I made my first batch of overnight oatmeal last Monday so I'm taking this oatmeal high I'm on right now as an opportunity to try to convert you. Or, if you're already an oatmeal lover, remind you. Tis the season.
This belly warming steel cut oat recipe cooks overnight while you're sleeping and gives you enough servings to last the week.
That means overnight oatmeal is already twice as good as whatever single serving plate of mediocrity you normally have to prepare for yourself while you're awake.
You can't ignore the stick to you ribs goodness of a pot of warm, creamy oatmeal on a snowy morning. Or a chilly morning. Or a morning.
It was my favourite as a kid too, but back then I was eating instant oatmeal from a packet which contained a few flakes of processed oats, 4 cups of sugar, cinnamon and three chewy pieces of dehydrated apples that would get stuck in my molars. My mother had her standard breakfast of cigarettes and Taster's Choice.
Table of Contents
There are 3 types of Oatmeal
- Steel cut oats This is oat exactly how it comes off of the stalk of the Oat plant, but it's been cut into smaller pieces. Processed by roasting at a low temperature before sale for shelf stability. Chewy.
- Rolled oats - exactly what it sounds like. Oat from the plant is cooked to soften it a bit, then rolled 'til it's squished flat. Processed by steaming then pressing flat. Mushier than steel cut.
- Instant oats - These are rolled oats that have been completely cooked and pressed even flatter than rolled oats.
Steel cut oats are what I make oatmeal out of. They take the longest to cook (25-30 minutes), followed by rolled oats and lastly of course, the instant oats.
This weekend try making a big pot of overnight Steel Cut oatmeal. It eliminates any time you need to stand around the stove stirring AND you end up with a big pot of oatmeal when you wake up.
Let's Make Overnight Oatmeal
Instructions
The basic instructions are that you're going to bring 1 cup of oats and 3 cups of water to a boil. Once at a boil, cover it with a lid and turn off the heat.
Then you leave it to sit on the stove overnight.
Grab a pot, throw a pat of butter or coconut oil into the pot and let it melt.
Once it's melted, throw in 1 cup of Steel Cut Oats and stir it all together.
Keep cooking and stirring until your oats smell toasty. That's my spurtle by the way.
It's the official stir stick in the world of Scottish oatmeal fanatics. Mine is handmade from Cattails Woodwork. You can also get spurtles on Amazon.
Once it's all toasty, add a big pinch of salt.
Throw in 3 cups of water, and bring it to a rolling boil.
As soon as it boils ....
Put a lid on the pot and turn off the heat. Then go to bed and dream sweet dreams.
In the morning when you remove the lid from the pot, your oatmeal will be perfectly cooked with just the right amount of bite left in the oat pieces.
Give it a stir and add a slosh of milk if you like (I like) & heat that pot back up. Breakfast for the imaginary family where everyone LOVES oatmeal is ready.
I started making overnight oatmeal (as opposed to cooking a pot in the morning) years ago and there are 2 reasons I love it so much. The first being, overnight oatmeal has a creamier texture than oatmeal you've cooked for half an hour on the stove. I assume this is because all of the water is absorbed into the oat mixture as opposed to simmering away into the air.
The second reason I love the overnight oatmeal is because you wake up, and breakfast is not only done, it's ready and waiting on the stove for you.
Or you can do what I do, which is portion the oatmeal into individual containers and keep them in the fridge. I use little 8 ounce mason jars. The recommended serving of oatmeal is 6 ounces, so that gives you some space in the jar for toppings. In the morning you can just grab it and go.
Toppings
I don't eat virgin oatmeal. I fully admit that. I like my toppings. My favourite combinations are:
- A blob of homemade strawberry jam, walnuts & milk
- Sliced strawberries, pecans & almond milk.
But you have a lot to choose from ...
Fruits
Nuts & Seeds
- Sliced bananas
- Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
- Sliced apples
- Sliced peaches
- Chopped mango
- Sliced kiwi
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Cranberries
- Apricots
- Dates
- Chopped almonds
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Cashews
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
Sweeteners
Spices & Flavourings
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Agave nectar
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon sugar
- Spices and Flavorings:
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Cocoa powder
- Cardamom
- Allspice
Overnight Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Steel Cut Oats
- 3 cups water
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon butter of coconut oil
- Regular milk or Almond milk to taste.
