by ying
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my 3 recipes »
A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand Collapseying's Notes:
Expand2 cups water Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup whole milk Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup steel-cut oatmeal Ask a question about this ingredient
1 pinch salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup almond butter Ask a question about this ingredient
2-3 tablespoons flavourful honey Ask a question about this ingredient
In a 4-cup glass measuring jug, stir together the water, milk, steel-cut oatmeal and salt. Place in a large slow-cooker, add enough cold water to come halfway up the side of the jug (less is fine, because there's so little evaporation with a slow-cooker), switch on "low" and go to bed.
Ask a question about this stepIn the morning, stir in the almond butter and honey. There will be a tablespoon's worth of grain clumped together at the bottom of the glass jug; it is fully cooked, though, and needs only to be mixed in. Serve. You'll have a halo of warmth around you for the rest of the morning.
Ask a question about this stepWould love to try but without the almond butter (allergy), would love to hear substitutions.....
You can add raisins, butter, honey or maple syrup afterward, or anything you would add to regular oatmeal.
There are other 'butters' you might like, such as sesame tahini, sunflower butter, or - if you could have them - other nuts (or peanuts).
I haven't tried it, but I'd think you'd end up with a gooey mess. The point of cooking the steel cut oats this way is that they're a pain to cook on the top of the stove--they take a long time to cook and thy splatter. This way you don't have to deal with them except for the minute it takes to mix stuff together the previous evening and you have breakfast waiting for you in the morning. They're also supposed to be more healthy than old-fashioned, which take very little effort to prepare anyway.
I just acquired a slow-cooker and this was my first try with oatmeal. Based on my daughter's reaction this morning I'd say it's a keeper. I used 1% milk (it's what we drink) and substituted a Pyrex loaf pan for the measuring cup and it worked beautifully.
Thank you so much for this recipe. This creamy, delicious, effortless hot cereal in the morning makes mornings at our house so much easier. One recipe feeds my husband, myself, and our twin one year olds (who thankfully never tire of good oatmeal). Has anyone tried cereals other than steel-cut oats?
This is the first recipe I tried from this site and loved it. I've been gnawing my way through stove top steel cut oats for a while now and this technique transformed the oats into something more like pudding. Thank you for such a great recipe. I also love anything I can do the night before since I usually have a foggy brain in the morning.
I've added a little spoonful of jam or preserves in my steel cut oats with almond butter—a nice pb&j twist.
I made something similar this week with a layer of apples dusted in brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice on the bottom of the crock pot and then added the oatmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill old fashioned oats). It was delish. I've never heard of adding nut butters to oatmeal, I will definitely try that next time.
Would I put the cover on the slow cooker? Sorry if that's a dumb question!
Yeah, you have to use it with the top on.
Also, fyi, last time i made this, I forgot to turn on the slow cooker overnight and the milk and everything sat for about 9 hours before I turned it on the next morning - and it was fine.
made this for this morning!! LOVE IT!! Instead of a glass 4 cup measuring cup, I used a pyrex loaf pan, it worked great! Not a huge fan of almond butter, think I will experiment with different variations, but it is still very good. My daycare kids show up soon, pretty sure they will love it too!!! Thanks!
made this the night of the blizzard for a nice blizzard morning. superb!
Addicted as well! My favorite way to enjoy oatmeal! I frequently substitute dark maple syrup (usually grade B) for honey- yum!
We are addicted to this. We've been having it almost every day since it was published. It's fabulous. Thanks so much.
Just as yummy as you said. I'm so excited--and glad I finally tried this!
When I added more water "half way up the jug" it turned out soupy; was this in addition to the two cups of water called for in the recipe? Guess it depends on the style of slow cooker...
I just re-read my instructions and they could be clearer. After placing your jug in the slow cooker, you add water to the slow-cooker bowl (not the oatmeal jug) to create a water bath. Is that where the confusion lies? Having said that, it's a pretty loose oatmeal. When A&M made it in the video, the finished oatmeal was a lot thicker because they'd cooled it overnight then reheated it.
I am so happy I found this conversation. I made Steal Cut Oatmeal last night and put it directly into my crock pot and it was over done, close to burnt this morning! I was so disappointed! I have a big crock pot... if I use the bain-marie method, how long is "overnight"? 6, 7 , 9 hours? Thanks!
Overnight is pretty flexible, b/c the bain-marie slows everything down. I'd say not less than 6 and not more than 9?
I made these last night for breakfast this morning, and they were perfect. I used 2% milk instead of whole, and since I didn't have almond butter, I used honey and banana. This is now my new favorite steel cut oats recipe!
This is terrific. I have been looking for a way to add protein and fat to oats and this is wonderful.
You can also do this without the slow cooker - I use a regular pan, put the oats into boiling water, boil for a minute and turn off and just leave it sitting out overnight. Its done in the AM. If you're skittish about leaving food out, you can also refrigerate.
I do like lindachoi's boil and set method much better. It allows the steelcuts to still have a little bite. I tried the crockpot method last night and found it a bit gummy.
Made this last night and just finished a bowl this morning! It was creamy and delicious. I had to use skim milk and agave nectar but I don't think it made that much of a difference. I will definitely make this again!
What a fantastic use for almond butter, will have to give that a go in my next steel cut oatmeal batch.
I'm trying this with the new can of McCanns I just bought, it sounds delicious!
