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This Instant Pot oatmeal is an easy breakfast that comes out perfectly creamy! Toast rolled oats in butter, add milk, and pressure cook for just 3 minutes.
Here’s an easy, healthy breakfast recipe I turn to time and time again: my favorite Instant Pot oatmeal! Now, I eat quite a bit of oatmeal over here: it’s one of my favorite whole grains. Of you’ve got a pressure cooker like I do, oatmeal is even easier to make!
The oats are toasted in butter until fragrant, then mixed with milk and cooked for just 3 minutes. What comes out is the creamiest, tastiest, easiest pressure cooker oatmeal you’ll find!
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Wow! I don’t normally take the time to leave comments but this was incredible. Followed directions exactly except didn’t release until 5 minutes after cook time – and it came out perfect. Nice texture, all the milk had been soaked up, buttery, toasty, yum!” -Jill
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need just a short ingredient list here:
- Rolled oats: Also called old fashioned oats, these cook up soft and creamy in just 3 minutes. Do not use steel cut oats here: they require a different cooking time! See my Instant pot steel cut oats.
- Butter or coconut oil: This is for toasting the oats, the step that makes this recipe special. I use the same trick in my toasted oatmeal.
- Milk and water: I use 2% milk for creaminess, but you can use oat milk for dairy free.
- Cinnamon and kosher salt: These seasonings round out the flavor.
How to Make Instant Pot Oatmeal
This is truly one of the easiest Instant Pot recipes: it’s so fast and it makes the creamiest pot of oatmeal using rolled oats. I love using a pressure cooker to make oatmeal when I’m entertaining guests. I made this recently when my parents were in town for the weekend, and it was the perfect breakfast for a crowd because it’s mostly hands off.
Step 1: Use Sauté mode to toast the oats for 3 minutes.
The first step to make the very best Instant Pot oatmeal is to toast the oats. I’ve found that toasting oats in butter or coconut oil before cooking makes them taste exponentially better! Side bonus: It makes your kitchen smell divine. To toast the oats:
- Turn on Sauté mode on your Instant Pot.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, then add 2 cups rolled oats and stir often for about 3 minutes.
Step 2: Cook on High for 3 minutes.
The cook time for Instant Pot oatmeal is 3 minutes. Add 1 ½ cups milk (or almond milk), 1 cup water, and ¼ teaspoon each cinnamon and salt, and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Quick release and stir!
Remove the steam from the pot by performing a Quick Release (see the recipe below for instructions if you’re an Instant Pot newbie). Then give it a stir and you’re ready to go!
Scaling Up for a Crowd
This recipe calls for 2 cups rolled oats, which makes 2 large or 3 moderate servings. Instant Pot oatmeal is perfect for entertaining, so you can easily scale this up. Try doubling or tripling this recipe to make enough for many eaters.
One thing to note: doubling and tripling slightly increases preheat time. The Instant Pot requires time to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it cooks. This time takes longer the more ingredients you have in the pot. A doubled recipe takes about 10 minutes to preheat, and a a tripled recipe takes about 15 minutes to preheat.
The Best Toppings for Instant Pot Oatmeal
The fun of oatmeal is not so much the oatmeal itself: it’s in the toppings! Here are our best ideas for how to top your Instant Pot oatmeal:
- Banana nut: Banana slices, toasted walnuts, and maple syrup
- PB&J: Peanut butter and healthy strawberry jelly.
- Blueberry lemon: Fresh blueberries, maple syrup and lemon zest.
- Cinnamon almond: Almond butter, cinnamon and roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
- Cherry yogurt: Dried cherries, honey, toasted almonds, and a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Troubleshooting: Avoiding the Burn Message
A few readers have run into the “food burn” message when making this recipe, which can happen with milk-based recipes in some pressure cooker brands. If your Instant Pot is prone to it, try these fixes: make sure to scrape up any toasted oats stuck to the bottom after the sauté step, or swap 2 to 4 tablespoons of the milk for water.
Note that this recipe is designed for a 6-quart Instant Pot (I use this Instant Pot 6 Qt Programmable Pressure Cooker). Smaller models like the 3-quart Mini require more liquid and may behave differently.
