This steel cut oatmeal recipe is made on the stove-top in 40 minutes. Its lusciously creamy texture feels like such a treat. With hints of orange and a vibrant blackberry sauce swirled in, you’ll love starting your day with a bowl.
I used to think steel cut oats were entirely not worth the effort because they do take quite a bit longer to cook than regular oatmeal. That crazy talk left my brain precisely one second after enjoying the first spoonful of this steel cut oatmeal recipe. It’s creamy, dreamy, permeated with orange flavor, and the tart blackberry sauce swirled into the bowl is not only striking to look at, but the proverbial icing on the cake bringing tart brightness to the hearty oats.
While I realize that not everyone has 40 minutes to spare in the morning to get breakfast ready, this recipe is still a keeper because it’s so perfectly suited for prepping in advance. Unlike rolled oats, steel cut oats reheat wonderfully and making a big batch at the start of the week is an easy way to meal-prep breakfasts.
Of course, if you’d rather quicken up the process, you can make Instant Pot steel cut oats or overnight steel cut oats instead.
It took me a bit of experimenting with different approaches to this recipe to find the perfect method for the creamiest outcome while still maintaining the nutty flavor profile of the steel cut oats that makes them shine, but I think I finally nailed it. Toasting the steel cut oats in the pot with coconut oil first really allows their flavor to develop. Then, using a combination of milk and coconut milk over low heat creates the most rich and velvety texture that will leave you hooked.
All About Steel Cut Oats
If you’re new to this variety of oat, here’s the scoop on them. Steel cut oats are simply a less refined and processed version of rolled oats. Oats exist on a spectrum of processing.
After harvesting, processors remove the outer hull of the oat kernel, leaving behind the inner groat. They then use steel blades to slice it into two or three pieces, hence the name steel-cut oats.
Rolled oats come about when the oat groat is steamed and mechanically flattened into flakes. The larger surface area of rolled oats allows them to cook quicker than steel cut oats. Quick cooking oats (or instant oats as they’re sometimes called) just take this process a step further steaming longer and flattening into a thinner flake.
Steel cut oats offer a nuttier flavor profile and have a signature al dente bite to them that makes them a bit more interesting than your typical bowl of oatmeal.
How To Cook Steel Cut Oatmeal — The Perfect Method For Creamy Oats
If it seems ridiculous to outline the process for cooking oatmeal, I hear you. But, this recipe actually took some time to tweak and get juuuust right. It’s the Goldilocks bowl, if you will and I promise you’ll think so too when you taste it. The full recipe with amounts and detailed instructions are at the bottom of this post, this is just an overview.
TOAST THE OATS
Start by toasting the steel cut oats in some coconut oil. You can do this in a skillet or directly in the sauce pot you plan to cook the oats in. This is an important step to develop the coveted nutty flavor of the steel cut oats.
BRING THE LIQUIDS TO A BOIL
Once the oats are toasted, set them aside and bring the water and milks to a boil. Add the toasted steel cut oats, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover with a lid for about 25 minutes. Stir the oats occasionally while they cook. They should be thickened considerably after 25 minutes.
ADD THE FUN STUFF!
This is where this steel cut oats recipe shines. Once the oats have thickened, add the salt, orange zest, fresh orange juice, vanilla and cinnamon. These ingredients take this from a boring bowl of oatmeal to something you’ll look forward to waking up to.
SWIRL IN THE BLACKBERRY SAUCE
The fresh blackberry sauce is optional but it complements the oatmeal so well I hope you’ll make it. Simmer all the ingredients for the sauce in a small sauce pot for about 8-10 minutes until the berries break down and the sauce thickens a bit. Spoon some of it into your bowl of oats and enjoy!
My Pro Tips
Recipe Substitutions
This is a bowl of oatmeal at the end of the day, not a complicated French pastry, you can certainly make some substitutions to fit your needs.
- Liquids — Water, milk and coconut milk are used in this recipe. You can adjust the ratios of any of them and use different types of milk if preferred (like oat or almond to make this vegan).
- Sauce — The blackberry sauce is one of my favorite parts of this steel cut oatmeal recipe, but it can be adapted to use other berries such as raspberries or strawberries. Cranberry jam is wonderful in the winter and pairs nicely with the orange flavor of the oats. I also love using fig preserves when I have them on hand.
- Sweetener — There’s no sweetener in this recipe but the orange juice does bring a touch of natural sweetness. If you’re a child of the 90s and the brown sugar packet of instant oatmeal was your thing, you can add some brown sugar, coconut sugar or a splash of maple syrup to this recipe for a similar vibe.
- Protein — If you’re like me, you add protein powder to every bowl of oats for staying power. You can add your favorite one to this recipe. Just stir it in at the end with the other ingredients. I prefer to use an unflavored option so you can taste the flavors of the recipe. Vanilla tends to overpower the orange and blackberry sauce.
- Toppings — Top your bowl oats however you like. The usual suspects such as nuts, dried fruit, coconut, seeds or even chocolate chips are all good options. For extra decadence, swirl some nut butter like vanilla macadamia nut butter or pumpkin seed butter into the bowl in combination with the berry sauce.
Reheating and Storing Steel Cut Oats
As I already mentioned, this recipe keeps well and is perfect for advance meal prepping. If you have busy mornings during the week, making a batch of this on the weekend and portioning out into jars for an on-the-go breakfast is a great idea.
Keep the portions (or any leftovers) in containers in the fridge for up to a week. The oats can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove top. The fridge will slightly thicken the oats so I like to add a splash of milk (or water) before reheating and then stir that into the warmed oats before eating.
If you’d have told me as a child that I’d this obsessed with an oatmeal recipe I would’ve never believed it. As a kid, I hated oatmeal. My brother would taunt me with spoonfuls of his instant Quaker oat packets while I sat next to him at the breakfast table wanting to gag. The texture completely grossed me out until adulthood.
Now, I can’t think of anything I’d like more than to start the day with this indulgent bowl of creamy steel cut oatmeal.
More Creamy Breakfast Bowls To Start Your Day
While most people think of oatmeal for breakfast, it can certainly be used in savory recipes too. The opposite is true for polenta and this creamy coconut polenta breakfast bowl proves it.
These whipped ricotta bowls are also infused with orange flavor like this oatmeal recipe and topped with cardamom roasted pears. It sounds like a fancy brunch menu item but it’s actually insanely easy to make at home!
Millet porridge is incredibly similar to steel cut oats. Millet is a naturally gluten-free grain (like oats) that cooks up with a similar nutty flavor and chewy texture. It’s most often used in savory applications but I love it for breakfast too!
Perfectly Creamy Steel Cut Oatmeal
Ingredients
Steel Cut Oats
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 orange
- juice of 1 orange
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Blackberry Orange Sauce
- 1 1/4 cup blackberries
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
Steel Cut Oats
- 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.
Blackberry Orange Sauce
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
<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 :D That sauce looks awesome! I bet that would be amazing over pancakes too ;)
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!
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 :)
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!
holy yum!!!
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? ;-)
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 :)
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! ;)
These look great! I need to try finding some steel cut oats!
oh that sauce…yum! Bet your house smelled divine for hours after you made it, mmmmm, good!