Overnight Steel Cut Oats

5 from 471 votes

Overnight steel cut oats is perfect for make ahead breakfasts. Choose from four topping ideas and meal prep a batch of oatmeal for the week!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Did you know you can make overnight oatmeal using steel cut oats? My overnight oats recipe is so popular and one that I make for breakfast often by soaking rolled oats with milk. The same principle can be applied here for the steel cut oat version with a few differences that I’ll share below, plus many topping possibilities!

4 bowls of overnight steel cut oats with different toppings
Want to save this recipe?
Just type your email below and I’ll send it to you. And as a bonus you’ll get delicious new recipes from me!

What is steel cut oats?

Steel cut oats are less processed compared to rolled oats. The oat groat (or whole oat) is cut into pieces rather than being pressed and rolled. They have a chewier and nuttier texture and hold their shape once cooked. They don’t get mushy after being cooked, making them ideal for make-ahead breakfasts.

Collage of two images showing steel cut oats before and after cooking

RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL

How to make overnight steel cut oats

  • Stir the oats into boiling milk and water.
  • Turn off the heat. Let it come to room temperature, and then store it in the fridge overnight. 
Pot of steel cut oats with milk before and after stirring

Oatmeal topping ideas

Peanut Butter Banana: In this version, slice some bananas, top it with off with creamy peanut butter and then add crushed peanuts (to enforce that peanut taste). Finish it off with a dash of cinnamon to add some warmth.

Bananas and peanut butter over oatmeal in yellow bowl

Strawberry Nutella: Slice some fresh strawberries to place on top of your oatmeal and add some Nutella and chopped hazelnuts. Finish it off with a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.

Sliced strawberries, nutella and hazelnut over oatmeal

Caramel Apple: Slice a green apple to add to the steel cut oatmeal, add some chopped pecans for texture and drizzle with caramel sauce. If you don’t have caramel sauce, maple syrup works well. Finish it off with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

Sliced green apples, caramel sauce and pecans over oatmeal

Chocolate Almond Butter: Add some chopped chocolate, a couple of tablespoons of almond butter and a couple of pitted chopped dates. Finish with a drizzle of honey and coconut flakes if you’d like. When you stir this one together, it looks like chocolate steel cut oatmeal – my kids’ favorite!

Almond butter, chocolate, dates and coconut over oatmeal

Tips for making overnight steel cut oats

  1. Heat water and milk before adding oats. There are methods of making overnight steel cut oatmeal where no heat is applied and the oats just soak the liquid. However, in my experience, the consistency is more creamy and thick when the liquid is heated first.
  2. Don’t skip the salt. Just a little really does make all the difference. It brings out the natural sweetness and nuttiness of the oats and it can taste quite bland if you don’t use it.
  3. Use a mixture of water and milk. I find that this creates that wonderfully creamy texture without adding too many calories or fat. You can use all milk or all water if you prefer.
  4. Heat for a thicker consistency. When you first take a peak in the pot the next morning, you might notice some liquid still in the pot. Stirring it will allow the oats to absorb more of that liquid. But reheating is will help most. Plus it’s already in a pot, so it’s a quick convenience step.

Frequently asked questions

How long should steel cut oats sit overnight to soften?

Steel oats are much tougher than rolled oats, so you need to let them sit in the liquid for at least 8 hours.

How long does it keep?

Steel cut oatmeal will keep well for up to a week in the fridge. In the morning, place the cooled oatmeal into an airtight container and you can reheat portions of it throughout the week. It’s great to batch cook for easy and quick breakfasts.

4 varieties of overnight steel cut oatmeal in 4 bowls with different toppings

Try this method of soaking steel cut oats with hot liquid overnight and you will probably never find yourself cooking steel cut oats on the stove top again!

More oatmeal recipes:

If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Overnight Steel Cut Oats recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

order MY book

The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook is now available everywhere books are sold!

Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Overnight steel cut oats is perfect for make ahead breakfasts. Choose from four topping ideas and meal prep a batch of oatmeal for the week!
5 from 471 votes
Servings 4 servings
Course Breakfast
Calories 258
Cook Time 5 minutes
Resting time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and I’ll send this directly to you. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

Video

Ingredients
  

Base Recipe

Peanut Butter Banana

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 pecans chopped
  • Dash of cinnamon

Chocolate Almond Butter

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 up the oats.
  • Turn off the heat, Let it come to room temperature and then store in the fridge overnight. 
  • In the morning, heat for a couple minutes while stirring the mixture, and serve with your favorite topping combinations.

