Home RecipesBreakfast Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats (Crock Pot)

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats (Crock Pot)

by Jamie

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A couple of weeks ago my little twin boy Aaron (age 5) and I were sitting in the waiting room at the doctors office. The poor kid has been sick this winter more times than I can count. I actually can’t count REALLY high, I was just trying to paint a picture here. He’s been sick, my friends. Many times. Thanks for your concern. You are always so thoughtful like that.

Anyhow, there we were. The sweet thing wrapped up in a blanket on my lap while we looked at pictures in a gourmet Italian cooking magazine. Yes, of course he wanted to read that kind of magazine. Thanks for asking. Again, always thinking outside of yourself aren’t you. 🙂


While looking at a particularly beautiful photo he said to me,

“Hey Mom. You know what my FAVORITE thing to HATE is?”

With a chuckle I asked what it might be. 

“Goat Cheese. That. Is my favorite thing to hate.”

“Your FAVORITE thing?” I laughed. “People usually don’t call something they hate their favorite.”


“Well, I really like to hate goat cheese so I’m going to call it my favorite thing to hate.”

Fair enough. Who am I to govern his favorite things!

P.S. There is no goat cheese or hate involved in this recipe, I just thought it was a cute story you might get a little chuckle out of. This recipe is about steel cut oats and cooking them in the crock pot while you sleep so you can have a hearty breakfast of apple cinnamon wonder when your feet hit the ground in the morning. Nothing to hate about that, is there?

Do you know about Steel Cut Oats, dear reader?

I’m not talking about about Old Fashioned Oats, or Instant Oats or the oats Charles Ingalls may have fed his horse.

Steel cut oats are whole grain groats that have been cut into pieces and retain a bit of the outer bran coating. They take longer to cook than Regular Oats and certainly Instant Oats, but have a wonderful nutty flavor and more substantial texture. I prefer it to regular oatmeal, any day. 

This Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats recipe is full of flavor. The apples cook right with the steel cut oats. As the mixture cooks it gets this golden, crispy caramelized top to it… Oh, it’s good. Super good. Hope you try some today, or tonight or first thing in the morning. 🙂

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
Time: 10 minutes prep + 7 hours crock pot cooking
Yield: 6 servings
Recipe slightly adapted from Monica at A Yummy Life

2 medium sized apples, peeled and chopped
1 C steel cut oats (uncooked)
3 T brown sugar
2 T butter
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T flax seed (optional but wonderful)
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 C milk (I used 1%)
1 1/2 C water

Toppings:
milk
chopped pecans
maple syrup

1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray. You will need a crock pot at least 3 1/2 quarts in size, or larger. I used a 6 quart crock pot and it worked out well. 
2. Place all ingredients (except the toppings) into the crock pot. Give it a nice stir, cover and cook on low for 7 hours.



2. Dish the oatmeal into individual bowls and pour a little bit of milk…



maple syrup


and chopped pecans over the top, if you so choose.

Then, dish up a wonderful bite full. Enjoy!

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43 comments

Lynda March 7, 2012 - 2:31 pm

I love steel cut oats, and they are so easy made in the slow cooker. I don't know why I haven't cooked them with apples and cinnamon yet. Seems only normal somehow.
Your son sounds adorable! Hope he is better and stays well.

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Janae March 7, 2012 - 4:15 pm

Haha, by the picture I thought this had crumbled bacon in it. (Must be the apples) I was all excited, I kinda have a thing for bacon! This looks delish though, even without the bacon in it!

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Karen March 7, 2012 - 5:52 pm

I'm always looking for something quick on the weekend and this looks like just the thing for this weekend. Poor little Aaron. I hope he feels all better soon!

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Gooseberry Patch March 7, 2012 - 6:40 pm

Love this new twist on steel-cut oats…we LOVE them in the crockpot, but have only tried them with cranberries and dried cherries. Apples are a natural!

