Are you ready for this?
Slow Cooker Irish Oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 4 cups liquids (I used 3 cups water & 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 apple, skinned & chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins
- stevia to taste
Directions:
Add apples, raisins, and cinnamon to crock-pot. Plus 1 cup steel cut oats. Then 4 cups liquids.
Stir everything up and set crock-pot to low setting for 7 hours.
Above is what it looked like at 10 pm.
Below is what it looked like at 5 am.
Ok, you can’t really tell what’s going on from this photo. I took that when I first woke up, so I was as groggy as my camera is focused.
Here’s a better look at what the oats turned into after an entire night of slow cooking.
My alarm went off at 4:15 am and I was immediately greeted with the smell of warm apple pie. It seriously knocked me off my feet.
The only thing I could think of during my morning yoga routine was how soon I could dig into the crock-pot.
The cinnamon on top was crusty and crispy, and the apples nearly fell apart in my mouth they were soft as buttah! The raisins didn’t even resemble dried fruit anymore they were so fluffy. The whole breakfast was a dream.
Make this. Now.
{ 133 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, that looks amazing, expecially the crunchy top… kind of liked baked oatmeal! I love that this doesn’t require you to stand over the stove and stir.
Yum I love apple pie oatmeal!
That looks fantastic. Just put steel cut oats on my shopping list : )
oh gosh, that looks insane. My only concern is that I live in a studio and I won’t be able to sleep all night because of the amazing smell!!! haha
does sleeping and making oats overnight count as multi-tasking?
obviously! haha.
I love crockpot steel cut oats!
I’ve recently been doing a pumpkin version (I have TONS of frozen pumpkin puree in my freezer) where I just decrease the water a bit and add the puree. Works great.
This sounds like a super awesome alternate recipe. How much pumpkin puree do you usually add? I haven’t worked with pumpkin very often, outside of pie, so I’m not sure what kind of range I’m looking at here.
Thanks!
I will generally do 1/2c puree to 1 c oats. You could add spices while it’s cooking but I will generally add my after. I just throw it in the crockpot and cook overnight. Tasty toppings are cinnamon or pumpkin pie seasoning, nuts (pecans seem to be especially good), pepitas, maple syrup, ect. Whatever you have and is sounding tasty, basically. If you try it, I hope you like it!
I tried it last night and got to eat it this morning! Super amazing!
I used 1/2 cup pumpkin, 2 cups milk, and 1 1/2 cup water.
Thanks for your help.
thanks for sharing your measurements alison. glad it turned out. and thanks for the idea jessica!
Yay! Glad it turned out! (Aren’t oats amazing?! Ahh…)
Is there any way you would share your pumpkin dish’s recipe with me? I like variety.
Thanks!
Jannie
i think the recipe is above jannie.
Oooo I have to try this method! I wonder if it would work in my lil’ dipper with a smaller serving. XOXO
This works great in the little dipper! I used it for years. Make sure you spray it with cooking spray, if it is like mine and the insert does not come out. Its a little hard to clean because it is not immersable. Recently I bought an old retro bean pot with the warming plate on ebay. (the old time crocks). I love how great it cooks the oats, and it looks “retro great” on my counter, and easy clean up! Enjoy!
I. cannot. wait.
this makes me wanna go buy steel oats again!
I need a crockpot!
I know exactly what I’m asking for for Valentine’s Day!
WOAHHH. I just made crockpot steel cut oats yesterday! I didn’t add the fruit until after they were out but I was impressed with how creamy the oats turned out. My only issue with this method was that a bunch of it stuck to the crockpot and it was a pain in the butt to clean. Any remedy?
I’m gonna haveta try sticking apples and raisins in there… that sounds divine!
when i went to work, i left the rest of the oats in the pot so when i got home that night they had cooled and easily scooped out. since they were more congealed in their cold state they left very little behind on the pot, but i did have to scrub the cinnamon tracks on the side a bit. oh well.
I think this comment answers my question, which was is the recipe for one serving or two? (It sounds like “Two Servings” if you had leftovers…
By the way, I’m a new-ish reader by way of Wendy at Healthy Girls Kitchen. I’m really enjoying HHH!
