Overnight Steel Cut Oats
Updated Oct 14, 2025
This Overnight Steel Cut Oats recipe is one of my family's favorites. Meal prep a batch for a week of easy make-ahead breakfasts!
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Make easy overnight steel cut oats!
I’ve made my fair share of overnight oats with rolled oats, but once I tried overnight steel cut oats, I was hooked. They turn out creamier and a little chewier, which makes breakfast feel more satisfying to me. It’s the same idea, soaking oats in milk overnight, but with a few small tweaks that make all the difference.
This overnight steel cut oats recipe is my base for all kinds of toppings. Some mornings I go classic with peanut butter and banana, other times it’s strawberries and Nutella or caramel apple if I’m feeling extra. It’s easy, flexible, and makes breakfast one less thing to think about.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
How to Make Overnight Steel Cut Oats
Top the Steel Cut Oats
Overnight Steel Cut Oats Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Base Recipe
- 1 ½ cups steel cut oats
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups almond milk
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Peanut Butter Banana
- 1 banana sliced
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon peanuts chopped
- Dash of cinnamon
Strawberry Nutella
- 4-5 strawberries sliced
- 2 tablespoons nutella
- 1 tablespoon hazelnuts chopped
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Caramel Apple
- 1/2 green apple sliced
- 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped pecans
- 1 dash cinnamon
Chocolate Almond Butter
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate bar chopped
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 dates chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring the water, milk, and salt to a boil.
- Stir in the oats and continue mixing with the liquid for 2–3 minutes to warm them up.
- Turn off the heat. Let the oats come to room temperature, then store them in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, heat the oats for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Serve with your favorite topping combinations.
Notes
- My Top Tip: Don’t skip the salt. It brings out the natural sweetness and nuttiness of the oats. They’ll taste bland if you skip it.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Freezing not recommended.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Video Tutorial
Recipe Variations
- Increase the protein. Stir in a scoop of your favorite protein powder.
- Add a crunch. Try a sprinkle of granola, chia seeds, flax seeds, or hemp seeds.
- Make savory oats. Instead of sweet toppings, try sautéed vegetables, Parmesan cheese, and a fried egg.
Recipe Tips
- Use a mixture of water and milk. It creates a creamy texture without adding too many calories or too much fat. Or, you can use all milk or all water if you prefer.
- Don’t skip the salt. It brings out the natural sweetness and nuttiness of the oats. They’ll taste bland if you skip it.
Serving Ideas
- Eggs: Sheet Pan Eggs, Scrambled Eggs with Cottage Cheese, Eggs Florentine
- Waffles: Cinnamon Waffles, Blueberry Yogurt Waffles, Protein Waffles
- Smoothies: Mixed Berry Smoothie, Mango Papaya Smoothie, Banana Date Smoothie
Comments
If the nutrition label does not include any toppings, and the info is per portion, why is the sodium content, 543 mg, so high? Steel cut oats have 0 mg of sodium (at least that is what my bag says), and a 1/2 tsp of your salt would have 960 mg of sodium giving us 240 mg of sodium if the batch gives 4 portions or 160 if we stretch it to 6 portions. Just trying to understand as I need to control my sodium intake. Thanks!
Oops, it looks like it was calculating a really high amount for the almond milk. I like to use Elmhurst unsweetened almond milk, which only has almonds and milk. I looked at the nutrition label and it only has 5 mg of sodium per serving, so I adjusted the nutrition facts according to that. However, there’s still 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt in this recipe, which is still contributing to a pretty high sodium value. Feel free to reduce or eliminate the salt. Also, I do think this recipe can easily serve 6 people, so I’ve adjusted the serving size accordingly. Thank you for the callout! I hope you make it and love it!
Hi Claudia! The 362 mg sodium is based on one serving (1/6) of the recipe. The sodium comes from the kosher salt, almond milk, and even water has about 12 mg of sodium per cup. This amount is accurate based on my calculations but the amount of sodium in almond milk and salt will vary depending on type and brand, so you will have to calculate the exact amount in your batch. Hope that helps!
Can you add chia seeds to this recipe to soak in after you cook the oats? If so how much more milk would you add? Wanting to use both chia seeds and steel cut oats. Thank you!
Yes, you can absolutely add chia seeds! You could add them before storing the pot in the fridge overnight (I would probably add extra almond milk in this case) or in the morning when you reheat the oats. You will have to play around with the timing and ratio of chia seeds to extra liquid a bit but I think it will be delicious once you figure out what works best! Hope that helps!
Great recipe! I finely chopped the apple and added it and the cinnamon to the pot with the oatmeal. Perfect!
My only criticism is….I cut the recipe in half and it STILL easily made enough for four people, hefty servings! If y’all want to try it first, or just make two servings, cut the recipe down by at least half.
Yum, love the addition of finely chopped apples and cinnamon! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Sandy!! Thanks!
I see the nutrition information but it doesn’t say how much a serving is for the oatmeal. I’m putting it in MyFitnessPal and need to know the number of servings that makes. Thanks
Hi Lisa! This recipe makes 4 servings.
Hi Yumna! Do we use regular steel cut oats or quick cook steel cut oats for this recipe? Or does it not matter? Thanks!
Hi Sabrina! I use quick cooking steel cut oats but the regular steel cut oats should work too.
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