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kim March 7, 2012 - 9:06 pm

Jamie,
I was wondering what kind of apple you would recommend in this recipe?

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Jamie Cooks It Up! March 8, 2012 - 3:41 am

Hi Kim,
I used fuji apples for this recipe, but I would imagine gala or golden delicious would also be great. Granny Smith would also be good, especially if you like a little bit of tartness to your apple. Good luck!
~Jamie

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Anonymous May 30, 2012 - 3:16 pm

“Delicious” apples are best for eating raw; they do not hold up to heat well. If you use them you may end up with mush instead of bites of apple.

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Janice January 30, 2014 - 9:20 pm

Have you never heard of apple pie?? They’re pretty tasty, no mushiness.

The apple holds up well in this slow cooking overnight oatmeal.

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Jasmine Brennan March 22, 2023 - 3:54 pm

Who uses delicious variety apples in pie?

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buffy March 7, 2012 - 11:00 pm

Love this and I agree with the steel cut oats. Great texture. And the temps just dropped here in Sunny Southern California so this recipe caught my attention. I've made a similar variation on this from a dish I had in St. George a few years ago. The variation I use is to use all apple cider or apple juice instead of the water/milk liquid. And slivered almonds instead of pecans just because I love almonds.

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Ellen March 7, 2012 - 11:10 pm

I now know what I am having for breakfast tomorrow. This looks delicious. Thank you! I love your recipes!

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Emily March 7, 2012 - 11:15 pm

Genius!!! Quick question, though…what size crock pot do you recommend? Thanks!

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Jamie Cooks It Up! March 8, 2012 - 3:23 am

You need at least a 3 1/2 quart sized crock pot. You can, of course use one that is larger. Mine is the 6 quart size and it worked really well. Good luck to you!
~Jamie

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Anonymous March 8, 2012 - 6:25 pm

Hi Jamie,
When you add all the ingrediants, that includes the milk right? I didn't notice it in the crock pot picture, so I wanted to make sure before I try this. Looks super yummy!

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Jamie Cooks It Up! March 9, 2012 - 4:43 pm

Anonymous,
Yes, add the 1 1/2 cups of milk right in with the other ingredients. Good luck! Hope you love it!
~Jamie

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Mia Rivel March 8, 2012 - 11:48 pm

Hello Sweetie,

Just wanted to thank you for having such an inspirational blog. Hope you have an amazing week full of lots of beautiful things.
Feel free to drop past my blog if you have time =)

-Mia xoxo
http://naturezfinest.blogspot.com/
http://mias101challenge.blogspot.com/2012/01/day-zero-project.html

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HollyJ March 16, 2012 - 6:16 pm

Thank you for a great recipe. It was wonderful to wake up Sunday morning to a yummy breakfast and not have to figure out what I had time to make between getting the kids ready for church.

I will be trying your Creamy Chipotle Black Bean Chicken tonight. Can't wait.

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Zaviey February 8, 2014 - 3:43 am

I would say that you definitely need the sour cream for body, moitsure, texture and taste. Soda bread is traditionally on the dry side already, so I would suggest leaving this delicious baking endeavor for another day when you have all of the ingredients necessary for the recipe. Why not bake a simple cake instead? I’m sure it will fill your home with a lovely aroma and you’ll have a tasty, creative gift for yourself, your family or one of your lucky friends.Good Luck and I hope this helps.I’m a professional baker.

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Anonymous March 19, 2012 - 11:02 pm

this is my first time on your site and i love it! i want to make the overnight oatmeal but all i have is old fashioned oats. would that work? thanks!

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Jamie Cooks It Up! March 19, 2012 - 11:46 pm

Welcome to you! Hope you enjoy the recipes. Unfortunately, old fashioned oats won't work well for this recipe. You need Steel Cut Oats.
Good luck!
~Jamie

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Anonymous March 20, 2012 - 5:54 pm

Jamie, how can you store the leftovers? I know we cannot finish a crockpot size of oatmeal in one day. 🙂

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Jennifer Lowery January 10, 2014 - 6:58 pm

I make a big batch every Sunday to last the whole week. We just put it in a tight sealing dish and in the frigerator. Each day we just dish up a bowl and zap it in the microwave then add milk and toppings. It is so fast and great each morning.