Instructions
- Melt 1 tsp. of butter of coconut oil in heavy bottom pot.
- Stir in 1 cup of Steel Cut Oats and cook until toasty smelling.
- Add 1 pinch of salt and 3 cups of water to pot and bring to boil.
- As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, turn heat off and cover pot with lid.
- Leave on stove overnight.
- In the morning just stir in a bit of milk to loosen the mixture up a tiny bit, heat and serve.
- Makes enough for 4 medium servings.
Notes
- Use ¼ cup of quinoa in your oatmeal. (just sub it in for ¼ of the oats - so instead of 1 cup of steel cut oats use ¾s of a cup of steel cut oats and ¼ cup of quinoa)
- Add a handful of wheat berries for extra chew and nutrients.
- Use ½ cup of coconut milk to add HUGE flavour and creaminess. (just sub it in for ½ cup of the water - so instead of 3 cups of water, use ½ cup of coconut milk and 2 ½ cups of water.
- Throw in some chia seeds. Chia seeds thicken the oatmeal as it cooks overnight and also boost the good health properties.
Varying the Recipe
- Use ¼ cup of quinoa in your oatmeal. (just sub it in for ¼ of the oats - so instead of 1 cup of steel cut oats use ¾s of a cup of steel cut oats and ¼ cup of quinoa)
- Throw in a handful of wheat berries for extra chew and nutrition.
- Use ½ cup of coconut milk to add HUGE flavour and creaminess. (just sub it in for ½ cup of the water - so instead of 3 cups of water, use ½ cup of coconut milk and 2 ½ cups of water.
- Throw in some chia seeds. Chia seeds thicken the oatmeal as it cooks overnight and also boost the good health properties.
So this is what I'm recommending you do this Sunday night. Just before bed, peek out the window to see that everything is quiet on the street like you always do, then head into the kitchen to put on a pot of Overnight Oatmeal.
The coziest, most nostalgic way to make Monday morning bearable.
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Mary W
My favorite breakfast or sickfast. I make a huge pot of cracked oats with milk adding turbinado sugar, dried sweetened cranberries, and pecan pieces. I cook it normal, then divide the contents into several micro-wave safe bowls and put in refrigerator. Each morning I get one out and nuke it for a minute, adding a bit of cream and butter. It is wildly delicious. I've never toasted the oats but will certainly do that Sunday evening when I make my batch for next week. Toasting the oats and the nut pieces just has to make it even better. I think getting the milk in is important since I don't drink it anymore. Regular serving of instant oats (no water or milk) with yogurt, nuts, cranberries and turbinado sugar in a bowl left overnight in the fridge makes a really nice cold morning treat, also. I was amazed that I enjoyed it since it was cold but it really was delicious. The yogurt really made it.
Susan D'Achille
I buy the Quaker Quick Oats at Costco. Really cheap!! Everyone morning, ALL YEAR LONG, I make a batch of oatmeal for me and my husband. He leaves really early in the morning so his is refrigerated after cooked and he reheats the next morning. Not as good as fresh but he isn't complaining! For each serving I use about 1/3 cup of oatmeal and 1 cup of Milk (you have to use milk because it tastes delicious). I do add a bit of water too so that it doesn't stick as much. Bring to boil and then simmer and stir once in awhile. While it is cooking I read your blog. When it is really thick I add fresh or frozen fruit. I have a mixture of frozen peaches, strawberries and blueberries in my freezer that I use. Also add some walnuts and ground flax. I sometimes think it is more like a stew than porridge. It is deelicious and so good for you!!
Julie
I use my crockpot but toasting the oats with the coconut oil sounds pretty divine! I love that idea!
spurtle, spurtle, spurtle....
Lynda Dunham-Watkins
I love steel cut oats but usually just soak them in milk overnight for a cold cereal with berries next morning. I will try them this way now!
Karen
And I'll try them your way! :) ~ karen
shannon
I have never, once, been able to bring myself to try oatmeal. As a kid I thought it looked like barf, and I guess that stuck with me. With everyone talking about steel cut oats, I am tempted to try it. What is the consistency like? Is it gloppy? That's what I remember oatmeal being like--a clumpy, stuck-together mess.
jill
Love your copper cups.
