Name: Overnight steel cut oats
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2-4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups water; 1 1/2 cups oat milk (can sub any plant-based milk); 1 cup steel cut oats (gluten-free if needed); pinch of salt; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 2 tsp maple syrup

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Say goodbye to waiting for your oats to cook in the morning! These overnight steel cut oats will save you time in the morning and make the perfect healthy breakfast! Enjoy these oats at home, or in a jar to take on the go!

a cup of overnight steel cut oats topped with blueberries, shredded coconut and hemp seeds

What’s the difference between Steel Cut Oats and Rolled Oats?

Say hello to your new favourite weekday breakfast – overnight steel cut oats!

The difference all lies in how much the oats have been processed.

Quick oats (mostly used for regular oatmeal) are the most processed of the oats, while steel cut oats are the least processed…they’re essentially just chopped up groats! If you want to please your inner nerd and read more check out quick, rolled and steel cut oats!

They have a ton of nutritional benefits and because they’re less processed and have a really amazing chewy texture. The only downside? They take way longer to cook.

Best Steel Cut Oat Recipe

This is the best steel cut oat recipe. For me, this ratio of oats to liquid produces the creamiest oats out there! These oats sit overnight and do their thing without you having to do anything!

This recipe is also great because it is so easy. You can prepare these overnight oats in 5 minutes! Say goodbye to not instantly having breakfast waiting for you when you walk in your kitchen! Grab these out of the fridge and you’re set.

two cups of overnight steep cut oats on a white wooden serving board

How to make overnight steel cut oats

Add the water and almond milk to a pot and bring to a boil.
Add in the oats and seasoning.
Turn off the heat and let the pot of oats sit on the stove or in the fridge overnight.
Wake up in the morning and your oats will be ready!

Making steel cut oats in the slow cooker or instant pot

If making this recipe in a slow cooker, add an extra 1 1/2 cups of water and turn on low heating overnight. Be sure to remember to coat the inside with something nonstick beforehand to ensure you aren’t spending all morning scrubbing!

If you are making them in the Instant Pot, combine 1 cup of oats with 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of almond milk. Cook them quickly with pressure for about 4 minutes, then remove the pressure and allow them to continue cooking on manual for another 20 minutes. I let mine sit for a while because they start to thicken up as they sit!

a cup of steel cut oats with a spoon in it on a white wooden board

Tips for making this recipe perfectly

Make sure to use steel-cut oats! They are essential to the recipe 😉
Using a mix of water and oat milk (or any plant-based milk) will result in super creamy oats.
Don’t skip out on the pinch of salt in this recipe. It will help bring out the flavour of the oats.
You can substitute maple syrup with any type of sweeteners you like such as agave, honey or coconut sugar.

Toppings for overnight steel cut oats

I don’t know about you, but I need some flavor in my oats. I love me some cinnamon and maple syrup in my oats, but if there’s any different flavourings you like then you do your thing! As for actual toppings, I love to add:

chia seeds (or any seed tbh)
bananas
apples
berries
granola (I’ve really been loving this apple pie granola)
any nut butter
Homemade vegan nutella

overnight steel cut oats in a cup with blueberries around it

Other oat recipes to try

If you tried these overnight steel cut oats or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!