Dietary Notes
This Instant Pot oatmeal recipe is Vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free and vegan.
Frequently Asked Questions
I use 2 cups rolled oats to 2 ½ cups total liquid (1 ½ cups milk plus 1 cup water). That’s a 1 to 1.25 ratio, which yields a thick, creamy oatmeal. Add a splash more milk after cooking if you like a looser texture.
Just 3 minutes on high pressure for rolled oats! Factor in 4 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, plus a quick release, and it comes out to about 10 minutes total.
There’s no need. The porridge button is simply a preset cook time, and it’s typically longer than necessary for rolled oats. Manually setting 3 minutes on high pressure is more reliable.
No, steel cut oats need more liquid and a longer cook time. Try my Apple Cinnamon Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats, or make Perfect Steel Cut Oats on the stovetop.
Easy Instant Pot Oatmeal
This Instant Pot oatmeal is an easy breakfast that comes out perfectly creamy! Toast rolled oats in butter, add milk, and pressure cook for just 3 minutes.
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 3 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil*
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups 2% milk or almond milk
- 1 cup water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Toppings: Milk, maple syrup, banana, toasted walnuts, etc.
Instructions
- Turn on Saute mode and add the butter to the Instant Pot. When it is heated, add the oats and toast for 3 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant. Add the milk, water, salt and cinnamon.
- Cook on High Pressure for 3 minutes: Press the Pressure Cook button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time. Note that it takes about 4 minutes (or 10 minutes, if the recipe is doubled) for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.
- Quick release: Vent the remaining steam from the Instant Pot by moving the pressure release handle to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. Never put your hands or face near the vent when releasing steam. Open the pressure cooker lid and stir the oatmeal. Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Notes
*This recipe is easy to double or triple to feed a crowd! Keep in mind that the preheat time increases with more ingredients. A doubled recipe takes about 10 minutes to preheat and tripled takes about 15 minutes.
I love this recipe! Especially toasting the oats. I add a chopped apple l, golden raisins, sometimes cranberries, and chopped walnuts before cooking. I double the recipe and portion into jars for grab and go breakfast! My husband loves it!!
Wow! I don’t normally take the time to leave comments but this was incredible. Followed directions exactly except didn’t release until 5 minutes after cook time – and it came out perfect. Nice texture, all the milk had been soaked up, buttery, toasty, yum!
So glad you enjoyed!
This is the third time I have tried your recipe, and the third time my instant pot hit “food burn”.
What could be the cause?
Thank you for letting us know! We’ve found that Instant Pots can be inconsistent with the burn message! Are you saying that you made it 2 times without the message and the third time it gave the burn message? ALso what type of Instant Pot are you using?
So for 3x what exactly is the time to set IP on? It’s not clear?
Hi! I’m not sure how that would work. I should be about the same.
I used the small instant pot (3 Qt), and it burned. I have no idea how that happened, followed the recipe to the T.
Just try a bit more water next time!
I don’t know why this has such a low rating! I have made oatmeal using this recipe at least 10 times. Super easy and comes out delicious. Why people are burning theirs? Maybe they are using a different kind of oatmeal? I highly recommend this recipe. Comes out creamy (with almond and regular milk) and delicious! We add brown sugar and milk when done!
This worked wonderfully for me! I read previous reviews and was worried about getting a burn notice, so after toasting the oats, I moved them over to one side of the pot and liberally sprayed coconut oil spray hen did the same on the other side. I did not get a burn notice. I also added ground cloves, nutmeg and allspice for more flavor and some chopped dates for sweetness. I like the addition of toasting the oats in this recipe. It gave the oatmeal a nutty flavor and also a great texture (not too soggy). This one is a keeper!
Amazing!!!! My go to oatmeal recipe. Just make it
Perfect every time!
So glad to find an easy prep recipe for oatmeal that is delicious, and for IP, instead of using the stove.
I used unsweetened Almond Milk (Costco), and toasted the oats with organic butter.
The toasting makes a wonderful difference in the flavor!
Wonder if I can use a similar recipe for Steel Cut Oats??
Many thanks for your recipe!
Never came up to pressure because it started to burn on the bottom. Next time I’m going to try one of the recipes at suggests cooking it in a bowl.
