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Oatmeal in the Crock Pot

November 2, 2010

As the seasons change and the weather gets colder, I have a growing desire to make warm, hearty foods for breakfast. To me, a hot bowl of oatmeal before heading off to school on a chilly morning gives kids a sense of comfort -- not mention enough energy to carry them through to lunch. Back when I first had Kenya, I discovered my crock pot, a wedding gift that had sat unopened in our closet through two moves. After years collecting dust, it quickly endeared itself to me and became my best friend in the kitchen. It’s so easy and efficient to use, I think I try to find a way to make everything in it. Oatmeal is one of the things I wanted to make in it for the longest time, but it wasn’t until last week when the weather finally got cooler here (and Kenya took to draping himself with a blanket at the kitchen table), that I felt truly motivated.

Plus, with my husband leaving for work everyday before 6am and the kids and I not eating our breakfast until around 7:30am, I loved the idea of preparing something the night before that, no matter what time each of us fed ourselves in the morning, would seem totally fresh and special. As hard as this all may sound, it was one of the easiest breakfasts I've ever made. All I did was toss steel cut oats and the other ingredients into the crock pot, stir it up and 8 hours later we were enjoying a perfect nutritious meal to start our day. The added benefit was that the kitchen smelled so amazing in the morning that even the kids stopped to remark, "what's for breakfast, Mom?"

I've now made this recipe five days in a row, so there must be something about it that everyone loves!

Oatmeal in the Crock Pot  (Serves 4-6)

  • Total Time: 5 hours,

Ingredients

  • 1 cup steel cut oats
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

  1. 1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a crock pot and stir to combine.
  2. 2. Cook the oatmeal on low heat for 5-9 hours (the amount of time can vary depending on your crock pot. Some crock pots that don’t have non stick surfaces can get hotter then others).
  3. 3. Stir in desired accompaniments and serve.
  4. * I like to let the kids squeeze in their own honey to get them involved and swirl in a bit of extra milk to cool it down for them.

Accompaniments: honey, maple syrup, walnuts and or raisins

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Comments






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  2. Tiffany

    January 10, 2013 at 9:27 am

    I made this last night and I am eating a bowl now. After reading all of the comments below I was a little concerned. However, it turned out PERFECT. It did stick a little on the bottom, but nothing that a little soaking won’t fix. I should mention that I used a 3 quart crock pot. The recipe filled it almost to the top. I think using the right size pot will help with allof the burning/ sticking issues. I put it on at 10 p.m. and turned it off at 6:30 a.m. So glad to have this strategy to add to my toolbox.

  3. Leon Sebek

    December 30, 2012 at 10:11 pm

    Try adding a half teaspoon of Cardamom seeds (crushed or whole, dependent on your preference)

  4. Julia

    December 12, 2012 at 1:52 pm

    Made this last night and it was a hit this morning. My husband who go to work before he sun comes up had a nice hot bowl of oatmeal and so did the kids hours later. Thank you so much love your recipes!

  5. lilgully@yahoo.com

    November 25, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    I’ve been looking for a crockpot oatmeal recipe that I liked, and I think that this is it!
    I used 2 c steel cut oats, 2 t cinnamon and 8 c water and left it on warm for approx 8 hrs, then turned up to low for approx 30 m. In the end, there was a bit too much liquid but I liked the consistency and taste.
    Next time I’m going to try 1 c less liquid and no cinnamon because I like flavoring it the way I want it every morning. I’m currently addicted to 2 T peanut butter and a bit of honey.

  6. nicola

    November 11, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    We add frozen blueberries and agave:)

  7. Deysi Hurd

    September 18, 2012 at 3:48 pm

    Not sure if anyone already asked this. I tried looking at all the comments but there is alot. I have rolled oats, will that work?

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  9. Nichole

    February 19, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    Hi Catherine! I seriously LOVE your website! We are just begining to make healthy changes in our little family and your recipes make it so easy! Thank you so much for sharing recipes and ideas and helping out so many families! I do have a sugestion for something I would really like to see. I really like the idea of freezing leftovers, on some of your recipes you mention how to freeze, how long it stays good and how to reheat. I know you can’t go back through all of your recipes and add instructions for freezing, but I think it would be awesome if you made a chart or something that tells, in general, how to freeze leftovers from your recipes! I would really really love that!!! I’m all for healthy recipes, but especially healthy recipes that you can pull out of the freezer on a busy weeknight. Thanks for everything you do, you are so awesome!

    PS- the question that inspired my suggestion, can you freeze the cooked oatmeal? And if so, how would you reheat it so it doesn’t turn to mush?

    Thanks Again!

    • catherine

      February 20, 2012 at 6:14 pm

      I actually have been going back, slowly but surely, and adding freezing instructions! Thanks for the suggestion! I know, being able to just pull something out of the freezer and pop it in the oven is such a time-saver! For this recipe: I have not tried freezing the Crock Pot oatmeal because it is so creamy to begin with I worry that it would come out mushy or gummy while reheating, but I am so going to test it for you! I love the Crock Pot Oatmeal because I have to do barely anything with it as is!

      • Joy B

        March 22, 2012 at 9:22 am

        Just thought I’d mention that I did freeze most of my batch and have reheated it for my son multiple times already. I send it to daycare with him, so they just pop it in the microwave when he’s ready to have it. In the morning, after a portion has been defrosted overnight, I add a little more rice milk and mix it up. It has a lovely texture!

