I made my first batch of overnight oatmeal last Monday so I'm taking this oatmeal high I'm on right now as an opportunity to try to convert you. Or, if you're already an oatmeal lover, remind you. Tis the season.
This belly warming steel cut oat recipe cooks overnight while you're sleeping and gives you enough servings to last the week.
That means overnight oatmeal is already twice as good as whatever single serving plate of mediocrity you normally have to prepare for yourself while you're awake.
You can't ignore the stick to you ribs goodness of a pot of warm, creamy oatmeal on a snowy morning. Or a chilly morning. Or a morning.
It was my favourite as a kid too, but back then I was eating instant oatmeal from a packet which contained a few flakes of processed oats, 4 cups of sugar, cinnamon and three chewy pieces of dehydrated apples that would get stuck in my molars. My mother had her standard breakfast of cigarettes and Taster's Choice.
Table of Contents
There are 3 types of Oatmeal
- Steel cut oats This is oat exactly how it comes off of the stalk of the Oat plant, but it's been cut into smaller pieces. Processed by roasting at a low temperature before sale for shelf stability. Chewy.
- Rolled oats - exactly what it sounds like. Oat from the plant is cooked to soften it a bit, then rolled 'til it's squished flat. Processed by steaming then pressing flat. Mushier than steel cut.
- Instant oats - These are rolled oats that have been completely cooked and pressed even flatter than rolled oats.
Steel cut oats are what I make oatmeal out of. They take the longest to cook (25-30 minutes), followed by rolled oats and lastly of course, the instant oats.
This weekend try making a big pot of overnight Steel Cut oatmeal. It eliminates any time you need to stand around the stove stirring AND you end up with a big pot of oatmeal when you wake up.
Let's Make Overnight Oatmeal
Instructions
The basic instructions are that you're going to bring 1 cup of oats and 3 cups of water to a boil. Once at a boil, cover it with a lid and turn off the heat.
Then you leave it to sit on the stove overnight.
Grab a pot, throw a pat of butter or coconut oil into the pot and let it melt.
Once it's melted, throw in 1 cup of Steel Cut Oats and stir it all together.
Keep cooking and stirring until your oats smell toasty. That's my spurtle by the way.
It's the official stir stick in the world of Scottish oatmeal fanatics. Mine is handmade from Cattails Woodwork. You can also get spurtles on Amazon.
Once it's all toasty, add a big pinch of salt.
Throw in 3 cups of water, and bring it to a rolling boil.
As soon as it boils ....
Put a lid on the pot and turn off the heat. Then go to bed and dream sweet dreams.
In the morning when you remove the lid from the pot, your oatmeal will be perfectly cooked with just the right amount of bite left in the oat pieces.
Give it a stir and add a slosh of milk if you like (I like) & heat that pot back up. Breakfast for the imaginary family where everyone LOVES oatmeal is ready.
I started making overnight oatmeal (as opposed to cooking a pot in the morning) years ago and there are 2 reasons I love it so much. The first being, overnight oatmeal has a creamier texture than oatmeal you've cooked for half an hour on the stove. I assume this is because all of the water is absorbed into the oat mixture as opposed to simmering away into the air.
The second reason I love the overnight oatmeal is because you wake up, and breakfast is not only done, it's ready and waiting on the stove for you.
Or you can do what I do, which is portion the oatmeal into individual containers and keep them in the fridge. I use little 8 ounce mason jars. The recommended serving of oatmeal is 6 ounces, so that gives you some space in the jar for toppings. In the morning you can just grab it and go.
Toppings
I don't eat virgin oatmeal. I fully admit that. I like my toppings. My favourite combinations are:
- A blob of homemade strawberry jam, walnuts & milk
- Sliced strawberries, pecans & almond milk.
But you have a lot to choose from ...
Fruits
Nuts & Seeds
- Sliced bananas
- Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
- Sliced apples
- Sliced peaches
- Chopped mango
- Sliced kiwi
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Cranberries
- Apricots
- Dates
- Chopped almonds
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Cashews
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
Sweeteners
Spices & Flavourings
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Agave nectar
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon sugar
- Spices and Flavorings:
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Cocoa powder
- Cardamom
- Allspice
Overnight Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Steel Cut Oats
- 3 cups water
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon butter of coconut oil
- Regular milk or Almond milk to taste.
Instructions
- Melt 1 tsp. of butter of coconut oil in heavy bottom pot.
- Stir in 1 cup of Steel Cut Oats and cook until toasty smelling.
- Add 1 pinch of salt and 3 cups of water to pot and bring to boil.
- As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, turn heat off and cover pot with lid.
- Leave on stove overnight.
