Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

I’ve made crockpot overnight oatmeal before, and it came out gummy, dry, tasteless and just plain disappointing. So I was hesitant to try this, especially since some of the comments have been pretty similar to what I experienced before.

I was THRILLED with the outcome of this recipe! I did adapt a little based on some of the comments; for example, I added 1 large and 4 small apples to the crockpot (really I was just cleaning out the apples from the bottom of my produce drawer!), and I swapped 3/5 of the milk for almond milk (I think this added a lot of flavor while cutting some fat and calories, though the finished product did not taste particularly almond-y as you might expect). And I added a scant 1/2 cup extra oatmeal, along with a little more salt and cinnamon than was called for (I didn’t really measure it…but I’d say I doubled the cinnamon and probably added at least an extra 1/2 tsp. of salt).

Finally, because my slow cooker cooks on the hot side, I set it on “low” for only 5 hours and then let it switch over to “warm” for the remaining cook time and that’s where it stayed until I got up this morning (total cook time was about 8 hours…5 on low and 3 on warm).

I love the creaminess of rice pudding, and this has the same texture. It needs to be sweetened (I think), but rather than adding sugar to the oatmeal before cooking, follow the recipe as it is written and then each person in your family or group can add their own sweetener (sugar, honey, Splenda, maple syrup, brown sugar, etc.) as they prefer it in their own bowl.

This is delicious, and so easy (and a great way to clean out some fruit from the fridge!). I wish I had had some raisins in the cupboard because I would have added those, and I like the ideas others have posted about adding craisins, dried cranberries, pecans, almond slivers, etc. In this recipe, given the creamy base oatmeal, most add-ins would probably be delicious. I’m very pleased.

My son absolutely devoured this recipe. We did make some adjustments as I noticed comments about it being liquidy. We did 2 1/2 C steel oats and adjusted the milk to 4 Cup. I doubled the cinnamon and vanilla as we can never have enough of either. We also tripled the apple (using Red Delicious) And I cooked it in a crock pot liner so I didn’t have the mess. And it was excellent. We served maple syrup over top. It was best day 1, but also worked for leftovers. 3 of us managed to eat the entire batch over three days.

Absolutely delicious! My entire family loved this including 3 teenagers! Made it exactly by the recipe and it turned out perfect! Just sprinkled a little light brown sugar on to before serving!

We loved this one too! I usued regular old fashioned oatmeal & little extra apple, flax seeds & coconut! It was so delicious in the morning & the next couple days… it reminded us of rice pudding! so creamy!

This is by far my favorite!!! I do use up to 5 McIntosh apples for extra flavor. I have so much of this that I actually eat it all week long. A little bit of Brown sugar and I am good to go.
And I can attest-it definitely helps in lowering bad cholesterol!!!!

Mine came out perfect. I too added between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. My husband loved it. I didn’t have honeycrisps – just gala on hand and it was still good.

I made this last night and it turned out decent. I added 1/2 c brown sugar. I did not use steel cut oats, just regular Quaker oats. The texture was kind of mushy, but tasted very good. My 18m loved it! It does make a ton so make sure there are extra mouths on hand to eat it!

If your slow cooker runs on the hot side I would try making this on warm, overnight. My friend has a Rival that boils on LOW and she does this sometimes.

I was really looking forward to trying this but it was scorched and overcooked the next morning! :( I have a large oval Crockpot, maybe 10 years old, and it seems to run a bit hot, even on low heat. I waited until around 10 pm to start this recipe and was up by 6 am. From reading the comments, I may need to try filling the pot completely.,.. Any tips?

Jane, For this recipe, you will need to use steel cut oats…this recipe is pretty specific about that.

Could you use a different type of oatmeal in place of the steel oats and would you have to adjust the recipe then?

How big, Katerina? We used a 6qt, so 7qt should be fine. Your crock needs to be filled 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Will this work in a large crock pot? I don’t have a smaller one.

Reduced the milk by one cup after reading other reviews about being mushy
Added 1/4 cup brown sugar and raisins
Absolutely delicious and hot in this cold October morning
I do think I need a better crockpot though using it quite a bit lately getting scorching on sides of bowl

Thanks, Kelley! Great tips!

