvise and make things like pumpkin pie overnight oats, pumpkin pie yogurt bowls, pumpkin pie smoothies and slow cooker pumpkin pie oatmeal to get our pumpkin pie fix all season long. All year long, if we’re being honest.
These oats have all the flavor components of pumpkin pie — pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, a little sweetness (from the maple syrup), cinnamon and vanilla. They’re vegan, absolutely delicious and take only about 10 minutes of prep work. Throw everything into your slow cooker and wake up to a warm and comforting bowl of pumpkin pie oatmeal!
Slow Cooker Oatmeal for Meal Prep
This recipe makes four servings of oatmeal so you can share with others (this would be great for a holiday brunch) or use it as a meal prep recipe and save the leftover oatmeal for a quick breakfast 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. Just add a little water or milk when reheating if it’s too thick.
Ingredients Needed
- steel-cut oats – This recipe is meant to be made with steel-cut oats because they hold up well for the longer cook time in the slow cooker. Rolled or quick oats are not recommended. If you want to use rolled or quick oats, try my pumpkin baked oatmeal or pumpkin protein oatmeal instead.
- water and unsweetened almond milk – you can use all water, all almond milk or a mixture of the two for this recipe. You can make your own almond milk or use another non-dairy milk if you prefer!
- pumpkin puree – either canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree works.
- maple syrup – feel free to sub in your favorite liquid sweetener like honey, agave or stevia.
- pumpkin pie spice – use homemade pumpkin pie spice or use store-bought!
- vanilla, cinnamon and salt – additional spices and seasonings for warm, cozy vibes.
- maple syrup, chopped nuts, nut butter – for topping!
Can I Make Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal in the Instant Pot?
I haven’t tested this recipe in the Instant Pot, but I have made my slow cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal in the Instant Pot and this is what I would do:
- Add all the ingredients, minus 2 cups of liquid and toppings into your Instant Pot.
- 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. Once all the pressure has been released, carefully remove the lid and stir the oatmeal and serve.
The big difference between cooking this oatmeal in the slower 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.
More Popular Oatmeal Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Chai Baked Oatmeal
- Salted Caramel Oatmeal
- Maple Pecan Baked Oatmeal
- Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- No Bake Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Easy Pumpkin Granola
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Flourless Pumpkin Muffins
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Ingredients
- cooking spray, butter or coconut oil (for coating the slow cooker)
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- chopped pecans, maple syrup and almond milk for serving
Instructions
- Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray, butter or coconut oil. Add all the ingredients into slow cooker and mix well.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you have a programmable slow cooker, set it to cook on low for 7 hours and then switch to warm.
- In the morning, give the oats a good stir as the oats will settle to the bottom. Portion into a bowl to serve and top with pecans, maple syrup and almond milk.
- Let the oatmeal cool and place into 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
- Steel-cut oats: Only use steel-cut oats for this recipe. Rolled oats and quick oats are not recommended.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just wanted to ask how much pumpkin purée to use. We have more than one size of can, and the recipe does not specify. Thanks! It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Deb – You will want to use 1 cup of canned pumpkin purée. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
I just asked about the quantity of pumpkin purée. Then I read the recipe again, where it clearly states 1 cup…not 1 can. Morale of the story…use my glasses when reading before I ask silly questions. I am good now!
Haha no problem, Deb! Hope you enjoy this recipe!
I made this in the instant pot. Got a burn notice when I used 2C liquid, so I stirred in an additional 1/2C and then it completed. So maybe the thickness of the pumpkin purée just requires a little extra liquid for the instant pot!
AH! I’ve never had that happen, I wonder what could have caused the burn notice? I am happy that it ended up working out for you though. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
why not use rolled oats? what is the difference? Can I use rolled oats?
janice
Hi Janice – This recipe is meant to be made with steel-cut oats because they hold up well for the longer cook time in the slow cooker. I do not recommend rolled or quick oats as they will get mushy. If you want to use rolled or quick oats, try my pumpkin baked oatmeal or pumpkin protein oatmeal instead. Enjoy!
I tried the instant pot method but it just stuck and burned. I’d love to know how to prevent stuff from burning.
Hi Mary- I haven’t personally tested this specific recipe in my instant pot, so the only thing I can think of that went wrong was that maybe there wasn’t enough liquid? If you try again, I would recommend adding a bit more liquid, maybe 1/2 cup and see if that works.
We are having guests so I tripled the recipe.. the slow cooker looks pretty full! does this need a lot of room to expand?? thanks!
Lisa
Hi Lisa – What size slow cooker did you use? Yes, the oats will expand a bit so you want some room to let them do so. Hope they turned out great for you!