Overnight Steel Cut Oatmeal with Almond Butter and Honey ~ wake up to this healthy, protein rich breakfast, no slaving over a hot stove in your pajamas necessary!
I’m essentially a very lazy cook. I’m always looking for shortcuts, and the shorter the better as far as I’m concerned. I’m at my most lazy when it comes to breakfast, but I never want to sacrifice a fantastic meal just to cut corners, so when I find a recipe that satisfies me on both counts, I’m ecstatic.
Oatmeal is one of those things that I love to eat, but hate to cook. I don’t want to haul out the pan and measuring cups, I don’t want to stand there and stir, not at 7 in the morning. But I’ve had trouble in the past with overnight oatmeal recipes. I find that they’re often too dense, not creamy enough, and worst of all, sometimes they get an unappealing crust on them. I made this overnight steel cut oatmeal in the crock pot several times during the week and they turned out perfectly every time. They now have a permanent spot on our short list of family favorites.
Breakfast doesn’t get any better, or healthier, than this. Honestly, I’m not into downing a cold green smoothie first thing on an icy February morning. A warm bowl of steel cut oatmeal is much more like it. These steel cut oats are thick and creamy, the almond butter and honey give it great flavor and, if you use chunky almond butter, you’ll get a little extra texture, too.
My husband likes his with dried fruit and nuts. Since I cook the oats in individual cups, everyone can customize their own.
The key to the perfect creamy quality of this overnight steel cut oatmeal is that you don’t cook it directly in the crock pot, you cook it in separate containers in a water bath in the crock pot. That gives the perfect amount of gentle heat that results in perfectly cooked oats by morning. You can even switch the controls from low to warm if you’re not ready to eat right when you wake up.
Almond butter and honey is a combination I never thought of, but it’s wonderful, and if you really want to be decadent, scrape the seeds of a vanilla bean into the oats before you pop them in the slow cooker. You won’t believe your good fortune when you lift off the lid the next morning and are met with a blast of vanilla scented steam and the creamiest oatmeal you’ve ever eaten.
Have any of you tried this method? It really is the perfect solution to a hearty, healthy and warm breakfast that’s miraculously waiting for you when you wake up. Sometimes I want to marry my slow cooker…just sayin’.
UPDATE: Since posting this recipe I’ve discovered another overnight oats method that I love just as much ~ you can find it with the recipe for OVERNIGHT STEEL CUT OATS WITH WHISKEY BUTTER. My equally delicious DATE NUT OVERNIGHT OATS recipe uses the same method, no slow-cooker required!
Reader Rave ~
“Just finished eating this and it’s fabulous! Comes out perfect! I doubled the recipe and put into two mason jar pints so I could store them easily and eat them without mess. I also used crunchy almond butter and I think it really added a nice texture! Would be delicious topped with banana too! Thank you for the great technique!” ~ Desirae
Note: recipe just slightly adapted from food52.
Overnight Crock Pot Oatmeal with Almond Butter and Honey
Equipment
- crock pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked steel cut oats
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup almond milk, or milk or your choice
- a pinch of salt
- optional: seeds of 1 vanilla bean
- 2-4 Tbsp almond butter
- honey to taste
Instructions
- You can make this in one container, or in two individual containers. I used two glasses that had 1 2/3 cup capacity each.
- Put 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup water, and 1/4 cup milk in each container. Add a small pinch of salt to each and stir to combine.
- Set the containers in the slow cooker and add water to come about halfway up the glasses.
- Set the crock pot on low, and leave it until morning (about 10 hours.)
- Give each serving a stir, and then swirl in the almond butter and top with honey just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Don’t forget to pin this Overnight Steel Cut Oatmeal with Almond Butter and Honey!
This might be naughty, but I switched out the almond butter for Trader Joe’s cookie butter. SO GOOD!
Would this method work if you used coconut milk/cream or almond milk?
It sounds delicious and I am dying for the colder weather so I can try it out. Too hot here in Sydney, Australia at the moment.
Absolutely, but I would just make sure that whatever liquid you use isn’t too thick, like coconut cream can be. I would think either coconut milk or any other nut milk would work great!
I love this recipe and make it every week. Over time I have made 2 adjustments. I like to make a few days worth of oatmeal at a time so I make double the recipe and make it one large pyrex that fits in my crockpot. When done I just cover it and put it in the frig for the rest of the week. Also, I found cooking it over night on low made it a bit lit porridge – lost the crunch of steel cut oats. So, I start it on low and reduce to warm before I go to bed. It turns out just right. I also play around with what I add. Usually a little cinnamon, cloves and cut up apples. Yumm…… Love the idea of cooking it in the crockpot
I’m not a green smoothie girl either but a cozy bowl of oats I can definitely embrace! Love the almond butter and honey combo!
What a nutritious and delicious breakfast!
Great idea…sometimes I make oatmeal the night before and refrigerate (I’m lazier than you!)….but waking up to fresh oatmeal sounds great to me. The water bath is genius. I posted a farro porridge last week, think I’d have to cook the farro first though.
I am definitely going to try with other grains, farro porridge sounds great.
This sounds wonderful. I have been tempted a few times to make the overnight refrigerated oatmeal. Not now. This is the only way to go!
Velva
I have to agree Velva … the other methods just don’t give me the result I’m look for!
Hi Sue, I love oatmeal, and your recipe sounds so delicious and easy, I have to make it. Thanks for the recipe.
Do you think rolled oats would work?
Sure Doreen, you can use regular rolled oats, but the texture will not be quite the same. And I would not use any of the quick cooking varieties.
I’m so with you on the cold smoothie on a cold morning thing.. Not going to happen. This however definitely needs to. Sounds divine!