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about up to 7 days in the fridge.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However you can use all milk or all water in the recipe instead of doing half milk/half water. You can also use any type of milk you’d like.
* Please note the nutrition label does not include any toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 543mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 1g, Calcium: 260mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
Course: Breakfast
5 from 471 votes (452 ratings without comment)

Rate and comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Sabrina K says:

    Hi Yumna! Do we use regular steel cut oats or quick cook steel cut oats for this recipe? Or does it not matter? Thanks!

    1. Yumna J. says:

      Hi Sabrina! I use quick cooking steel cut oats but the regular steel cut oats should work too.

  2. Tracey says:

    I’ve made this twice per the recipe and I find it too soupy. The first time I strained it and that helped. The second time I only used two cups milk and two cups water. I know it will firm up a little more, but is it supposed to be this soupy? Thanks!

    1. Yumna J. says:

      If your steel cut oats are still soupy after soaking overnight, you can stir them in the morning to help the oats absorb more of the liquid. Reheating them will also help—I would put them back on the stovetop to help cook off the extra liquid and thicken them up. Hope that helps!

  3. Erica says:

    I used steel cut oats (Quaker brand) and followed the original overnight oat process (half cup oats, half cup milk, quarter cup Greek yogurt) and it worked perfectly without having to heat or cook anything! I let mine set in the fridge for 12 hours. So if you want to avoid having to do anything more than put it all together just let it set a few hours longer

    1. Yumna says:

      Glad you enjoyed it!

  4. JJ Robinson says:

    I’ve been making and eating overnight oats for years, ever since I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. I’ve wanted to use steel cut oats since they are not only great for lowering cholesterol, they also add high amounts of fiber into my diet, which my doctor also advised. This recipe is easy, yet incredibly effective and yummy! Thank you, Yumna! You’ve saved the day!

    1. Yumna says:

      Wonderful to hear, so happy you enjoy this recipe!

  5. Dini says:

    What’s the diff of this and overnight oats?

  6. Shakeema says:

    Hi Yunma! I started cooking my steel-cut oats as normal when I came across this recipe. Would it still work if I had the oats cooking at low heat for about 15 min before letting cool to room temp & putting in the fridge? Thanks!

    1. Yumna J. says:

      I don’t see why not. Did you end up trying it?

  7. Kristin says:

    I fell in love with an overnight oats recipe more than a year ago, and I haven’t wanted to eat anything else for breakfast ever since… which means, my stash of steel-cut oats that I had on-hand (because I used to eat regular steel-cut oatmeal every day) was just sitting there (I had 4-5 big bags of Bob’s Red Mill SC oats). My mom told me how she was eating steel-cut overnight oats, so I was intrigued, because I thought it might be a way to use up my steel-cut oat stash, but still have the breakfast I adore. SO, I found a couple recipes… yours being one of them, and I decided to try yours first. I use 4 cups almond milk and 2 cups water. I really enjoyed the flavor and texture of using steel-cut oats for overnight oats! I divide the mixture into 6 parts, and add 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, and 1 Tbsp maple syrup to each part. In the morning, I top it with fresh fruit (blueberries, raspberries, and mango) and 2 Tbsp of nuts. Thanks for helping me discover a delicious way to use SC oats, so they don’t go to waste!

    1. Yumna J. says:

      So glad you liked this version! Steel cut oats does add a nice chewy element for a change of pace.

  8. Vivian Perry says:

    Very easy and good. I double it and eat it throughout the week

    1. Yumna J. says:

      So glad you liked it, Vivian!

  9. Janet says:

    Thank you so much for the recipe! Can’t wait to try. I am wondering if I can use 1/2 dairy milk + 1/2 almond milk? Or would that not work because of boiling in the beginning?

    1. Yumna J. says:

      Hi Janet, I have not tried this recipe with 1/2 dairy and 1/2 almond milk, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Let me know what you think when you make it!

