Making overnight steel cut oats is a quick and easy way of making a delicious and filling vegan breakfast. Made with steel cut oats, nut milk, salt, and water. It just requires 5 minutes of your time right before you go to sleep and another 5 minutes in the morning.
These overnight steel cut oats are filling, creamy, chewy, and so delicious. Make a large batch and have breakfast ready to go for the entire week.
They are so easy to make have a delicious texture, perfect for breakfast or even as a filling snack.
Ingredients you’ll need
Making overnight steel cut oats requires the least amount of time and leads to delicious results. All you need are a few ingredients, including:
- Steel cut oats: These are normally sold in packages or in the bulk section.
- Water
- Almond milk: Since we’re making a vegan version, use store-bought or homemade almond milk.
- Salt
You can also use additional toppings and ingredients to add flavor, including ground cinnamon, fresh berries, nut butter, hemp seeds, or chia seeds.
How to make overnight steel cut oats
1. Boil water: In a small pot, bring water to a boil. As soon as the water comes to a boil.
2. Add ingredients: Add oats, salt, and stir. Cover the pot and let it sit overnight. Turn off heat and cover the pot.
3. Warm oats: In the morning, mix the oats and warm on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add milk: Add milk and stir well. Add toppings and serve.
Storing and reheating
If you have leftovers, let them cool down and place them in an air-tight glass container for up to 4-5 days. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply reheat the oatmeal on the stove top for a quick and easy breakfast. If the oats appear too thick, Just add a little water or milk and stir.
Top tips and suggestions
You can do so much with these basic overnight steel cut oats to boost the nutrition level, flavor, and more. Here are some of my favorite tips:
- Use high-quality steel-cut oats: If your oats have been sitting for over a year, it might be best to compost them.
- Add superfoods: Ingredients such as cinnamon, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and nut butter will boost the nutrition level in these oats. Be sure to add them in the morning when you’re ready to enjoy the oats.
- Sweeten naturally: Chopped dates, honey, and maple syrup are great options.
- Use water: Adding nut milk will make your oats creamy, but you can also stick to water if you don’t have milk on hand.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between steel cut oats and rolled oats? The primary difference between rolled oats and steel cut oats lies in the amount of processing.
Steel cut oats, also called pinhead oats, are groats of whole oats that have been cut into a few pieces. Therefore, steel cut oats are the least processed and maintain the best texture when cooked. However, they also take the longest amount of time to cook, but with a little prep the night before, you can easily mitigate this.
Rolled or old-fashioned oats are made by steaming and pressing flat. If you are in a hurry and need breakfast in a few minutes (and didn’t do any prep the night before), rolled oats are always a great option. Click here for the recipe that uses rolled oats instead.
More easy breakfast recipes
- Cherry Breakfast Bars
- Breakfast Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Overnight Oats Recipe
- Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
I hope you love this overnight steel cut oats recipe as much as I do. Sign up for email updates to receive new recipes delivered to your inbox or check out my new cookbook Plant Power Bowls.
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- pinch of salt
Additional Toppings
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup fresh berries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
- 1 tablespoon nut butter
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- In a small pot, bring water to a boil the night before. As soon as the water comes to a boil, add the oats, salt, and stir.
- Immediately turn off the heat and cover the pot. Let it sit overnight.
- In the morning, mix the oats and warm on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add milk and any other ingredients you’d like to. Serve and enjoy.
Maggie says
Can regular milk be used? Or would I just skip and use water and get the same consistency? Also do you just leave the pot on the counter all night or in the fridge?
Sapana Chandra, MS, CHC says
Hi Maggie, you can use regular milk instead of almond milk when you warm up the oats in the morning. I just leave the pot on the counter all night.
Sapana Chandra, MS, CHC says
Hi JC!! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. The 1195 was an error in the system and has been corrected now. The sodium is coming from the pinch of salt which can be omitted.
Jess says
This is the perfect ratio of ingredients! Turned out perfect, thanks!
Sapana Chandra, MS, CHC says
So happy to hear! Thanks for sharing!
Carley says
Made this for breakfast. Loved how good they turned out.
Sapana Chandra says
So glad to hear!
Riley says
I had no idea how easy it was to make overnight steel cut oats! I cooked them last night and after a few minutes of warming up, they were ready to go this morning for my family. Thank you!
Sapana Chandra says
It’s so easy, isn’t it?! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed!