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Steel Cut Oatmeal

Yumna Jawad

Updated Jul 19, 2025

5 from 123 votes

Basic steel-cut oatmeal recipe uses the stovetop to gently cook the steel cut oats with a little water and salt. Milk is added after cooking for creaminess.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

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Steel Cut oats for breakfast!

Steel cut oatmeal is one of my favorite make-ahead breakfasts. It takes a little longer to cook than rolled oats, but the texture is so worth it, chewy, and I find it super satisfying.

Cooking steel cut oats on the stovetop is very easy, but it does take time, so it’s a recipe I like to meal prep in advance for the week ahead. Then I just add a splash of milk to reheat and enjoy. It’s such a healthy and hearty breakfast with endless topping ideas, so my whole family gets into it. And for something a little different the next week, be sure to check out my baked steel cut oatmeal too!

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Steel Cut Oatmeal Ingredients

• Water: To cook the oats. Plain tap water is just fine. Add the oats to boiling water.
• Milk: I like to use regular milk, but you can use whatever you prefer.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt for a milder salt flavor, but Himalayan or table will work well.
• Steel cut oats: You can find steel cut oats in the same aisle as rolled oats, usually in a canister.

How to Make Steel Cut Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe

Author: Yumna Jawad

5 from 123 votes

This basic steel cut oatmeal recipe uses the stovetop to gently cook the steel cut oats with a little water and salt. Milk is added after cooking for creaminess.

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Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Servings4 servings

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 cups water
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup steel cut oats
• ▢ ½ cup milk of choice

Instructions

• Place the water and salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add the steel cut oats and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping along the bottom and sides of the pot to prevent sticking.
• Remove from heat, cover the pot and let it stand covered for a couple of minutes. Stir in the milk and then serve with your favorite toppings.

Equipment

• 5 Piece Cookware Set

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 5 days in the fridge.

Make Ahead Tips: You can make the oatmeal on the stovetop in advance. To reheat, simply add a splash of milk or water and microwave for 1 minute.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However you can add up to 1 cup of milk to the water for a more creamy consistency.

* Please note the nutrition label does not include any toppings.

This recipe has been updated in July 2025 to include milk.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup cooked, Calories: 173kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 166mg, Potassium: 46mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 49IU, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 2mg

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

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RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL

Recipe Variations

• Fruit: Fresh fruit like bananas, berries and apples; dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, apricots, dates or coconut; frozen fruits like berries or mangoes, jams, fruit zest or applesauce.
• Nuts & Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, pecans or peanuts; chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.  You can also do any nut butter or seed butter.
• Cooked Grains: Quinoa, amaranth or wheat germ. You can cook them separately or with the oatmeal. You can also add granola.
• Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, pumpkin spice or ginger.
• Protein Powder: If you’re trying to add more protein to your diet, I recommend half the normal scoop.
• Sweeteners: Honey, maple syrup, brown sugar or agave syrup.

Recipe Tips

1. Add milk to the boiling water. The recipe calls for 3 cups of water for every cup of steel oats. However, you can add between ¼ and 1 cup of milk to make it creamier. You can also just add it after it’s cooked, which is what I prefer to do.
2. Don’t walk away from the oats while cooking them. Sometimes, oats can foam up when you’re cooking on the stovetop, and if that happens, just remove from the heat for a few seconds until it settles down.
3. Make the oatmeal softer by lengthening the cooking time. My suggested cooking time is 15 minutes; the steel cut oats will have some chew. But you can add an extra 5-10 minutes with a little extra water or milk, as needed, to get even more softer oatmeal.
4. Add coconut oil or butter for a more creamy texture. You can use 1 tablespoon of fat for every 1 cup of steel cut oats. I like stirring it in during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
5. Toast the oats before adding the liquid. To bring out more of the nutty texture of the oats, you can toast them with some coconut oil or butter before adding the liquid. They taste so good like this!
6. Turn the heat down once you’ve added the oats to the water. If you keep the heat on high the bottom will burn quickly and it will be a nightmare to clean up! Turn the stovetop down to a low or medium-low heat.

Steel-Cut vs. Rolled Oats

Both types of oats are essentially the same but they differ in how they’re processed. I’ve actually learned quite a lot about this from the farmers’ markets and talking to farmers who sell various types of oats. I even got to use a rolling machine once to literally roll oats. So here’s the rundown about rolled oats versus steel oats.

Steel Cut Oats: They basically look like cut up brown rice and they are very coarse, so they take the longest among all the oats to cook. And because they are minimally processed, they are also the healthiest types of oats to eat.

It can be tedious to cook them though. It’s not like just popping a bowl of oats and milk in the microwave with instant gratification. Steel cut oats usually require either a lot of time in a pressure cooker, oven or pot.

Rolled Oats: To make rolled oats as the name implies, the oats are pressed flat with steel rollers. This helps to make them flatter and easier to cook. And even within the rolled oats “family”, you’ll notice in grocery stores that there are three types of rolled oats:

Old fashioned oats are steamed and then rolled flat. They take the longest to cook, but they have the best texture.

Quick cooking oats are partially cooked and then rolled pretty thin. They cook faster than old fashioned oats, but the texture is softer.

Instant-oats are completely cooked, dried, and then rolled and cut. This makes them the fastest kind to cook, but probably not the best from a texture point of view. These are great for a quick breakfast with hot water or for babies.

More Oatmeal Recipes

• Baked Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal
• Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal
• Rolled Oats Oatmeal
• Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups
• Banana Oatmeal Cups
• Easy Overnight Oats
• Quinoa Oatmeal
• Protein Oatmeal
• Oatmeal Bars