Would you believe we’ve never cooked steel cut oats until this recipe? I know, I know. We drink Chemex coffee and eat quinoa and wear Chambray shirts, yet our breakfast game has yet to be revolutionized by steel cut oats. Well, consider us steel cut oat virgins no more, because we’re now fans.
Steel cut oats are nothing like normal rolled oats. In fact, they’re a chewy whole grain like this freaky one. Not what we were expecting. However, when baked up in a custard-y”filling”, they’re absolutely delicious. Our idea for this recipe was to combine they chewiness of steel cut oats with the velvety, spiced-up goodness of pumpkin pie. Luckily it worked like a charm (and not all our kitchen experiments do!). After cooling, the oatmeal sets up and can be cut into squares for devouring. To me, it tasted just like a light version of pumpkin pie. And who doesn’t want to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast? It’s also fairly healthy, with a minimal amount of maple syrup as a natural sweetener, it’s a nice gluten-free whole grain option for the morning.
We created this recipe as part of an internet-wide celebration of pumpkin recipes in honor of October! Check out the list of links below for friends around the web and their recipes. The recipe was also created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, one of our very favorite whole grain companies. We’d love to hear: are you a newbie to steel cut oats? Would you try this recipe? And if you did, what did you think?
Did you make this recipe?
We’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks and @bobsredmill.
This Pumpkin Pecan Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are our own; we’re huge fans of their products and use them often. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who keep A Couple Cooks in action!
Pumpkin Recipes
Head on over to Cake Over Steak for the list of links!
- 1 egg
- 2 cups milk (or almond milk)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup raw steel cut oats
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg. Whisk it together with the milk, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and vanilla. In a small bowl, mix together the spices, baking powder, and kosher salt. Whisk to combine the spices and baking powder into the wet ingredients, then stir in the raw steel cut oats. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the pecans. At 30 minutes, uncover the pan and sprinkle with pecans. Bake an additional 30 minutes until golden brown (60 minutes total). Serve hot, scooped into bowls, or let cool completely to room temperature and cut into squares for serving. You also can refrigerate and serve cold, which is our favorite way to eat it!
30 Comments
Aysegul
October 24, 2016 at 8:51 amI have cooked steel cut oatmeal many times before but never thought about turning it into a breakfast bar like this one. I too love Bob’s Red Mills and plan on making this very soon.
Such a great recipe for the season guys.
Happy fall. <3
Cheeers!
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:38 pmThank you so much, Aysegul! Happy fall to you as well :)
Allyson (Considering The Radish)
October 24, 2016 at 10:12 amI cook steel cut oats on occasion. I usually toast them in butter, then simmer them for a long time. They’re tasty like that, but not revolutionary. This recipe, on the other hand, is total #breakfastgoals.
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:39 pmThank you, Allyson! Being the steel cut oats novice, we’e never tried them the simmered method. A new #breakfastgoal over here!
Ruby
October 24, 2016 at 4:15 pmI haven’t had steel cut oats in waaay too long! This is a perfect excuse to go out and get some because these look delicious. I have got to step up my breakfast game and give them a try xo
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:39 pmLet us know if you try them out! Thanks, Ruby!
Tori//Gringalicious
October 25, 2016 at 4:44 amGoodbye boring oats! This looks and sounds super, mega, fabulous!!!
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:40 pmThank you! Nothing like pumpkin pie for breakfast, in our book :) They’re even better cold too — so, dinner? :)
Abby @ Heart of a Baker
October 25, 2016 at 9:36 amI started cooking with steel cut oats a few years ago, but have since forgotten about them! This looks like a perfect hands off way to get them cooked, plus pumpkin +pecans are such a perfect combo!
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:42 pmYes, it is a pretty hands off cooking method! If I ever woke up with enough time to make breakfast, this might be my go to :)
Emily
October 25, 2016 at 12:39 pmWe love steel cut, but it usually takes so much longer so it’s even occurred to me that it would work as a baked oatmeal. So glad that you figured this all out and did all the testing so I can give it a go. What a cozy way to do a fall breakfast.
