This make-ahead instant pot oatmeal is a super quick, easy, and healthy breakfast option. Make it in under 20 minutes using rolled oats or steel-cut oats (gluten-free, vegan).
Here are some more Instant Pot Recipes, that you can try – Instant Pot Quinoa, Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts, Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup, Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta, Instant Pot Chicken Stew, and Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.
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About This Recipe
Instant pot oatmeal is a quick, easy and healthy make-ahead breakfast that comes together in under 20 minutes. This method is totally hands-free and you can make a big batch that will last you an entire week.
I mostly make oats in instant pot using rolled oats or as they are also called old fashioned oats, but you can definitely make these using steel cut oats as well. A few tweaks here and there and you are good to go.
These instant pot oatmeal are gluten-free and vegan too. The best part is that they are super customizable. Make them sweet or savory, top with your choice of topping, and you have endless options to make.
You can double or triple the recipe and make a big batch that lasts the entire week. The time to cook the oats will remain the same, you just have to change the quantity of the ingredients.
Oats are rich in fiber, B vitamins, and minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. They help lower high cholesterol, have antioxidants that protect blood vessels from bad cholesterol, and helps in weight loss and they are my fav breakfast option, no wonder right!
This recipe is
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- One-Pot
- Fuss Free
- Super Healthy
- Low Carb
Ingredients
Oats – I have used rolled oats in this recipe. They turn out just perfect, but if you like you can use instant oats or steel-cut oats too but the ratio of water oats and time of cooking might differ.
Vanilla Extract – This adds a subtle vanilla flavour, that makes your morning breakfast even better. Do not miss this!
Honey – To add a little sweetness, I have added honey as it is a healthy substitute for sugar. But you can add sugar or jaggery too. Maple syrup is also a good vegan substitute for honey.
Milk – This is optional, but if you like to thin your Oatmeal and want to make it more creamy, add in a little milk and give it a mix. You can use other no dairy milk options to make a vegan version too.
How to make Instant Pot Oatmeal?
Add 2 cups of rolled oats to the instant pot.
Add 5 cups of water and put the lid on. Set the valve to the sealing position.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 4 minutes on high pressure. The instant pot will take some time to build the pressure and start the timer (approx 10-12 minutes).
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release on its own for 15 minutes. Release the remaining pressure by moving the valve to the venting position and then open the lid. Mix the oats using a spatula.
Add 4 tablespoon honey and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the oatmeal and mix well. Use maple syrup for vegan. If making savory oats, skip this step.
Add some milk if you like your oatmeal thinner and creamier. You can use vegan milk as well.
Top the oatmeals with your choice of topping and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Making oatmeal in Instant Pot is super easy and fuss-free. I like it because it’s totally hands-free.
You just have to dump the ingredients in the pot and forget about it until it is done.
No stirring, no babysitting the pan.
Cooking oats over a stovetop takes much longer than cooking them in an instant pot.
You can spend 30-40 minutes of your time standing next to the pot of oatmeal on the stovetop while the ones cooked in Instant Pot get ready in 3-4 minutes, plus no monitoring of course.
Now comes the best part 🙂 There is no spillover on the stove which means no endless hours cleaning up the dirty stovetop. You can make big batches and refrigerate them for later use.
There is no mess from the splattering of the oatmeal. Instant Pot keeps the oats warm until you want to serve them.
This happens quite often if you do not seal the lid properly. So ensure it is sealed properly, before securing the lid.
Also, make sure your water to oats ratio is right. If water is less, oats tend to stick and get burnt.
To make it vegan, you can substitute honey with sugar, maple syrup, or jaggery and if you are using milk, you can substitute it with almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or even cashew milk.
Yes, you can! But steel-cut oats take more time and more water to cook. If you are looking to make it with Steel Cut Oats, follow my recipe here – Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats.
Pro Tips by Neha
I have used rolled oats to make this recipe but you can go ahead and use steel-cut oats as well. Just increase the cooking time by 5 minutes for steel-cut oats.
If using quick cooking oats, decrease the time to 3 minutes.
To make sure the oats are gluten free, check the label correctly.
To make these vegan, you can add non dairy milk and vegan sweetener to it.
You can also cook the oats in almond milk instead of water. But don’t use regular dairy milk because it can scorch while cooking. I add it later once the oats are cooked in water.
You can choose to skip honey and vanilla extract and instead add some butter and salt to your oatmeal and make a savory version. Do not forget to top it with a poached egg 🙂
Be creative and play with your topping options for a new oatmeal bowl everyday.
