This Carrot Apple Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal makes for the most delicious and healthy breakfast! Set and forget these oats as they cook overnight in your crockpot and you wake up to a hearty, gluten-free crock-pot oatmeal that is a yummy veggie-loaded way to start the day!
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TNNers, this recipe has been my saving grace on busy weekday mornings as of late.
I am a morning person. I love to get up early, be a rockstar and cross things off my to-do list before the sun even comes up. It is how I have always been and morning is just my magical time for being productive (I’m pretty useless after 5pm, by the way….so you night owls have me there).
However, my husband started a new job recently that has him up and out the door about an hour earlier than before. Thus, our family’s morning schedule is all kinds of off as we adjust to this new (good) change. I might be a morning rockstar, but I am also a rockstar who likes a routine.
So to keep mornings mellow, stress-free and make sure everyone leaves the house with a breakfast in their belly, I am pulling out some of my time-saving kitchen hacks while we adjust. And one of my favorite kitchen hacks is cooking all the things in my slow cooker.
My slow cooker is almost in constant use in my house and has been helping me get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour since I first figured out that being a full-time working mom wasn’t as easy as all those sitcom mamas from the 90’s made it look. However, slow cookers can be an amazing way to get breakfast on the table and take the stress out of getting a healthy balanced breakfast on the table. And this carrot apple slow cooker steel cut oatmeal is my prime example!
Why carrot apple slow cooker steel cut oatmeal is amazing….
- Easy to throw together in minutes
- Cooks overnight while you sleep…so you wake up to breakfast done and ready to eat. This is kind of the dream (pun intended).
- It is veggie-loaded! Breakfast is the meal that veggies usually get left out of and this recipes serves up oh-so healthy carrots with its fruity BFF apples for a delicious breakfast that tastes as good as it is for you.
- Its hearty. Steel cut oat are full of fiber, are a good source of iron and really stick to your bones so that you aren’t starving an hour after breakfast.
- Its family-friendly. Your kids, partner, roommate, parents, house guests and random friend who is crashing on your couch are going to love this recipe! It’s naturally sweet and has a lovely blend of textures and flavors that dazzles the tastebuds and just leaves you satisfied.
- It can naturally be made gluten free, vegan and dairy-free. If gluten free is important due to an allergy or intolerance, just be sure to buy certified gluten free steel cut oats. And to make it dairy-free and vegan, just use your favorite plant based milk (I like unsweetened almond milk)
- It makes great leftovers. This recipe makes a nice big batch, so it is perfect for families. But if you find yourself with leftovers, just store it in the fridge and reheat it in the morning! Breakfast done and ready two (or three) days in a row makes this recipe even better.
- It’s cost efficient while also being healthy. One of the biggest struggles I hear from my readers is that trying to eat real food is the cost and trying to feed a family on a budget. This steel cut oatmeal recipe will not only make you feel good about what you are filling your family’s belly with, but will help you keep your grocery budget in check.
Can I make this carrot apple steel cut oatmeal on my stove top?
Totally! If you are a morning person like me, you can head to bed early and make this recipe in the AM.
Combine the milk and water in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil.
Stir in remaining ingredients and lower heat to a simmer.
Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Can I make this carrot apple steel cut oatmeal in my Instant Pot?
Absolutely! I love my IP for “set and forget” meals that are done in no time!
To make this steel cut oatmeal in your Instant Pot, just combine all ingredients in your IP, stirring a few times.
Place the lid on your Instant Pot and lock it into place. Be sure that the valve is switched to “sealing”.
Cook on MANUAL high pressure for 4 minutes. Once timer goes off, let the pressure naturally release for 20 minutes. Manually release remaining pressure.
Can I use rolled oats or quick-cook oats instead of steel cut oatmeal in this recipe?
Sorry, but not in the slow cooker. Steel cut oats work so good in this recipe because they are hearty AND require a longer cook time than other oatmeal.
Cooking rolled or quick-cook oats overnight will leave you with mush in the morning. So, I strongly suggest sticking to the steel cut oatmeal when cooking with your crockpot.
Suggested Adaptations
- Sub the carrots with grated zucchini!
- Cook it on your stove top or in your Instant Pot (see above for how to)
- Double the batch for a larger breakfast crowd or for leftovers.
- Skip the milk and use just water as your liquid. I like a creamier oatmeal, which is why I love adding my favorite milk into the cooking process. But if you can totally use just water in this recipe if you want.
Other oatmeal recipes you are going to need to add to your life…
Carrot Apple Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 medium apple roughly chopped
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup steel cut oats certified gluten free, if needed
- 2 cups milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond)
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup or to taste
- 1 tsp coconut, olive or avocado oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground flax optional
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Instructions
- Using a pastry brush or paper towel, coat the inside of your slow cooker with the 1 teaspoon of oil.
- Combine remaining ingredients in your slow cooker and stir it a few times to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours for a firmer textured oatmeal or for 8 for a softer texture.
- After the oatmeal is done cooking, remove lid and stir. Enjoy warm topped with more milk, cinnamon, chopped nuts, nut butter, berries, yogurt, extra honey or a dash of extra cinnamon.
- Allow leftovers to cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4 days.
Put this to the Monday morning test and it did not disappoint! Delicious and waking up to breakfast done was so nice. I added zucchini and used chopper dates to sweeten it.