  10. Joy B

    February 18, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    I just made this last night and it’s wonderful! I set my slow cooker on low for 5 hours and then it switched to ‘warm’ after that. We got to it about 10 hours after I started it and the texture was perfect! I was so worried about it burning or caking on…. but that didn’t happen to me (thank goodness). I also used rice milk and didn’t alter the recipe at all. And I froze some portions to reheat during the week. My 19 month old son LOVED it and had 2 huge bowls of it!!

  11. Tanya

    February 7, 2012 at 11:10 pm

    I now make this 1-2 times per week and my 21 month old son and I eat it for breakfast at least 3 days a week. My new favorite thing to do with it is add a little vanilla and chop up and apple or two and cook that with the oatmeal…tastes just like apple cinn. oatmeal in the packets without all of the sugar! LOVE it and SO easy. I do also get a ring around my crock pot of ‘caked on’ oatmeal…not sure if there is a solution to this. I usually just scrape that part off (throw it away) and let the inside dish of the crockpot soak while at work and then clean it when I get home. Kind of a pain, but the recipe is worth it (and I always make extra for the next day or two:).

    • catherine

      February 8, 2012 at 1:40 pm

      I get that ring of oatmeal sometimes, but I just stir it into the oatmeal and it’s fine. No funny textures or anything!

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  13. evie

    January 14, 2012 at 6:22 pm

    Followed the recipe exactly and as many others enjoyed it very much but not the burnt on oatmeal that was awful to remove. I tried it again on warm for 8 hours then turned it on high for 11/2 hours, it still burned and was crunchy not smooth the way we like it. Too bad. I will have to try the Pyrex suggestion. Other than the burning, great recipe but almost not worth the cleanup.

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  15. Farah

    December 29, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    Could I do this in a pot with quick cooking oats?

  16. Keren

    October 31, 2011 at 4:06 am

    I just made this and when I took the lid off to serve it this morning there was a thick skin on top. It made for an undesirable texture and because I only made 4-6 servings there wasn’t much underneath the skin… Did I do something wrong? I only had it running for about 7.5 hours on low.

    • Kim Saf

      November 11, 2011 at 10:58 am

      Your crock pot is probably too big for the recipe. To work best, your crock pot should be 2/3 to 3/4 full. If you use a larger crock pot, the recipe will cook much more quickly – probably what happened to you.

      • Keren

        January 18, 2012 at 4:54 pm

        Thanks Kim, I didn’t even think about that! I’m going to try again but triple the recipe :)

  17. Zoe

    October 18, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    Still haven’t seen anyone respond about the possible spoilage of the milk in this recipe. I would love to try this, but would like some insight on this issue first. Thanks!

    • Maurine

      November 30, 2011 at 11:20 pm

      I’m not sure if you can find the original post of this recipe some how, it had a HUGE thread on burning issues, milk spoilage issues, etc. I actually was trying to find it myself. If I remember right, since the milk is cooking and is staying warm, it isn’t a problem, much like if you were using milk in a bechamel recipe or anyother slowcooker recipe. We made it before with no issues.

  18. Michelle

    September 28, 2011 at 1:30 pm

    I’m sorry if someone already asked about this, but I would like to make this so that my 9 month olds can have it too. Have you tried it with just water instead of milk? Would it taste good to the rest of us too?

    • Brittany

      October 2, 2011 at 11:35 pm

      Your 9 month old should be able to have dairy if it’d in something such as oatmeal. I’d say make it like the recipe says and let your kids try it. I’m making this tomorrow for me and my 14 month old :)

      • Michelle

        October 3, 2011 at 1:30 pm

        Thanks, Brittany, I think you’re right. I think when they tell you not to give babies cows milk, they are just concerned about actually replacing breast milk or formula. I didn’t catch that. Oops. :) I’ll give it a try!

        • Kori Penkert

          October 15, 2011 at 11:11 pm

          That is actually not why they recommend against cow milk before 1 year, it is because some children have a very serious allergy that is sometimes fatal when they are small. I would use caution and maybe check with your pediatrician.

        • Jacque

          December 3, 2011 at 1:30 pm

          I want to make this for my 9-month old as well. Has anyone given oatmeal with milk to their baby yet or as the pediatrician?

        • Sarah

          October 28, 2011 at 11:04 am

          The reason milk is not recommended for children under 1 year of age is because it is irritating to a young baby’s intestine. This irritation leads to small amounts of bleeding, putting them at risk for anemia.

  19. Bryon

    September 4, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    Wonderful… My family loves waking up to warm oatmeal. Thanks for the instructions.

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  21. christine

    August 30, 2011 at 9:03 pm

    I first soaked the oats in water and 1-2 tbsp yogurt to break down the phytates (all grains need proper preparation for digestibility and removal of antinutrients that rob us of minerals). After rinsing, I warmed them in milk and my kids (7,5,3) have never asked for seconds until now. Amazing!

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  24. Justin Draper

    July 3, 2011 at 11:30 am

    This is fantastic! I love sugar-free recipes, especially when they use whole grains. You’re site is awesome.

  25. Andrea

    March 8, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    I am soooo taking out the crockpot and making this tonight!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    My boyfriend is working another overnight shift and our little 10 month old boy loooves oatmeal cereal.

    I ADORE my crock pot!!! I’ve been using it long before William was born, but have been using it much more often with him now.

    Cheers
    Andrea