I groomed my kids to love oatmeal early on, and now that they can make homemade instant oatmeal packets in any flavor they want, there’s never a battle over oatmeal for breakfast.
Until now, because I just introduced them to perfect overnight steel cut oats.
For a long time, I refused to buy steel cut oats. In my mind, they weren’t any different than plain rolled oats. Oats are oats are oats, right?
And besides, they cost a little more than rolled oats did and if all oats were oats, why pay more? I just pretended they didn’t exist and went on my merry way.
Never mind the fact that I had never even TRIED them.
Let me just say that I am wrong for ignoring steel cut oats all this time. Steel cut oats are nothing like rolled oats!
Well… except nutritionally. That’s where steel cut oats and rolled oats are about equal.
And then there’s the shape factor. Steel cut oats are the whole groat CUT into one or two pieces and sort of look like pieces of rice.
Rolled oats are, well ROLLED and are flat.
But really, that’s where the similarities end because when it comes to preparing and cooking and eating, steel cut oats and rolled oats are totally different.
Ok, I lied again.
Steel cut oats have this stigma that they take forever to cook. It’s true that you can’t pop a bowl of steel cut oats in the microwave and have breakfast ready in 2 minutes.
HOWEVER, taking 5 minutes to prepare a bowl of deliciously crunchy steel cut oats isn’t that big of a deal, right?
And SURELY sleeping in a warm cozy bed while the steel cut oats become deliciously crunchy overnight isn’t worth complaining about either, right?
And if we REALLY want to get nit picky about it, one serving of steel cut oats costs just 4¢ more than one serving of rolled oats.
So to recap, we have a minimally processed whole grain that costs about the same as its more processed counterpart, cooks in 5 minutes and while you sleep, magically overnight turns into a breakfast that’s nearly ready to serve.
Without lugging out the big slow cooker.
Seriously, why did I have to be so stubborn for so long?!
I have no answer for that, but I do know the secret to making perfect overnight steel cut oats that are delicious and crunchy and will forever change the way you think about oatmeal as a whole.
A cast iron skillet.
Yep, a little bit of butter in a warm cast iron skillet (I have this one) turns plain Jane steel cut oats into an incredible bowl of oatmeal that looks nothing like the grey mushy bowls you’re used to.
Plus toasted oats means better leftovers for future breakfasts, and who is going to turn down the option to cook less?
Certainly not me.
Want to cook once and eat twice more often? Learn how HERE.
The best part though about perfect overnight steel cut oats (aside from the aforementioned 5 MINUTES and OVERNIGHT factors) is the toppings.
Oh how I love oatmeal toppings!!
One of my favorites is apples + walnuts + maple syrup. Just like how I top my single serve slow cooker oatmeal.
My son adores peaches and cream, using real peaches and real cream (because that’s the real food equivalent to dried up and shriveled peaches with powdered “cream”)
My daughter likes strawberries and cream and once asked if she could put Nutella on top. A girl after my own heart.
I’ve also heard that savory oatmeal is a trend. Maybe a fried egg with prosciutto, Parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes? Or some smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers?
Maybe we should aim to eat a different type of oatmeal every day of the month, using this calendar from Bob’s Red Mill as a guide?
Oh my. This is going to be a seriously tasty month!
- 1 cup of Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ½ tsp Kosher salt (or ¼ tsp table salt)
- 3 cups water
- toppings as desired
- Measure water into a medium sauce pan with a lid and bring to a rapid boil. (I like to use my 2.75 qt dutch oven.)
- Meanwhile, melt butter over medium low heat in the cast iron skillet. Add the steel cut oats and toast until they're darker in color and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- When the water has come to a rapid boil, add the steel cut oats and salt and stir. Set the timer for 1 minute and allow the oats to cook.
- When the timer goes off, cover the oats and turn off the stove. Set the oats aside until morning.
- In the morning, reheat the oats until they are the desired temperature and top with desired toppings.
In case you missed it:
- Steel cut oats are SUPER nutritious (and less processed than rolled oats).
- I used this brand of steel cut oats, but also found store brands for good prices at ALDI, Walmart, and Kroger.
- This cast iron skillet is my favorite size. It’s perfect for cornbread, skillet blondies, and pan-fried sweet potatoes!
More oatmeal recipes:
Marathon Training High Protein Oatmeal // 4 Minute Instant Pot Oatmeal // Leftover Oatmeal Cakes
How would you top your own bowl of perfect overnight steel cut oats?
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. I’ve been using Bob’s Red Mill products in my kitchen for a long time now, and long before this blog was born. As always, I would never recommend anything on Crumbs that I wouldn’t recommend to a close friend or neighbor, and all opinions here are my own.
I prefer steel cut oat over rolled oats precisely because they stay crunchy. But you do go through a lot of trouble to make them. Have you ever tried to just let them soak in (almond) milk over night? That works well and you don’t need to pre-cook them. You can just heat in the microwave in the morning (also a great to-go breakfast for the office).
