Pressure cooker oatmeal is an easy breakfast! The best Instant Pot oatmeal is made with rolled oats, toasted until fragrant, and then cooked for just 3 minutes.
Here’s an easy and healthy breakfast recipe for weekdays or entertaining guests: Instant Pot Rolled Oats! Alex and I eat a lot of oatmeal here: it’s one of our favorite whole grains. In fact, most of the time I eat our best oatmeal recipe to start the day healthy. But if you have a pressure cooker, oatmeal is even easier to prepare. Rolled oats are toasted in butter until fragrant, then mixed with milk and cooked for just 3 minutes. (The vegan option is also below.) What stands out is the creamiest, tastiest, and easiest pressure cooker oatmeal you’ll find.
*Looking for steel-cut oats instead? Go to Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats.
*Do you want it on the stove? Go for the best toasted oatmeal.
How to Make Instant Pot Oatmeal (A Tutorial)
This is truly one of our easiest Instant Pot recipes! It goes so fast and turns oatmeal into the creamiest, tastiest pot of oats. Using a pressure cooker to prepare oatmeal is perfect for making a healthy breakfast when you have guests over. Alex and I just had my parents in town for the weekend and this was the perfect breakfast for house guests as it’s mostly hands-free. We created a duplicate recipe: see the section below for scaling this recipe.
Step 1: Use Saute mode to toast oatmeal for 3 minutes.
The first step in preparing the best Instant Pot oats is to toast the oats. Now you can just get started in the kitchen. But we’ve found that toasting oats in butter or coconut oil before cooking makes them taste exponentially better! (We do this in our Roasted Oatmeal Recipes and Best Oatmeal Recipes.)
To toast oatmeal, enable Saute mode on your Instant Pot. Melt 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, then add 2 cups oatmeal, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Little extra: it perfumes your kitchen in a heavenly way!
Step 2: Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
All it takes for the perfect Instant Pot oatmeal is 3 minutes! Add 1 ½ cups milk (or almond milk), 1 cup water, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and kosher salt. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Quickly release and shake!
That’s it! Remove the steam from the pot by performing a quick release (see recipe below for instructions if you’re an Instant Pot newbie). Then stir and you’re good to go!
Increase Instant Pot Oatmeal (x 2, x 3!)
This recipe calls for 2 cups of rolled oats, which makes 2 large or 3 medium servings. Instant Pot Oatmeal is great for entertaining, so you can easily spice it up. Try doubling or tripling this recipe to make enough for a large eater.
One thing to note: doubling and tripling will slightly increase the prep time! The Instant Pot needs time to “preheat” and build up pressure before cooking. The more ingredients you have in the pot, the longer this time will last. So doubling and tripling the recipe increases the total prep time due to the preheat time. Preheating a double recipe takes about 10 minutes and a triple takes about 15 minutes. The cooking time is of course always the same: only 3 minutes! Just make sure you adjust your expectations of prep time accordingly.
Oatmeal Topping Ideas!
The fun of oatmeal isn’t so much in the oatmeal itself: it’s in the toppings! Here are our top ideas for topping your Instant Pot oatmeal:
- Banana slices, toasted nuts and maple syrup (shown in the photo!).
- Peanut Butter and Healthy Strawberry Jelly.
- Fresh blueberries, maple syrup and lemon zest.
- Almond butter, cinnamon and roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
- Dried cherries, honey, toasted almonds and a dollop of Greek yogurt.
What are your favorite oatmeal toppings? Let us know in the comments below! (Mine is #2 in case you’re wondering.)
What Kind of Instant Pot Should I Use?
All brands of pressure cookers are different! The brand we use is a Instant Pot 6 Quart Programmable Pressure Cooker. This recipe is adapted for a 6 liter pressure cooker. We also can’t talk about other brands and types of pressure cookers. For example, Instant Pot Mini works differently, so use it at your own risk.
This Instant Pot Oatmeal recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free and vegan.
The description
Pressure cooker oatmeal is an easy breakfast! The best Instant Pot oatmeal is made with rolled oats, toasted until fragrant, and then cooked for just 3 minutes.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil*
- 2 cups oatmeal
- 1½ cups 2% milk or almond milk
- 1 cup the water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Cinammon
- Toppings: milk, maple syrup, banana, roasted nuts etc.
- Round in jump mode and add the butter to the Instant Pot. Once the oats are hot, add them and toast 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Add milk, water, salt and cinnamon.
- Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes: Press the pressure cook button, make sure the ‘high pressure’ setting is selected and set the time. Note that it takes about 4 minutes (or 10 minutes if doubling the recipe) for the pan to “preheat” and build pressure before you start cooking. Avoid touching the metal part of the lid during cooking.
- Fast Release: Release any remaining steam from the Instant Pot by setting the pressure release handle to “vent” and covering your hand with a heated towel or pad. Never put your hands or face near the opening when dispensing steam. Open the lid of the pressure cooker and stir in the oatmeal. Serve immediately with your desired toppings.
Remarks
* This recipe is easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd! Note that the preheating time increases with more ingredients. Preheating a double recipe takes about 10 minutes and a triple takes about 15 minutes.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: pressure cooker
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Instant Pot Oatmeal, Oatmeal, Old Fashioned Oatmeal, Easy, Fast
Healthier Breakfast Recipes
Here are some healthier breakfast recipes we love:
