Creamy Stovetop Steel Cut Oats

What Are Steel Cut Oats?

Steel cut oats are formed from groats (whole oat kernels with their outer husks removed) which are then cut into smaller bits. Also known as "Irish oatmeal", they don't have that much of a difference nutritionally-speaking when compared to old-fashioned oats, but feature a heartier chew and nuttier flavor than their flakey counterparts. Because of this they take longer to cook and require more liquid.

What You'll Need

• Steel Cut Oats: The "steel cut" part is key - old-fashioned/rolled, quick, or instant oats will not work with this particular recipe.
• Butter: For toasting the steel cut oats before adding the liquid and cooking. Ooh boy does this smell good, and it brings out a deeper, more nutty flavor in the oats.
• Salt: Very necessary to give these oats some 'pop'. I wouldn't skip it!
• Milk: Use your preferred variety. I've made this creamy steel cut oats recipe with dairy milk (1-2%) and a variety of dairy-free milks and it's all good. Using more milk than water here boosts the creaminess.
• Cinnamon Stick: Simmering a 3-inch-ish cinnamon stick in a batch of stovetop steel cut oats is one of my favorite things about this recipe. While you can sub in ground cinnamon, using a whole stick imparts a richer, more nuanced flavor that permeates every spoonful perfectly. The aroma in your kitchen will also be amazing.
• Maple Syrup & Brown Sugar: Added towards the end, to taste. One or the other (or another sweetener you prefer) is good, though I like a combination of the two for a super cozy flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Step 1: Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the dry oats and toast for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, or until fragrantly nutty.

2. Step 2: Pour in the milk and water, then add the salt and cinnamon stick. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

3. Step 3: Simmer uncovered for 35-40 minutes, or until the liquid is nearly as absorbed as you'd like, but not quite there yet.

4. Step 4: Stir in maple syrup and/or brown sugar during the last few minutes of cook time before serving.

Tips and Tricks

• Serving - Top creamy steel cut oats with your favorite fruits and/or nuts, extra sweetener or cinnamon, etc. I'm very partial to banana slices, toasted pecans, and frozen wild blueberries (they thaw very quickly) and a little extra sprinkle of brown sugar.
• Texture - Pull the steel-cut oats from the stovetop just shy of your ideal oatmeal texture as they'll immediately start to thicken up once they're removed from the heat. If they ever thicken up too much, add extra milk until thinned out again.
• Storage - This recipe yields roughly four portions. Store excess in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Reheating - Leftover portions of steel cut oats will thicken up quite a lot once chilled. To restore that just-made creamy texture, stir a drizzle of milk into the leftover serving before reheating.

Making Quick Steel Cut Oats

Quick cooking steel cut oats are the same hearty steel cut oats we know and love, just cut into even smaller bits so they take less time to cook. And quite a bit less time - in my experience a batch on the stovetop takes around 30 minutes less than regular steel cut oats. Not too shabby of a difference.

You can't substitute quick steel cut oats into regular steel cut oat recipes 1:1, rather there are some important adjustments necessary to end up with the same creamy, perfectly chewy texture. The exact measurements are in the recipe card notes section, below, but here's the gist.

• Reduce the liquid - In general, quick steel cut oats will require half of the amount of liquid as regular steel cut oats.
• Use ground cinnamon - I save my cinnamon sticks for longer-simmering recipes and just go with ground cinnamon when cooking quick steel cut oats.
• Cover the pan - I noticed this difference between the two varieties on the base recipes featured on their canisters, tried it both ways for the quick kind, and agreed. Covering the pan of simmering quick steel cut oats led to a creamier texture. This differs from regular steel cut oats, which you want to cook uncovered to allow for liquid evaporation and thickening.