They have crock pot liners that are great for the oatmeal recipe! It is like a big bag that drapes inside the liner of the crock pot. When you are done just pick it up and throw away! No cleaning necessary
ahh, got it. will try that next time. thanks!
hey jill! glad you found me…yeah there were definitely leftovers. it could be two to three servings depending on how big of a breakfast you eat and how many toppings you add on top after they’ve cooked (ie nuts, nut butter, fresh fruit…whatever)
Grease the pot with coconut oil! Healthy for you and reduces the stick… Added bonus it tastes yummy!
No need to tell me to make this now. I’ve already made it many many times. I LOVE crockpot oatmeal! Ever since I’ve made it this way, I feel like such a snob when I have to eat quick-cooking oats because I always b*tch about how second-rate it is to the slow-cooked oats. There’s nothing more wonderful than waking up to the aroma of cinnamon-apple oats wafting from the kitchen. Almost makes rising at 5:00am seem not so bad. Quick question: Have you ever added chia seeds to it and if so, at what point did you add them? Just wondering
Do you count calories? If you so how many do you eat a day?
Nope
Mmm…this post made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I love sweet delicious oats! I have never made crock pot oats, think this will be a weekend meal! I love your blog by the way! Great food posts!
mmmm. i think this recipe is reason enough to buy a crockpot.
I just spray the crockpot with canola spray before adding the ingredients…no mess…it all comes out smooth. I add flax. Yummy.
what size crockpot did you use?
its a 4 qt cuisinart
This looks delicious!! Had a quick question about the cinnamon… is your measurement in ‘Tablespoons’ or ‘teaspoons’? Wanted to clarify. Thanks a million!
tablespoon. im a cinnamon fiend but if youre hesitant start with 1 tablespoon.
This sounds A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Thank you!!!!
Sounds yummy.
Thanks for the recipe! I used 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and 3 1/2 cups water the first time and am experimenting with increasing the pumpkin. Awesome so far and my little ones gobble it up! Will be a big time saver when I finish my maternity leave in a couple weeks.
awesome! im gonna have to try that too…
I found this recipe the other day while searching sc oat recipes. It is supposed to help increase breast milk supply (and so far, it does!) My only concern is the amount of cinnamon. I was hesitant to put the full amount in, but I always try recipes as they are written first. I just tried a spoonful out of my slow cooker and that is all I can taste. Next time I will tweak it a bit as I find 2 tablespoons a bit much. Thanks for posting this though, I can’t wait to try out a few more variations!
hi meg.
thanks for the feedback. i just edited the recipe. im a cinnamon fiend, but a few others have been hesitant about the amount too, so to avoid future readers from having overly cinnamony oats, ill stick with a more conservative quantity.
there are so many variations with making steel cut oats in the slow cooker its awesome! try cocoa powder and some leftover coffee for mocha flavors, its my new fave. i up the ratio of almond milk in the liquid (using only a cup of water) so its really really creamy.
How much cocoa powder do you add?
1 tbsp makes a moderately chocolatey batch, 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp will give it an even more rich, deep cocoa flavor.
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i’m definitely trying this. i think it would also be great to sprinkle on chopped walnuts or pecans just before serving.
agreed
ok, so i assembled this last night for breakfast this morning, and it’s SO GOOD! this is definitely going to be a weekend tradition. i used sweetened almond milk, so i omitted the stevia, but then just before serving, i sprinkled on about 1/2 tsp raw sugar and walnuts, and it was incredible. question: what type of apple did you use? i used a gala, and it had NO taste whatsoever once cooked.
how odd! i used a gala, but every once in a while i find them to be not very flavorful (even raw). generally its the non organic ones, so you may have just gotten one of those?? try it with a honeycrisp or pink lady next time?
i’ve now found that fuji apples work really well. also, it tastes even better if you add in a pinch of sea salt. brings out the flavor.
