Perfect Steel-Cut Oats
Learn how to make the most delicious steel-cut oats here! These oats are ready in under 40 minutes and reheat beautifully. Find topping suggestions, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Have you seen the prices that restaurants are charging for bowls of steel-cut oats these days? Six dollars! Eight dollars! Twelve dollars in New York! My goodness. Apparently steel-cut oats are the new overpriced grandpa cardigans of the food scene.
Today, I’m sharing my tricks for making the creamiest, dreamiest steel-cut oats at home. Your bowl will taste like a million bucks. Or, at least ten dollars. I’m concerned that my photos don’t do this oatmeal justice (it’s not easy to make porridge look sexy), but trust me here. We’ll talk toppings later so you can make yours however you’d like.
Steel-cut oats shine in the texture and flavor departments. They are exceptionally creamy and delicious, especially if you toast them beforehand as instructed in my recipe below.
Steel-cut oats are also a fun way to change up your morning oatmeal routine. Unlike old-fashioned or instant oats, they reheat beautifully, so you can make one big batch that lasts all week.
All About Steel-Cut Oats
Steel-cut oats are a less refined version of the old-fashioned and quick-cooking oats you already know. All oats start out the same, as an oat groat.
Steel-cut oats are oat groats that have been sliced into smaller pieces, whereas old-fashioned oats are oat groats that have been flattened. They all contain the same pieces and parts, but the difference between slicing and flattening explains why steel-cut oats take longer to cook (around 30 minutes).
Nutritionally speaking, they are pretty much the exact same and share all of the health benefits of oats, so don’t split hairs there. Oats lower bad cholesterol, help stabilize blood sugar levels and on and on.
Steel-Cut Oat Topping Ideas
- Peanut butter, almond butter or pecan butter
- Homemade chia jam or your favorite jelly/jam
- Applesauce, preferably the chunky homemade variety, or grated fresh apple
- Coconut whipped cream or regular whipped cream
- Yogurt or a splash of cream
- Sliced bananas, apples, strawberries, pears, mangos…
- Fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or pomegranate arils
- Dried fruit, like dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries, raisins, chopped dates or apricots…
- Toasted chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds…
- Toasted pepitas or sunflower seeds
- Flaxseed or chia seeds
- Toasted or raw shredded coconut
- Dark chocolate, either chopped or mini chocolate chips
You’ll find my go-to steel-cut oat cooking method below. The only hard part is deciding what to mix in and how to top your oatmeal. Looking for inspiration? Here are my official variations: Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal, Morning Glory Oatmeal and Cranberry Orange Steel Cut Oats.
If you find yourself on a steel-cut oats kick, you might want to check out the overnight oats cooking method or this individual serving freezer option. I haven’t tried either, but I’m intrigued.
Please let me know how your oats turn out in the comments! I’m always so eager to hear from you.
Watch How to Cook Steel Cut Oats
Perfect Steel-Cut Oats
Learn how to make the most delicious steel-cut oats here! These ultra creamy, toasted steel-cut oats are ready in under 40 minutes and reheat beautifully for the rest of the week. I suggest doubling the recipe if you’d like to make breakfast for the whole week. Recipe as written below yields 4 modest servings (about 3 cups total, or ¾ cup per serving).
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup milk of choice: almond milk, cow’s milk, coconut milk, etc.
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or unsalted butter
- 1 cup steel-cut oats (choose certified gluten-free oats if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional mix-ins: ground spices like cinnamon, dried fruit like cranberries or chopped dates, toasted chopped nuts like walnuts, lemon or orange zest, etc.
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the water and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. In the meantime, melt the coconut oil (or butter) in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, around 2 minutes. This toasting step greatly enhances the flavor of the oats.
- Stir the oats into the simmering liquid. Reduce the heat to medium-low, adjusting as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is very thick.
- Stir in the salt. Continue to simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to prevent scorching on the bottom, until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. (If you doubled the recipe, your oatmeal might need an extra 5 minutes cooking time here.) The oatmeal will be very creamy when it’s done.