Kimberly
I and my puppies love oatmeal! I use the Bob's red Mill quick cooking steel cut oats. My version though is a cup of boiling water, add a half cup of the oats, stir a couple of times and then put a lid on the container. I do this at night time before I go to sleep, I leave it sitting on the counter, and when I wake up in the morning it's done. I work double shift, and this way is quick and easy. I'll nuke it in the microwave and then I'll stir in pumpkin, or banana, or butternut squash… That's for the puppies. For myself, I just use a handful of frozen blueberries with a splash of soy milk. Yum Yum
Melissa
For steel cut in a microwave, I put a portion of oats in a large bowl, then 3-4 times that in water and let it sit overnight. In the am, I microwave for 4 or 5 minutes on 50% power and it's great. Just remember the bowl needs to be large enough that it won't boil over towards the end of the cooking time. Also, the "quick cook" steel cut oats are helpful (I think they are just re-cut steel cut oats.)
Gretchen Sexton
Excellent plan! I'm on it! Monday mornings will never be the same. (I believe it could only be made better if I had some of your copperware=gorgeous!)
Eileen
We eat steel cut oatmeal, but the long time cooking and stirring wears on me when my energy level is higher in the am and I'm tired of stirring. I'll try this method.
Linda in Illinois
Memories of my mom feeding us that slop, where you could stand a spoon upright in it and it wouldn't move. Impossible to swallow. Awful flavor to it, no sweetener, no syrup, no fruit, and powdered milk.. gag.. As an adult I may have to try it your way. Sunday night sounds like a good time for you.. hummmm
Amie Melnychuk
You can't forget the fourth class of oatmeal, though it falls more into porridge realm, Red River Cereal!
My Mother-in-law was shocked at how I ate my oatmeal when I was a month or so post partum with my first, boiled, then add cream and brown sugar and some fruit. Her family only ever had water with theirs. I won her over to a rich and quasi-healthy breakfast ;)
Chewy, stick-to-your-ribs oatmeal was a staple in my house growing up. You knew it was done when Mom stuck the wooden spoon in to scoop it, and the whole mass would come out at once. YUM!
Kelly
Love red river cereal. THE best!
Chris White
When my boys were little they loved the packaged maple & brown sugar oatmeal. They couldn't get the name right though and called it "hot sugar". Came home to a very cross babysitter one evening who sent them to bed without night lunch because they tried to convince her they were allowed to eat "hot sugar" before bed.....
Kim from Milwaukee
Night lunch?
Chris White
I live on the East Coast of Canada where we often (ok, always) have a cup of tea and a bite to eat before going to bed - night lunch! Night lunch is usually comprised of toast or cereal, or something else gluten based. If we're feeling especially naughty we have a "diddle-lee-dee" with night lunch - that's the addition of a cookie or some other sweet treat!
Kimberley from Milwaukee
My family is from Newfoundland and I haven't heard that before. But I know they are a gluten loving bunch, tea too! Are u out in another province on the coast?
Chris White
Too cool! I grew up in rural Nova Scotia and now live along the St. John River in New Brunswick. Both are 'night lunch' hot spots! And you're right, "Gluten Loving Bunch" could be the team logo for the East Coast!
Tracy
I’m also from a family who did “night lunch”, never called it that and my Dad still does that... from Saskatchewan!
Jenny
I respect everyone's enthusiasm, but I have to laugh because oatmeal is definitely my Brussels sprouts. I've tried all different ways of making them--sweet, savory, steel-cut, rolled oats, even Cream of Wheat....I try and try because they are a good healthy option but it's just no good, I don't like them! I admit I haven't tried overnight oats, so maybe I should try one last time. But after that, no more attempts. I'll just stick to my egg sandwich for breakfast. :)
Karen
Meh. If you don't like them any other way chances are you won't like them overnight either, lol. ~ karen!
