Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
Steel cut oats are something that I’ve been meaning to try for a while. I enjoy a warm bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, especially in the cooler months, and often hear about how good steel cut oats are for you. Steel cut oats are less processed than rolled oats, made by taking the whole oat kernel and cutting it into small pieces. They have a chewier texture and a nuttier taste than rolled oats, making them a nice change for variety’s sake.
To cook steel cut oats on the stovetop, it takes about 35 minutes. Some mornings that is just too long to wait for breakfast, which is why I like this overnight recipe. It takes about 5 minutes to combine the ingredients in the evening, and then you refrigerate the mixture overnight. In the morning, the oats cook quickly since they’ve soaked overnight, and you can have a hot breakfast on the table in about 10 minutes.
These overnight oats are spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and are slightly sweetened from some milk and applesauce. If you prefer your oatmeal on the less sweet side, I suggest omitting the brown sugar. Add some chopped apple and pecans for a little crunch, and breakfast is ready!
One year ago: Coffeecake Muffins
Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
Makes 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar (I sometimes omit this as I don’t like my oatmeal very sweet)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 large apple, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
Directions:
- In a nonmetal bowl combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and applesauce. Stir in milk and water; cover and chill for 8 to 24 hours.
- To serve, transfer oatmeal mixture to a medium saucepan. Stir in 1 cup of apples, reserving the remaining 1/2 cup for serving. Heat just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until oatmeal is done, adding additional milk or water if desired and stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Spoon into bowls; sprinkle with apples and pecans. Serve with additional milk, if desired.
Recipe adapted from Good Life Eats
I cook steel cut oats quite often, and they have never taken me longer than 15 minutes on the stove. I’d say try again, there’s nothing like a just cooked bowl of steel cut oats
I have cooked them a few times and they always seem to take at least 30 minutes to achieve the texture I like- maybe it’s a texture preference difference?
This looks wonderful. I love soft oatmeal. Thanks!
My husband put this together last night and made it for me this morning. Great recipe. It took us a bit longer to cook to get the texture I like (or he may have had the heat too low) but it was excellent. This will be in our weekly rotation, I’m sure. Thanks so much!
I’m glad you enjoyed these oats as much as I did!
I love steel cut oats, but mostly eat them plain. I’ll definitely be trying your version soon – can’t go wrong with apple and cinnamon!
[...] Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts. It’s nutritious, filling, and warms you up on a cold morning. Most often, I make 5-minute old-fashioned oats. Sometimes, though, I make steel cut oats instead. Steel cut oats are less processed than old-fashioned oats, and have a heartier, nuttier, almost chewy taste to them. I think they’re a great change to enjoy once in a while, but they do take a little longer to cook so I save them for weekend breakfasts. (Or, for quicker-cooking steel cut oats I make this overnight recipe.) [...]