Slow Cooker Oatmeal couldn’t be easier to make. You can even make it the night before! It’s healthy, delicious and can be topped with anything you love!

Slow Cooker Oatmeal from weelicious.comPin

I’ve been making Slow Cooker Oatmeal for as long as I can remember now. It’s one of the recipes everyone in the family can agree on in the morning. Plus, it’s inexpensive and can be doctored up any way you like it. We top ours with everything from hemp seeds, to berries, sliced bananas, chopped walnuts, maple syrup, honey and more.

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 to mention enough energy to carry them through to lunch.

Slow Cooker Oatmeal from weelicious.comPin
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

How to Make Slow Cooker Oatmeal

This recipe is about as easy as 1, 2, 3 and basically cooks itself. Here’s how to make it:

  1. Place 1 cup steel cut oats, 2 cups water, 2 1/2 cups milk and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in your slow cooker.
  2. Cook the oatmeal on low heat for 2-6 hours. The amount of time can vary depending on your slow cooker. Some that don’t have non stick surfaces can get hotter then others.
  3. Stir in your desired toppings and serve!

Got a Rice Cooker?

Don’t have a slow cooker? You can make this recipe in your rice cooker on the porridge setting. Super duper easy!

Slow Cooker Oatmeal from weelicious.comPin
Slow Cooker Oatmeal is great if everyone in your family needs breakfast at different times. It stays warm in the slow cooker so whether someone needs breakfast at 6am and someone else needs it at 9am, both will have a special breakfast to warm them up. You can even prepare it the night before so there’s no stress when the morning comes and everyone is hungry! It’s the easiest breakfast you’ll ever make.

More Oatmeal Recipes

I’ve now made this recipe five days in a row now, so there must be something about it that’s working! Let me know what toppings you always add to your oatmeal and tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe!

Pin

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

5 from 1 vote
Author: Catherine McCord
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients  

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

Instructions 

  • Place the first 4 ingredients in a crock pot and stir to combine.
  • Cook the oatmeal on low heat for 2-6 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). Oatmeal will stay warm overnight. 
  • Stir in desired accompaniments and serve.
  • * I like to let the kids squeeze in their own honey to get them involved.
  • * Swirl in a bit of extra milk to cool it down for kids.
  • * Optional ingredients: berries, fresh or frozen fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spices or other toppings you enjoy. 
  • * Don’t have a crock pot/slow cooker? You can make it the same way using a rice cooker on the porridge setting. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 65mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. Hello, thank you fir your recipes. I’m looking fir a large good quality crock pot. What brand is yours? What’s the size and where did you purchase it from ? Thank you

  2. I was looking for recipes with milk for my baby, found this, and cooked it for my 14m son and he loved it. Thank you! Please add more recipes with milk if you have more. Can we add chicken broth instead of water to this meal?

  3. Just prepped a double batch of this oatmeal! I freeze individual portions in ice cube trays for my 9 month olds daily breakfast. Have done this for both my babies, they love it!

  4. Hi how soon do you store the oatmeal after you cook it overnight? Also do you reheat after you take out of the fridge?

  5. Here is a great way to cook oatmeal. Keep it in the frig, and eat it cold the next day with fruits, etc.

  6. I tried this recipe yesterday and it tasted terrific. My children did also like it. Thank you for sharing.

  7. you can start experimenting with oatmeal between 4-6 months. It is definitely going to depend on your baby is doing with chewing, or gumming, foods and handling solids.

  8. How old do babies have to be to have “regular” (or steel cut) oats vs. baby oatmeal or ground up oats/oatmeal?

  9. […] very little morning time. Fill a slow cooker with steel cut oats the night before, and wake up to warm oatmeal everyone can scoop into a bowl and top with their favorite […]

  10. 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.

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

  12. 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!

  13. 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.

  14. 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?

  15. […] Mornings. Waking up to a hot breakfast will almost make mornings bearable… almost. How about oatmeal, bacon & eggs or even this Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole… yum! […]

  16. 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!!

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

  18. 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:).

  19. 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.

  20. 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.

  21. 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.

  22. 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.

  23. 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!

  24. 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 🙂

  25. 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?

  26. […] Mornings. Waking up to a hot breakfast will almost make mornings bearable… almost. How about oatmeal, bacon & eggs or even this Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole… yum! […]

  27. 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!

