One of the most common reasons for people skimping on the all-important breakfast is time. People just don’t have time to cook a breakfast when they’re scrambling to get 1,000 other things done in the morning before they head out the door.
Although that doesn’t have to be your excuse.
9 times out of 10, I have oatmeal for breakfast. 9 times out of 10 it takes less than 3 minutes until I’m eating it. And that includes steel cut oats.
I used to think I was being all smart and fancy by soaking my steel cut oats overnight and then microwaving them for 6 minutes in the morning. Still a pretty quick breakfast, but this happened more than occasionally:
Steel cut oats are what you have before the oat grain is rolled and smashed into the flake most of us are familiar with- the part that makes oatmeal cook so quickly and easily. But steel cut oats are just as easy to prepare, and are even better for you since they’re in a more whole form.
My trick? A big batch of steel cut oats cooked overnight in a crock pot- then I’m set for the week and have no excuses not to eat a healthy breakfast.
Overnight Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats
1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups almond milk
2 cups water
cinnamon
Put everything in the slow cooker before you go to bed- turn it on low, sleep, and when you get up, you have perfectly cooked, creamy, steel cut oats.
Eat them hot and fresh the first day, then store them in the fridge. For the rest of the week you can just pull out what you want to eat, add a little almond milk, and pop them in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and you’re done.
Feel free to add in your favorite mix ins, like dried fruit or nuts, to your big batch of oats before you cook them. I like waiting until afterwards so I can make them different every morning.
Like today’s peaches and cream oats:
Steel cut oats topped with warm almond milk, sliced peaches, chopped pecans, and drizzled with honey.
How’s that for breakfast in less than 3 minutes?
What’s your favorite quick-fix, no hassle breakfast?
{ 29 comments… read them below or chime in }
I’ve been a fan of my wheat bran breakfast cookies – they take 5 minutes to throw together the night before, they’re loaded with protein and whole grains, and they’re such a dessert-like treat in the morning! No excuse to skip breakfast at all – I never used to eat it, and now that I’m in the habit, I can’t imagine going without!
They sound delicious!
Thank you thank you THANK you for this! I love steel cut oats (and I wish I could eat them for breakfast everyday!) but I never have time in the morning. This crockpot recipe is PERFECT. I’m going to do this tonight!
This totally made my day
I had peaches in my yogurt this morning and SERIOUSLY contemplated for a good 5 minutes whether or not I should be doing peach cobbler oats!
Your breakfast kind of makes me think I went the wrong route
It’s supposed to be rainy and yucky in the next few days here so I think I’ll have to save this recipe for then!
Peaches in anything is perfect for this hot summer weather
Haha – agreed! I made it this morning though I definitely should’ve cooked the peaches in with the oats! Still tasty though!
I usually have quaker (normal) oats, but i really want to try steel cut!
This reminds me of Alton Brown’s over night steel cut oats! I remember cooking his “overnight oats” before they became cold, old fashioned oats that had just been soaking in liquid all night. I remember being so confused people weren’t talking about crockpot oats! lol
I was confused about that too- I’m not a fan of the cold-soaked version, but the crockpot version had me at hello
Thanks for this solution! We usually make our oats on the stove top, but they almost always spill over unless we keep a really close eye on them. And in a crock pot, you can make enough oats for the whole family in one batch!
Oatmeal is my “go-to” fast breakfast too. I agree with you about not adding mix-ins while cooking a large batch. It is more fun to switch up the “flavors” each day!
Tanya
http://www.dinedashdeadlift.com
Oh my gosh this looks SO GOOD. I’m a huge fan of oatmeal, and love all sorts of fresh fruit in it. YUM!
This sounds great. I often make regular Quaker oats in the microwave. To help prevent boiling over, I switched the milk to water but doesn’t taste as good.
Your crockpot idea sounds like a good alternative.
I made these last night. Of course, quite easy to throw everything in the crockpot, but they really turned out mushy and burned the side and bottom of the pot! I had it on low from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Perhaps that was too long. Could you give the number of hours to cook, rather than “overnight”? I still enjoyed them this morning and have enough for several more days. It is easier, but nothing beats doing a small batch on the stove for breakfast, as the oats stay crunchy! Thanks for sharing this.
Oh I must have a wimpy crockpot then! I would try it on low for about 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours. I make them during the day a lot too, so there’s no rule it has to be overnight.
If you’re keeping an eye on them, just turn the heat off when they’re still just a little bit liquidy- they’ll finish firming up as they cool. It should keep them nice and chewy!
I have thought about trying steel cut oats for a long time now, but always resisted because I heard so much about how long they take to cook. I’m excited to find that they can be so easy (and yummy). I think you have inspired me to give them a try!
I was the same way, but now that I know how good they are AND that they can be easy- I’m addicted!
Awesome ! I’ll give it a try! I’m glad I came here from BlogFrog .. Stumbled
I love oatmeal, so I’ll have to give this a try! My go-to breakfast is frozen raspberries (thawed) and mixed with greek yogurt. stumbled!
That sounds like a delicious breakfast!
LOVE this idea. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
I often think the same thing to myself
I have also heard you can do steel cut oats in the rice cooker, but a week’s worth is SUPER. I am not good in the morning! This would make breakfast for two a dream! I make enough pumpkin butter and applesauce for months at a time by freezing most of it into week size baggies.
I’m still afraid of doing anything in the crock pot overnight. I know, I worry too much.
When you soaked them overnight, did they taste ok? I’ve been wanting to try that.
This may sound dumb, but where can you get “steel cut oats”? I would love to try this recipe but not really sure where to find them.
I like to get mine from the bulk bin from a “health” food store- our closest one is Earth Fare, but you can also get them in the regular grocery store. They’re usually in the cereal aisle near the other hot cereals like oatmeal. Most of the time I see them in a smaller bag near the oat brans and 10 grain cereal mixes.
I am all over this! So excited to try it–tonight! I love oatmeal and often use the Raw brand. Make it w/ water in microwave, then add in almond milk, almond butter and fruit. So good and easy!
Do you think this would work as well with regular milk or with coconut milk instead of almond milk??
Absolutely! I make it with coconut milk all the time.
Any kind of milk you have on hand will work, even water in a pinch, but it won’t taste as rich.