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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Sharon
The oatmeal looks amazing but I love the bowls you service them in! Where did you get the copper bowls?
Lisa
Ok so I really want to like oats, but I don't. Unless they're in cookies.
Anyhoo...love the little wooden spoons - I've been looking for some for ages but am obviously looking in the wrong places. Where did you find yours?
Kay
Yes! Need little wooden spoons! (Especially at least one with a slightly longer handle)...
Marti
Wow... how I know what you do when you aren't blogging.
You're sitting around polishing those Mauviel pots, aren't you?
WOW. Those are some gorgeous pots, Karen.
(So... since you put up their photos, can you now write them off on your Canadian taxes?)
Tracie
Made this last night, love it, and so easy!! Love those gorgeous bowls too, thanks for the link...
Milton
Tried it, worked great, best oatmeal I've ever tasted. Complimented with brown sugar, butter, raisins and walnuts. This will join your baquette crisps (https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/baguette-crisps-an-easy-recipe-with-pretty-pictures/) as my two favorite Karen recipes.
Karen
That's great to hear Milton! Try adding 1/4 cup of quinoa to the mix. (remove 1/4 of the oats in the recipe and sub it with quinoa). It gives a bit of an extra oumph to the texture. And I got a big baguette grocery shopping tonight to make into crisps tomorrow. :) ~ karen!
Katie C.
Mine are on the stove now. I know it isn't Sunday, but it's cold here in New England and I want oatmeal tomorrow!
Karen
Well, I made some last night so I didn't wait until Sunday either, lol. I usually only eat Oatmeal during the week but ... what the hell. Plus I removed 1/4 cup of the oats from the recipe and substituted in 1/4 cup of multi coloured quinoa. The quinoa gives it a great texture! Enjoy! ~ karen
Lynn
In our home growing up Mom always made more than enough oatmeal so there would be leftovers. The leftover oatmeal went into a glass loaf pan and in the morning was sliced, fried in butter and topped with maple syrup! Mmmmmmm, makes my mouth water just thinking about it!
Jan Lundgren
Yum! We love steel cut oatmeal made overnight. When I want to feel really pampered, I add a can of coconut milk for some of the water (skip the butter if it's full fat), then toss toasted shredded coconut on top. It doesn't get any better.
Sabina
Sex on Saturday night, oatmeal on Sunday morning...after morning sex ?
Nancy Blue Moon
The copper is gorgeous and the oatmeal looks pretty good too!
gloria
What would be the ratios if I wanted to use rolled oats instead? That's what I have; too cheap to make a special trip for steel cut.
Heather Sykora
I'm inspired to try this!! I've been wanting to experiment with steel cut oats, but never got around to reading up on how to do. Thanks for doing the work for me!!!
Also, I discovered Buckwheat groats last winter, so I will try this method with them as well!!
Jody
Funny I've been on an oatmeal binge lately. Had it for dinner one night when I got home late and needed something comfortable--Pjs and oatmeal.
Enough about oatmeal--let's talk about the copper pot. Love that. Where and what? Does it require special care?
Kay Lodahl
yes. copper pot and bowls... beautiful. Great photography also..
Garth Wunsch
Yes!!! Steel cut oats, salt, raisins, maple syrup, and... whipping cream. You want to get and/or stay slim, eat real fat. Your body knows it's food.
And I also follow Sandor Katz's (The Art of Fermentation) advice of fermenting my oats for 8 - 24 hours. To quote; "Fermentation improves the flavour of porridges and gruels and enhances their flavour and digestibility and nutrient availability." I add about two tablespoons of whey from making Greek Yogurt to the soaking water. There are lots of ways to ferment the oats, too much to type here. But the product is wonderful REAL food.
Alice
I cook steel-cut oats in the microwave every morning - 1/4 cup oats, 3/4 cup (and sometimes a little more) water -- nuke at 70% power for 8 minutes. (Had to experiment with this; my friend uses 50% power for 5-6 minutes.)
I don't worry about the time it takes, because I get it going before I take my shower...then after my shower, breakfast is waiting for me.
NinaMargo
Can’t wait to try this! But wondering if you use a mug or a bowl?
No offense, Karen, sometimes I just don’t plan far enough ahead...
Alice
I cook it in a medium mixing bowl (1.5 litre), because otherwise it will boil over.
NinaMargo
I think my microwave is way underpowered! I tried the 50% at 5 minutes in a regular bowl and the oats were still hard and the water was lukewarm. Impatient and hungry I resorted to my 3-minute McCann’s and will try again tomorrow!
Cred
I love your Sunday night instructions for getting through Monday mornings. Flannel jammies, sex and oatmeal- best ways to stay warm through a Canadian winter. I intend to fully heed that advice his weekend as our southern Ontario temps plummet.
Sandra Brooks
Once again you have inspired me! I have oatmeal for breakfast almost every morning and it is BORING. BORING. BORING. I have talents, just none in the kitchen. When I complained to my weight loss coach that "I hate to cook!" he suggested that I "Look for ways to change my relationship to this act [cooking] that is SO central to good health." This blog post has changed my relationship to my healthy, but boring oatmeal. So much so that I even ordered a Spurtle from Cattails Woodwork. I can't wait to try out your recipe and stir my oatmeal with my very own Spurtle (after I have some sex and wash my hands that is!!) I thank you!!! (and my husband thanks you, too!) P.S. As a thank you, I've enclosed a pic of my weight loss coach, Ari.
Karen
Heyyyyyy Ari. ;) I was wondering if you have any plans this Sunday night. ~ karen!
Kim from Milwaukee
Is his nickname Spurtle?
cbblue
Oh my...
martha
We have oatmeal almost every morning. Steel cut or old fashioned we aren't too picky. We always make ours with almond milk instead of the water, adding cinnamon while it cooks. We also add various fruit and walnuts. Oh, and no salt.
Renee
Forgot to add - my daughter loves to add cooked sweet potato & brown sugar & a tab of butter to her oatmeal!
Renee
I eat oatmeal (from oatbran to rolled) every day, all year, and it had brought my cholesterol down. I do not use any salt, but I love it with a bit of vanilla greek yogurt, dried Montmorency cherries & sliced almonds. Sprinkle on some Baking Spice from Penzey's (it is a combo of cinnamon, allspice, anise, more) breakfast of champions!