Instant Pot Rolled Oats (Creamy, 15 Minutes)
on Feb 24, 2021, Updated May 13, 2026
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This easy recipe for Instant Pot rolled oats is a convenient way to cook oats for a quick, hot and healthy breakfast.
Instant Pot oatmeal isn’t quicker than making them stovetop but I love how you can just toss everything in, turn it on, go about your morning and then sit down to a delicious, hot breakfast in 15 minutes. It’s hands-off, no stirring needed and perfectly thick and creamy every time.
These are so good for a hot breakfast in the winter. I like to cook them plain then store and reheat with different toppings like apple, berries, chia, flax, yogurt and banana. The flavour variations you can create are endless!
Table of Contents
- 5-Star Review
- Why You’ll Love Instant Pot Rolled Oats
- Ingredient Notes
- Recipe Variations
- How to Make Instant Pot Rolled Oats
- Instant Pot Oatmeal Cooking Times
- Oatmeal to Liquid Ratio for Instant Pot
- Best Oatmeal Toppings
- Deryn’s Notes
- Recipe FAQs
- How to Store and Reheat
- Instant Pot Oatmeal (Easy Rolled Oats) Recipe
5-Star Review
Oh my goodness! Game changer right here! I doubled the recipe and let it sit for 20 minutes. I will never make it on the stovetop again! Thank you!
Why You’ll Love Instant Pot Rolled Oats
Like I mentioned, making oats in the Instant Pot is no faster than stovetop but it’s very convenient. Here’s why I think you’ll love making oats this way:
- Easy: Completely hands-off with no boiling water, burning, spattering or stirring.
- Quick: Seconds to prep and less than 15 minutes to make.
- Family and budget-friendly: Oats are inexpensive and perfect for feeding a crowd.
- Customizable: Endless variations by using different add-ins and toppings.
- Allergy-friendly: Dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free.
- No stove needed: College student? kitchen reno underway? Instant Pot rolled oats to the rescue!
Ingredient Notes
This is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make Instant Pot oatmeal. When you’re ready to make the recipe, be sure to use the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- This recipe is can be made with rolled oats, large flake oats and old-fashioned oats.
- The cooking liquid is water but you can also use plant-based milk such as almond milk or soy milk or half milk, half water.
- A pinch of salt is optional.
- This recipe is for plain, unsweetened oatmeal but see the recipe variations below for sweetening options. Kids might them a bit sweeter but you can also drizzle with honey or maple syrup or sprinkle with sugar after cooking to sweeten them.
Recipe Variations
I prefer to cook the oats plain, just using water and a pinch of salt so I can customize them daily with different toppings.
If you like your oats a bit sweeter, I’d suggest cinnamon and 1-2 tbsp of maple syrup or honey. Note that any additions can be stirred in after cooking as well.
Here are some flavour variations to try:
- Flavour enhancers: 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
- Lightly sweetened: add 1 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener of choice.
- Chocolate oatmeal: add 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tbsp cocoa powder.
- Cinnamon apple: add 1 diced apple and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Banana: add 1 diced or mashed banana.
- Cinnamon raisin: add 1/3 cup raisins and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Pumpkin oatmeal: add 1 tbsp maple syrup, pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and 1/4 cup pumpkin puree.
- Citrus: add a squeeze of fresh lemon or orange juice and 1/2 tsp of zest (top with blueberries!).
How to Make Instant Pot Rolled Oats
- Add the oats and water to the Instant Pot and give them a quick stir.
- Seal the lid and press “Pressure Cook”. Set the timer to 2 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Do not quick release.
- Carefully open the lid, stir and enjoy!
Instant Pot Oatmeal Cooking Times
- For slightly chewy oats: 2 minutes + 10 minutes natural release.
- For soft, creamy oats (recommended): 3 minutes + 10 minutes natural release.
- Total cooking time will be about 15 minutes once you account for Instant Pot coming to pressure (slightly longer if you double the recipe).
Oatmeal to Liquid Ratio for Instant Pot
- For soft, moist, creamy oats (suggested): 1:2.5 oat to liquid ratio.
- For thicker, less creamy oats: 1:2 oats to liquid.
- Experiment between these two ratios to find which consistency you like best, I always use 1 cup oats and 2.5 cups water.
- If making in advance, the 1 to 2.5 ratio is recommend since they thicken substantially after storing.
Best Oatmeal Toppings
Here are some ideas for topping your bowl of oatmeal. My go-to is banana, almond butter, blueberries and coconut yogurt.
- Peanut Butter & Banana: sliced banana, nuts of choice, scoop of nut butter
- PB & J: peanut butter and chia seed jam (or any jam)
- fresh berries, nuts and peanut butter
- any nuts or seeds (hemp seeds, chia seeds, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds etc.)
- any nut or seed butter (peanut butter, almond butter, tahini etc.)
- any fresh or dried fruit (raisins, raspberries, peaches, cranberries, apple)
- drizzle maple syrup or honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar or other sweetener of choice
- coconut yogurt
- baked cinnamon sliced apples
- homemade vegan caramel sauce
- savory ideas: avocado, tofu or chickpea scramble, sautéed greens, sautéed mushrooms – get inspired by Savory Oatmeal
Deryn’s Notes
- My default is 3 minutes at high pressure with the 1:2.5 ratio. At 2 minutes the oats have more texture and bite, at 3 minutes they’re more creamy. If you like a chewier oats, start at 2 minutes.
