Instant Pot Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal

When the instant pot steel-cut oats are done cooking, dress them up and add your favorite toppings to suit your preferences.  I use these pumpkin steel-cut oats as a base to add more goodies to the top.  My favorite is sliced banana, dried cranberries, and ground flaxseed.  I was able to find soft dried cranberries at my local store.  They're a smidge sweet, tart, and super delicious on pumpkin oats.

If you don't have an instant pot, there are instructions below on how to make the oatmeal on your stovetop. Cooking steel-cut oats in the pressure cooker is an easy way to whip up a healthy breakfast option.  It may take about the same amount of time whether they're cooked in the instant pot or the stovetop, but the pressure cooker makes the recipe more hands-off.  Steel-cut oats take longer to cook than old-fashioned oats and have a chewy texture.

If you need more ideas on cooking steel-cut oats, try banana instant pot oatmeal or apple instant pot oatmeal.  For a little something different, try a wheat berry breakfast bowl with yogurt.  Need more vegan fall recipes?  Try vegan pumpkin overnight oats, vegan oil-free pumpkin muffins, pumpkin baked oatmeal, or pumpkin peanut butter muffins.

Recipe features

• Filled with warm fall spices for pumpkin season!
• Hearty, filling, and easy to make!
• Leftovers work great for meal prep!

Ingredient notes

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

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

Dairy-free milk - Any plant-based 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.

Pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract - These are used to help flavor the instant pot steel-cut oats recipe. 

Maple syrup - The maple syrup adds sweetness to the savory pumpkin, 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. 

Pumpkin puree - Use pumpkin puree in this instant pot pumpkin spice oatmeal, not pumpkin pie mix (filling).  The pumpkin pie filling is exactly what it sounds like.  It's a mix ready for a pie: so it has salt, sugar, and spices already added in.  I use canned pumpkin puree for convenience.

Tips

• 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 release pressure after 15 or 20 minutes manually.
• When the oats are done cooking, they'll thicken as they cool.  Leftovers will thicken even more once cooled in the refrigerator.  They can be thinned out with milk if they are too thick for your preference.
• If you manually release the oatmeal and liquid spurts out, close the vent and let it naturally release longer.

Frequently asked questions

How to make instant pot pumpkin oatmeal

Start the pumpkin oatmeal recipe by mixing the steel-cut oats, milk, water, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract in the inner pot of the instant pot.  

Then plop spoonfuls of the pumpkin puree into the oats, but don't stir.  When I stirred mine into the oats, the oats burned a little on the bottom of the pot (they were still edible though).

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

When the oats are done, naturally release the pressure, which means don't turn the venting valve or press the button to release the pressure.  If you don't want to wait the entire amount of time to naturally release pressure, give it at least 15 minutes then it should be fine to manually release any remaining pressure.

Mix well to combine the pumpkin puree with the oats.  The oats will thicken as they cool.

Stovetop method

To cook the oats on the stovetop, you'll need to adjust the liquid-to-oat ratio. To a large pot, add the steel-cut oats, 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk, 1 ¾ cups water, pumpkin, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.

Cook covered for about 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning on the bottom of the pot.  The time varies depending on how thick and creamy you like your oats.  Remove from heat and cool for 5-10 minutes; the oats will thicken further while cooling.

Serving suggestions

The pumpkin steel-cut oats are best served warmed.  If you prefer a thinner oatmeal, stir in some dairy-free milk.  My favorite way of serving the oats is with some added sweet components like dried cranberries and a sliced banana.  But here are a few options for you.

• Dried cranberries
• Sliced banana
• Ground flaxseed
• Toasted pecans or walnuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Chia seeds
• Leftover cranberry sauce
• Chopped dates
• Drizzle of maple syrup
• Raisins
• Almond butter or peanut butter

Storage and reheating instructions

Store the instant pot pumpkin oatmeal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.  I haven't personally tried freezing the oats.  The oatmeal firms 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 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.

Related recipes

• Vegan pumpkin baked oatmeal
• Pumpkin peanut butter muffins
• Vegan oil-free pumpkin muffins

More vegan instant pot recipes

• Instant pot wheat berries
• Instant pot red lentil chili
• Instant pot millet