Hi Erin-
Found your site while looking for a recipe for steel cut oatmeal in the crock. Glad I found your blog. Gonna make the oatmeal tonight to have for tomorrow AND am looking forward to looking through more recipes here.
hi laura. my name is elise, but im glad you found me just the same
Duh! Wish I could erase my original comment. I am very embarrassed and so sorry. You’re not Erin, you’re Elise. Again, I’m really sorry.
no worries! ive made far more embarrassing mistakes. have a good day. xxx
So i tried to make this last night in my little crockpot as a one-serving breakfast, and uhoh I burned it! haha so I was wondering if you had any suggestions on how I could make it next time, maybe more liquid? I used 1/4 cup scottish oats and 1 cup milk/water. I also got the idea to steep a bag of chai tea in there (don’t know if that’s why it burned) and about 1/3 an apple, raisins, blueberries and vanilla protein powder (don’t know if that was the problem either) I put it on low and then woke up this morning about 9 hours later (maybe too much time?) wow I feel like this comment went in circles (: oops. Just let me know what you think, thanks so much!
i think its probably the protein powder. try adding that in the morning just before you eat them next time. stirring it in just before you eat it should be fine since you dont have to cook protein powder.
Thanks; i’ll try that next time. And I saw your above comment about making mocha oatmeal, and I don’t know if berries are fodmaps foods but you should try adding raspberries (even frozen ones), because a dark chocolate coffee combo tastes amazing with raspberries (I always get a mocha with a shot of raspberry syrup at starbucks). Just a suggestion(:
raspberries are fodmaps free – mocha berry sounds delish!
Hello All!
I just tried this for the first time in my Genius Chef (combo appliance) and I LOVE it! No issues with stickage to the sides but that may be becasue I didn’t add sweater to the slow cook. I added cranberries, almonds, chia seeds, wheat germ, flax seed (ground) and oat brand to the original recipie. It’s fantastic! I’m very pleased with this recipie thanks for sharing Elise! I’ve been looking for more ways to utilize my slowcooker/genius chef! I’m curious have you used quiona in any slow cooker recipies? If so please share your results. Thanks!
fantastic!
i have done quinoa too – with berries and almond milk – so good. its hard to get the texture right though, so it ended up more like quinoa porridge than the perfectly fluffy quinoa you get when you cook them on the stove top (or in the rice cooker, like i do). still great though.
I place the oatmeal and liquid in a round metal bowl then place the bowl in the crock pot and fill about half full of water. The bowl “floats” in the water and keeps the oatmeal from making such a mess. Moist with a bit of crunch around the edges. Perfect. I am looking forward to trying some of the flavors others have suggested. I use 3/4 water and 1/4 milk and use Truvia to sweeten.
Oh Carolyn, You are a genius! I love your idea! I will try it as soon as my stash is gone! I make a decent amount, and put it in a loaf pan. I just “slice” a piece off, add milk and microwave. It stirs up creamy fresh each morning.
ive heard of this trick, but never tried it! thanks for the reminder. let me know how it goes lucy!
I loved the bowl floating idea! I used the suggestion of rubbing coconut oil on it also. I now have a nice new “loaf” of oatmeal cooling, and ready to slice and heat in the morning. I made pumpkin raisin last time, so this time I used your recipe, and added some amaranth for an added bonus, along with some dried cherries. Yummy!
Just had a bowl of these! Yum! I’m testing out quick/easy recipes to use for the school year. I’m loving all the ideas in the comments, too! Thanks so much!
I found the following list of add-in ideas, too! http://q.equinox.com/articles/2012/03/oatmeal
Looks like some good ideas!
ooo, awesome link, thanks
i love a savory bowl of oats…
Fine, okay, I will! Quit yelling!
I love steel cut oats (my friend introduced me to them), but I just made my first batch in the crock pot last night…and it definitely didn’t turn out like I thought it would. Mine turned out to be “gelatinous,” like the liquid turned more into syrup than leaving a crusty top. Any suggestions on what I did wrong? Thanks!
thats weird. maybe you used too much liquid? ive never had that happen to me though…maybe play around with the ratios you use…or start with a smaller amount (halve the whole recipe?). sorry i cant be more helpful.
How long will this keep in the fridge once made?
up to one week id guess…i dont know for sure, but i woudnt test it much longer.