- In the morning just stir in a bit of milk to loosen the mixture up a tiny bit, heat and serve.
- Makes enough for 4 medium servings.
Notes
- Use ¼ cup of quinoa in your oatmeal. (just sub it in for ¼ of the oats - so instead of 1 cup of steel cut oats use ¾s of a cup of steel cut oats and ¼ cup of quinoa)
- Add a handful of wheat berries for extra chew and nutrients.
- Use ½ cup of coconut milk to add HUGE flavour and creaminess. (just sub it in for ½ cup of the water - so instead of 3 cups of water, use ½ cup of coconut milk and 2 ½ cups of water.
- Throw in some chia seeds. Chia seeds thicken the oatmeal as it cooks overnight and also boost the good health properties.
Varying the Recipe
- Use ¼ cup of quinoa in your oatmeal. (just sub it in for ¼ of the oats - so instead of 1 cup of steel cut oats use ¾s of a cup of steel cut oats and ¼ cup of quinoa)
- Throw in a handful of wheat berries for extra chew and nutrition.
- Use ½ cup of coconut milk to add HUGE flavour and creaminess. (just sub it in for ½ cup of the water - so instead of 3 cups of water, use ½ cup of coconut milk and 2 ½ cups of water.
- Throw in some chia seeds. Chia seeds thicken the oatmeal as it cooks overnight and also boost the good health properties.
So this is what I'm recommending you do this Sunday night. Just before bed, peek out the window to see that everything is quiet on the street like you always do, then head into the kitchen to put on a pot of Overnight Oatmeal.
The coziest, most nostalgic way to make Monday morning bearable.
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Thanks for this method, Karen - I've been using it for a couple of years now. I often top my oats with a poached egg and a dab of ketcup, or better yet, chili sauce.
Finally! Someone else who has discovered how good an egg can be in oatmeal. I put hot sauce on mine.
That sounds awesome 👏 (tho not the ketchup).
Karen- I made these last night after I read your post. My husband loves oatmeal and I don’t like making it because it takes to long in the a.m. This is the answer to my prayers! And I love the toasting of the oats step. So good! I want to pick up some of your suggestions for additions today. Thank you for such a tasty and easy solution to my problem!
I'm glad you both liked it Susan! Isn't it great?! If you really want to get gourmet about it, add in the coconut milk. No more than 1/2 cup though otherwise (to me) it just feels too heavy and greasy almost. ~ karen!
Hi Karen-Where did you get your copper pot? I fished my one and only out of my moms donate pile years ago and have loved it ever since. Would like to add to my collection.
Hi Lynn! I get my copper pots from all over. Thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, and regular stores. :) I've bought a few from Homesense but I've noticed the tin lining in them doesn't hold up. The heavier the pot the better. If you find a copper pot at a flea market for instance, but it's lightweight, pass on it. It isn't good quality. Look for heavier pots with riveted handles with tin lining that's in good shape. ~ karen!
I love oats but as a Celiac they do not love me. I will have to look into it boiling or cooking longer can change that - but this sounds delightful and the additional suggestions are perfect for Canadian winters :)
I hope a few years later you still savour your oats ...
So, I went from this to your Chili recipe... saw your presentation page with antique silver spoons.... my girl friend gave me an old craft making magazine to read. And it says 1 piece of tailor chalk will prevent the silver tarnishing, I have not tried it yet to confirm, it it’s odd enough that it could be right.
I LOVE steel cut oatmeal!! I just never have time to make it in the morning cause I'm always running late (And why get up 30 mins earlier than I have to??) But this is totally brilliant! I will absolutely be doing this. But I'll probably do it tonight so I can have it for Saturday morning!! Yumm!! I'm afraid I'm quite low brow tho, just a pat of butter and brown sugar for me. Kinda like dessert for breakfast!
I made it last night. Next batch I will reduce water to 2 instead of 3 cups so that the oatmeal gets a chewier firmer texture which I prefer. Love the convenience of the overnight method.
....sex before I make the oatmeal sounds great.... I’d probably just skip making the oatmeal at that point LOL
How do you warm it up after it's been in the fridge? Stove, nuker?
I forgot about my favorite oatmeal-in-the-morning breakfast after a divorce and then daughter moving out. Thanks for the reminder post (and the healthy breakfast reminder!).
Perfect recipe, an inspiration, in fact. I do/did the standard 30-min. stir and wait for my steel cut oats but will now make this overnight version with added chia seeds. You are SUCH a culinary goddess.
I love oatmeal so much I've been known to eat it for dinner. And once I discovered steel cut I've never gone back. I too make the overnight kind but with one difference---I use 1/2 water, 1/2 milk to cook it, so I have to put it in the fridge overnight. It does take a little longer to heat back up in the pan but it's so delicious that way.