I sometimes like to add ½ cup of any fresh fruit juice while cooking my oats. It serves as a natural sweetener and gives a fresh flavor to my oatmeal. Add vegetable broth if making savory oats.
The liquid to oat ratio is important depending on which type of oat you’re using. If you are using steel-cut oats, use 3 cups of liquid for 1 cup of oatmeal, and for rolled oats, use 2 and ½ cups of liquid for 1 cup of oats.
I made this recipe in my 6 quart instant pot. If you are doubling or tripling the recipe, use a larger size pot.
Topping Ideas
Fruits – You can use any fruits like strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, banana, apple, kiwi, passion fruit, dragon fruit, etc to top your oatmeal.
You can use various shape cutters or even scoop to make fruit balls to make it more interesting.
Check out my Strawberry Sauce which is my current fav to top oatmeal.
Nuts – Top your oatmeal with nuts like almonds, walnut, pecans, etc for the added crunch, and health benefit.
Seeds – You can use seeds like chia seed, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds to top your oatmeal.
Butters – Top your oatmeal with a dollop of healthy peanut butter, almond butter, blackberry butter, or caramel butter.
Sweeteners – You can use honey, maple syrup, raw sugar, or Nutella to sweeten your oatmeal. If you are diabetic, use stevia instead.
Savory topping – Soft boiled eggs, half fried eggs, bacon, microgreens, avocado, kale, spinach, grated cheese, chive, sauteed vegetables, sauteed cherry tomatoes, kimchi, sausages, etc makes for nice savory oatmeal toppings.
Others – Granola for extra crunch, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, pumpkin puree, sweet potato puree, frozen whipped cream dollops are other options that you can consider for topping your oatmeal.
Topping Combinations
Caramelized Banana and Peanut Butter Oatmeal – Heat a pan and sprinkle some sugar in it. Keep a banana, slit into half on the pan and cook until nicely browned and caramelized from both sides. Microwave peanut butter for 30 seconds if it’s too tight and top these two over your oatmeal. You can also sprinkle chia seeds on top.
Blueberry Pie Oatmeal – Cook blueberries with very little water, honey, vanilla extract, and cornstarch until thick and top it on the oatmeal.
Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal – Replace honey with maple syrup and vanilla with ground cinnamon and make this yummy version.
Apple Cinnamon – Add 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1 cup chopped apple, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon along with oats in the Instant Pot.
Pumpkin Spice – Add 2 tablespoon pumpkin puree, ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix, and 2 tablespoon maple syrup.
Mango Chia Oatmeal – Top oatmeal with ripe mango cubes, chia seeds, and coconut flakes.
Raisin Nut – Top oatmeal with maple syrup and a handful of raisins, walnuts, and almonds.
Pina Colada Oatmeal – Mix the oats with some coconut milk. Top with coconut shavings, chopped pineapple, sliced banana, and cherry.
Bacon and Egg Oatmeal – Top the oatmeal with crumbled crispy bacon, sunny side up egg, and chives.
Storage Suggestions
This oatmeal stays fresh for about 4 to 5 days when stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.
You can even freeze them in individual quantities and reheat them in a pan or microwave until nice and warm before serving.
If while reheating you think it has become a little dry, then add in a little milk and give it a mix.
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Recipe Card
Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats/old fashioned oats
- 5 cups water
- 4 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- milk (as required)
Instructions
- Add 2 cups of rolled oats to the instant pot.
- Add 5 cups of water and put the lid on. Set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 4 minutes on high pressure. The instant pot will take some time to build the pressure and start the timer (approx 10-12 minutes).
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release on its own for 15 minutes. Release the remaining pressure by moving the valve to the venting position and then open the lid. Mix the oats using a spatula.
- Add 4 tablespoon honey and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the oatmeal and mix well. Use maple syrup for vegan. If making savory oats, skip this step.
- Add some milk if you like your oatmeal thinner and creamier. You can use vegan milk as well.
- Top the oatmeals with your choice of topping and serve.
POLICEMOM
I used apple juice instead of water and added cinnamon before cooking and added vanilla at the end. Delicious!! Hubby wants me to fix it this way from now on.
Neha Mathur
Thnx a lot for trying and leaving your feedback 🙂
Sheetu
I hate oats and your recipe made me fall in love with oatmeal. Tried the apple cinnamon version today and we love it. My 6 year old daughter says its the best oatmeal recipe. Thank you so much.
Neha Mathur
Wow. Very happy to know this.