Made this last night for my kids first day back to school. Delish! I doubled it and it turned out perfect.
hooray! i wish i had that as a first day of school morning treat!! youre awesome jeni!
I am currently eating these oats, and omg! SO delicious!! I made it as you wrote it, omitting raisins (yuck!) and stevia. I added a pinch of brown sugar and its perfect! Just wondering, what kind of apple did you use? I used a red delicious, and it was blah. Suggestions? Thank you for an outstanding recipe!!
i used a gala. i agree red delicious apples arent the best in this. granny smith would be a more tart apple pie like taste, but honeycrisp, pink ladies, and galas are probably my favorites.
Will cooking overnight give the same texture as the quick stove top method? (I love the ‘pop’ of some of the oats as you bite down on them (Do you know what I’m trying to describe?))
I’ll have to do the full cinnamon-fiend measurement ;o)
Thanks for this! ‘excited to try the mocha variant. Yumm-o
Reporting back: Same yummy ‘bite’ as the fast (more attention-required) method and surrounded by creamy apple/cinnamon goodness. ‘kitchen smells like a cinnamon peeler ;o)
(garnished with blueberries and walnuts)
Thanks again!
hooray! sorry i couldnt get back to you sooner (out of town for the weekend), but im glad it worked out
isnt it such a great smell to wake up to!?! mmmm…
Recipe
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Made this last night, house smelled fantastic, and breakfast was out of this world!!! I even had co-workers asking about it. Thank you for sharing!
awesome!!
Thank you for this great dish! I have been making it the last couple weeks! It makes the kitchen smell so good, I jump out of bed in the morning!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
i just made it again this morning. i always forget how nice it is to wake up to a breakfast thats already hot and ready to serve…mmmmm…
This recipe sounds delish!!! I’m trying this tonight, I look forward to the great morning scent
enjoy!
Your blog is so wonderful and I love to share it with my readers.
Thank you.
_svala
Insanely good. Thank you for sharing your recipe!!!
I’m making this tomorrow! I can’t wait. I ran out and got a small crock the minute I saw this. I love steel cut oats, but have to get up 45 minutes earlier to make them. I never though of this…. Thanks!
hope it was a hit?
Hi there,I’ve just come across your webpage and it looks great.I’m looking for low fodmap recipes and this one looks great BUT,I was under the impression that apples were a high fodmap food?
Mel
youre correct. i didnt discover fodmaps until a year ago. this site, however, has been up and running for over 4 years, so there are plenty of non fodmaps recipes.
Woke up to this today. YUM! Bookmarking your blog
thank you!
I fit the entire recipe in my 1.5 quart slow cooker. Came up to about 1/3″ below the rim, just in case anyone wanted to know how small a crockpot they can use. Such a filling meal, I can easily get 4 servings from this
awesome! and thanks for the reference for others with the smaller slow cookers.
Hi, I was given this recipe from a friend. I plan to serve it this weekend to guests. Will this serve 6 or can I double this recipe? Thank you
I get 4 nice sized servings.
Elise,
What a find, I’ve searched the web looking for a basic recipe that I could jazz up like you have, then I found your blog. Looking forward to trying out all sorts of add ins!
Thanks for sharing, just subscribed to your blog.
Beth
hi beth! thanks for the feedback. hope you enjoy the site
I’m on a HHH kick! I made your easy seitan recipe over the weekend (and likely will again every weekend in my foreseeable future!), and these oats last night. Thank you so much for sharing your easy AND hearty vegan recipes. The world is a better place for it!
Yay!! So glad you’re enjoying these recipes
Fantastic. I used 1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup Trader Joe’s Spiced Apple cider, and 2 cups water. Added a little brown sugar to the finished product. It was worth the wait. Thank you!
yay!! i have GOT to get my hands on TJs spiced cider. it sounds so delicious right now – and in the oats – yummm!!!
I’m so ready to try this! My toddler HAS to have oatmeal every morning and I’m sick of the quick oats, but unwilling to wake up extra early just to cook oats LOL. We make ours extremely thick so it balls up and she can feed herself easier. I think we will try that bowl-in-water method someone mentioned so it’s super thick
Thank you for this wonderful post!
glad you like it tracey. let me know how that bowl in water trick turns out!
