Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

Cooking steel-cut oats in an instant pot isn’t any quicker than cooking on the stovetop, but pressure cooking does make the recipe more hands-off.  Who doesn’t love that? If you need more instant pot steel cut recipes try my banana instant pot oatmeal or pumpkin instant pot oatmeal.

Peel or don’t peel your apples, this recipe is very forgiving.  Don’t like raisins?  Don’t add them.  Prefer the steel cuts oats to be sweeter?  Add more sweetener.  Don’t like cinnamon?  Leave it out.  Just keep the oats and liquid ratio the same.  

When the apple cinnamon steel-cut oats are done cooking, add your favorite toppings to suit your preferences.  I use the oatmeal recipe as a base and add more goodies to the top.  My favorite is a sliced banana, a bunch of fresh berries, and ground flaxseed.  I like adding nutrient-dense fruit to add more volume and bulk up the dish.

For more apple-flavored breakfast recipes try applesauce overnight oats, vegan microwave apple oatmeal, or vegan baked oatmeal with apples.

Ingredient notes

The steel-cut oats recipe uses simple ingredients, but please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and exact measurements.

Apples - Dice one large or two small apples before adding them with the rest of the ingredients to the instant pot to be cooked. I’ve enjoyed Gala, Pink Lady, Honey Crunch, and Honeycrisp apples, but use your favorite.  Finely dice the apples or larger dice to have larger chunks of apples.  Peel or don’t peel your apples, your choice.  I don’t peel my apples, it’s less prep work and more fiber!

Steel-cut oats - The liquid ratio and cooking time are for steel-cut oats in this recipe, not for quick oats or old-fashioned oats. 

Dairy-free milk - Any non-dairy milk will work.  Try it with unsweetened almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, or cashew milk.  The recipe calls for a combination of water and milk.  The milk will help create a creamy texture, I wouldn't use just water.

Raisins - The raisins plump up when cooked in the apple steel-cut oats.  They add little pops of sweetness but can be left out. 

Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract -These are used to help flavor the instant pot steel-cut oats recipe along with salt.  Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice can be used instead of ground cinnamon.

Maple syrup - The maple syrup is optional and adds sweetness to the oatmeal, everyone has their personal preference when it comes to sweetness.  Once the oats are done and cooled, taste and adjust to meet your sweetness preference.  It can be substituted with agave syrup, brown sugar, or granulated sugar. 

Tips 

• Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes for firmer oats, or 8 minutes for softer oats.
• There will be liquid on top and some separation when the oats are done.  Just stir it back into the oatmeal and it will thicken as it cools.
• It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and about 20-25 minutes to naturally release pressure.  Feel free to manually release any pressure after 15 or 20 minutes.
• If liquid spurts out when you manually release, close the vent and let it naturally release longer.
• While testing, I haven't gotten a burn warning for this recipe.  To help prevent this make sure the bottom of the inner pot is clean and there are no cooked-on bits of food, sometimes caused by sautéing.  Also, don't adjust the liquid-to-oat ratio.  I stick to a 3-part liquid to 1 part steel cut oats.

Frequently asked questions

Instant pot instructions

Start the instant pot steel-cut oats by dicing your apples, then add all of your ingredients to the instant pot and stir to combine.

Move the venting valve to seal, and set the pressure cooker to manual or high pressure for 5 minutes for firmer oats or 8 minutes for softer oats.  Turn off the keep warm function.  It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.

Let it naturally release pressure, which will take about 20 to 25 minutes; or if you don’t want to wait, manually release the rest of the pressure through the vent after it has naturally depressurized after 15 minutes. 

Remove the lid and then stir to combine everything.

Stovetop instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a pot and cook covered for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The time may vary depending on how thick and creamy you like your oats.  Remove from heat and cool, the oats will thicken more while cooling.  If the oatmeal is too thin, cook uncovered stirring occasionally.

Serving suggestions

The apple cinnamon oatmeal is best served warmed.  If you prefer a thinner oatmeal stir in some dairy-free milk.  My favorite way of serving the oats is sliced banana, a bunch of fresh berries, and ground flaxseed.  But here are a few options for you.

• Fresh diced extra apples
• Fresh fruit
• Fresh berries
• Sliced banana
• Almond butter or peanut butter
• Ground flax seeds or chia seeds
• Drizzle of maple syrup
• Chopped walnuts or pecans
• Oil-free granola

Reheating instructions

The apple steel-cut oats firm up once cooled and chilled.  They can be reheated using the stovetop or microwave.  When reheating on the stovetop, add a splash of water or milk to get the desired consistency you prefer, and slowly heat up the oats in a pot, stirring frequently.  To heat up in the microwave, add the desired milk or water to thin the oats out.  Then microwave until warm.

Storage

Store the instant pot steel-cut oats with apples in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.  I haven’t personally tried freezing oats.

More oatmeal recipes

• Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Cups
• Raisin Oatmeal Bars
• Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
• Banana Nut Oatmeal Cookies
• Blueberry Walnut Baked Oatmeal Cups

More instant pot recipes

• Red Lentil Instant Pot Chili

As always I hope you enjoy this healthy breakfast recipe for instant pot apple oatmeal! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.