Overnight Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal

Steel cut oats cooked overnight in a slow cooker and then topped with a combination of fruit and nuts. This simple recipe is a delicious and healthy way to start the day and with all of the different fruit and nut combinations available you’ll never get bored.

Have you tried steel cut oats? They are amazing! The taste is like oatmeal, just a bit nuttier, but the texture is what makes it so much better. Oatmeal tends to be mushy, and if you cook it over night in a slow cooker it turns out like paste. With the steel cut oats you actually can feel the texture of the oats, even when cooked.

My kids have always enjoyed the instant oatmeal packets, mainly because of all the different flavors they come in. But…, have you ever read the labels on those? They are no better than a bowl of sugary cereal. That is why I will no longer buy them, now I make my own oatmeal, overnight, using different fruits, nuts and sweeteners. It’s crazy the different combinations that we’ve come up with, my favorite though is Orange Cranberry. I use dried cranberries and I replace half of the water with orange juice. The orange juice and the cranberries produce enough natural sweetness that I never have to add any additional sweetener.

What combination is your favorite?

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

Steel Cut Oats: (aka Irish oats) are the least processed form of oat grains. Unlike rolled oats which are flatten, steel cut oats are cut. The cutting process leaves the bran of the oat intact which gives you more fiber with less calories. Besides being healthier the texture is much more appealing, it’s not as pasty.

Fruit: One of my favorite fruits to use is dried cranberries, I like how they flavor the oats while cooking and that I don’t have to use any sweetener. You’re not limited to just dried fruits though, you can use canned, fresh, frozen, preserves and even candied, they all work. There are also many kinds of fruit that you can use, so many that you can create a different flavor combination everyday and never get bored. 

Sweetener: The types of sweeteners that you can use are endless, refined sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, agave syrup, stevia. You can even use the syrup from canned fruit or just use the fruit as the sweetener. 

Nuts/Seeds: Again there is a wide variety of nuts and seeds that you can use. Use your imagination when pairing the nuts with the fruit, like pineapple and coconut or banana and walnuts. 

Instructions

Step 1: In a small slow cooker add 1 cup of steel cut oats, 1/3-1/2 cup dried fruit, 1-2 teaspoons of sweetener and 4 cups of water.

Step 2: Cook on low for 8 hours.

Step 3: Stir well and serve, top with nuts, seeds and fruits.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal

Steel cut oats cooked overnight in a slow cooker and then topped with a combination of fruit and nuts. This simple recipe is a delicious and healthy way to start the day and with all of the different fruit and nut combinations available you’ll never get bored.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time8 hours hrs

Total Time8 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Robin | Fluster Buster

Ingredients

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1/3-1/2 cup dried fruit
• 1-2 teaspoons sweetener
• vanilla cinnamon or cocoa powder (optional)
• 4 cups water
• 1/3-1/2 cup nuts and/or seeds

Instructions

• In a small slow cooker add 1 cup of steel cut oats, 1/3-1/2 cup dried fruit, 1-2 teaspoons of sweetener and 4 cups of water.
• Cook on low for 8 hours.
• Stir well and serve, top with nuts, seeds and fruits.

Tips

✔ Adding vanilla extract or cinnamon is a great way to trick your brain into thinking that you’ve used sweeteners, without actually using any.

✔ Instead of using water, try using almond milk, it gives the oats some added flavor as well as making them creamier.

✔ Nuts can be added before cooking, it will soften them and flavor the oats. But if you like the crunch add them after cooking.

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Photo by Melissa Belanger on Unsplash