How To Cook Steel-Cut Oats Perfectly, 5 Ways

Steel-cut oats are great for a breakfast meal. They're also often used in baking. Steel-cut oats are popular because they are one of the least processed oats. They contain endosperm, bran, and germ, meaning they still have nutrients offered by those components. But, since they do have all the parts of the grain, they take longer to cook. If you want to cook steel-cut oats at home, here are five ways you can cook them perfectly.

Microwave

Cooking your steel-cut oats in the microwave is one of the quickest ways to prepare them. To cook a half cup of steel-cut oats, place them in a microwave-safe dish and add two cups of water. Then microwave them on high for five minutes. Using heat protection, remove from the microwave and stir. Then, place them back in the microwave and cook for an additional five minutes. Stir again, and if there is still too much liquid, microwave for an additional two minutes. Once all the liquid is absorbed, allow the oats to sit for two minutes and then serve.

• Add half a cup of steel-cut oats and two cups of water to a microwave-safe dish.
• Cook for five minutes.
• Remove, stir, and place back in the microwave.
• Cook for an additional five minutes.
• Stir, and cook an additional two minutes if the water hasn't been absorbed.
• Allow to rest for two minutes.
• Serve.

Stovetop

To cook your steel-cut oats on the stovetop, boil three cups of water. Once boiling, add a cup of steel-cut oats and a small pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the water is mostly absorbed. The oats should be tender. Once cooked, you can serve plain or stir in some milk and vanilla to add flavor.

• Boil three cups of water.
• Add a cup of steel-cut oats and a pinch of salt.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Check if the oats are tender and that most of the water has been absorbed.
• Add any additional seasoning ingredients.
• Serve.

Oven

To cook your steel-cut oats in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In an oven-safe dish, mix one cup of steel-cut oats and two cups of water. Mix well and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Check that the water has been absorbed and the oats are tender. Cooking in the oven also makes it easy to add in other ingredients and make oatmeal. Before cooking, you can add chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and bananas.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix one cup of steel-cut oats and two cups of water in an oven-safe dish.
• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
• Check if water is absorbed and oats are tender. Cook for an additional five minutes at a time until cooked if they're not ready after 45 minutes.

Rice Cooker

To cook your steel-cut oats in a rice cooker, add one cup of steel-cut oats into the rice cooker with four cups of water. Cook in the rice cooker for two hours. Then stir and make sure all the water has absorbed and oats are tender. With a rice cooker, you can turn these on at night before bed so that they're ready for you in the morning. If your machine has a timer, set it for two hours, and then it should automatically switch to a warming setting after it's done cooking. Do not do this unless you check your machine has this function first.

• Add one cup of steel-cut oats and four cups of water to a rice cooker.
• Cook for two hours.
• Check all water has been absorbed and oats are tender.
• Serve.

Instant Pot

Cooking steel-cut oats in an instant pot is the quickest way you can prepare them. To cook your steel-cut oats in an instant pot, add two cups of steel-cut oats and four cups of water. You can add additional ingredients for flavor, like cinnamon, vanilla, or maple syrup, if you like. Once everything is mixed together, cover and seal. Cook on high pressure for four minutes. Then, allow the pressure to release for 10 minutes.

• Add two cups of steel-cut oats and four cups of water to the instant pot.
• Add any wanted additional ingredients.
• Mix, cover, and seal the instant pot.
• Cook for four minutes.
• Pressure release for 10 minutes.
• Mix together and serve.

Ginger-Pear Steel-Cut Oatmeal

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• Author: MomsWhoThink.com
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and diced
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Chopped nuts (such as almonds or walnuts) for garnish
• Greek yogurt for topping (optional)

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Instructions

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add steel-cut oats, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. While the oats are cooking, in a separate pan, sauté the diced pears with honey or maple syrup, grated ginger, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt over medium heat until the pears are tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Once the oats are cooked and have reached your desired consistency, stir in the almond milk and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until creamy.
4. Fold in the sautéed ginger-pear mixture into the oats, reserving some for topping.
5. Remove from heat and let it sit for a couple of minutes to thicken.
6. Spoon the oatmeal into bowls and top with the remaining ginger-pear mixture, chopped nuts, and a dollop of Greek yogurt if desired.

Nutrition

• Calories: 300
• Sugar: 20 g
• Sodium: 150 mg
• Fat: 6 g
• Carbohydrates: 55 g
• Fiber: 8 g
• Protein: 8 g

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Linda Hughes Photography/Shutterstock.com.