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This instant pot pumpkin oatmeal is easy to make and packed with fall flavors. The oats have maple syrup for sweetness, pumpkin pie spice for a warm cozy flavor, steel-cut oats for hearty grains, and of course the pumpkin (because who doesn’t love pumpkin).

Everyone has their own unique sweetness preference so add maple syrup to taste. I add a couple of tablespoons while it’s cooking, then I add more sweet components once I’m ready to eat, like bananas and dried cranberries (that usually have sugar added).
When the pumpkin steel-cut oats are done cooking, dress them up and add your favorite toppings to suit your preferences. I use these vegan steel-cut oats as a base to add more goodies to the top, I don’t normally eat the oats by themselves. My favorite is just a 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 yummy with pumpkin oats.
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 pumpkin recipes? Try vegan pumpkin overnight oats, oil-free pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin peanut butter muffins.
Tips
- For firmer pumpkin steel-cut oatmeal pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
- 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 pressure after 15 or 20 minutes.
- When the oats are done cooking, they’ll thicken as they cool. Leftovers will thicken even more once cooled in the refrigerator. If they are too thick for your preference they can be thinned out with milk.
- If you manually release the oatmeal and liquid spurts out, close the vent and let it naturally release longer.
Old-fashioned (rolled oats), quick-cooking, and instant oats cannot be substituted. The time in the pressure cooker and the liquid-to-oat ratio is specifically for steel-cut oats.
Leftover pumpkin puree can be frozen to use later. Measure it out before freezing so you know how much you have. Try adding it to chili, curry, using it as an oil replacement in some baked goods, stirring it into oats with cinnamon, vegan pumpkin overnight oats, or making pumpkin pancakes.
How to Make Instant Pot Pumpkin Oatmeal
Mix the steel-cut oats, milk, water, pumpkin pie spice, salt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract together in the instant pot.
Then plop spoonfuls of the pumpkin puree into the oats, don’t stir. When I stirred mine into the oats, the oats burned a little on the bottom of the pot (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, but if you don’t want to wait it should be fine to manually release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.

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

Stove Top Method
Add all of the ingredients to a pot and cook covered for about 20-25 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 more while cooling. If you prefer thicker oats, reduce the liquid by ¼ cup.
Reheating Instructions
The pumpkin steel-cut 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 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 pumpkin oatmeal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. I haven’t personally tried freezing oats.
More Breakfast Ideas
More Vegan Instant Pot Recipes
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes

I hope you enjoy this recipe for instant pot pumpkin oatmeal! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.
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Instant Pot Pumpkin Oatmeal
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This instant pot pumpkin oatmeal is easy to make and packed with fall flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
Toppings
- Dried cranberries
- Sliced banana
- Ground flaxseed
- Toasted pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Mix the steel-cut oats, milk, water, pumpkin pie spice, salt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract together in 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 (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 pressure, but if you don’t want to wait it should be fine to manually release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes (by turning the venting to valve from seal to vent).
- Mix well to combine the pumpkin puree with the oats. The oats will thicken as they cool.
Equipment
Notes
If you manually release the oatmeal and liquid spurts out, close the vent and let it naturally release longer.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- come to pressure: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes (depressurize + 15 minutes)
- Category: breakfast
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: instant pot pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin steel cut oats
Jamie
I really enjoyed the pumpkin flavored oats and the cranberries were really good with them. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Allie
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!