This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Steel cut oats are easy to cook. It obviously takes longer than instant sugar-laden oatmeal from a packet, but you really just stir it a couple of times and it practically cooks itself. The texture, flavor and nutritive value of steel cut oats (i.e. real oatmeal) can’t be beat.
Ok, so this is huge, gigantic – a really big deal!… My son ate oatmeal! He’s NEVER been a fan, until he tried steel cut oats last week. The boy has good taste! Have you tried steel cut oats? I hope I hope I hope you do after reading this.
We’ve recently been on a mission to reduce the amount of added sugar we eat and we noticed that the instant organic oatmeal that I’ve been consuming for years has sugar listed as the second ingredient, which meant there was ALOT of it. Grrr. I love oatmeal so I knew I needed a substitute. Can I tell you a secret? Last week was the first time I’ve ever tried steel cut oats. And then I made it twice more that week.
My husband told me to hurry up and post the recipe so he knows exactly how to cook steel cut oats – he loved it too! I learned this cooking method from the one and only Alton Brown. Where has this goodness been all my life?
Ingredients for Maple Steel Cut Oats:
1 Tbsp unsalted Butter
1 cup steel cut oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand, dry/un-rinsed)
3 cups boiling water
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp maple syrup, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp cinnamon, plus more to taste
2 cups fresh fruit or berries (I used sliced peaches and raspberries)
How to Make the Best Steel Cut Oats (i.e. Breakfast of champions):
1. Set a medium saucepan or dutch oven* over medium heat. Melt in 1 Tbsp butter then add 1 cup oats and toast for 2 min, stirring occasionally. Toasting them will give them a nice nuttiness. *We have been making this in a dutch oven lately because everything just tastes better in a dutch oven!
2. Add 3 cups boiling water then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 20 minutes without stirring.
3. Combine 1/2 cup whole milk with 1/2 cup buttermilk. Pour over the oatmeal and add 1/4 tsp salt then stir just until incorporated. Cook another 10 minutes uncovered, stirring gently once or twice – don’t over mix (note: if you’re using a large sauce pan, keep the pan covered the entire time – a larger surface area will cause the steam to escape faster and dry out if left uncovered).
4. Finally, stir in 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp maple syrup, or to taste. Divide among 4 bowls and top each bowl with about 1/2 cup of fresh fruit (plus a sprinkle of cinnamon and drizzle of maple syrup if desired)
Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal Recipe (Steel Cut Oats)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp unsalted Butter
- 1 cup steel cut oats, I used Bob's Red Mill brand, dry/un-rinsed
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon, plus more to taste
- 2 cups fresh fruit or berries, I used sliced peaches and raspberries
Instructions
- Set a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt in 1 Tbsp butter then add 1 cup oats and toast for 2 min, stirring occasionally.
- Add 3 cups boiling water then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook on low 20 min without stirring.
- Combine 1/2 cup whole milk with 1/2 cup buttermilk. Pour over the oatmeal and add 1/4 tsp salt then stir just until incorporated. Cook another 10 min uncovered, stirring gently once or twice - don't over mix.
- Finally, stir in 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp maple syrup, or to taste. Divide among 4 bowls and top each bowl with about 1/2 cup of fresh fruit (plus a sprinkle of cinnamon and drizzle of maple syrup if desired)
Notes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I know exactly what went into this and I used a natural sweetener – maple syrup. I feel awesome about feeding it to my family. Now that’s what I call breakfast! Have I convinced you yet? Now go forth and make steel cut oats for your family 🙂
try to add in 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg great for your health. It helps keep you calm throughout the morning.
Thanks for the suggestion!
I made this tonight to have this week for breakfast. Oh my goodness this is so good. I thought the buttermilk might make it tart but you can’t taste it. The steel cut oats came out so creamy. Thank you for another excellent recipe!
You are very welcome! This is a personal favorite. We are considering a very special recreation of this with an amazing topping for our cookbook.
