Steel Cut Oatmeal With Apples and Raisins (Overnight Slow Cooker Recipe)

Oatmeal is categorized for sale based on how it has been processed for cooking. Steel cut oats look more like little pellets and take at least 30 minutes to cook until tender and oatmeal-y. Most popular oatmeals have been further processed, by steaming and pressing, so that the resulting flakes cook in less time (and in less liquid). The thinner the flakes, the shorter the cooking time. Most people think of oat flakes (like Quaker Oats) when they think of oatmeal.

Steel Cut Oats. This is probably the most widely available brand.

They look like little tan pellets.

Most people think of these pressed oats when they think of oatmeal – pressing the oats flat allows them to cook more quickly.

In my experience, the thinner the oats have been pressed, the more likely they are to turn to mush during cooking; they lose any interesting identifiable texture. In particular, I hate “instant” oatmeal – which is made from flakes that have been partially cooked then dried – freeze-dried par-cooked oats. And I am rarely in the mood to spend 30 minutes cooking the heartier steel cut oats in the pre-dawn hours of the morning.

But, fortunately, steel cut oats don’t disintegrate with longer cooking times. So cooking them overnight at a low temperature works out wonderfully – especially if you throw-in some apples and raisins with the oatmeal. I have seen this method outlined as a breakfast hack in various forms online – but, alas, the shared versions often have odd choices for the amounts of oats versus liquid.

The main ratio of ingredients is always printed on the back of every steel cut oats container: 4 cups of water for every cup of oats. Just remember that you’ll need a little more liquid to account for some that escapes overnight as steam. My recipe below is just an enhanced version of what’s on the back of the container.

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Steel Cut Oatmeal With Apples and Raisins (Overnight Slow Cooker Recipe)

About 4 large servings

Ingredients:

Steel Cut Oats – 1 Cup
Salt – Pinch
Cinnamon – 1 tsp.
Nutmeg – 1/4 tsp. (freshly grated if possible)
Cardamom – Pinch
Raisins (or Dried Cherries or Dried Cranberries) – 1 Cup
Maple Syrup (or Honey) 1/4 Cup
Light Brown Sugar – 1/4 Cup (optional – depending on how sweet you like your oatmeal)
Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp.
Apples (Granny Smith or Braeburn) – 1 or 2 Medium to Large – Peeled, Cored, and Diced
Milk & Water* – 4 1/2 Cups
Butter – 2 or 3 Tbsp.

*I use a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk!) with 3 cups of water. You can use 4 1/2 cups of whole milk if you like. Or, a cup of half-and-half with 3 1/2 cups of water (or two cups of half-and-half with 2 1/2 cups of water). Or a cup of whole milk and a cup of buttermilk with 2 1/2 cups of water. What you’re looking for here is to add 4 1/2 cups of liquid where a good part of the liquid is milk.

Directions:

(1) Start by buttering the inside of a small (4 quart) slow cooker to prevent the oatmeal from sticking (or spray it with cooking spray). A larger (6 quart) slow cooker is less desirable because the longer cooking times can generate some crusty oatmeal around the edges. A smaller vessel will warm the contents more evenly.

(2) Combine the oats, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, raisins (or whatever), maple syrup (or honey), light brown sugar (if using), and vanilla extract in the container of the slow cooker.

(3) Add the diced apples on top. I like my oatmeal with a ton of apple so I use two large apples for each recipe.

(4) Pour-in the milk and water (whatever combination you choose). Stir everything briefly to insure the liquid permeates everything. Add a few tablespoons of butter on top.

(5) Set the slow cooker on the low/slow cook setting and let the mixture cook for about 8 hours.

(6) Stir the contents about five minutes prior to serving. If the oatmeal is too thick, thin it with a little whole milk before serving.

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Leftover oatmeal can be refrigerated and served later (not months later – be realistic – like a week later). Reheat in the microwave at 30% power for a few minutes at a time. Remove and stir contents then check temperature and microwave longer as needed. I have found that my reheated oatmeal is usually thicker than the original and needs to be thinned with a little milk before serving.