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:43 pmHaha no problem! We took one for the team with many, many pans of oats. :/ (Really, it was a little much at the end!)
Sarah | Well and Full
October 25, 2016 at 3:31 pmI’ve never cooked with steel-cut oats either! They do look very interesting, however. This may be the perfect recipe in which for me to try them out! :)
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:43 pmI’m so glad you said so, since I feel like we’re late to the party! Let us know if you give them a go :)
Beth
October 25, 2016 at 8:26 pmThis was DELICIOUS! I will be doubling the recipe next time! So yummy…Thanks!
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:34 pmOh so glad you enjoyed it, Beth! Thanks for letting us know!
Allie
October 25, 2016 at 10:41 pmVegan version worked well (flax egg + coconut oil)!
Edwina at The Equipped Cook
October 26, 2016 at 12:20 amI’ve cooked steel cut oats often but never baked with them, what a great idea. Your flavors look delicious. I will have to try this. I’ll be interested to see the texture when baked.
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado
October 26, 2016 at 8:21 amI’ve had steel cut oatmeal, but never in a baked version. This oatmeal looks magnificent! love how you combined the chewiness/heartiness of the oats with the creaminess of the pumpkin!
Joyce @ Sun Diego Eats
October 26, 2016 at 12:52 pmLovedddd baked oatmeal when I made it but have never had a version with steel cut oats, will have to give it a try!
GiGi Eats
October 26, 2016 at 11:29 pmI bet this smells DELICIOUSSSSSSSS!!! It would be the best motivator for anyone to get up in the AM! lol!
Healhtytips
October 27, 2016 at 4:05 pmSo delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Heather E.
November 10, 2016 at 7:34 amI purchased a bag of BRM Steel Cut Oats a while back and have tried several recipes. I wasn’t crazy about any of them. I did search for recipes to use up the bag and found a bread that I liked a lot. Problem was, I didn’t have enough to make another loaf and did not want to buy another bag. When I saw your recipe I grabbed the bag from the freezer – I had just enough! I followed the recipe exactly but had to bake in an 8 x 8. It did not affect the cooking time. I cooled completely and put in fridge. Next morning the kids and I enjoyed cold. It is amazing and now I’ll go grab another bag! Thanks!
HEATHER E.
September 11, 2017 at 7:26 amUPDATE: I have been making this regularly since last November. Yesterday I was cooking for the week so my kitchen was a mess. I was mixing this up and really didn’t want to dirty a pan to melt 2TBSP butter so I decided to use 2TBSP EVOO. It worked great! And though this is supposed to be breakfast throughout the week we ate half last night as an after dinner treat!
Kim
November 16, 2016 at 10:05 amCan you freeze the baked oats once cut into bars? Thanks!
Sonja
November 19, 2016 at 3:50 pmGood question! We have not tried this…but I’d expect it might work? My only worry would be the texture upon thawing. Let us know if you try it!
Mary
November 19, 2016 at 2:19 pmGreat, easy recipe. While I preferred it warm rather than cold because the soft texture became slightly slimy when chilled, the nuts stayed nicely crunchy through several days of refrigeration. Thanks for the clear directions and sharing a tasty, healthful dish.
Sonja
November 19, 2016 at 3:47 pmYou are so welcome! I agree, I prefer the chilled version as well. Thanks for making it! :)
Jill
November 24, 2016 at 7:19 amThis is great! Not too sweet, and it will be good for on the go snacks. Thanks so much for posting!
Shawna
December 23, 2016 at 8:05 pmThis is delicious. I actually made it two times with BRG Old Fashioned oats instead of the steel cut, it still worked GREAT. One time I added in a few died cranberries, still delicious. I’m making a batch right now with the steel cut oats and can’t wait to eat them.