Lately, my favorite breakfast is a giant bowl of creamy crock pot oatmeal, hot from the slow cooker.
+http%3A%2F%2Fchocolatecoveredkatie.com%2F2012%2F11%2F11%2Fhow-to-make-oatmeal-in-the-slow-cooker-the-easy-way%2F+%40choccoveredkt)
It brings back memories of visiting my grandparents’ house as a young girl.
Grandpa believed steel cut oats were the healthiest food you could eat, and he’d get up every morning at 5 AM to make sure that a bowl of piping hot oatmeal with melty butter and brown sugar would be waiting for us when we all awoke.
Sometimes my sister and I tried to beat Grandpa into the kitchen. But no matter how early we snuck out of our beds, he was always two steps ahead of us, bowl of oatmeal in hand.
Below is my basic crock pot oatmeal recipe. You can easily customize it for endless breakfast options.
Crock Pot Oatmeal Recipes
- Cinnamon Raisin Crock Pot Oatmeal: add raisins before cooking. Stir in ground cinnamon and sweetener of choice (and butter-type spread if desired) after cooking.
- Mounds Bar Oatmeal: add shredded coconut, sweetener, and chocolate chips after cooking. Use coconut milk when it calls for milk of choice. Slivered almonds optional.
- Apple Pie Oatmeal: peel 2 small apples, chop, and add them to the uncooked ingredients along with 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp cinnamon or apple pie spice. After cooking, stir a butter-type spread and sweetener of choice (good choices for this variation include brown sugar or Sucanat or coconut brown sugar) into hot oats.
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal: stir 1-2 tbsp peanut butter and 1-2 tbsp jelly into each cooked serving of oatmeal. Pour some milk of choice (such as almond milk) over top just before serving. Everyone knows a pb&j is nothing without the glass of milk!
Crock Pot Oatmeal
This healthy crock pot oatmeal recipe is an easy slow cooker breakfast.
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk of choice or water
- 1 cup steel cut oats (160g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- add-ins of choice (see above for flavor ideas)
Instructions
- Slow Cooker Oatmeal Recipe: Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker or crock pot, put on the lid, and cook on low heat for three hours. No need to stir or anything until the time is up! I use a 3-quart slow cooker for this recipe; cooking times may vary if you use a much-larger size. If you double the crock pot oatmeal recipe, cook for 5-6 hours on low. (If you don't own a slow cooker, you can of course still make steel cut oatmeal. Just follow the cooking directions on the package of oats.)View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Readers also love these Banana Oatmeal Cookies.
Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!
Hi Katie, love this! Now that Sugar Cookie Tea is back in the stores, I think I’ll use your recipe for Sugar Cookie Oatmeal and steep a couple of packets of tea in my milk (almond) then cook off for Sugar Cookie Crock Pot Oatmeal! Whew…Now THAT’S a name! Oh, and I absolutely LOVE your blog!
I love oatmeal in a crockpot. I make it the night before and it comes out so good. Otherwise it takes so long to make if you have to make it in the morning. Can’t wait to try some of your suggestions of ingredients.
Hello,
I was wondering if you could say about how much a 1/4 cup steel cut oats makes and how much liquid you use to get to that amount. I know 1/4 cup Raw is a serving but mine doesn’t say how much that make. Thanks for any thoughts/tips
When I make 1/4 cup steel cut with a cup of almond milk and a tablespoon of cocoa, I end up with 1 cup cooked, maybe a couple spoons under. When I add 1/4 pumpkin instead of the cocoa I geta little more than a cup, but I haven’t measured it exactly.
Gotcha, so it really cooks up. Do you cook that for about 20 minutes at simmer on the stove top?
around that, i cook it until it is thick and creamy.
Thanks!
This looks so incredibly delicious!! Next weekend after midterms, I shall be in the kitchen, baking/cooking every vegan recipe on this blog that I’ve been wanting to bake for a while! (Ok, maybe not every recipe, cuz that would be a LOT, since CCK’s recipes are always amazing! Lol.)
Also, one quick question…this is definitely random (again) but what’s the best way you like to make protein smoothies with protein powder? (I have spirutein cookies and cream, and they say to just mix in in almond milk and not use a blender…but do you usually use a blender?)
I have exactly the same feelings about steel cut oats! And belgian waffles (those were made for special occasions).
I don’t have $ or room for slow cooker in NYC but I just started working part time at a cafe where we do steel cut oats in the slow cooker every night. I’ve been bringing home extra for the next day. And I froze a bunch of servings too! No more spending $ of TJ’s frozen oats.
Something so comforting about irish oats!!
This is interesting to me… do you leave the oats in the slow cooker on low all night? I would love to try is overnight, but I usually sleep longer than 3 hours 😀
I have definitely done steel cut oats cooked on WARM all night long. I use a 1.5 quart slow cooker. Perfect every time.
Thanks Mary!! That’s so helpful!
Hi Katie!
I recently discovered your blog but have yet to comment…Since oatmeal is one of my FAVORITE foods (as evidenced by my oatmeal-dominated recipe board on Pinterest), I thought this would be the perfect opportunity! This morning I added fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and dates to my oatmeal, and it was pretty fab. I’m also a fan of adding PB & J to my oats, along with some banana to get the awesome PB/banana combo. I’ll have to try your “Mounds Bar” idea sometime…I’ve never put chocolate in my oatmeal, but after seeing your many delicious chocolate oatmeal recipes, I may finally have to take the plunge!
I have been searching for the easiest slow cook oatmeal for a few weeks. I put my portions in mason jars and add a little milk each morning so I can eat a quick bowl of oatmeal at work.
Hey Katie! It was really funny to see that you’re part Polish, as my grandfather was 100% Polish, so I’m 1/4!! I wish I were part Italian, but I’m not…lucky you. 🙂 Both my grandparents make amazing food (my paternal grandparents I never really know).
Yum, slow cookers rock!
My grandpa makes amazing pasta! And waffles… and oatmeal. But the last time I had oatmeal there, I didn’t like it because I added all these things that I didn’t like, thinking that I might like it! But I didn’t. 🙁 However, I do normally like oatmeal! 🙂