I’ve made steel cut oatmeal for years; but I make enough to fill 10 Texas-size silicon cupcakes and freeze them. Then pack individual cupscakes into a freezer bag and finish up with the microwave and whatever fruit & cinnamon I want, then top it off with Greek yogurt. Yummy!
Sounds delicious, thanks for sharing that with us.
Sunday mornings are always busy trying to get everyone out the door for church, so who wants to get up even earlier to cook breakfast?!! Last night I made this oatmeal after dinner. We only had apples, and again, who has time on Sunday morning, so I diced 4 apples & cooked them like you do them for your Easy Apple Turnovers. When everything was done I portioned it all out into four pint jars & popped them all in the fridge. This morning we just had to pop them in the microwave and we had a heat & eat breakfast in a glass jar that could go straight in the dishwasher after. Oh MY word, girlfriend!!! That was the best treat!! I made the oats exactly as listed in the recipe. I also made the apples exactly as listed in the recipe. The only changes I plan to make next time is to double the cinnamon in the oatmeal. I loved how creamy the buttermilk & milk addition made the oatmeal! Keep these awesome recipes coming!!!!
We feel the same about Sunday mornings! It needs to be something quick and easy! I’m so glad this worked out great for your family!
Hi Natasha! Can I use almond milk instead of the milk/buttermilk? Thanks!!
Hi Liz, I have not tested that but here is what one of our readers wrote: “We make that with almond milk and butter and honey or maple syrup. Toppings of choice.” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha! Can I use rolled oats in this recipe and if so would the cooking time and the liquid proportions be the same? Thank you! Your recipes are the best. Been using them for 2 years now and they never disappoint!
Hi Tatiana, rolled oats cook significantly faster so I would suggest cooking them according to their package instructions. They also require a different proportion of liquid. I have tried a modified version with rolled oats and honestly prefer the steel cut oats more, even though they take a little longer to cook.
Best steel cut oats recipe out there!! Thank you so much. Finally traditional oatmeal found its competition.
You’re welcome Larisa! I’m happy to hear you’ve found a fav. Thanks so much for sharing your outstanding review!
You’ve never tried steel cut oats??? Gurrrll…you slackin 🙂 I prefer them over any other type of oats and excited to this buttermilk method! Never ever would’ve thought to add buttermilk.
I know it! Better now than never, right? 😉
If anyone is interested, for the overnight soak method I mentioned above, it’s 1 cup oats to 4 cups water.
Thank you so much for sharing that!
I discovered steel cut oats not too long ago too and haven’t got tired of it for breakfast. I soak mine overnight and have a ready breakfast in the morning for work. I boil 4 cups water then add the oats and let it boil for like a minute then turn it off, close with a lid and set aside to stay overnight. In the morning I can add little milk to warm it up on the stove and then I like to add chia seeds, honey, and usually blueberries and sometimes nuts too, it tastes delicious. It makes breakfast really quick in the morning if you’re in a rush:) I want to try your version too when I have more time to make breakfast.
I love the make ahead option! That would be perfect for really busy mornings which are most mornings. 😉 thank you so much for sharing that with me.
No problem and the other good thing about this is that it stays in the fridge for a while so I make a batch and have ready breakfast for a week 🙂 how cool is that 🙂
I LOVE oatmeal from steel cut oats. It has such a great texture. My favorite addition is caramelized bananas. I also like adding apples, raisins, cinnamon, walnuts, apricots – not all at once:). Although it’s just as great with just maple syrup and cinnamon. My husband really likes oatmeal too. I like making a double portion on Saturday and it’s so easy to reheat it the next day before church.
Oh my goodness I hadn’t even thought of caramelized bananas. Yum!! That’s a great idea to make a double portion for the next day also. Thanks so much for sharing!
I’ve never made homemade oatmeal, I thought it was hard to make, (always used the individual pockets) however this recipe not only its easy to make, but super delicious and nutritious!Thank you so much for this recipe and all your recipes, my family loves it!!
Mariana, I’m so happy your family enjoyed this, thank you for the wonderful review :).
Is there a way I can make this using instant oatmeal? its just the only one on hand and I want to make this tomorrow morning.
