An easy recipe for pumpkin steel cut oats you can make in your Instant Pot pressure cooker or on the stove top (instructions for both ways are included!).
These pumpkin oats are perfectly spiced with those familiar fall flavours we all love, and it’s a great choice for breakfast on chilly mornings.
For this recipe, I went back to my Apple Spice Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats recipe and modified it slightly to come up with this vegan gluten-free pumpkin steel cut oats recipe.
Since buying my Instant Pot last fall (this is the one I bought if you’re looking to get one too!), I’ve tried many different recipes and some have become regulars on the weekly rotation (you can find many of them in this list of Instant Pot Vegan Recipes and you can also check out this list of the best vegan IP cookbooks.
But out of all those recipes, pressure cooker steel cut oats is one of my favourite things to make.
If you haven’t tried steel cut oats yet, you must! Steel cut oats are filling, warm, and so nice to have for breakfast on a cold morning.
If you’re gluten-free, be sure to look for the gluten-free symbol on the bag because not all steel cut oats are gluten-free. This is the one I buy and recommend.
My preferred method for making pressure cooker steel cut oats is with my Instant Pot because they’re simpler to make than stove top steel cut oats. You will get the same tasty result, but with the Instant Pot, there is no constant stirring and checking.
With the Instant Pot, and I know I say this every time I share an Instant Pot recipe, you add your ingredients, stir, put the lid on, set the timer, and then walk away. It will beep you when your recipe is done.
Set it and forget it. THAT is the beauty and convenience of using the Instant Pot to make meals.
Of course, I realize not everyone has an Instant Pot, and that is okay because as mentioned above, I’ve also included directions on how to make my pumpkin steel cut oats on the stove top!
In this case, this steel cut oats pressure cooker recipe is not an instant recipe, each method, stove top or Instant Pot, will take you the same amount of time for the finished recipe to be done.
Any time you make an Instant Pot recipe, pumpkin steel cut oats included, you need to account for the amount of time the pot takes to come to pressure and come down from pressure.
So even though the cooking time is only 10 minutes, those two things combined will bring your preparation time, from beginning to end, to about 45 minutes.
If you make this steel cut oats pressure cooker recipe, let me know by tagging me on Instagram or by commenting below.
If you like this vegan gluten-free breakfast recipe, you may also like these:
- Banana Steel Cut Oats
- Oatmeal and Blueberries
- Apple Baked Oatmeal
- Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Sweet Potato Waffles
- Banana Oat Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Granola Clusters
Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients:
- 1 cup steel cut oats (gluten free, if needed, NOT quick steel cut oats, rolled oats, or quick oats)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (see note below if you don't have pumpkin spice)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
- chopped nuts (optional, walnuts or pecans work well)
- milk (enough to reach desired consistency, I use unsweetened almond milk)
- sweetener, to taste (optional, I like to use maple syrup)
Instructions:
Instant Pot Method:
- Add steel cut oats, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, salt, and water to your Instant Pot. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Lock the lid in place and make sure the steam release handle is closed. Set to manual high pressure for 10 minutes. Instant Pot will take roughly 10 minutes to build pressure, timer will start counting down after it has reached pressure.
- After the time has ended, let the Instant Pot naturally release the pressure. This will take roughly 20 minutes.
- Once the pressure has been released naturally (you will know pressure has been released when the float valve has dropped back down), slowly unlock and remove the lid. Stir the oats so everything recombines.
- If using, add the raisins and nuts, and stir.
- Add desired amount of milk and stir. (see note about milk below).
- Add sweetener, to taste. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top for garnish, if using.
Stove Top Method:
- Bring the 3 cups water to a boil.
- Once boiling, add salt and the steel cut oats.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15 - 25 minutes. Timing will depend on how soft you like your oats. Begin testing after 15 minutes. Stir often so oats do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- In the last few minutes of cooking, add pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. Stir well to combine.
- Once oats have reached the desired texture, remove from heat and let stand covered for a couple of minutes.
- If using, add the raisins and nuts, and stir.
- Add desired amount of milk and stir. (see note about milk below).
- Add sweetener, to taste. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top for garnish, if using.
Recipe Notes:
- If you don't have pumpkin spice, replace it with the following: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- Oats will thicken as they cool off, add milk for a looser and creamier texture. I add 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk, but feel free to leave it out, or add more or less.
- If you add raisins, you may find that it is sweet enough as-is. Taste the oats after everything has been stirred in and add as much or as little sweetener as you like. When I do add sweetener, I like to use maple syrup.
- This recipes makes 4.5 cups of pumpkin steel cut oats, and can be split into two large servings, 3 medium servings, or 4 small servings. I making in the Instant Pot, for safety reasons, I do not recommend doubling this recipe. Make separate batches, if needed.
- This recipe can be pre-made, cooled off and then refrigerated. When ready to serve, warm up and add a splash of milk or water to loosen it up.
- Nutrition info is for 1 serving (of 4) prepared without raisins, garnishes, and with no added milk and is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is determined on this website.
Caitlin says
I’ve made this twice now and it’s the perfect fall breakfast for me and my kiddos in our busy life ! Thank you
Gwen Leron says
You’re welcome, Caitlin! It IS the perfect breakfast for this time of year, I’m so glad to know you and your kids are enjoying it. I also have a banana version and an apple version if you’re looking for other flavours 🙂