  28. Brain-Boosting Breakfast: 5 "tilbage-til-hverdagen" morgenmads-ideer - JuniorBusiness says:

    […] aftenen før, og står så og passer sig selv natten over, så den er klar til morgenmaden. Læs opskriften eller Se mere hér: Morgenmads-Quesadillas Hvem har ikke prøvet at stå om morgenen med x antal […]

  29. easy, healthy breakfast for busy moms | overnight crockpot oatmeal | {NATURAL} MOMMIE says:

    […] found this recipe a while back via Weelicious. Click here to take a look – she even has a fabulous little video to watch if you need visuals. […]

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

  31. 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

  32. I have a crock pot that only has a low and a high setting so, the first time I made this, it came out really runny with a thick, burnt crust all around the inside of the crock. Last night I made it and it turned out perfectly! I had to use the glass bowl in a water bath method…and I only used 2 cups of milk instead of 2 1/2 cups. I like thicker oatmeal so we can add ice cubes or cold milk to cool it down. It was just too soupy last time but this did the trick. The oats still had texture to them, too. Thanks for all the ideas! 🙂

  33. Thanks for the awesome recipe! It was a hit with my husband, who doesn’t normally get excited about oatmeal, so I’m super excited about it! Can’t wait to try all the add-ins everyone suggested!

  34. […] looking recipes. Some I’ve found are not really for babies, but for the whole family – oatmeal in the crockpot, black bean soup in the crockpot, and hummus. There are lots of other good ones […]

  35. I’ve been making oatmeal in our crockpot for quite a while but I make enough at once to last us for several days if not the whole week. While it does stick to the sides, i just turn it off and let it set and after a while it tends to scrape down with a rubber spatula pretty well. That part becomes my fav on subsequent days. I put raisins in ours when I set it up at night. It makes it sweet enough not to need any added sweetner in the morning!

  36. My bowl is a pyrex bowl that was my mothers. I know it can withstand any heat. I’ve even made date pudding in it in the oven.
    The only way I think she can do it overnight is if she has a super fancy one with a timer. I make it at 10pm and turn it off at 6:30 once I get downstairs. That barely makes it under the 9 hours. But it reheats really well and my son eats it for 3 days straight. So if you are a fraid of burning, you could cook it for 6 hours during the day and see how that works.

  37. Would like to try this. Love so many of the recipes on this site. However, I’m concerned about the burning issue. Catherine, how does this NOT happen to you? Those of you using a “bowl liner”, what type of bowl does it need to be in order to safely “cook” all night?

  38. […] favorites would be Miso Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese (always a crowd favorite), Oatmeal in a Crock Pot, Baked Ziti and PB&J Breakfast Cupcakes. It’s tough though, they’re my best […]

  39. Ahh I see now that I’m not the only one! I had only read the first half of the comments before. The second half is ALL about the burning. I’ll try the bowl liner and/or low setting and see how it goes. I really want to make it again for my son but was discouraged about the cleanup.

  40. I loved the texture of it and my 2 year old gobbled it up two days in a row and cried when the last bite was gone but… Am I the only one that had half of the oatmeal stuck to the crockpot? It was easy and yummy but the clean up was no fun. Any tips?

  41. Highly inappropriate and cowardly to anonymously leave snide comments. If you don’t like Catherine, or her site, then please just find somewhere else to go.

  42. Most recipes are not originals. How many times have you seen the same recipes on cooking shows? I hope you can find piece in your life.

  43. I can’t believe how many people have never tried this! It’s fabulous and has been published just about everywhere on the web, like so many of the recipes and ideas here. Nice that they are all making it to a forum that gets attention due to the writer’s (former) status.

  44. Just wanted to say that cooking on the warm setting all night and turning to high for about an hour in the morning made this PERFECT! No sticking, no clumping, soooooo creamy and yummy! My two year old is on his second bowl as we speak. :))

  45. I have made this a few times and LOVED it even though I also had burning and globbed up oats around the edges. 🙁 I am going to try again tonight on warm, fingers crossed!

  46. Someone else had mentioned the milk and adding it on at the end… Has anyone tried that? I too always thought milk should be added at the end of something cooking, especially for a long time. Any insight on this?

  47. Thanks for the great recipe! Mine burned around the edges too but now I see I can try the warm setting. I’ll try that next. This is great with a little organic peanut butter and honey stirred in. My 5 year old gobbles it up! Thanks again!!