This was great! I added 1/2 c brown sugar, dried cranberries and slivered almonds!
It makes a ton, though. I’ll be saving the leftovers in individual serving size containers that I can microwave in the mornings.

Great idea, Jeannine!! Thanks for sharing such a great tip with all of us. We usually make this in our nonstick GE crock, but we still spray it. Just a good habit, I guess :) This one can get really messy…

I love this oatmeal but I changed it up a little bit. I only used 1 cup of oatmeal, used 1 1/2 cup milk, 1 1/2c apple juice, 2-3 tsp cinnamon, 2 apples, and added 3-4 T of brown sugar. I’ve also cooked it 2 different ways. The first time I cooked it straight in the crock pot (after spraying it really well!) and it was good but what a mess to clean up! The next time, I cooked it in a bowl that was sprayed then placed in the crock pot in a water bath. Just as good and so much easier to clean up.

Jessica…I have no clue girl. Sorry! :(

Mine has turned out very liquidy. What did I do wrong?

By far and away the worst recipe that I have ever made in a crock pot. It has absolutely no flavor and the consistency of mush. My first clue should have been the ratio of salt and cinnamon to the volume of liquids. Also, seven hours is also way too long for this recipe which I know can vary by crock pot and is unfortunate for an overnight recipe. Probably half of what was made was thrown away as it was either burnt to the sides or looked like milk slime.

Michelle,
Sorry to hear about that, girl. Hate it when a recipe doesn’t works out like I had hoped.

I was so excited to make this and was so disappointed that this was not a hit. My husband, who eats anything and everything I make and loves it, said not to ever cook this again. Texture was mealy and there was no flavor. It was downright gross. Sorry!

We loved this. I used vanilla almond milk and doubled the apples and cinnamon. My house smelled heavenly. This is sure to become a family favorite!

My family gave mixed reviews for this oatmeal recipe. It was our first time trying steel cut oatmeal, which I think that I will use more often now. First, it is a huge recipe – I just now saw the note above that it will serve 10 people. I don’t believe that information was available when I printed the recipe. It’s very easy to make. I cooked it on low for 8 hours. 7 hours would be better, as it started to stick on the sides and get a little brown. I served it with brown sugar and milk. My husband and I liked it. My boys who usually eat oatmeal, weren’t too sure about the “mushy” (or custard-like) texture. I think that I will try to make it again, cutting the recipe in half and using my smaller slow cooker and cooking for less time. Hoping that my kids will like it after they try it again. Thanks!

We love this! It is what I make for Sunday mornings now before church. My crockpot cooks super hot so it is done in 4 hours on low. The first time it was a mushy flavorless dish. It simply cooked too long. Thanks for a wonderfully yummy easy breakfast!

Carey, It will serve about 10.Try this recipe to help you find the calories. http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php

Jill, Sorry you did not like it but happy you are going to try again. Your changes look tasty.

Unfortunately we did not like this. It tasted like bland mush. Sorry! I’m thinking of trying it again but substituting apple juice for the water, adding a lot more cinnamon and maybe a little sugar. Thanks for the inspiration girls! I would have never thought to do oatmeal in the crock pot!

I would love to try this. Does anyone know the serving size and how many servings the recipe makes. I am on WW and trying to figure out the points. Thanks

Can’t wait to try this! The reviews look great!

I need help with halfing this recipe then maybe halfing again it makes so much and made on a school morning instead of weekend morning had so much left over ??
Was Very good but hate having to waste so much of it.

I made this as suggested w/skim milk & it turned out great. My kids & I really enjoyed it. I’ll definately make it again.

That’s fantastic!! Thanks for letting us know it was good.

I made this with almond milk instead of regular milk and it is fabulous!

I haven’t tried it that way, but I think it would be fine, Renee. Let us know how it crocks out for ya!

Do you think I could use all water and no milk? I eat oatmeal every day without milk and this looks SO good but I am allergic to milk