Here’s an easy recipe for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats made with apple, cinnamon, and raisins. This recipe is made dairy-free and vegan. Make this creamy and naturally sweet healthy breakfast in just 30 minutes.

jar of instant pot steel cut oats served in jar with apple and cinnamon.

Steel cut oats are one of those foods that cooks so much faster in an electric pressure cooker. You’ll save so much time in the morning as opposed to making them on the stovetop. It’s like magic!

Steel cut oats are a nutritious ingredient that are very versatile. They have great texture and are neutral in flavor. Some people even make a savory version of oatmeal to serve as a side dish at lunch or dinnertime.

If you’re gluten-free, be sure to buy certified gluten-free steel cut oats. For another gluten-free breakfast cereal made in the Instant Pot, you should try my Amaranth Porridge recipe.

Why You Need This Recipe

  • Make a hot breakfast for you and your family with this easy recipe. Let it cook while you get ready!
  • You can customize this recipe with your favorite flavors or toppings. Add chopped nuts, shredded coconut, nut butter, or whatever you like in your oatmeal.
  • Steel cut oats are an underused ingredient because they take so much time to cook on the stovetop. Let the Instant Pot do the work and you’ll fall in love with this easy pressure cooking preparation method.

Ingredients

ingredients for instant pot steel cut oats with apple.
  • Steel cut oats are the base of this recipe. Don’t use rolled oats, old-fashioned oats, or quick-cooking oats, you need to use only steel cut oats. Be sure to buy gluten-free steel cut oats if you need to.
  • Plant milk acts as the cooking liquid in this recipe. You can also use water, but your oatmeal won’t be as creamy. Don’t use regular dairy milk as it will burn. My preference is to use unsweetened almond milk.
  • Apple adds texture and natural sweetness to this recipe. It also pairs well with ground cinnamon and raisins. Your kitchen will smell amazing as this oatmeal cooks! I like using a sweet red apple like a Fuji, Honeycrisp apples, or Gala apple. You can also use Granny Smith.
  • Maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness. You can use whatever type of sweetener you like including brown sugar.

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact measurements.

Recipe Steps

Step One

ingredients for cinnamon apple steel cut oats in an instant pot pressure cooker.

Combine the oats, dairy-free milk (I like unsweetened almond milk), ground cinnamon, raisins, chopped apple, and maple syrup in your Instant Pot.

You don’t need to stir the mixture. Stirring makes it more likely that you’ll get a burn message during cooking.

Step Two

Lock on the lid and set the time to 6 minutes cooking time at high pressure.

Once the cook time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes using the natural release.

Use the quick release to get rid of any remaining pressure, and then remove the lid.

cooked instant pot steel cut oats in a stainless steel pressure cooker pot.

Step Three

Stir the cooked Instant Pot steel cut oatmeal and serve it hot.

Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers and re-heat before serving.

I hope you enjoy this easy oatmeal recipe as much as I do! It’s a great recipe that you can also use for meal prep. Make a big batch for a filling breakfast recipe. It’s so much faster than using the slow cooker or the stove top.

Instant Pot oatmeal is sure to become your favorite way to cook breakfast on busy mornings.

two bowls with instant pot steel cut oats topped with apple and raisins.

Recipe Tips

  • Top your cooked oats with nuts or seeds for added texture and nutrition. Walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds are all great options. You can use your favorite toppings including chopped extra apples.
  • This recipe can easily be doubled for more servings.
  • Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • You also freeze any leftovers in a sealed container for up to 2 months. 

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this recipe using rolled oats?

This recipe is really meant for steel cut oats, not rolled oats or quick oats.

What kind of milk should I use?

You can use any kind of unsweetened dairy-free milk, including almond milk, oat milk, coconut beverage (the kind in the box), or cashew milk. I have not tested this recipe using canned coconut milk.

Don’t use regular cow’s milk in this recipe as it will likely burn.

More Healthy Breakfast Recipes You Might Like

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I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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apple steel cut oats in jar.

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Apple

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5 from 7 reviews

Print Recipe

Here’s an easy recipe for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats made with apple, cinnamon, and raisins. This recipe is made dairy-free and vegan. Make this creamy and naturally sweet healthy breakfast in just 30 minutes.

  • Total Time: 31 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup steel cut oats
  • 2 3/4 cups unsweetened dairy-free milk
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 apple, diced

Instructions

  1. Combine the oats, plant milk, maple syrup, raisins, cinnamon, and apple in the base of a 6-quart pressure cooker. Lock on the lid and set the cooking time to 6 minutes.
  2. Once the cooking time has finished, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes.
  3. Release any remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid.
  4. Stir the cooked oatmeal and serve hot.

Notes

  1. Top your cooked oats with nuts or seeds for added texture and nutrition. Walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds are all great options.
  2. This recipe can easily be doubled for more servings.
  3. Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  4. You also freeze any leftovers in a sealed container for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
  • Calories: 242
  • Sugar: 10.8 g
  • Sodium: 134.5 mg
  • Fat: 4.4 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 46.2 g
  • Fiber: 5.6 g
  • Protein: 6.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest is the author of the best-selling Instant Pot-authorized cookbook, The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook. She has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and receives over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.