  48. I tried this in rice cooker yesterday. yummy! I put on “keep warm” for 9 hours. Easy cleaning because the non-stick surface. Thanks for the idea. Love your site.

  49. Love this. I’ve never used steel cut oats, it took me a while to find them at any store. I cooked it in a metal bowl with water around it in the crockpot on low, just a little crunchy around the top edges. So easy to clean up.

  50. Thank you for this because I have been wanting to try the crock pot recipe but I have a whole bag of rolled oats that need used up so I didn’t want to buy more oats until I used those!

  51. I use my rice cooker to cook up regular/ old fashioned oats. This takes ~15 minutes in the morning instead of preplanning the night before. Have you done a rice cooker recipe here before?

    Here’s my oatmeal in the rice cooker recipe. 🙂

    Coat the inside of the rice cooker with nonstick spray. I use a 1.5:1 water:oats 6 C water + 4 C oats for 2 adults & 4 kiddos. Stir in 1 T vanilla. Click on. Once cooked, unplug. If adding in grated fruit/veggies, do so with the vanilla and up the liquid (for those who need exact ~by 1/8 C for each C oats so 6C water + 4 C oats + 1 grated apple + 1/2 C water )

    At the end, it will be sticky and require additional liquid. We stir in cold milk & a mix in for the big kids (berries, nuts, mini marshmallows, brown sugar, mini chocolate chips)

  52. I made this for breakfast this morning. While the edible portion was yummy, there was at least half that was burned and stuck on my crock pot. A tip for removing the burned on mess is to fill the crock pot with water up to the top of the burned portion and cook on warm until it loosens up enough to clean easily.

  53. Love the frozen blueberries to cool it down! And the Nutella suggestion- can’t wait to try this!

  54. I still did have burning, but my edible oatmeal to burnt oatmeal ration was much better when I doubled it!

  55. the first time I made it, it had a one-inch thick border of burnt oatmeal around the edges. This time I doubled the recipe and it turned out much better. Leftovers for school mornings.

    I also added shredded apple and pumpkin pie spice it. The apple totally disolves very nicely into the oatmeal,and the house smelled like apple pie in the morning.

  56. The first time I made this it burned and was near-impossible to clean out my crock pot. I tried it again on warm overnight and in the morning put it on high for about an hour and a half and it was AMAZING. I’m going to make it for my family when they are in town so that is why I am going to double the recipe ^.

  57. Is it really okay to cook milk all night long? I always thought milk should only be added at the end of slow cooking.

  58. I did this overnight from 10-7am then turned it on high for 30 min as recommended. I have a very large oval crockpot. It was a pretty perfect consistency and the oats were soft but still had just enough texture to keep it from being mushy. Great healthy start to our day! Thanks once again C for a GREAT recipe.

  59. since it is cooking over night, you need the steel oats, not the quick cooking ones since it will cook faster. but I would give it a try to see how they turn out.

  60. I would love to make this recipe and am wondering if I can use my Trader Joe’s quick cooking steel oats? I just don’t like the way they cook in the microwave and still have a whole cannister.

  61. Once you throw in grated apple, raisins and cinnamons in the pot with the oats, they will dissolve by morning and will be soo yummy!

  62. I’m trying to replicate my baby’s favorite “apple cinnamon raisin oatmeal” babyfood. Any ideas on how to make this (slightly chunky/baby-friendly) dish in the crock pot?

  63. I agree that you may want to cook it at a lower setting for most of the night, then turn it up either when you get up for the day or during the night if you get up for another reason (bathroom, kids, etc). I’ve only done this a few times, but my mom does it often. Most times she’ll use a large pyrex or corning ware bowl that will fit inside the crock pot bowl – no “buffer” needed between the two except a 1/4 cup of water in the crock pot bowl (surrounding the other bowl with the oats), and clean up is pretty easy with just a thin residue in the crock pot. She’ll simply rinse the pot a bit with hot water, then cook a crock pot meal in it for dinner… as long as your meal has some kind of water or broth, it’ll be fine and you’ll only have to clean it once!

  64. The warm or simmer setting works well and cooks the oats just fine. I cook mine for 8 hours on simmer and the oats still have some texture. So if you like them softer, I would suggest cooking them a little longer than 9 hours.