- Remove from heat and stir in any mix-ins that you’d like. Let the oatmeal rest for 5 minutes before serving so it has more time to thicken up and cool down a palatable temperature.
- Portion oatmeal into bowls and add any toppings you’d like to portions that you intend to serve immediately. Let any extra oatmeal cool completely before covering and refrigerating for future breakfasts.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Use coconut oil or vegan butter instead of regular butter, and choose a dairy-free milk (or substitute water for the milk).
Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oats and make sure your mix-ins/toppings are gluten free, too.
Make it nut free: Easy. Use nut-free milk and don’t add nuts.
Update 10/18/2016: I finally got around to taking better photos of this recipe, so it might look a little different, but the recipe is the same!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’m always extremely pleased with your recipes. And the steel-cut oats is a perfect example. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Kathe! I’m delighted you are loving my recipes.
I love this recipe. You’re right that cooking the oats in a pan with a little coconut oil first makes these oats creamier and tastier! I use half coconut milk and half water for my liquid. I make a double recipe in a large rice cooker with the lid up when it’s simmering, otherwise it boils over — and what a gluey mess! Afterward when I am about to eat it, I add peanut butter powder, some cocoa nibs, fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup. (I’m a cyclist so need extra to keep me moving ).
Sounds delicious, Susan! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Turned out great! Toasting the oats really brings out the flavour! And I’ve never used Almond milk in the cooking process…delish!!!
We share breakfast with one friend who is at heart a food snob. He raved about your toasted oatmeal. I gave a serving to a friend who is home bound and she raved. The toasting is the magic step
This recipe makes the most perfect, creamy bowl of oatmeal! Enough for a weeks’ worth of breakfast- thanks so much.
Delicious! You should also try the overnight oats. They’re my favorite as far as texture goes.
Thank you, Chris! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Delicious! Especially love the nutty flavor from toasting the oats.
Thank you, Jill! Yes, the toasting makes all the difference.
Been making these for years…this is the end all be all steel cut oats recipe
Thank you, Ray!
I’ve been making this recipe for a long time, and I just love it so much! It’s become one of my favorite treats to have! Can I even label it a treat? It’s a healthy treat! I like a drizzle of Pure maple syrup on top with some banana slices. So good! I can eat it plain, the flavor is amazing and the creamy texture feels like I’m breaking the rules. Thanks so much for this recipe!
My toasting of the oats with coconut oil really didn’t do much in my opinion, other than add a few minutes to the overall make time
I’m sorry to hear that, Greg. I find it helps a lot. I appreciate your feedback.
So I just made your recipe and ate a bowl. I have been trying to like oatmeal for years and have just not been a fan. But today, I’m a fan.
I roasted the steel cut oats in a dry pan – there is no need for oil to roast a grain. Coffee and spice roasters do not roast coffee in fat especially coconut oil which is 85% saturated (heart-UNhealthy fat). Butter is only 45% saturated fat. So if you have heart disease you may not want to use a saturated fat product like butter and coconut oil. Anyway, . I slow roasted the oats stirring regularly as they browned then added to the liquid when both were ready. I used 2C soy milk and 2C water as I had some soy milk to use up. I followed Kathryn’s recipe and also threw in some whole berries that I had on hand in the last 7 minutes (or so) of cooking. For serving I added my ground flax meal (1Tbs) and some brown sugar. I couldn’t eat just one – had to go back for a second bowl. This recipe is the perfect mix of chewy and creamy. Now that I’ve tried it I plan on making it in large quantities so that breakfast is ready in the fridge all week. And I will try Katheryn’s suggested varieties as I go along. Thanks for posting such a nice recipe.
I’m trying to get my cholesterol down, so have given up on coconut oil and butter, so very happy to just toast in a dry pan. Another tip, you can make this the night before. Toast 1 cup of oats, add 3 cups of water (or 2 cups water and 1 cup of milk), bring to a boil, turn off the heat put the lid on the pot and you have a perfect pot of cooked oats waiting for you in the morning. Just make sure you give it a couple of stirs and make sure it’s not going to boil over before putting the lid on.)
Thanks Anne – great tip and I will definitely try that!
One can also put whole oat groats into their dinner grains by adding to rice. Barley also lowers cholesterol so I make a mix of rice, barley, whole oat groats and throw in some wild rice or whole rye berries for a fun mix of grains. I’ll also throw in some quinoa, higher in protein. Cook the longer-cooking grains for 40 minutes then put the quinoa in for the last 20 minutes. Liquid amount is 2:1, as usual. Also, if you want to flavor your grains, try adding some Tandoori Masala (Indian spice mix)to your grain mixture. Omygosh so flavorful! Thank you for your tip – very much appreciated.
Quite right Anne! Your method is right on! Our routine is to prepare every night after dinner. It’s ready the next morning in no time. We add a tablespoon of Chia seeds to the steel cut oats and a few Thomson raisins which just add to the “healthiness” and serve, after heating, with fresh fruit on top. This dish taken every morning will balance your cholesterol. No need for those statin drugs….
It’s a lovely recipe, but I don’t think that saturated fat in coconut oil or butter are a problem, looking at new research. Trans fat ( hydrogenated margarine) is definitely still bad, but I’ve heard that if anything, the cheap oils like soybean or canola do worse for you thanks to all the processing to make it. Olive still seems like the best. My great grandma is 92 and still drives and lives on her own and has always eaten hearty and old fashioned stuff like butter, eggs, beans, oats, and the like. They’re my main inspiration to change my diet for much more healthy stuff made at home, and oats were an almost daily breakfast for her. Though probably not steel cut, that’s just my preference. I still keep instant oats, just in case.
One of the first times I’ve really enjoyed steel-cut oats. I added ground flaxseed, hemp and sunflower seeds, dates, and fresh blueberries. I will try a larger batch and see if I can handle the reheated oatmeal. Thanks for the recipe!
It reheats beautifully! So easy and you can make different flavors each bowl when reheating.
Thank you for sharing, Shirley!
Delish! Used vanilla rice milk and water to cook. I did toast the oats first. When it was done I added raisins, pecans and cran/raspberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving. Served with 1/2 and 1/2 over the top. I will definitely make this again. This was my first attempt with steel cut oats. :)
Wonderful! That sounds like a delicious combination, Mary.
I really like this, and so do my kids! They’re three, and they said, “Mommy, you should make this again!”
Hooray! I love that, Jean. Thank you for your review.
I do not know what I am doing wrong. I put all the quantities you stipulated, but my oatmeal will not thicken. I am going on 40 minutes with it now…
Hi Suzanne, I’m sorry to hear that! Do you have the heat high enough?
i had a similar issue. i found i needed to simmer vs ‘gentle simmer.’ i think the word ‘gentle threw me off. nbd, just cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed while it cooked away!
Danny & Suzanne. 1 unit steel cut oats. 3 units water. 1 told chia seeds. A few raisins. Bring to the boil with the lid on. Turn off the burner. Leave overnight. In the morning it’s ready to heat up with some milk. Delicious. Takes no time. Taken every morning for a few months this will rebalance cholesterol (if that’s helpful for you). We swear by it.
I toast the oatmeal but then just add the water and milk in same pan. Less mess.
Amazing steel cut oats! Have been making this for years but it had been a while and I had to look up the recipe and this is better than I have ever made it! Thank you Kate!
You’re welcome, Justine! Thank you for your review.
Thanks for this recipe. I love this recipe and your recipe for perfect quinoa. There are my go to recipes. Thanks so much for sharing! I also really enjoy your healthy blueberry muffins and banana bread. Yum!
Thank you! I’m glad to hear you think so, Megan. I appreciate your review.
