Let’s be real, steel cut oats are a pain in the ass.
That’s why this is a Sunday post, because nobody has time for this stuff during the week. Boiling down sauces, simmering and stirring oats for 30 minutes, yeah right. Monday through Friday I wake up as late as possible, barely leaving myself 15 minutes to get somewhat composed (I work from home), eat breakfast and get myself in front of the computer.
That’s probably why I’ve had the same bag of steel cut oats from the bulk bins in my pantry for at least 6 months.
Continuing on my mission to use up those blackberries, I figured I’d put in the time with the high maintenance steel cut oats since I was simmering up a fruit sauce anyway.
Two words. Good idea.
Every time I make steel cut oats, I play with the ratios, the add-ins, toasting the oats, not toasting the oats, stirring constantly, leaving it alone… This time the steel cut oat gods aligned or something though because this bowl was like a creamy, orangey heaven made even better by fresh, tart blackberries swirled in.
Tell me you don’t want to jump right into that!
At the last minute, I decided to make a big batch and just use up all the oats I had on hand instead of just making one serving. Best decision ever. I can’t tell you how excited I am for leftovers. I never really thought to make a bunch of servings on the weekend and just reheat throughout the week but that makes these time consuming oats much more worth the effort. Might even give me another precious 5 minutes in bed during the week.
Guess who used up all the blackberries?
Moi.
Guess who went grocery shopping and couldn’t resist the 2/$3.00 pints on sale again?
Moi.
I see more oats in my future.
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup 2% milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 orange
- juice of 1 orange
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1¼ cup blackberries
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon honey (or agave)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- In a skillet over medium heat, toast oats in coconut oil for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan, bring water and milk to a boil.
- Add toasted oats, reduce heat to low and cover for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 25 minutes, mixture should be considerably thicker. Add salt, orange juice, zest, vanilla and cinnamon.
- Cook and stir frequently for another 5-10 minutes until creamy.
- Remove from heat and serve.
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and simmer.
- Stir frequently until blackberries are broken down and mixture thickens to desired consistency, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir into oatmeal.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
oh that sauce…yum! Bet your house smelled divine for hours after you made it, mmmmm, good!
These look great! I need to try finding some steel cut oats!
Working from home sounds so delightful. Sometimes I wish I could skype to my classroom.
ha, I wonder how well the kids would behave with a skyped in teacher!
I would never think to combine orange and blackberries, but I love both – so the pairing is probably wonderful
p.s. working from home is my dream! I envy you
Oh my gosh, there was a 3-lb container of blackberries on sale at Sams Club yesterday! Dangit, I should have bought it and made this sauce. I can think of a million and one uses for it, too! Oatmeal topping, french toast topping, pancake topping, waffle topping, ice cream topping, yogurt topping…
Yeah, I’m a little hungry. Can you tell?
holy yum!!!
Those blue mini pots are adorable! Where did you get them? Breakfast looks awesome too
They’re from the Le Creuset outlet. I wanted to buy them in every color!
oooo i love this! i’ve never had steel cut oats before but i hear they’re so good for you, i see them at the store all the time but haven’t bought any cause of the long cooking time. great idea though, do them on the weekends! i love the topping you have with yours
I’ve never made steel cut oats because of the time required, but these look so good and creamy– I might have to give them a go!
<3 blackberries! I totally agree though, steel cut oats on an average morning just don't happen. When I do make them I make a huge pot though so it's all ready to be reheated in the fridge
That sauce looks awesome! I bet that would be amazing over pancakes too 
Have you tried making steel cut oatmeal in the slow cooker? This is probably my all-time favorite way to use the slow cooker. Just combine cup steel cut oats and 4 1/2-5 cups water, 1/2 tspn cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Cook high 4 hours or low 8hrs. I lightly butter the crockpot before I load it, or spray with non-stick spray to keep from sticking. In the morning, just stir and serve with your favorite toppings. This makes it so doable on a weekday!
I’ve heard of people doing this, I should definitely give it a try because I don’t use my slow cooker nearly enough!
I forgot to mention that I add a few tbspns of brown sugar to the mix! Our kids top their oatmeal with more when we serve it. Not healthy, but delish!
This looks super-delicious, Gina! Great idea for the sauce!
I get steel cut oats at costco and cook the in the micro on 70% power for 5 min or as the package says the brand is Coaches Oats
Steel cut oats are good, but damn, they take a long time to cook. I’m so hungry when I wake up that I never have the patience to make them!
Alright. I make steel cut oats every Sunday for the week — since they are the only oats that I can have. I make them by the package. Boil water / add oats/ wait forever / stir once in a while / voila. Tonight I made it this way (sans orange and topping) … OMG! You’ve changed my breakfast! Time for your to write a cookbook, missy.
Those oats look so creamy and delish! Time well spent! I bet the sauce is a great complement.
that looks so delicious & CREAMY!!
I am not an oats fan, but you make it look good. I think for me, its the cook time, I love my breakfast to be quick and fast.
I love steel cut oats and these look amazing – AMAZING
Yum! I love steel cut oats, I haven’t had them lately, I think I need to change that! The Blackberry orange Sauce sounds out of this world. I’m going to make a batch tonight and take to work tomorrow! Have a great week!!
Do steel cut oats taste any different?
Yeah, they do. Kinda more nuttier. Hard to explain, just try them out!
I think there should be a blackberry crumble in your future. All these posts about blackberries are making me crave one.
Recently discovered steel-cut oats. Just made your recipe tonight (minus the coconut oil/milk; does it make a huge difference??) Absolute love = blackberry/orange sauce. Added a bit of brown sugar. And yes, I made a whole pot just for me!
Glad you liked it! The coconut oil & milk just give it a more “coconutty” flavor. I do think toasting the oats first brings out more of the flavor but it’s definitely not necessary
These look amazing! Just a quick question though, what coconut milk do you use, from the can or the one that comes in the carton next to the milk aisle?
good question, I should’ve specified. I used coconut milk from a carton for this one.
I made these oats this morning (minus the coconut milk I didn’t have) and wow! They were awesome! I’ve never toasted the oats prior to cooking. They sure did smell good in the coconut oil. The star of the show for me, though, was that yummy blackberry orange sauce. Absolutely incredible! It transformed my usual love for oats to another level. I will be making that for years to come. And, I bought some coconut milk at the store this afternoon so I can try it out that way also. Thanks so much!
So glad you liked them!
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