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Porridge in Pink With Raspberries & Greek Yogurt From Maria Speck

by:
May 26, 2020
4.4
8 Ratings
Photo by Anna Billingskog
  • Prep time 12 hours
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

Steel-cut oats are the sort of creamy, whole-grain goodness we used to reserve for mornings with 30 minutes to spare (if ever). No more!

With this genius shortcut, weekday steel-cut oats are officially here—along with some brilliant, naturally sweet ways to jazz them up. Feel free to swap any fruit, sweetener, nut, spice, and so on. It’s the technique that matters most, and will make your rushed mornings so much better, you’ll find yourself wanting to try new flavors often.

As Maria Speck writes in Simply Ancient Grains, “Pedestrian steel-cut oats don't have the color of my dreams. But what if they had a magnificent hue? That’s why one day I decided to go overboard with the raspberries and turn my everyday oatmeal into a pink sensation. Add a dollop of tangy Greek yogurt, and this warm breakfast will power everyone in your family through the morning. Even your kids might be fascinated enough by the bold color to eat a good amount of fruit without having to be prodded. (Editor’s Note: Even my suddenly very picky 1-year-old lit up for this.)

“I never hesitate to use frozen berries, especially during the cooler months of the year when they are not in season—I always stash a few bags in my freezer. If you can get your hands on Iranian barberries, try them here: Their brazen sourness is unsurpassed. The Two-Step Method is my favorite way of cooking steel-cut oats, resulting in tender and creamy grains with just the right chewiness in a snap. The color depends on the oats—sometimes bold, sometimes subdued. Adding dried fruit in two stages releases some of their sweetness overnight, while the fruit added in the morning retains an appealing chew.”

Recipe adapted slightly from Simply Ancient Grains: Fresh and Flavorful Whole Grain Recipes for Living Well (Ten Speed Press, April 2015).

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. As an Amazon Associate, Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to. —Genius Recipes

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Porridge in Pink With Raspberries & Greek Yogurt From Maria Speck
Ingredients
  • Steel-Cut Oats
  • 1 cup steel-cut oats (gluten-free if desired)
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
  • 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick (optional)
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • Porridge
  • 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (no need to thaw if frozen), plus any berries you like for garnish
  • 1/4 cup dried barberries, sour cherries, or cranberries
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups whole or low-fat Greek yogurt
  • about 2 tablespoons chopped lightly toasted shelled pistachios
  • Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
Directions
  1. Start the steel-cut oats the night before: Add the oats, cranberries, and cinnamon stick to a heavy 4-quart saucepan. Pour over the boiling water, stir once, cover, and let sit at room temperature overnight (or chill, covered, for up to 2 days).
  2. The next morning, make the porridge. Add the milk, water, raspberries, barberries, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the salt to the saucepan with the oats. Partially cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a steady but gentle bubble, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are creamy but still slightly chewy, about 7 minutes.
  3. To finish, remove the cinnamon stick (if you haven’t used one, add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon). Taste for sweetness and add the remaining tablespoon of sugar if you like. Divide the oatmeal among four to six bowls. Top each with about 1/4 cup of the yogurt and 1 teaspoon of the pistachios. Garnish with raspberries, a sprinkle of turbinado sugar, and a dash of ground cinnamon. Serve right away.
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11 Reviews

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Kristi June 25, 2022
This recipe is **intensely** cranberry heavy :( I suspected that might be the case, so I added an extra 1/2 cup extra frozen raspberries, but the only non-oat flavor was cranberry. There was absolutely no taste of raspberry. The cranberry also overpowered the cinnamon (I used the two cinnamon sticks *and* one teaspoon of cinnamon). The frozen raspberries totally disintegrated during the cooking (which was far closer to 30 minutes than the stated 7 minutes.
Tish M. October 2, 2021
I added a heaping teaspoon of ground cinnamon with the boiling water, but kept the steel cut oats plain otherwise. In the morning, I added 4 bananas to the oats before finishing the cooking in the morning, and topped my helping with a swirl of maple syrup, chopped walnuts, and a dollop of greek yogurt. Delicious! I froze the remaining 3 portions for eating later.
Bkpesch January 13, 2021
I have been using the technique of pouring hot water over my steel cut oats for quite some time. I think I read it on America's Test Kitchen several years ago. BUT I do love this idea of the frozen berries coloring the oatmeal. So pretty! I have used small diced apples or pears before. And pecans are a great topper along with creme fraiche and a hint of maple!
Danna F. August 15, 2020
Really delicious and keeps going for the whole week.
Ashley K. July 30, 2020
I've made this recipe a few times now and just use whatever berries I happen to have in the fridge or freezer. It does always take me closer to 15 minutes to cook the next day rather than 7. I find the berries usually sweeten the oats enough to leave out the sugar unless I use a particularly sour berry (like blackcurrant). Walnuts are also great to sprinkle on top!
LG June 11, 2020
I made this last week and really enjoyed it - I thought it was low-stress and very tasty. I’m interested in making another batch to freeze - do you think I could freeze it after adding the raspberries/milk etc.? Otherwise it’s probably not worth it to freeze.
pjcamp June 10, 2020
Or you could just use McCann's Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats, which are ready in . . . hey! Seven minutes. They are entirely the same idea, prepped at McCann's and you finish it off.
PK B. June 2, 2020
I tried this recipe and it was fun to make and eat. I liked the process and for two people, I don't see the point of using an Instant Pot when this recipe works so well. It did take longer than 10 minutes to cook the oats, but the flavor and color were great. It was our first time eating steel cut oats, and we felt like it was something that one would order at the Four Seasons for breakfast.
Thais.Fell June 2, 2020
Quick q- could I sub in raisins for the cranberries? Giving it a try tonight, will report later! Thanks!
Sheila C. May 29, 2020
I am eating steel-cut oatmeal with assorted dried fruits, fresh blueberries and Greek yogurt as I write. Maria's genius idea here is to beautifully color the oatmeal with frozen raspberries. I would rather make a big batch (2 cups of oats) once every ten days or so, instead of setting out the ingredients every night and cooking every morning. It's simpler to take a portion of oatmeal from the refrigerator and microwave, if you like. By the way, you can avoid boil-overs by bringing the water to a boil first, then adding the oats and dried fruits, then turning the heat to medium-low. The pot only needs stirring a couple times while it's cooking (with the lid off).
miriam S. May 27, 2020
I love Steel cut oatmeal. It’s wonderful as a truly nourishing breakfast and with fruits and sugar and a little spice added, it’s simply delicious.

I have been making it for years and I’ll try the overnight hot water recipe given here. But, you can make batch and keep it refrigerated. Add a maple syrup or milk or what you like - heat and serve hot.

There are ways to do this and all are admirable, but to add that making oatmeal with a thirty minute cook time is make a mess because the oats boil over - c’mon, that’s nonsense. LOWER THE FLAME. That’s all it takes. I appreciate FOOD 52’s products and all the wonderful recipes sent our way. But, please, don’t insult my intelligence with the notion that to cook oatmeal the old fashioned way is to invite a stovetop disaster. Once again,