How to Cook Steel Cut Oats in a Slow Cooker

Steel cut oats are a highly nutritious breakfast.

Steel cut oats are a highly nutritious breakfast. They are freshly milled whole grain oats cut into small pieces using a steel buhr mill. Because of the way they are prepared, steel cut oats are very hard and require cooking for a long period of time to get the right creamy consistency. It can be done using the traditional stove technique, but if you prefer not to stand over a stove stirring for long periods of time, you can use a slow cooker overnight and have creamy oats ready by morning.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups steel-cut oats
• 8 cups water
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

2. Transfer the mixture into a slow cooker. A 5- or 6-quart slow cooker should be fine.

3. Turn on the slow cooker. Turn the heat setting to low.

4. Leave the slow cooker to cook the oats overnight; 7 to 8 hours is adequate cooking time.

5. Serve. Add more salt, natural honey or brown sugar to taste depending on what your personal taste is.

Tips & Warnings

• Steel cut oats provide 36% of your recommended daily allowance of fiber. Steel cut oats have a distinctive nutty flavor with a luxurious creamy texture when cooked correctly.

• Substitute lactose-free milk if you have a lactose allergy. Use water instead if desired, but be aware that milk produces the most creamy texture.

• Add dried fruit or chopped nuts to make breakfast more interesting and provide extra fiber and nutrition.

• Do not use rolled oats, as the result will be a hot sticky mess. Rolled oats are too soft to cook overnight. Steel cut oats are the kernel of the oats that has been taken out of the husk. They look like tiny pebbles and are very hard, so they can be cooked overnight.

References

• Eating Well: Over Night Oats
• Food: Creamy Breakfast Oats
• Bobs Redmill: Steel Cut Oats
• Quaker Oats: Steel Cut Oats