This is my favorite instant pot oatmeal! It couldn’t be easier and the flavor is perfect. I’ve made it many times, and my husband and kids always enjoy it. Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear that! Thanks for making :)
All my life my mom has told me she HATES oatmeal. She’s now 90 with dementia but she still remembers she hates it. She loses weight easily. I’ve been trying to help her gain some. I sauté the walnuts . Then the oats. I substituted half & half then added brown auger and vanilla. Served with more walnuts , banana and half and half. She LOVES IT!!
Love to hear this! THanks for sharing :)
Made this with toasted walnuts, bananas, maple syrup and a little milk–it was INCREDIBLE!!!! My whole family loved it :)
Great oatmeal recipe that tastes great and has really nice texture. Reheats better than the stuff I cook on the stove. We’ll be making it again!
So glad you enjoyed it!
One of the few items I’ve attempted in my new IP and I must say, best oatmeal I’ve ever had. My teen asked for seconds.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
This worked wonderfully for me in my Ninja Foodi! I LOVED the rich buttery flavor! I’ve never made oatmeal with butter in it, or so much salt, and it was amazing!! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to my old boring stovetop oatmeal! I added a Tbsp of chia seeds, a handful of raisins and a little bit of brown sugar. It was so delicious!
So glad you enjoyed :)
This burnt for me. Followed the directions x 1.5
Yep. Burned.
Yup, now instead of saving time, I get to figure in cleaning a scorched pan.
I was so excited to make this, but the recipe doesn’t seem to work in my large instant pot. I got the “burn” notice 2 separate times, even after I added an extra ½ cup of water :(
Same for me :( they burned after a minute of pressure.
I got the burn notice as well.
Got the burn notice as well… I don’t get it. Was able to eat half of the recipe though. Would love to know why some got the burn and others did not.
Thank you!
It tasted delicious. Loved the butter taste. And such a simple recipe! That’s so much
So glad you enjoyed!
I used your site to give me how long under presssure since I never cooked oatmeal IP
I am trying to quite coffee because I need milk in my coffee and I am eliminating milk to see if that helps me feel better.
I decided I’d probably just want something hot to drink first thing in the morning & tea wasn’t going to cut it so I thought why not something hot as in breakfast but I wanted something savoury and I usually cook Savory oatmeal on the stove top
But I wanted to try IP
I already started my homemade frozen stock on stove while grated veggies purple cabbage onions celery carrots red pepper and some Kirkland no salt seasoning.
I took your advice toasted the oats in my own garlic & seasoned butter inside the IP
I would have liked to saute the veggies first too and also avoid the stove top since the IP was an afterthought.
3/4 C oats , I was in hurry & did not open a fresh bag to make 1Cup.
1 C water, 1 1/4C broth.
3min on steam ( Mine is a Geek chef pressure cooker so I improvised )
It took only 1-2 min to pressure. Hardly anytime to go do anything else LOL
QR… some liquid remained stirred and oats started soaking liquid up!
Perfect Thank you for the toasting of the Oats and pressure times.
I will try your milk oats soon!
Stay safe and keep cooking!
So yummy! I love how creamy they are and toasting the oats gave them such a nutty rich flavor. I am a new IP user and this could not have been easier!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! We just made it yesterday too :)
We have more of our favorite Instant Pot recipes here if you’re interested: https://www.acouplecooks.com/healthy-instant-pot-recipes/
I made this oatmeal as directed but cut the ingredients in 1/2, it was my first time using a Smartpot, man was this great oatmeal, today I made the normal size batch, had no surprises, the wife loves it too :)
Made this for the first time this morning. Turned my IP on and hopped in the shower. As I got out, I heard the beeping (good timing!). I forgot to quick release so it ended up doing 8 mins of NPR which was fine. I found I had to add more liquid and the oats were a but mushy for my personal taste, so next time may try increasing liquid a bit and decreasing cooking time… having said that, the 8 mins of NPR may have played a factor! lol This was really good – I added my usual go-to add-ins (PB and banana) plus a bit of maple syrup. Hoping the leftovers reheat nicely tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe :)
Haha! We need to factor NPR distractions into our breakfast recipes.