  10. Moira says:

    Hi,

    Your method in this recipe is great! Quick, easy and gives a better texture. Thanks so much for sharing.

    1. Yumna J. says:

      You’re so welcome!!

  11. Heather says:

    Hello! I’ve used your recipe many times and shared it with friends. I haven’t used in a couple of months and now I’m puzzled – did your recipe previously state keep out overnight? I see it now states to cool and refrigerate. I understand the concerns noted by other reviewers about refrigerating but I never had any problems.

    1. Yumna J. says:

      Hi Heather – Yes, I did change it due to an influx of comments in regard to food safety. You can still leave it out overnight if you’re okay with it (I still will.)

  12. Cece says:

    Are steel cut oats more nutritious than regular rolled oats?

    1. Yumna J. says:

      Hi Cece, according to my research steel cut oats do tend to have more fiber than rolled oats and are more “meaty”, texture-wise. But, overall, the two are pretty equal in the nutrition department from what I’ve read. I use rolled oats 9/10 times in pretty much all my recipes.

  13. Edward Hot Dog says:

    Delicious! Easy to make a batch that provides breakfast for a week!

    1. Yumna J. says:

      Thank you, Edward! I am so glad you like the overnight oats! Which would you say is your favorite variation? Strawberry Nutella? 😉

      1. Edward Hot Dog says:

        Hahahaha. Well, to be honest, I’ve just made the base recipe, and then in the morning I’ve been trying different add-ins when I reheat: dried fruit (raisins, cranberries) and a little bit of brown sugar. Delicious, healthy and so easy.

        1. Yumna J. says:

          That does sound good!

  14. Zeenat says:

    I loved this! It come out sooo lovely!! It stayed on the stove overnight and in the morning was sooo yummy. I just added whatever toppings I could find, some honey, and some fruit and nuts

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Thank you so much! That sounds perfect. It’s so versatile in that way!

    2. Sarah says:

      Did you use traditional or quick oats?

  15. Iris Kappes says:

    This is a great recipe, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out overnight if you live in a warmer climate. I made this in September in Texas and it was rancid by morning. If you live in a warm climate, I would place it in the fridge overnight instead.

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Thank you! If you live in a warmer climate, definitely leave it in the fridge overnight. Or in any case, leave it in the fridge overnight to be on the safer side.

  16. Jace says:

    I suggest people be risk-aware. Be very careful to cook cleanly and avoid cross-contamination. I made overnight oatmeal like this for months, leaving it out overnight, and was fine until I had a bad batch and was sick for a week with food poisoning. I never did it again and couldn’t stomach oatmeal for nearly a year. All it takes is one bad batch.

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      This should definitely be noted!

    2. Kristen says:

      Since food poisoning lasts 24 hours I’m guessing something else was making you sick…..

      1. Jace says:

        “Symptoms of food poisoning can appear anywhere between four hours and one week after ingesting a contaminated food item, and can persist for as short a time as 24 hours or as long as a week. This variability in both onset and duration of symptoms is another reason food poisoning so often goes unidentified.” -usda.gov, https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/08/28/are-you-sure-it-wasnt-food-poisoning#:~:text=Symptoms%20of%20food%20poisoning%20can,poisoning%20so%20often%20goes%20unidentified.

        I can’t be 100% sure it was the oatmeal, but this was the only food I ate at the time that didn’t follow food handing requirements, 41-135 degrees (I’m ServSafe Manager Certified and have this stuff drilled in). I just want people to be aware. I did this just fine for months, and then one bad batch made me sick.

  17. Eva says:

    I have to ask…. is this not a food safety hazard? There is a “danger zone” for food temp, and it seems that leaving this mix out of the refrigerator for several hours would pose a risk for bacterial growth.
    Dont get me wrong, the idea of just boiling the milk/water, cooking for 3 mins and then just leaving it alone until morning sounds awesome, but it makes me wonder…..

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      As long as your kitchen temperature is not too hot, it should be safe to leave the oats soaking overnight at room temperature, especially since they are covered in a pot with a lid. However, to be safer, you can keep it in the fridge overnight too.

      1. Deb says:

        Unfortunately, oatmeal left out overnight can absolutely give you food poisoning. Rice can, too. It’s caused by a common foodborne pathogen called bacillus cereus. Google it if you’d like more information. And refrigerate your oatmeal.

