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
Holy Delicious!! I made this for breakfast Sunday – It was a hit with every member of my family, including my 2-year-old! Thanks again for another great recipe, ladies!
Looking forward to making this! And I’ve just discovered the supreme goodness of putting pecans on breakfast cereal, so i appreciate that you included that.
I make this recipe all the time – my whole family loves it. I love that breakfast is all ready to go when I get up! Too easy!
Made this today as a “test run” for a weekend breakfast idea. It was the perfect amount and turned out so delicious. We are definately doing it again. (Side note my slow cooler only took about 6 hours to cook it to perfection)
I think I read in the book “365 Days of Slow Cooking” that you can use a smaller oven-safe dish inside your slow cooker if you need a smaller crock pot. I think she said just to put your food in the smaller dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it inside your crock pot, cover with the crock pot lid, and cook as directed.
Oh, and your description of how you just have the easiest mornings – I laughed out loud through the whole thing. It’s crazy, but that’s just like my life! LOL. Bedtime injuries! How does that happen, anyway? Oh, wait, we’re supposed to pretending it doesn’t happen. 😉
I have a question that might seem a little dumb. I’ve tried a recipe like this before and it came out as inedible glue! What would be the best description of how it should look when it’s done? I definitely like the suggestion of cooking it while you can watch it the first time.
This almost went perfectly for me! I was talking to my husband while I was throwing everything in the crockpot and completely forgot to add the butter! It turned out fine with out it, but still. And then I think I let it go a little to long because I checked on it at 6 hours and it still had so much liquid so I was afraid it hadn’t cooked enough, when if I’d just stirred it it would have been fine. I had some crust of overcooked oatmeal on the bottom and sides of my crockpot but it separated its self and came off easily…probably for my crockpot 6 hours would have done the trick. It’s super tasty, though…I love the taste and texture in comparison to quick oats. And it’s not overly sweet at all. Yum!
We have been loving oatmeal lately, so I can’t wait to try this. And we recently switched to getting only full fat dairy products as part of a move towards eliminating processed food. We’re getting non-homogenized whole milk from a local dairy, and you wouldn’t believe how good it is! I made your cupcake frosting with it for my 2 year old’s birthday, and it was absolutely heavenly!
I have been doing 1 cup of steel cut oats in a bowl. Then I add 2 cups boiling water. Then I cover it with a shower cap or plastic wrap overnite. Next morning I add another cup of water and bring to a boil. Then simmer it for five minutes. I haven’t had good luck with my crockpot and this works better for my life.
This came out really good! I used granny smith apples, but my oatmeal was completely cooked in about 3 hours! My apples weren’t mushy, but they were medium hard…I wasn’t sure if they were supposed to be mushy or not, but I had to shut off the crockpot since the oats were completely cooked! I added a little sprinkle of Stevia and even my 2 year old ate 3 bowls! Yummy!