Healthy Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oatmeal – full of cinnamon and almonds, sweetened with honey, enriched with chia seeds and ready in under 30 minutes. A healthy filling breakfast that will last you until lunch!

This Instant Pot Healthy Cinnamon Almond Steel-Cut Oatmeal is a heart-healthy, delicious breakfast that’s easy to cook up on a busy morning.  Sweetened with honey, flavored with cinnamon and almonds, enriched with chia seeds, and packed with hearty steel-cut oats.  This steel-cut oatmeal will give you a morning boost and keep you satisfied for hours.  Making this hearty steel-cut oatmeal in an Instant Pot makes it that much better because it cooks up so fast (for steel-cut oatmeal) without having to watch it like a hawk.

We stayed on the DL these last couple weeks.  All 4 of our cute little ladies caught RSV.  UGH!  If you have little ones recovering from the Icky Germs Invasion check out these Easy Hydration Popsicles for cold and flu season.  We find they help our sick kiddos stay hydrated more easily.  When we have weeks like this we keep things simple.  This hearty steel-cut oatmeal is awesome if you’re looking for a 30-minute breakfast that will keep you full until lunch. 

Having late nights or busy morning’s can make a hot breakfast feel impossible.  Trust me, I know!  When the sun decided to play its cruel trick on me and peek through my shutters at 7 o’ clock in the morning, I knew I needed to get up and make breakfast.  This is a go-to hot breakfast when mornings are busy or I’m to lazy and tired to cook something “fancy.”  

If you like this recipe, you may also like these:

• Berry Banana Breakfast Smoothie
• Easy No-Bake Chocolate Energy Balls
• Healthy Fruit Frozen Yogurt Bark
• Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Instant Pot Spicy Turkey Meatballs
• Instant Pot Eggnog Cheesecake

From start to finish, how long does this Instant Pot steel-cut oatmeal take to make?

I find that some Instant Pot recipes don’t take into account the extra time associated with completing a dish (the heat up and release time).  This recipe is legit, ready in 30 minutes, start to finish.  It only takes a minute or two to get your ingredients into the pot.  Set the pressure to high and cook for 7-9 minutes depending on how firm or soft you like your oats.  It takes about 4-5 minutes to come up to pressure and another 15 minutes or so to release.  In total, 30 minutes is about how long it takes to make an Instant Pot full of this healthy steel-cut oatmeal.

Benefits of this easy Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oatmeal:

• Cooks in an Instant Pot (or electric pressure cooker) – throw everything in, turn it on, and leave it alone until it’s done.  I love any meal that’s a throw-and-go, but love it even more, when that meal cooks in half or third the time.  This oatmeal only takes a couple minutes to put together, then you let the Instant Pot do all the work. Love that!
• Healthy, Hearty, and Delicious – this recipe is full of such yummy flavors (almond and cinnamon), it’s bursting with healthy ingredients such as chia seeds, STEEL-CUT oats, almonds and sweetened with honey.  This recipe will keep you feeling full for longer because of the nature of steel-cut oats (a low-glycemic index food)
• 30-Minute HOT Breakfast (with only a few minutes of your time required)- this Instant Pot steel-cut oatmeal recipe only takes a minute or two to put together.  You set it and forget it while it cooks.  No babysitting the pot of oats on the stove.  No constant stirring.  Set it and forget it!

This oatmeal is not only quick and easy, but also very healthy.  Full of heart-healthy steel-cut oats, one of the most healthy oats you can eat (more about that in a minute).  Also, it’s packed with cinnamon, almonds, chia seeds, and naturally sweetened with raw honey.  It’s one of those meals you eat and feel like, maybe, you should be guilty but then remember it’s totally healthy. Score!

What’s the big deal about steel-cut oats?

Steel-cut oats are more healthy for you than quick oats and rolled oats.  They’re the least processed of the bunch and because of that, takes longer to cook.  Steel-cut oats haven’t been processed, rolled, and partially cooked.  It has a higher fiber content and takes your body longer to process.  It’s also considered low on the glycemic index.    This is why you feel fuller longer when you eat steel-cut oats compared to other oats.  Pretty awesome, right?!  Who knew all these different oats come from the same exact grain but are processed differently?  When I first learned about these differences, I thought it was so interesting.

How do you make this Healthy Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oatmeal?

I love this oatmeal because the ingredients are so clean and raw.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• water
• steel-cut oats
• chia seeds
• raw honey
• raw almonds
• cinnamon
• salt

I started by turning my Instant Pot on to begin warming then I added the steel-cut oats, raw almonds, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt, and raw honey.

Next, I added the water.  It doesn’t look like a lot but trust me, it will expand.  It comes out thick and so hearty.  Here’s to a very filling hot breakfast.

Lastly, I gave it a quick stir, locked the lid, and set the cook time.  This oatmeal cooks at high pressure for 7-9 minutes (depending on how soft or firm you like your oats).  7 minutes keeps the oats a little more firm with a more chewy texture which we prefer because we like to add milk to our oatmeal.  

If you prefer softer oatmeal, increase the cook time by a minute or two.  Once the cooking timer beeped, turned the Instant Pot OFF (or unplug it) and let the pressure come down on its own.  This takes about 15-20 minutes.  

In a big hurry? I’d guess you could cook the steel-cut oatmeal a few minutes longer then do a 5 or 10-minute natural release–I haven’t tried this so if you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out.

Once the Instant Pot depressurized, open and stir.  The steel-cut oatmeal may look like it’s not cooked or that it has standing liquid on top.  Just stir the oatmeal and the liquid will disperse and be absorbed.

Once it’s blended, scoop it out into bowls, added a little milk if you like and enjoy.  This steel-cut oatmeal really is a great one.  It’s just sweetened enough my kids will eat it without added sugar.  If you want to keep all the good qualities of raw honey that may be lost when cooked, you can add the honey after the oats have cooked.

It’s so filling, my husband actually didn’t finish all of his because he was full (I split this recipe 3 ways).

Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oatmeal Recipe Card:

Originally Published: 02.27.2017                            Updated: 03.05.2024