  18. Damara S says:

    Made half a recipe. Added 1 Tbsp. Of currents to the boiling water and milk to “sweeten the pot.” Current bushes grow wild all over northern Europe. Raisins, as we know them today, were not available until the 1870’s when Mr Thompson, a Scottish immigrant, developed the first seedless grapes. Before that raisins were “crunchy” due to the seeds. Currents are seedless, low glycemic and natural secret sweetening ingredient for diabetics.

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      That is such a good idea with the currents – yum!!

  19. Charles says:

    I havent tried it yet, but I love the idea. I would probably use a microwave rather than stove for a smaller quantity. I was wondering if I could add some of the “toppings” to the mix before setting it out for the evening, namely the sweetener, vanilla, and say canned apricots and pine nuts? Of course fresh fruits are usually best to add later.

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      You can definitely do that with the toppings!

  20. Shamamama says:

    Thank you so much for this recipe! Though it is very simple I was at ease to find someone who had already done it. I used a can of coconut milk and 4+ cups of water (to make up the rest of the liquid) and it was the perfect consistency in the morning. We added chopped dried mango and just ate it as is (the kids added honey to theirs).

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      You’re so welcome! That sounds perfect. Love mango with this!

  21. Jennifer says:

    Wondering if you leave it on the same burner you cooked it on or move it to another cooled burner?

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Either way works, as you turn off the heat completely when you leave it overnight.

  22. Idelle says:

    Delicious recipe. I’m curious why you cook the oats first. Many overnight oats recipes use uncooked overnight in the fridge.

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Thank you! I cook the oats because this recipe calls for steel cut oats and not rolled oats.

  23. Amal says:

    Can you leave it overnight in the fridge? I’m a bit uncomfortable leaving milk overnight in room temperature

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Yes, you can!

  24. Phyllis says:

    I tried your recipe for the first time today, and I am enjoying it now! Thank you for this very simple method of preparing a delicious oatmeal. One point that may be helpful to others. Because I have recently been diagnosed with prediabetes, I carefully track my food intake and nutrients. Weighing my portions has worked best for me, so I weighed the oatmeal this morning after it had soaked overnight. One serving of 1/4 of the recipe weighs about 330 grams, and the carb count is acceptable for my diet.

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Thank you so much! I’m glad you’re loving this recipe. That’s great to note.

  25. Diana says:

    Finally, a steel cut oatmeal recipe I like, and it’s ready to eat in the morning! I am smitten with the creamy texture. I added a T of chia seeds to soak overnight with the oats and it did not impact the creaminess. It may have also addressed some of the extra liquid others commented upon. I will be making this again (and again and again)!

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      That’s perfect! So glad you are enjoying this recipe!!

  26. Sarah says:

    My favorite steel cut oats recipe! I reduce the liquid by half a cup to make it less runny, and I use half water and half unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Divine! My toddler adores it, and one batch takes care of breakfast for a week. Thank you!

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      That makes me so happy to hear! Glad you both enjoy this recipe!

  27. Nishwa says:

    Made these in Ramadan for sahoor and despite the oats increasing almost three times in size and scaring my dad a tad bit, they were so loved by everyone! They were so creamy and delicious. Everyone added their own toppings of choice and my sister even eat it cold with berries on it!

    1. Yumna J. says:

      I’m glad you still enjoyed it! The versatility definitely comes with the toppings.

  28. Nicole Murwin says:

    These are amazingly delicious ideas. I have never done steel cut oatmeal before; I must say that you’ve made me a super fan. I ate every bowl down to the last bite!!

    1. Yumna J. says:

      That’s incredible! Thank you so much!

  29. Andrea says:

    Great way to have steel cut oats ready in morning! I followed your recipe but made 1/2 cups steel cut oat, 1/2 cup oat milk and 1 1/2 water. It was so creamy and delicious the next morning. I just warmed it on stove for few minutes. Thanks!

  30. Jouhaina says:

    Another excellent healthy and convenient recipe as per usual. Five stars 👍

  31. Joanna says:

    Hi Yumna! Just wanted to let you know that the prep and cook time in the recipe should be fixed. You have them in hours instead of in minutes 🙂