Another wonderful Karen Post and Responses.
For years and years and years I nightly started steel cut oats in yard sale/thrift shop acquired MINI CROCK POT with little lid. Usually made with some form of milk, nut milk/dairy milk.
That's it. Set up, topped with its little lid, done, warm, ready to eat in the AM.
💜💜
I would luv more details about doing this in a small crockpot! Please???
Hi, Kat, So good and doable: I put the 2.5 ingredients [steel cut oats + liquid: for me, either water for almond/coconut milk + tiny pinch salt] in mini crock pot bought at yard sale/thrift shop. Plug in. that is all. I have not tried sautéing the grain in butter---- probably super yum! some I cook overnight in water, stir in some almond + coconut milk before eating. Hope this is useful!
Aside from oats and quinoa, you can do this with bulgur/freekeh, kasha, amaranth, millet, or just about any grain. I rotate them and have savory (which I prefer since grains already contain enough sugar, at least for me) grains for breakfast every day of the year.
Since moving to a house that is on a well, I can’t do the overnight oats anymore. The hard water results in the oats turning greenish blue when cooked - I kept thinking that my oats were mouldy. Apparently this happens with water that has a high iron content, and the oats are fine to eat.....but I just can’t eat them when they look like that! It’s ok if I use a crockpot though, I guess because they are cooked at a lower temperature.
I wonder if it more has something to do with the pot you're using. It could be the metal that's causing it. Try using an enamel dutch oven if you have one to do the overnight oatmeal and see what happens. (just for an experiment) ~ karen!
Green eggs, ham, and oats Sam I am! Lol
"Have some sex. Wash your hands."
rofl! 😂
This is THE BEST oatmeal recipe I have ever had. I will no longer make flaked oatmeal. AND you definitely have to try it with quinoa. To. Die. For!
LOL. Good to know! :) Thanks for the rating. ~ karen!
Oh. My. Goodness! Why did I wait so long to try this recipe??? IT IS AWESOME! I will never make "regular" oatmeal again.
thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!
Excellent! Did you add the quinoa too? It really is one of my happiest things in the winter, lol. To wake up and have those little jars of oatmeal lined up in the fridge just waiting for maple syrup and pecans. If you liked it, don't forget to rate it so other people give it a shot too! :) ~ karen
YES! I made it with quinoa last night to enjoy this morning. L♡VE!
Unfortunately, there are not enough starts in the rating to reflect how I feel about this. So here you go; ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆...
Hi Karen. I have been reading the comments on this post and wondered if you have tried the fermenting process that Garth Wunsch had mentioned in his comment. I did a quick google and it does sound like that would be better for digesting the oats and absorbing the nutrients that the oats hold. But I can not quite get my head around if I should be using your method in combination with the fermenting process or would that seem like a two day cooking project for morning oatmeal. I am assuming that roasting the oats would then be cut out of the process. Any thoughts on this?
Hi Kat! I haven't done it. :) I do have Sandor Katz's book but I really just want an easy breakfast that I can think at 11 o'clock at night, Oh crap! I should make oatmeal! And I can do it instantly. ~ karen!
I did some more digging around on that fermenting thing and I think I will just stick to the method you have here when I try it out. Just seems more simple. Tomorrow I go buy the oats. I will probably come back and rate this in a weeks time when I am done. Thanks for you response and I agree, I want everything in my life easy. Life itself is hard, so making the little thing easy make life better.
Exactly, lol! ~ karen
So I am back to let you know I have tried the recipe. Firstly I kinda screwed it up and ended up having to cook it the 25 minute slow way. After eating that for the week I made it the overnight way. For my taste I decided I like it cooked the slow way. Seems I do night like it toothy with a bite. I liked it slow cooked giving it a softer texture. But I still thank you so much for introducing me to these steel cut oats. I am making a pot at this very moment. I still toasted the oats to begin though and love the aroma it gives. Thanks again as I plan on eating this every morning for the rest of my life (no kidding).
LOL. Well, I reserve my oatmeal eating to the winter months. Going downstairs to heat some up now! ~ karen
Thank you so much for this. I have been making overnight rolled oats out of necessity, but do not like rolled oats' processing.... Steel cut oats has typically been too messy in my rice cooker and too involved for the stovetop, but you've just simplified my life with delicious steel cut oats!
Isn't it great??! I do this allll winter and I've never had a bad pot yet. Try removing 1/4 cup of the oatmeal and replacing it with 1/4 multicoloured quinoa and really take it up a notch! ;) ~ karen!