Overnight Steel Cut Oats
Overnight Steel Cut Oats are my favorite make ahead breakfast. Creamy, the perfect chewy texture, and will save you time in the morning. Perfectly spiced oats you can take on the go!
Upgrade breakfast with this overnight steel cut oats recipe
Oatmeal is on my mind frequently and it is the thing that makes me excited to start the day. One thing I hear often from people that aren’t as excited about oats as me is that they have a hard time with regular cooked oats. Maybe it’s the texture, the consistency, or temperature.
Whatever it is, I hold a belief that when it comes to foods we claim we dislike, there might be a different way that you may enjoy that food that you haven’t discovered yet.
Not everything you try will be something you like. And that’s actually okay. It means you have specific preferences and you should honor those preferences. So think hard on those preferences, what would make that particular food better? Is it trying a different form or cooking technique of it? Adjust the taste? Just make sure you experiment.
Different Ways to Enjoy Oats
Versatility is something I absolutely adore about oats. In a way, they are just as innovative as cauliflower. There are different types of oats with different textures. You can cook them into a porridge consistency, bake them like a cake or muffin, blend them into pancake batter, or make them into granola.
Really, you can make oats into just about anything. These Overnight Steel Cut Oats give a different texture to classic overnight oats and they are super easy to meal prep for the week. So if you prefer the texture of steel cut oats, but don’t have the time to make them, this breakfast idea is just for you!
What You Need to Make These Oats
- Cooking Liquid. I like a blend of both water and unsweetened plant based milk. I don’t recommend leaving out the milk as it helps makes these oats extra creamy.
- Spices. Cinnamon is such a classic. To help really punch up the flavor I used a fresh cinnamon stick and a sprinkle of cardamom.
- Sweetener. Totally optional, but I like the little hint of sweetness to help bring out the flavor in the oats.
- Salt. Super important! Just a little pinch of kosher salt goes a long way with these oats. They come out way more flavorful and bring out the flavor of the spices add here.
How to Make Overnight Steel Cut Oats
In a sauce pan, combine your liquids and spices and bring to a boil. Add in your oats and allow to boil for 1 minute.
Remove your oats from the heat and cover with a lid and allow to cool. Once cooled, place in the fridge to sit overnight and thicken.
When ready to enjoy, stir well and top as desired.
Tips for the Perfect Overnight Steel Cut Oats
- Make sure to use steel cut oats for this recipe. This recipe is designed specifically for steel cut oats. You won’t get the same consistency or texture using other oats as the liquid ratio for them tends to be different.
- Don’t skip the milk! For these oats I used almond milk, but you can swap out for your preferred milk. The point of adding the milk is to make sure your oats are nice and creamy.
- If you need to cool your oats faster, try portioning your cooked oats into smaller containers, which should help cut down on the cooling time. Once cooled, you can place in the fridge overnight.
- Don’t skip the pinch of salt. It really does make a big difference in taste and helps to bring out a lot of the natural sweetness of these oats.
- Make sure to allow 8 hours for oats to thicken. When we mean overnight, we mean a general 8 hour night. If you try serving them earlier then that they might have too much liquid to them, so just be warned.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. According to food safety guidelines, it is best that you allow your oats to cool and then place in the fridge to store overnight. After a few hours at room temperature, your cooked oats have an increased risk for breeding bacteria that can make you sick.
Yes! Portion your oats in small containers and cool. Because the oats are in smaller containers, the oats will naturally cool down much faster allowing you to put them in the fridge quickly and efficiently.
Oats come in a lot of varieties, steel cut, rolled oats, quick oats and instant oats. These are all basically oats. The main difference is their cooking time. Steel cut oats are made by cutting groats into smaller pieces using steel blades. To get rolled oats, you take these cut pieces and flatten them. You can take these oats and then cut into smaller pieces to help decrease the cooking time. Steel cut oats may have a slight advantage due to it’s form as it is a lower glycemic food. However, all oats provide an abundance of nutrition including fiber, so which ever form you enjoy, stick to it for the health benefits.
What to Pair Your Oats With
This is my favorite part about oats because you can do so much with oats! I tend to gravitate to adding some type of fruit with some nuts or seeds to help make sure I stay satisfied. Here are some great combinations in case you need some inspiration.
- Sliced bananas (if you have time try caramelizing them), drizzle of tahini, and walnuts
- Chia jam with a spoonful of peanut butter
- Fresh berries, pepitas, hemp hearts
- Sautéed apples, extra sprinkled cinnamon and sliced almonds
More Overnight Oats Recipes to Try
Overnight Steel Cut Oats
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Refrigeration Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Total Time: 8 hours 6 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Overnight Steel Cut Oats are my favorite make ahead breakfast. Creamy, the perfect chewy texture, and will save you time in the morning. Perfectly spiced oats you can take on the go!
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1–2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
- 1 cup steel cut oats
Instructions
- In a sauce pan add your water, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, and cardamom.
- Mix ingredients well and bring to a boil, then add in your steel cut oats.
- Boil and stir for 1 minute then remove from the stove and stir in the salt.
- Cover sauce pan with a lid and cool before placing in the fridge OR portion into smaller jars or containers to have them cool faster before placing in the fridge.
- Allow oats to sit overnight for at least 8 hours before stirring up to serve.
Notes
Make sure to use steel cut oats for this recipe. This recipe is designed specifically for steel cut oats and likely won’t work with other kinds of oats.
Don’t skip the milk! For these oats I used almond milk, but you can swap out for your preferred milk. The point of adding the milk is to make sure your oats are nice and creamy.
If you need to cool your oats faster, try portioning your cooked oats into smaller containers, which should help cut down on the cooling time. Once cooled, you can place in the fridge overnight.
Don’t skip the pinch of salt. It really does make a big difference in taste and helps to bring out a lot of the natural sweetness of these oats.
Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought in the comments below! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats
★ Catherine
This recipe is so easy to understand and looks so yummy. Even the information shared is so apt about steel cut oats and different ways to cook it and it is very detailed. A perfect blog for steel cut oats. I would recommend this blog and the recipe to my friends and family. I am going to try this recipe now.