Okay, now I am seriously interested in getting a slow-cooker, too. Can people recommend their favorites and why? The last thing we need is another small appliance on our counter that just collects dust... Thank you!
I think it depends how you'll be using it. You can get programmable ones with meat probes that shut off the heat when your roast is done, but I work from home and am not a pot-roast kind of girl. Mine just has 3 settings (low, high, keep warm) and it's been great for all kinds of beans, stews, curries and puddings.
Growing up my mom often cooked oatmeal in a slow cooker this way. The almond butter is a great twist. Thanks
Do I need to change any of the proportions if I am going to double or triple the recipe?
I've never tried it but I reduce the liquid ratio whenever I multiply any soup/stew recipe, so I'd do that here, too. Let me know how it turns out?
What a creamy transformation! Made the oats last night and can't believe I was eating the same grain. Husband usually makes it on the 'crunchy' side. For a recipe doubling the oats (1 cup) I only increased liquids by 1 1/2 times (the bowl was filled up). In the morning I added a bit more milk to loosen it up. Somehow, the almond butter taste in the oats begged for sliced bananas. Yummy!
This seriously makes me want to go out and buy a slow-cooker!
Do it, do it! Slow-cooking doesn't HAVE to be about dumping a sachet of instant soup mix over a semi-frozen roast...
Peanut butter and maple syrup is a similar and delicious combination with oatmeal.
Ha. You should try making confit in a slow cooker. It's a revelation.
Re: the porridge -- I really love nut butters in my oatmeal, and often stir in a spoonful.
Ditto @ying - confit in the slow cooker is genius! Recipe please! :)
What a delicious recipe! I love the slow-cooker, such a great solution to many things. I am particularly taken with your use of almond butter and honey in the oats, that just might be my favorite combination for oatmeal yet! Perfect timing too, my maple syrup and cream is getting a little repetitive.
Thanks, Kelsey! Nut butters make the oatmeal beyond creamy - it's my favourite way, though I also love the flavour affinity of maple syrup and blueberries. Now I'm thinking maple syrup and blueberries and CREAM.
I made your all-conquering chocolate cake last weekend. Wonderful - and even better on day 2.
Question for A&M: why were you "...somewhat bemused by the recent slow cooker revival"? It seems like cheating? It's a response to economics and helps cook cheap, tougher cuts of meat? I'm just curious, as a "recent slow cooker revivalist."
I use my rice cooker to make oatmeal. Simply set it up as you would for rice. In the time it takes me to shower, the oats are ready. The Irish steel cut oats are the best tasting. Nice thing about the rice cooker is that it keeps the oats warm once they are cooked.
A friend told me that when they do this, oatmeal spews all over the place...
Sounds very delicious! I don't have a slow-cooker. Any alternatives?
I guess if you had an oven with a very consistent thermometer (I don't! I'd burn the house down if I left it on overnight), you could try a regular bain-marie. I'd be interested to hear how it works.
This is my favorite way of making steel-cut oats. The bain marie really makes a huge difference. I use a slightly different proportion, though: 3 cups liquid to 1 cup oats. Details here: http://wordstoeatby.blogspot.com/2009/06/overnight-steel-cut-oatmeal.html
I use that ratio if I'm going to stir a lot of liquid into the cooked oatmeal, but this ratio produces the "right" texture (to me!) for adding nut butters and other dry flavourings. I'm a lurker at your blog, btw, and love your overnight chicken stock technique. It gives you such deep flavour!
Thank you so much for posting your link to your variation. I was trying to figure out whether I needed to put the lid on it and your post answered my question with the simple "Cover". :) Hoping for tasty oatmeal tomorrow morning!
Great idea - when I tried just slow cooking overnight, well, it was way overdone. I will try this!
Yes, I imagine it would have been like a stucco coating on your slow-cooker bowl!
What a wonderful technique! Now I'm busy wondering what other bain-marie recipes will adapt to this....
Thanks, Kayb! It works beautifully for rice pudding, too. I'd love to hear about your results once you've experimented.
I have a question about the recipe "Overnight Steel-Cut Oats with Almond Butter & Honey" from ying.
how many calories are in this recipe if you get two servings?
how many calories are in this recipe if you get two servings?
Leah is the author of The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook on seasonal Jewish cooking.
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Amanda vs. the almond butter. Who will win?
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Ying calls for a 4 cup glass jug, but we didn't have one so we used a small metal bowl instead.
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Isn't making oatmeal just hilarious?
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You use both water and milk in this recipe, making it extra creamy.
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The hulls are floating!
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A pinch of salt.
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Amanda's really jazzed about her new slow cooker.
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Amanda carefully pours water halfway up the side of the bowl. Now we just turn it on and go to bed!
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Surprise! (We cheated and made a batch the night before for the sake of timing.) Out goes this batch, to be cooked later...
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...
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...and in go the cooked oats.
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Ying points out that a dark, flavorful honey works best.
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Amanda must have managed to subdue the almond butter, because it goes in without a struggle.
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Amanda gives it some elbow grease.
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And Merrill sneaks a taste.
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I'd never thought about doing a water bath in the slow cooker. I'd been using Alton Brown's overnight oatmeal recipe, but had gotten sick of a big bunch of the oats burning to the bottom of my cooker. I've been too lazy to hack my slow cooker into a sous vide machine to combat the high temps of modern slow cookers.