Jenny
lol that's probably the most reasonable response I've ever heard from an oatmeal-enthusiast! Everyone usually swears that I'm just not making it right. ^_^
Tracy
These look fantastic! Definitely can't wait to try your recipe. My former hairdresser only ate a raw diet. NOTHING was ever cooked. She gave me a recipe for steel cut oats. They aren't cooked and warm, like yours, but still delicious and filling. Throw some steel cut oats (enough to layer the bottom of a lidded container), handful of frozen berries of your choice, handful of raw almonds and shredded coconut, if you like. Pour cold water to just barely cover everything. Pop in fridge overnight. In the morning, drain well and eat it like cereal with almond milk or my fav is mix it in with Greek yogurt. Texture of the oats are soft yet still has some tooth to it.
Karen
Hi Tracy! I know you can do that with rolled oats but had no idea you could with steel cut oats! I'll give it a shot just for fun. :) ~ karen!
Erin
Thank you so much! My husband and daughter have been on a "porridge kick" for breakfast. This will be a nice addition to their growing list of cooked grains. Does it leave less of a mess in the cooking pot than regular cooked rolled oats? That's my only complaint to our switch to hot breakfasts (and it's minor considering all the benefits of dropping highly processed, sugar-n-sugar breakfast cereal from our diet!)
Karen
Hi Erin! Since you aren't cooking it and cooking it there isn't any baked on oatmeal at all so the pot is really easy to clean. If you want to be super-fun you can also substitute part of the rolled oats with tri-coloured quinoa. Say, 1/4 of a cup or so. ~ karen!
Erin
Win-win. Thanks!
Lyn
My kids who are now in their 20's still love the maple brown sugar instant oatmeal! Always way too sweet for me. I eat the quick oats with half a teaspoon of sugar and lots of milk. But I can't wait to try this! I feel healthier already.
Kelly
Sounds good. Shoulda done that last night since it's -38C here today and cold cheerios don't cut it!
Karen
Holy stink! That's the kind of cold that freezes your eyeballs. ~ karen!
Toni Guerrero
Agreed, oatmeal is wonderful and I have the best memories from my childhood around a bowl of it.
However, I'm astounded nobody called you out on those bowls and that pot! TOTALLY eclipsed the oats, I tell you!
If you'll excuse the pun, give us the dish on that set!!!!!
Karen
:) I'm slowly collecting copper pots Toni. I've bought most of them at flea markets or thrift stores, but the very beautiful one you see in the shots was a Christmas present this year. And the copper bowls are old, old, old. I got those at a garage sale. ~ karen!
Lise Cameron
Karen...Be very careful with old copper pots...If there are scratches on them or if the finish is worn down , then you could get lead poisoning... The metal can be replaced to make them safe to use again..I had this done . It is expensive but worth it. The same goes for old pewter.. It was the first thing that I thought of when I saw the little guys...Have a great weekend....Love seeing you message on my screen...
Karen
Yup. I know. :) But thanks for mentioning it for other readers who may not know. If when you add up all the open spots on the base of your pot it needs to add up to less than the size of a dime. If it adds up to more then they're not safe to use. All of my pots are in good condition on the interior but there is one that won't last me much longer and I've tried to find someone to retin it but cannot find anyone in Ontario who does it! I even looked up how to do it myself, lol. Of course I did. ~ karen!
Lise Cameron
Hi Karen...Me again...If you are interested in having anything re tinned . Here is the name and address in Montreal.
Clinique de la casserole Del Mar.
4048 Jean-Talon East.
Montreal Quebec.
H2A 1Z1
Phone number.. 514-23-3532
http://www.cuisineriedelmar.com
They do speak English .
I had the bottom of a huge pot redone and it was $115. and it was returned by Purolator for under $35.00
Have a terrific weekend ..
Cheers...Lise
Lynne Burns
Scrolling through these comments looking and looking for mention of those fabulous bowls! Sadly I don't think my oatmeal will taste as delicious without one of those bowls and your home made maple. Sigh.....
Karen
Perfect! Thanks Lise. ~ karen!
Dan
I was going to ask as well - glad I read through the comments. Is it a Falk saucepan? I've been lusting after them for a while now...
Karen
Hey Dan! It's not a Falk, I actually forget the name. It's very heavy and I quite love it. :) I found a Mauviel at my local thrift store a few years ago though, for $18!! ~ karen!
ronda
steel cut oats with milk and brown sugar! the bomb!! They even have them in the cafeteria where I work, and they go fast!