Slow Cooker Morning Glory Steel Cut Oats

Steel cut oats combined with shredded carrots, apples, raisins, coconut and pecans becomes a wholesome “feel good” make-ahead breakfast recipe you won’t be able to live without.

Glorious oatmeal! Come to mama!!

This morning glory steel cut oats recipe is everything a bowl of old-fashion oatmeal or porridge should be…and more. It’s creamy with a little bite left. That alone is huge for me. I hate mushy oatmeal just as much as I hate mushy pasta. Yuck!

I spiced it up with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. I know! The smells relax me more than a bottle of wine. Just sayin. I don’t think there’s any aroma more amazing than cinnamon and spice. Mmmmm

But it gets better…

I stirred in shredded carrot, apples, and raisins. All three of these ingredients become magical once cooked for a few hours in a slow cooker. After the oatmeal was done cooking I stirred in shredded coconut and pecans. Yes I know…amazing!

Now let’s talk slow cooking. Sure you can cook this on the stovetop. However, I love making steel cut oats in the slow cooker for a few different reasons. First, you can make a ginormous batch that you can portion out, freeze, and enjoy at breakfast time for months. This recipe makes about 12 (1-cup) servings. Second, raisins turn in plump little grapes, apples turn into tender apple pie nuggets, and the carrots become tender and sweet. Delish! Third, if cooked correctly steel cut oats turn out perfectly in the slow cooker. I used my 6 quart Hamilton Beach programmable slow cooker. I cooked the steel cut oats for 4-5 hours on low and then I let the oats sit for another 1/2 hour or so to thicken up. I do stir the oats 2-3 times while they are cooking to prevent sticking and burning.

I’ve seen a bunch of recipes that call for 8+ hours of cooking time but I think that’s waaaaay to long. If you’ve had luck with cooking steel cut oats that long in the slow cooker that’s awesome. For me the couple times I tried cooking steel cut oats past 5 hours I was greeted with a glob of mush that was burnt on the bottom. Mama not happy. My recommendation is to cook on low for no longer than 5 hours.

Now I know some of you might think that timeframe won’t work because you want to set it and forget it while you sleep or work. I get it. However, this recipe reheats great and freezes perfectly so my recommendation is to make a batch and store some in the refrigerator for breakfast that week and freeze the rest into portions. This way you can make a batch when you have more time to enjoy it when you don’t. That’s what works for me.

Let’s get back to the ingredients. All you need are 2 cups of steel cut oats, grated carrots, chopped apple, cinnamon, ground ginger, and a little nutmeg. I personally love Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats. You can get these in most grocery stores or from Amazon.

I used Granny Smith apples because they are my favorite but use whatever you like. For the carrots, I prefer to take the time to grate them. Yes this is a pain, and I always come close to shaving off the tip of my fingers, but grating the carrots works best in my opinion. If you want to shred them using a food processor then you can do that too but the carrots won’t be as fine. I love my OXO box grater and used that to get the carrots the way I like em.

Next, I stirred in water and unsweetened coconut milk. This is the coconut milk you find in the dairy section. It’s in a carton not a can.

Then I put the lid on, set it to low, and let it cook for 5 hours. Like I said before, I stirred it a couple times.

After it’s done cooking I stirred in unsweetened shredded coconut and chopped pecans. I saved some pecans to sprinkle on top after I prepared a bowl for myself.

Doesn’t this look amazing?! This bowl of oatmeal lets you know everything is going to be okay in the world.

I do not add any sugar or sweetener to the oatmeal as it cooks. The apple, raisins, and carrots give it a nice sweetness and then I just add a little pure maple syrup after it’s in my bowl. This is a great way to control sugar and calories.

If you want a hearty wholesome breakfast recipe then this Slow Cooker Morning Glory Steel Cut Oats is the one.

Slow Cooker Morning Glory Steel Cut Oats

Steel cut oats combined with shredded carrots, apples, raisins, coconut and pecans becomes a wholesome “feel good” make-ahead breakfast recipe you won’t be able to live without.

4 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours hours

Total Time: 5 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Organize Yourself Skinny

Ingredients

• 2 cups steel cut oats
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 2 medium to large Granny smith apples peeled and finely chopped
• 1- cup raisins
• 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Serve with pure maple syrup

Instructions

• In a 6 quart slow cooker add the steel cut oats, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, grated carrots, and apples. Slowly stir in the coconut milk and water. Cover and cook for 4-5 hours on low. Stir the oatmeal occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Let it sit for ½ hour. The oatmeal will continue to thicken as it sits.
• Stir in unsweetened coconut and pecans. Stir in extra coconut milk or water if the oatmeal is too thick.
• Serve hot with pure maple syrup.

Notes

sugars: 16

Make-ahead Instructions

Oatmeal can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days and/or frozen for up to 3-6 months. I recommend portioning out before freezing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Fiber: 6g