- Don’t skip the natural release. Let it sit the full 10 minutes. The oats are still actively cooking during that time and the pressure releases safely on its own.
- These are not faster than stovetop but they’re hands-off with no stirring or watching needed.
- These are great for meal prep and reheat well with a little milk stirred in and topped with fruit and yogurt.
- My go-to bowl is cooking the oatmeal plain then topping with sliced banana, almond butter, blueberries and a drizzle of milk. I keep the oats unsweetened and just add sweeter toppings.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Double the oats and water but keep the cooking time exactly the same. The only difference is it will take a few extra minutes to come to pressure, so total time will be closer to 20 minutes. The oat to liquid ratio stays the same.
You can use half milk, half water for a creamier result. Avoid using all milk as it increases the risk of a burn notice. A good alternative is to cook with water and stir in a splash of full-fat coconut milk or oat milk at the end, this gives a rich, creamy finish without the burn risk.
No. Steel-cut oats will require a different cooking time and oat to liquid ratio.
Not with rolled oats and water using this recipe. Burn notices happen most often when milk is used as the full liquid (milk solids can scorch on the bottom). To avoid it, use water or a half water, half plant milk ratio and make sure the bottom of the pot is clean before you start. I’ve never had a burn notice with this method.
Quick oats cook much faster than rolled oats and will turn mushy at 2-3 minutes high pressure. If you want to use quick oats, reduce to 1 minute at high pressure with a 5-minute natural release, or simply make them on the stovetop where they’re done in 1-2 minutes anyway.
Steel-cut oats need a longer cooking time and a different liquid ratio. For steel-cut oats, use a 1:3 oat to liquid ratio and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. The result is chewier and more porridge-like than rolled oats.
Some add-ins work well cooked in with the other ingredients. Diced apple, cinnamon, raisins, mashed banana and pumpkin puree all cook nicely with the oats. Avoid adding nut butters, sweeteners like maple syrup or fresh berries before cooking as they can affect consistency or cause scorching. Stir those in after.
Oats absorb liquid as they sit, so they’ll thicken significantly after resting or refrigerating. When reheating, stir in a splash of water or milk until you reach the right consistency. For meal prep batches, the 1:2.5 oat to liquid ratio works best since it accounts for this thickening.
How to Store and Reheat
- Fridge: Let cool then store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Let cool then store in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
- Freeze in Portions: To freeze leftovers in single-serve portions, use a silicone muffin liner or line a muffin tin with saran wrap and add your desired portion to each cup (1/2 to 1 cup cooked per serving). Freeze then transfer the portions to a bag or container. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave with milk as needed.
- Reheating: Reheat stovetop in a saucepan or in the microwave, stirring and adding a little water or milk to thin if needed, until heated to your preference. Can also be enjoyed cold.
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
Instant Pot Oatmeal (Easy Rolled Oats)
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2.5 cups water
Instructions
- Add the oats and water to an Instant Pot and give it a quick stir. Option to add a little pinch of salt (approx. 1/8 tsp).
- Seal the lid and make sure the Venting Valve is turned to Sealing. Set the Instant Pot to 2 minutes at High Pressure.
- Once the timer beeps, let it sit for another 10 minutes. The timer will read "L" and start counting up. You don't need to do anything.
- After 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure by switching the valve to Vent. Open the lid, stir and serve with your favourite toppings.
No more packages of instant oatmeal for my family. Used the 1:2.5 ratio, pressure cooked 3 minutes and let it sit 20 minutes. Creamy, not soupy delicious. I made another pot, adding apples and cinnamon and pressure cooked 3 minutes as well. Frozen in portions, now the kids can grab and microwave on busy mornings. Thank you
Perfect! Thanks for the review.
The instructions on the bag of rolled oats said 1.5c water per cup of oats. With the other comment about runniness I decided to try 2:1 ratio instead of 2.5-1. It was perfect. I suspect the brand of oats used influences the ratio. Thankfully oats are cheap so a wasted batch from experimenting hopefully won’t break the bank!
Thanks for your feedback. That could be. I do find some oats are softer than others and require less liquid. I’ve also tested many different ratios and 2.5:1 has worked best for me! Glad they worked out in the end!
Oh my goodness! Game changer right here! I doubled the recipe and let it sit for 20 minutes. I will never make it on the stovetop again! Thank you!
Thanks, Nina! It’s the best, isn’t it?
Tried it this morning and it was out great! Added some PB fit after it was done. It sat in my pot for over an hour. It was so nice to have hot oatmeal when we were ready to eat. I used my 3 quart pot.
Glad to hear it! Thanks for your review.
Loved this porridge so much. Probably the creamiest and best texture I’ve had in a while. Such a great way to make old fashioned oats. I made it with the 1:2.5 ratio, half milk and half water. However, I agree with all the other reviewers, you should definitely not quick release this recipe. Please wait for at least 10 min to further depressurize. Mine spurted out of the pressure release valve as well. Thankfully, I was standing right there and quickly closed the valve back up before a big mess occurred and waited the 10 min and all was good.