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Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal is made with a few simple ingredients from your pantry! This hearty oatmeal simmers on the stove to create a healthy breakfast meal.
Steel cut oats are creamy, filling and versatile for breakfast. Add your favorite flavors and toppings to create a delicious meal any day of the year. Apple Steel Cut Oatmeal combines fresh apples, cinnamon and a few other simple ingredients. We love topping it off with a handful of crunchy pecans for additional texture and flavor.
What are steel cut oats?
Steel cut oats, also known as Irish or Scottish oats, are processed differently than rolled oats. The steel cut oats are processed by chopping the whole grain groat into a few small pieces, thus creating a relatively unprocessed product. The oats look similar to small pieces of rice. They take longer to cook and have a thicker texture than rolled oats.
We love steel cut oats because they are creamy, comforting and filling. You can easily add your own ingredients to the oats to create a variety of delicious flavor combinations.
Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe
This recipe comes together easily in a medium saucepan.
- TOAST THE OATS. Heat one tablespoon of butter in the saucepan over medium heat. You can use a butter substitute to make this recipe completely vegan. Add steel cut oats and stir for two minutes to toast. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- ADD THE LIQUID. We use a combination of hot water and apple cider. You can omit the apple cider and use an additional 1/2 cup of water instead. Or use 1/2 cup of milk, if desired. Stir the mixture, bringing it to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Cook the oats for 20 minutes.
- ADD APPLES AND SWEETENER. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and add chopped apples and maple syrup. Continue cooking uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the oats thicken to your desired texture.
Substitutions
- The apple cider really enhances the apple flavor. But you can use milk or water instead of apple cider.
- You can make this as sweet as you want, by adding more maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Top the oatmeal off with a handful of your favorite nuts. We use a handful of pecans because we love the extra crunch. You can also use sliced almonds or chopped walnuts.
Reheating apple steel cut oats
To reheat, place the oatmeal in a microwave safe bowl or a saucepan. Add a small amount of milk or water. Reheat slowly on the stovetop or microwave, stirring and adding more liquid as needed.
If you love apple cinnamon oatmeal and are looking for a recipe that requires no cooking, then try Easy Apple Overnight Oats. Or this Baked Apple Oatmeal is a great choice the weekends as it bakes in the oven and reheats well.
With the oatmeal, apples and nut topping, this oatmeal is very filling. You know that you have started the day off right, when you’ve had a big bowl of this hearty oatmeal.
Try it and let us know what you think!
Apple Steel Cut Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup steel cut oatmeal
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups hot water
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 2 medium apples, chopped (I use Gala or Fuji)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat butter until melted. Add steel cut oats and stir for 2 minutes to toast.
- Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Add hot water and apple cider and stir, bringing to a boil. Cover and turn heat down to low; cook oats for 20 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir in chopped apples and maple syrup. Continue cooking, uncovered for 15 minutes, or until oats thicken to your desired texture.
- Serve immediately and garnish with pecans, if desired.
Notes
- You can make this recipe vegan by using a vegan substitute for the butter.
- Use your favorite type of nuts for extra crunchy topping. Pecans, almonds and walnuts are great choices.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat prior to serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The way this recipe reads is weird. 3 1/2 cups water made me think it was 3.5 cups per serving. Let’s just say I have oat soup. Oops.
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. I don’t mind changing the wording so it’s easier to understand but I’m not sure how it’s written weird. The recipe makes 4 servings and the entire recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups of water.
Hi Ashley. Is it 3.5 cups of water or 1.5 cups of water. I think 1.5 cups 3*.5cups. that’s why it’s confusing. I tripled it and had to add extra oats. Steel cut oats usually have about 1.5 cups of water per serving, not 4 cups (3.5 cups of water and .5 cups of apple cider.)
Hi Mike! I don’t see where you see it says 1 1/2 cup of water in the recipe? The recipe makes 4 servings, not 1 serving. When I prepare steel cut oats, I use 3 1/2 to 4 cups of water per 1 cup of dry steel cut oats. The recipe reads exactly as it should be prepared, ie. 1 cup steel cut oats and 4 cups liquid.
Ashley then I take it back. It came out to watery for my taste. However I added more oats to save it. I retract my 4 star review and 5 stars all around. Have a good day.
This makes such a warm and comforting breakfast. Toasting the oats before cooking is such a great tip!
This is the yummiest way to eat oatmeal, hands down!
Has anyone adapted this for the slow cooker or the Instant Pot. I’ve become such a “lazy” cook and use my Instant Pot most often and the slow cooker nearly as much. Right now I’ve been making a baked steel cut oatmeal which is awesome but this one sounds like a winner as well and I would really love to try it. I appreciate any help. Thanks! = )
Does this fridge well ? I wanted to make it today for my breakfast tomorrow and Friday . Just wondering how I would go about that
Hi, Stephanie! Yes, it does. I sometimes make a batch on the weekends to last me for a few days throughout the week. Enjoy!
I absolutely love this recipe!!!! I made it for the first time yesterday and my kids loved it and I loved it and I had to wake up at 4 o’clock this morning and make another pot because it was so good. The only difference is instead of using maple syrup I used light brown sugar and it was a really good substitute. And then also I put the apples in with the oatmeal as it was boiling because I like the cooked apples and I like the flavor of the apples with the oatmeal instead of just having the diced apples on top with the pecans. Today I’m toasting pecans in the oven and I’m going to try them on top. So we’ll see how that turns out. I’m not usually one who likes any kind of nuts in her oatmeal, but with this recipe, I think it will be a very nice touch.
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Val! Brown sugar is definitely a good substitute. Enjoy your second batch 🙂
I love eating oatmeal for breakfast – it’s one of my favorites. And I love that this has apple cider in it! This weekend is going to be busy for me too – way too much to get done!
I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy oatmeal – this is great, thanks for sharing!