Maria, really the only way to do it, is to cook instant oatmeal according to package instructions and just add maple syrup and cinnamon as a flavor. Just be careful doing it, because lots of instant oatmeals have added sweeteners. Hope this helps :).
I was so glad to see the instructions for toasting the oatmeal before adding boiling water. I do the same, but without the butter and at least 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and maybe half teaspoon of sea salt.
Also, I place a few teaspoons of chocolate chips and maybe some raisins to the bottom of bowl and then spoon the hot oatmeal on top. I do not stir and I do not add any other sweetener. Definitely worth the wait.
Some times I make large batch and spoon into sandwich bags, express the air and freeze. Microwave in bag and carefully pour into bowl.
I love your ideas! Do you toast with the cinnamon and salt? I bet that smells amazing! The chocolate chips and raisins sound like such a treat! Great tip about freezing it!
Hello Natasha! Very excited to try this and I love steel cuts:) will kefir make a difference instead of buttermilk? I’m not sure how buttermilk work…thanks!
I think kefir would work fine. They are pretty similar in composition. And it may taste even better with kefir.
Hey Natasha, hope all is well. Don’t know if you’re taking feedback about the site but you seem to always welcome it. I personally prefer the old black and white print format, old logo, I think some green should accent the site. The pictures feel a bit big. Certainly it’s your site and I hope you take no offense. The recipes great, now how’re we going to make this last all week to feed the kids before school? Without getting nasty, you know? I feed feed my son the sugary organic stuff almost every day, steel cuts chillin in the cabinet. Its close to impossible to avoid all the hidden suger They add to get you hooked etc.,unless you cook everything from scratch. I could write an essay on this but won’t. Cream of Wheat will take front and center now, oh how convinient those packets were.
I was pretty disappointed when I realized how much sugar my organic oatmeal had. I guess it was the thought that organic = healthy. Thanks for the feedback! The pictures are the same size as before; maybe they look bigger because the site is less cluttered? You should be able to choose on your print settings whether you want to print in color or black and white. I wanted to avoid green because as much as I love Christmas, I didn’t want the site to look like Christmas ;-). But I agree, green does go well with red.
I love oatmeal! Have been using either rolled oats or steel cut. Mostly rolled oats as they get cooked faster. I usually add raisins to it, so there is no need for sugar. I do add quite bit of raisins, to satisfy my toddler’s palate 😉
It’s an interesting idea to add butter milk! Will give it a try!
I love the idea of adding raisins! The buttermilk ads a nice layer of flavor. You probably wouldn’t know it was in there unless you read the recipe first :). It’s very nice.
I never made the real oatmeal cause honestly I didn’t know a good way to cook it😒thanks so much for sharing this recipe natash!!!! I will definitely try this out!!!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did! 🙂
Wow, you really decided to be healthy.:) We have been making steel cut oatmeal for years now. Our Costco in Canada sells a huge bag of organic Bob’s Red Mill quick cooking steel cut oats that take 15 minutes. We make that with almond milk and butter and honey or maple syrup. Toppings of choice. The only packaged oatmeal I get is organic by Nature’s Path. No crap and very little sugar in flavoured ones. I give those occasionally to my youngest one to daycare and husband takes to work.
Thanks for sharing! Where do you buy that brand of oatmeal?
The Natures path is what I buy, they always have it at Big Lots. Although sugar is still the 2nd ingredient. You should check out vitacost they have everything wonderful for less.
Thank you!
Check Fred Meyer or Safeway. Even Walmart might carry it. Here Nature’s Path has store locator by the product http://us.naturespath.com/about/stores I love their stuff. My kids eat their cereal. Yes it has sugar but way less and higher quality sugar than conventional cereals. I can live with 4-7 g of sugar per serving in this case. Organic and no artificial stuff.
Thanks for sharing!!
Steel cut is so much better for us than the instant stuff. I’m not a fan of oatmeal, but THIS is very enticing!
I hope this changes your mind about oatmeal. It sure did for my son, who never liked oatmeal before he tried the real stuff. 🙂