You know what the easiest part of my day is? Mornings. Especially school mornings. Things always go super smooth because my kids always go to bed on time the night before and fall asleep promptly, not keeping each other up or coming out to ask for drinks and Band-Aids (for, you know, all those bedtime injuries) and bathroom trips. I have a dog that lets herself out of the house to take care of business and she definitely does not go bark incessantly at her nemeses, the ugly terrier and the stump-tailed beagle next door. And my baby? He’s always super considerate about feedings and diaper changes and he’s great about waiting until everyone is squared away and awake and happy and dressed and fed so I can take care of his needs.
Yeah, that’s not my life. If it’s your life, I think you and I would lack a fundamental understanding of each other. I need all the help I can get in the mornings.
I found this recipe a few months ago on The Yummy Life and it has quickly become my favorite go-to breakfast for busy (and not-so-busy mornings). I have all sorts of variations in the works, so keep your eyes out for other fun overnight oatmeals over the next few months.
You’ll need steel cut oats, milk (I used whole; I’ve been reading some interesting research on implementing whole milk in a healthy diet), water, brown sugar, cinnamon, 2 baking apples (Fujis are sweet, Granny Smiths are tart), and salted butter. You can also add some ground flax seeds for extra nutrition.
Okay, here’s the thing with slow-cooker oatmeal–the first time you make this, I really, really, reeeeeally recommend making this for dinner on a day when you’re going to be around to keep an eye on things. Because every slow cooker cooks a little differently, there’s a possibility it won’t be done after seven hours or, more likely, there’s a possibility it could overcook. And then you’ll be sad and breakfastless. So it is really not the worst idea in the world to figure out how this recipe works in your slow cooker when you can control the situation instead of while you’re sleeping.
Anyway.
Steel-cut oats.
They’re the whole oats, just cut up. This means they’re much heartier, healthier, and more filling than rolled oats. It also means that cooking rolled oats like this will likely end in mushy goopiness.
So spray the slow cooker (well, the removable crock part, not the whole slow cooker–I know 99.9% of you are smart enough to realize that, but that darn .1% ruins it for everyone) with non-stick cooking spray and place the oats, brown sugar, ground flax, and cinnamon in a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. You can go larger–a slow cooker up to 6 1/2 quart is fine–but don’t use the biggest, baddest slow cookers out there.
Chop up two apples (I love Fuji apples, but Granny Smiths would also work).
and add them along with the milk, water, and butter to the oatmeal mixture.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours (keeping in mind that all slow cookers cook differently). Before serving, stir (or don’t…but I like to stir mine because I’m crazy like that) and serve.
Keep in mind that this is oatmeal and it’s probably not going to be seasoned EXACTLY how everyone at your breakfast table will want it straight out of the pot. It might not be sweet enough or cinamonny enough or creamy enough, so serve with additional milk, brown sugar, chopped walnuts or pecans (if you want ’em), and a sprinkling of cinnamon or apple pie spice. I also sprinkle mine with a little salt rather than cooking it with the salt–I’ve found I use less and notice it more (in a good way) when it’s sprinkled on top of the oatmeal.
Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 baking apples like Fuji (sweet) or Granny Smith (tart)
- 1 ½ cups milk I used whole
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- Kosher or coarse salt for sprinkling when serving
- Toppings: Brown sugar, cinnamon or apple pie spice, raisins, chopped pecans or walnuts, milk, etc.
Instructions
- Spray a 3 ½-quart or larger slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all the ingredients except for the salt and additional toppings.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Serve with additional toppings.
Notes
- Nutritional information was calculated without the use of toppings.
Questions & Reviews
PS. then the crockpot is already clean ready to put dinner in!
I recently discovered doing this and found that in a crockpot it got crusty on the outside. But I discovered that you can use your crockpot as a waterbath. But a smaller bowl (even one serving size if needed) in your crockpot and fill the crockpot with water (up to the level of the water level of your smaller bowl.) It works beautifully.
I also found that I can do this same thing with cracked wheat cereal or cracked 9 grain cereal that I have in my food storage. Just do 1 cup cereal to 2 cups water and keep the rest the same (my recipe calls for 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilly and 2 TB brown sugar) just dump everything into your inner bowl turn in to low and it is wonderful.
I love waking up to breakfast already made.
Genius! Then you can also use a large crock pot.
Awesome! I was just wondering if I could make this in pint jars to eat on the go. Thanks!
How are the leftovers? Do they reheat in the microwave and still taste good?
I’ve had really great luck reheating it on the stovetop with a little extra milk and water. Never tried it in the microwave, but I’m sure it would work.
Thanks Kate, that’d work great!
No offense, but this seems complicated, especially the watching it and adjusting the timing. I have a simpler way…boil water equal to half the amount of liquid for as much steel cut oatmeal as you are making (if you need 4 c liquid, boil 2 c water)…I use the microwave…then dump the steel cut oats into the boiling water, cover, and let sit on the counter overnight. In the AM, dump into the pot, add the other half of the liquid (2 c lowfat milk), salt, cinnamon, chopped fruit, and cook at a slow bubble for 10-15 min. It tends to be creamy and the fruit retains its character/flavor better than when overcooked in the microwave. Just saying…
I LOVE steel cut oats. YUM!!! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hooray for whole milk! It’s all we use in our home. I never use low-fat dairy products, as kids (and even adults) need unprocessed food full of the nutrients naturally found in them. Cholesterol and saturated fat are important for growing healthy brains and bodies. 🙂 Lots of great info on this at http://www.westonaprice.org.
I will definitely try this. My sister (with school age kids) gave me a hot tip similar to this one. If you don’t have steel cut oats just soak regular oats in water overnight and then microwave with added stuff in am. It’s kinda like instant oats but works if you know you are gonna be busy. This looks way yummier though.
I wonder if I could cut this in half and put in a small 2 QT crockpot? There’s only 2 of us and wondered if anyone has tried making a smaller batch..
I did that last night. It cooked slightly too long and was a little mushy, but my small cooker doesn’t have a high/low setting so it could be my fault. Perhaps reduce the cooking time? The flavor was still delicious, and I love the idea of using the whole oat.
Thank you Kate, this sounds absolutely delicious! My family and I love the baked oatmeal recipe that you posted, so I cannot wait for us to try this one.
I saw that recipe on the Yummy Life, too. I seriously love crock pot breakfasts, because it gives me an extra 30 minutes to sleep in!