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Jamie January 13, 2014 - 7:08 am

Jennifer,
What a great idea!
~Jamie

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Cara March 20, 2012 - 6:42 pm

Wow. I just found your blog via a BlogHer side bar on Tasty Kitchen, and I am subscribing right now! Everything looks positively scrumptious! Thank you!

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Anonymous March 31, 2012 - 12:33 am

I tried this recipe last night (I put the crockpot on at 11pm and opened it at 6am) but when I woke up in the morning the oatmeal seemed a little burnt on the edges. I used olive oil cooking spray and I used coconut milk instead of regular milk. Do you have any recommendations??

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Jamie Cooks It Up! March 31, 2012 - 3:41 pm

Hey there,
The coconut milk may have had something to do with it, however all crock pots cook a little bit differently. Yours may cook at a higher temp, how did it taste?
Thanks,
~Jamie

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Angie D April 3, 2012 - 4:24 am

I'm excited to try steel cut oats for the first time. Is it okay to cook longer than 7 hours? I don't want to stay up so late and we are up at 7am. Should I add more liquid to keep it from drying out? Thanks so much!

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Saiful February 7, 2014 - 10:26 pm

OOOH how fun! That’s neat to find a cookbook from your chodhloid. I love the plate that you have the cookies on. I’m going to have to find one to get for myself. Your girls are looking rather cool with those shades!-Teresa

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Zinda January 16, 2016 - 1:22 pm

Angie, I put my crockpot on a timer (like for lights when you’re out of town). That way I can go to bed at my regular time and have the oats ready when I get up. Just be sure to turn the crock pot on. Oh – and I add a little extra milk in case I over-sleep.

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JennE April 3, 2012 - 10:25 pm

I just made this (at 12 noon). I wanted to do a test run before leaving it to cook overnight. I am so glad I did. I know my crockpot runs at a higher temp than most. My oatmeal was done in 3 hours, on low! I will try the 'warm' temp tomorrow to see if it will work.
I do know another way to cook steel cut oats. You boil the oats the liquid and any additional ingredients for 5 minutes then remove from heat ant place in the fridge overnight. In the morning you pull it out and finish cooking. It usually takes me about 10 minutes. Not as easy as the crockpot but it works for me, especilly if I can't get my crockpot to behave itself.

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JennE April 3, 2012 - 10:29 pm

By the way the oatmeal is delicious. I am having a bowl for snack right now.;)

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Sara October 7, 2012 - 10:13 pm

AThis recipe is in the crockpot now, it sounds so good together I am looking forward to breakfast ! I don’t even like oatmeal. Canadian Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I have other things to do in my kitchen besides make and clean up from making breakfast. I’m hoping this becomes a family favorite.

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Colleen October 24, 2012 - 7:12 am

I made this this the other day and I love it! I just added an extra apple and some craisons to it!

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Colleen November 26, 2012 - 11:07 am

I love this! At the end I added craisons and nuts. This time I changed it from vanilla extract to almond! Thanks for sharing!

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casey June 9, 2013 - 6:28 pm

your recipe reminds me of apple crisp!! I am not a fan of porridge at all. Willing to give this a try!!

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Betsy September 5, 2013 - 9:18 pm

I have made this and it is delicious! Have you ever doubled the recipe? I want to make it for teacher appreciation b-fast and want to make sure there is enough!

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Jamie September 6, 2013 - 7:06 am

Betsy,
I haven’t ever tried doubling it. I would imagine it would work out well, if you use a large crock pot. Good luck!
~Jamie

Reply
Jennifer Lowery January 10, 2014 - 6:53 pm

Hi, can I use soy or almond milk instead of the regular cows 1% milk?

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