Your recipes are my family’s go-to’s!
That’s great to hear, Jerri! Thank you for your review.
Hi! I’ve been using this recipe and method for some time now and my boyfriend loves it EVERY time. I want to switch it up and make it like a maple cinnamon steel cut oats. Should I mix that in while it’s cooking or after? Thank you again!
Hi! You can mix that in after. Sounds delicious!
Hi, Been searching for a good healthy recipe for gf steel cut oats. I mixed up your recipe a little, but wow; my new go to!! I toasted the oats while boiling 3.5 cups water. Once boiled I added the oats to the water with1/4 tsp.sea salt, AND 3sliced apples. I simmered, stirring often, and when water was absorbed @ about 35 minutes, I took off the heat, sprinkled with fresh ground cinnamon and drizzled with pure maple syrup. Once it was a little cool I scooped into 4 small custard bowls, covered and put in the fridge overnight. This ok it out this morning and it was the same texture, so I put it in a cereal bowl with a little water, and microwaved for 1.30 minutes; added a little almond milk and it was great! No milk to the cooking phase! I just made another batch with raisins to make into oatmeal raisin cookies.
I’m happy to hear you were able to make it work, Madre! Thank you for your review.
Hey how do you make them into cookies??
yep. these are amazing. i completely agree that toasting the oats is what takes these over the top. yum! thanks for sharing!
Hey Kate, I enjoyed the recipe! What a difference the toasting makes. Made some more when my grand kids came by. They loved it so much, they asked for some to take with.
Thank you, M! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Great delicious bowl of oatmeal. I topped mine with some brown sugar, chia seeds, flax seed, and pomegranate arils and I highly recommend. only thing is it did take quite awhile and you must keep staring every occasion but nonetheless amazing!
That sounds delicious, Bella! Thank you for sharing.
What if you omit the milk? The standard way to cook regular oatmeal – at least according to the recipe on the Quaker box – is to just boil the oats in water. Obviously that won’t make them “creamy,” but I’m not a big fan of creamy things, since I’m lactose intolerant.
Hi! I would suggest checking out myApple Steel-Cut Oatmeal for some ideas!
From one Missourian to another, Thank You for the recipe. Toasting the oats really was the way to go. I did however put my oats in the rice cooker to cook. Added the milk, water and oats to cook on white rice setting. In 30 mins had wonderful fully cooked creamy oats.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Denise! Thank you for you review.
How would you reheat this the next day in order to preserve the texture and taste?
Hi Anna! You can gently warm on the stovetop or microwave.
Absolutely Amazing! Followed the recipe exactly and these oats were the BEST! Thank you! The toasting of the oats took it to another level!
Simple & delish! We love your no-fail methods and tips. Thanks for sharing
Perfect oatmeal recipe! I double the recipe and add a can of sweetened condensed at the end ( probably not healthy but delicious) ☺️
I’ve been making these on the regular (at least one batch a week for months now:) Thank you for making steel cut oats easy.
We put steel cut oats in a wide mouth vacuum bottle/insulated coffee carafe can work. pour the correct amount of boiling water, stir oats briskly than seal container and let stand about 2 hours. You can cover with a cozy to keep warm. You can dump oats to a coated fry pan and simmer to remove any excess water. Typical recipe 1/4 cup steel cut oats and approx 1-1.25 cups water, some salt. If you can boil water you can make great SCO.
Hello Kate (& Cookie)!
Would this work with the quick-cooking 5-minute steel-cut oats?
Thanks so much! LOVE your website and recipes! ❤️
Hi! I’m not sure. Since it’s quick cooking the requirements are likely different.
OMG!!! I eat steel cut oats every morning (I’m 73). Today, I made your recipe and will never make mine again. So very many thanks.
You’re welcome, Theresa! Thank you for your review.
I absolutely love oatmeal and would eat it for dinner, so satisfying! I love the idea of toasting, that makes perfect sense. Should I try toasting the oats when making Chia pudding too? My new favorite oatmeal preparation. Thanks!