Look fabulous!! However, that is quite of bit to make for one person. Can I store the leftover in the refrigerator to have for several mornings??
Thanks, love the addition of the apples and raisins!!
it definitely makes a lot. ive never tried halving the recipe, so im not sure how it would turn out that way, but yes to your suggestion! the leftovers are good for a week at least. i often store the leftovers in separate tupperware (even freezing 1 or 2) for later.
Tried this today with a pear and cranberries instead of an apple and raisins. Tastes amazing, especially topped with toasted, sliced almonds. Thank you!
Nice photo sequence! I’ve been making a variation of this using my little crockette for some time now and it’s really wonderful. I tend to mix-in whatever fruit (dried or fresh) I might have available. Sometimes berries that were frozen from the garden (thawed out), peaches, etc.
Great general purpose recipe and so wonderful to wake up to!
i agree mark!
Hi Elise. Love the recipe, thanks! You sound like a super cool gal!
awesome jill! sounds like you have good taste all around
Thanks so much, I am so glad I found your web page, we love the steel cut oats, however I hated cleaning up the pot, anxious to try spray or coconut oil.
yay! glad you found me too then
I’m glad to have stumbled across your website via google search. made this last night and breakfast is such a delight this morning! thanks for sharing this recipe!
hi gina, im glad you liked the crock pot oats. it’s such a simple breakfast – definitely a fave of mine
This is a fantastic recipe! I’m eating healthier in this new year, and was looking for a good steel cut oatmeal recipe, and this is IT! I didn’t use the apples or raisins (just cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar) and it turned out great! I will use the apples next time, and like Jen said, the pear and cranberries sound yummy too! Looking forward to trying some more of your recipes! Thanks!!
awesome! glad you liked the oats…hope the rest of my recipes prove helpful too
I made this Friday night. I used a simple timer so it would cook just the 7 hours and it worked perfectly! I wouldpersonally go with the 2 TBSP cinnamon as it needed a little more “oomph”! My husband even ate it, which is amazing!
yay! glad you liked it barb.
ps im all about the cinnamon too
I love crockpot steel cut oatmeal. My recipe is to use your same ratio of oats to liquid. Instead of water I add Pomegranate juice, Blueberry juice, or a combo of the two. I then add dried cherries, blueberries, and pomegranates. Also, I add 4 TBSP of Chia seeds–a nutritious superfood that is an excellent source of
fiber, antioxidants, protein, vitamins and minerals, and omega-3. My crockpot steel cut oatmeal is bursting with antioxidants.
berry-ified oats sound awesome. ive done a quinoa berry combo in the crock too…have you ever tried adding goji berries. that would make your breakfast the most superfood enhanced EVER – ha!
Pretty neat job!
Have you or anyone else ever tried it with coconut milk? If so, how much would you suggest? Thanks!
Pamela-Jean, I think you could use 1 cup of coconut milk and the 3 cups of water, or make your first batch with 1/2 cup of coconut milk, then 3 1/2 cups water……….I always use almond milk in mine, and use 1 cup of almond milk….
thanks susan! i agree with your estimate. i do the same ratio w almond milk.
This sounds delicious. How many servings does this make? I am trying to figure out the calories. Thanks.
not sure whitney. i dont really know what constitutes a “serving”. it generally lasts me 3-4 meals i guess…but i have a large appetite, dont count kcals, and am very active – so it may be 6 servings for another person.
@Whitney………..I started off making 4 servings of this oatmeal, but it was too much for me………now I make 6 servings out of it, and it’s just right!
Yum! Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.
Hi! I found this recipe a few weeks ago, and my family can’t get enough! We’ve made it probably 6 times. I use 2 apples instead of one, 1/4 c each of raisins and chopped apricots or prunes (don’t knock it! Delicious!) and a boatload of cinnamon and some vanilla. For the liquid, 1 c whole milk and 3 c water. My 5yo son and my husband both INHALE this with a little grade B maple syrup or brown sugar on top. Perfect for the ridiculously cold, snowy “spring” here in eastern CO. Thanks for a winning recipe!
thats awesome Jenevieve!!
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