I haven’t tried that San, but it sounds easy enough! I like the idea of big batches in the morning, and re-heating throughout the week as necessary. I don’t think breakfast could get any faster!
If you try it out, I’d be curious to find out if they taste different from your pre-cooking method! 🙂 (or maybe I should just try that myself).
I read your blog all the time. I’m so thankful for your approach to real food. You make it all seem within reach! This recipe looks yummy. Would soaking the oats in water overnight reduce some of the phytic acid or would you recommend still adding in some apple cider vinegar?
Thanks so much Sonia! For phytic acid, you’d have to add an acid. ACV works, but I think lemon juice or whey might be more subtle for breakfast, more so if you’re feeding kids. 🙂
What are your thoughts on phytic acid and the importance of soaking? My kids eat oatmeal or a form of it everyday. Thanks for taking the time to answer my first question.
You’re welcome Sonia! My thoughts: If you can fit it into your schedule without going crazy, then do it. I tried to soak grains for awhile, but found that it was “one more thing to do” in an already full day. Then I felt bad when I forgot to soak instead of celebrating the fact that I was cooking food from scratch! I know soaking is vital for digestion for some people, and for those I encourage them to keep it up. But if you can digest grains without soaking and you’re already cooking from scratch, it’s not a hill to die on (in my opinion). I think I read that soaking grains only reduced phytic acid by 10%? It’s been awhile, but for me, it’s not something I continued to do.
Thank you! I really needed to hear that. I get so overwhelmed with it all, especially trying to stay in budget. I am trying to remineralize a tooth right now so I willl stay off of grains myself, but I think for the moment I’ll just celebrate that I am making oatmeal for my kids instead of the many alternatives. Keep up the hard work on this blog. It is so appreciated.
How many servings does this make? Sorry if it’s listed, butI read over the whole post a couple of times and can’t find it. Thanks!
Sorry about that Kandy! This should make about 4 servings. 🙂
Just wondering could this nice recipe work with whole groats? Have no possibility to find and buy steel cut oats in my country:( just whole groats… Thank you for beautiful recipe tho:))
Hi Ally! Thanks for the compliments! If you can crack whole groats, then you essentially have steel cut oats. Try using a blender, coffee grinder (on coarse), grain mill or food processor. The more you grind, the closer to flour you’ll get, so a you might only need a few pulses to crack them enough to get them to the size of steel cut oats. 🙂
Hey Tiffany! Do you have to use a cast iron skillet to toast the oats or can you use a regular one?
I use a cast iron skillet Sara, but you can use a regular one too!
I use a regular pot to toast the oats- they really do smell like popcorn. The pot works great. I use coconut oil instead of butter. These oats are great!!
Hi Tiffany-
Do you just leave the pot on the stove or do you put it in the fridge overnight? It’s not clear from this recipe where to leave them in the water overnight…
thanks, julie
Hi Julie! I leave it on the stove. 🙂
When you leave it on the stove do you keep it on the burner that was on? Or move it off that burner for overnight. thanks
Whichever is easier for you Marie. 🙂
This is by far the best overnight oats I have ever had. I make them at the beginning of the week and they last for several days. I am so impressed with how delicious and creamy they stay. I think that toasting them is the key. So glad I discovered your fabulous recipe!
Thanks for the glowing review Jean!! ♥
I can’t give a full review until after tomorrow. However it does seem like a good method; sometimes you can tell a recipe is good just by reading it. I used a ceramic non-stick to toast the steel oats. I decided to leave the cast iron skillet in the cupboard cuz I was too lazy to get it. The butter and steel cut oats were fragrant with a Nutty and buttery aroma in spite of my shortcut. Also I had no butter so I had to use heavy whipping cream a very small amount and whip it into butter so I cut the overall recipe in half.
I know exactly what you mean. 🙂 Hope you enjoy these in the morning!
I’m planning a family brunch for 50-60 people and want to have an oatmeal bar. How would you prepare enough oatmeal?
Wow! I’d multiply the average amount of oatmeal per person (1/4 cup dry for steel-cut) and multiply that times the number of people. 🙂
Thank you. I saw there is an all Oatmeal restaurant in NYC that serves up Oatmeal like a Subway/Chipotle type restaurant. I’m thinking of that concept for this morning after wedding open house brunch. I can make a large batch in the crock pot and 2 others in large pots and have enough ready to go..then have the toppings lined up for a serve yourself oatmeal buffet. Thank you for the amounts 1/4 cup dry per person.
I am one person, so would this recipe last for 3 additional days? I am assuming I should refrigerate after the first night as well?
It can Michelle, and yes, refrigerate the leftovers!
How long would you let the oats soak overnight?
Hi Anh! Usually “overnight” means roughly 8 hours, but you could let them soak up to 12.