I regularly eat steel cut oats, prepared the way my Scottish grandmother taught me, though I use a mix of water and Ripple milk instead of plain water. I’d never thought of toasting the oats first. Wow! They’re really good the way you described, nicely nutty. I’ll probably always toast them in a wee bit of coconut oil now. Thanks!
Fantastic! Toasting first is fast and makes a HUGE difference. Thanks Cookie and Kate! I’m making enough each week to enjoy all week long. Game changer!
Chris in Chicago
You’re welcome! I’m happy you love these oats.
I made many of your recipes and loved them all. I always toast my steel cut oatmeal without oil and cook it in water. Before I eat add milk or other liquid. In coconut oil sounds so good I will definitely try it. Anything with coconut my favorite.
Thank you for your review, Leyla! I appreciate your review.
This calls for either too much liquid or not enough time. 30 minutes and counting.
Hi, did you increase your heat at all? How did it turn out?
Finally got around to trying out steel cut oats for the first time as well as cooking oats on the stove for the first time myself. Your recipe really spoke to me. The smell of the oats toasting was simply wonderful. My stove cooks hot so it took me a while to get the temp right but once I did I was in business. Thank you for giving such clear instructions. I knew what should be happening each step of the way so could adjust my temp as needed. So much more filling than my regular oatmeal and was not gloppy like the stove top oatmeal I grew up on. Perfectfly creamy! I easily have leftovers for the week. Love your recipes. Can’t wait to try more. Thank you for renewed cooking inspiration!
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Lola. I’m glad you love this version of oats.
So trying to get more fiber in my diet and wanted to do this throughout the week, thanks for the extra tips
This gave me new meaning to oatmeal! It was super creamy and tasty! I ate it plain with a small amount of sweetner. The patience in the preparation is well worth the time!
Great to hear, Jason! Thank you for your review.
I forgot to toast the oats before cooking – makes a huge difference when they are. Love this recipe!
Super good ! Made with almond milk and almond butter and honey ! Makes enough for an entire week.
This has changed the way I make oatmeal forever! I mashed up banana and a bit of vanilla. DELISH!
The best steel cut oats I have ever had! Love all your recipes thank you!!
Tried cooking this the other day with oat milk and I’ll never make it any other way again. The creaminess with oat milk is unreal.
First time I made it, I was in love. It tasted just like the $15 steel oat oatmeal I had at a local bakery. I make it every Sunday night, doubling the recipe for the whole week. I sometimes add pecans; tart cherries, dried cranberries, dates, always bananas..perfect breakfast for me.
I love it! Thank you for your review, Holly.
This was wholesome and comforting. Roasting the oats for a few minutes made all the difference. I usually prefer rolled oats but as a vegetarian these did not disappoint. I cannot wait to make them again for meal prepping! Thanks Kate
What’s the best way to reheat this?
Hi! You can reheat in the microwave.
I am very curious…why do you delay adding the salt?
Yum! I just made this and it turned out amazing – my first time successfully making steel cut oats! I used coconut milk and it came out so nicely. Toasting the oats brought out so much flavor and I can finally got the right texture with this recipe!
I mixed in/topped with a dash of vanilla, some cinnamon, date syrup, and cacao powder. Tahini and date syrup with some walnuts and green apples would be soo good with these.
Thank you so much Kate! Love your recipes!
Wonderful, Madison! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Absolutely delicious. I soaked the oats over night in the liquid along with a little lemon juice as the Weston A Price foundation teaches to make the nutrients in the oats even more bio-available. A new favorite recipe at our house.
I’m happy to hear it, Kate! Thank you for your review.
Well , we just fry some onion and tomato in sarso oil then mix some water along with oats .also add salt ,Red chili and black peeper according to the taste . very tasty to eat and healthy for body .
Thank you for sharing! Goldie in Jacksonville Florida
You’re welcome, Rebecca!