Instant Pot Pumpkin Oatmeal

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.

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

• Instant pot apple steel cut oats
• Banana instant pot oatmeal
• Wheat berry breakfast bowl

More Vegan Instant Pot Recipes

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

More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin overnight oats
• Pumpkin peanut butter muffins
• Vegan pumpkin muffins (oil-free)

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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