A how-to on cooking the perfect Steel Cut Oatmeal every time; the best hearty breakfast to keep you full and to jumpstart your day.

If there’s one thing I’m certain of in this life, it’s my never-ending love for oatmeal. Rolled, quick cook, steel cut, I love them all! So when I perfected my method of cooking steel cut oatmeal, I knew I needed to share. In the family of oatmeal, I would consider steel cut to be the finicky temperamental middle child. Rolled oatmeal of course is the oldest child, always in the spotlight yet not causing a whole lot of trouble. Quick-cook oatmeal has got to be the youngest. Tasty, fulfills its purpose, kind of overlooked and mainly used when you don’t have the motivation or energy to make anything else.

But steel cut…. steel cut is absolutely the unruly middle child. Highly temperamental, always overflowing if you’re not careful, quick to burn on the bottom, and all in all requiring a little extra love and care. However when you do give steel cut oats a little extra time and love, they absolutely prove to be worth it! Honestly they’re my favorite cut of oatmeal. Does this whole metaphor and that fact that they’re my favorite have anything to do with the me being the middle child in my family? No comment.

Since steel cut oatmeal can indeed be tougher to cook, I’ve laid out for you my tips and tricks to ensure success to leave you with the perfect creamy, yet never mushy, bowl.

Is steel cut oatmeal different than rolled or instant oatmeal?

Steel Cut Oats: For steel cut the oats are left whole and cut into pieces with a steel mill. They’re also the least processed of the oat varieties. This variety takes the longest to cook, and has a hearty, chewy texture that retains much of its shape even after cooking.
Rolled Oats: To make rolled oatmeal the oats are steamed and pressed flat. Rolled oats cook faster than steel-cut oats, absorb more liquid, and hold their shape relatively well during cooking. They’re my personal favorite to use in baked goods!
Instant Oats: These are pre-cooked, dried, and then rolled and pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats; they’re the most processed of the varieties. Personally I’m not a huge fan because they tend to turn out on the mushy side.

My top tips to make the perfect bowl of steel cut oatmeal:

When I first started making steel cut oatmeal, I simply followed the instructions that came on the package. Well womp womp on that decision because I ran into so many issues and they just never tasted how I wanted. Thus I experimented until I developed the perfect bowl using these handy tips.

Use a larger pot than you would think – steel cut oatmeal really grows as it cooks, plus it has a tendency to overflow so a larger pot is always safer.
Salt – don’t skip the pinch of salt! Don’t worry you won’t end up with a gross salty bowl of oatmeal, the salt really just wakes up the flavor and ensures that the oats aren’t bland.
Combination of water and milk – You can use all water or all milk but I’ve found that the combo makes oats that are just the right amount of creamy while still maintaining an ideal texture.
Add everything to the pot at once – Most packages instruct to bring the liquid to a boil before adding the oats. I have found that this is completely unnecessary, throw everything in at once and then bring to a boil!
Kinda got to babysit it – again, steel cut oats really like to try to overflow so I don’t recommend attempting to get the laundry done while they cook. The recipe card gives further information on how to avoid the overflow.
More liquid than the package calls for – steel cut oatmeal really soaks up the liquid, just follow my recipe and you’ll be golden!
Add more liquid as you go if needed. If your oats are drying out and sticking while they cook just add more liquid!

Does steel cut oatmeal re-heat well?

In short, yes! One of the many reasons that I love steel cut oatmeal is how great it re-heats and makes for the perfect meal prep. The oats will thicken quite a bit overnight in the fridge, but don’t let this alarm you. Once you heat them back up they’ll be good as new.

For the microwave – place the oatmeal in a microwave-safe bowl, add a good splash of milk or water, and reheat in increments, stirring a few times throughout. Note: oatmeal seems to really expand when re-heated so make sure to use a big enough container!

On the stovetop – reheat gently in a saucepan with a large splash of milk or water. Stir and break up the oatmeal as it heats, adding more liquid as needed to keep it from drying out.

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If you make this recipe I would love it if you comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @servingupsimplicity on Instagram and use the hashtag #servingupsimplicity. XOXO