  65. It will take some Googling (I can’t remember where I saw it, sorry!). But I read somewhere that one Mom put all the ingredients in a bowl and set it inside the crockpot and filled the crockpot with water up to the brim of the bowl and cooked it over night. You’d probably have to have a decent size crockpot and a rather large bowl though :/

    Otherwise, the last time I made steel cut oats in the crockpot I just put a little dish soap and hot water in it and let it sit for a long time before cleaning the crockpot insert. It wasn’t so concrete-like!

    GL!

  66. **QUESTION** I made this last night per directions and put it on low for 8hrs. It was REALLY good, but burned pretty badly on the bottom and sides :/ It was a PAIN to clean out 🙁 I am going to make this work bc it is soooo easy. Trying it again tonight, but putting it on warm instead and then turning it up to high when we get up…not super excited it won’t be ready right away tho. Any other ideas??? Anyone else have this problem?!?!

  67. I would add in some water to loosen it up then just pop it in the microwave or just heat in a pot over low-medium heat just to warm it up.

  68. Can’t wait to try this! What’s the best way to reheat leftovers if I make a big batch at the beginning of the week?

  69. Love this idea!! I like the other person’s suggestion about making a big batch and having it all week long for breakfast. You could do different things with it like fruit one day, honey/nuts another. I think with all the yummy spices out there you could make this taste pretty good. And what a wonderful smell!

  70. I have steel cut oats every morning. I usually add 2 heaping tsp of flax meal and toss in some raisins to sweeten it up.
    LOVE the idea of making in the crockpot and using it through the week. Definately a time saver!
    And can I just say…I love, love, love this website!!!!

  71. I always grate a pear or an apple into my oatmeal. it’s so yummy! It’s the ultimate cold weather breakfast. But i eat it all year round, too!

  72. Such a great idea for the crockpot! I love steel cut oats, but never have time to make them in the morning. Thanks!

  73. What if i wanted to add ground nuts (almonds, walnuts) to this before cooking – how much would you add and would you need to add more liquid?

  74. What a nice idea. I love making things in the crockpot, especially during this time of year. Sometimes I make a wild-rice blend in the crockpot and it’s so deliciously risotto-like. thanks for all your inspiration, catherine!
    Megan A

  75. Nicole! You can double the batch, and it sluohd fit into a 6-7 qt. crock pot but it most likely will be very full????? I usual make them in two smaller crock pots when I want a double batch! Happy Crocking!

  76. For moms who don’t have a crockpot a small batch of oatmeal in a thermos is super easy too.

  77. They now have GF Steel Cut Oats (I just saw them!) at the store so I can try this. My guess is this recipe does need steel cut oats because they take longer to cook (hence why most people don’t use them) and would be great in a crock pot. They are truly fantastic. Steel Cut Oats are different from rolled or old fashioned oats for those that ask. You can get them at Trader Joes or any other supermarket (sometimes they come in a can or Bob’s Redmill comes in a clear bag). Can’t wait to try!

  78. I would this the rolled oats would turn to mush. I think steel cut is supposed to be healthier as well.

  79. Are steel cut oats different from rolled oats? “Old fashioned oats”? DO I have to use the steel cut kind? This sounds AWESOME! I am so glad you posted this recipe.

  80. I’ve got steel cut oats, but have never used them because I thought they required extra prep time. Do you have to pre-soak or do anything special to them before adding them to the crock pot?

  81. I love my steelcut oatmeal this way! I make a batch for Monday morning and reheat it with soy milk all week long. I love to stir a spoonful of nutella into it with chopped up fruit – strawberries and raspberries are awesome, or just apples and cinnamon! Peanut butter works well too. Oatmeal does need a bit of help to make it extra yummy!

  82. I love that idea! I like the steel cut oatmeals’ texture, the ‘crunch’ so to speak… I’m going to try this tonight!!

  83. We love doing our steel cut oats this way, but they get too mushy for us on low, so we do them overnight on the “keep warm”, then I turn them to high for about 30 minutes while I’m getting the kids up and dressed. Also, we love frozen blueberries hidden in the bottom of each bowl to cool the oatmeal down and make it a funky purple color.

  84. When I make these in the crock pot, I put it on “simmer” for 8 hours and the oats are still somewhat crunchy. I know other people who cook these on the warming setting, too.

  85. Steel cut oats are my favorite and I have been meaning to make them in the crock pot forever. I’m a little worried that they will be to soft when made in the crock pot instead of having that wonderful crunchy texture that I love. Do they still keep their texture?

  86. Some people make this recipe with no milk and all water so I’m sure any liquid would be fine.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating