As I was flipping through Let Them Eat Vegan the other day (yup, still obsessed), I came across an interesting way to prepare steel cut oats. Dreena’s “Instant Steel Cut Oats” caught my eye because it claimed I could enjoy a hot bowl of steel cut oats in just minutes.
I love steel cut oats, but I don’t make them often unless I prepare my Make-ahead Steel Cut Oatmeal for several breakfasts worth. It takes a bit of planning in the evening (and planning is so not my forte), but the upside is that the recipe will last for at least a few breakfasts. That is, if I can keep myself from spooning it into my mouth all day and night. Outlook not promising.
With this method, you simply blend the steel cut oats into a flour. Yes, you will lose the chewiness of steel cut oats that us fans tend to love, but by grinding them you slash the cooking time by over 80%! I wouldn’t say this method is for all the time (unless of course you prefer a porridge like consistency), but it’s great in a pinch when you want the nutrition of steel cut oats, but don’t have the time.
Here’s how you make them:
1. Grind the steel cut oats and chia seeds in a high-speed blender.
2. Once the oats and chia seeds are ground into a flour, add them into a pot.
3. Add some almond milk (or milk of your choice).
4. Now stir in some mashed and chopped ripe bananas, vanilla, spices, and sweetener for this batch. My goal was to make an ultra gooey banana bread flavour.
5. Heat this mixture for only about 4-5 minutes! You now have virtually instant steel cut oatmeal with all the nutrition that we love, but in a fraction of the time.
Served with walnuts, raisins, maple syrup, and a touch of shaved chocolate…you are left with a crazy gooey oatmeal that reminds me so much of banana bread batter! It’s to die for. This batch makes a few servings and I should also tell you that it tastes absolutely wonderful straight from the fridge, cold, in a vegan overnight oats sort of way. Serving it chilled is perfect for all these warm mornings we are having lately.
I encourage you to enjoy it cold, especially during warmer mornings, as I think I liked it even better served cold!
Looking for more oatmeal recipes?
Check out the top 5 most popular oatmeal recipes on my blog.
And if it’s too warm where you are to enjoy a hot bowl of oats, you can try one of my 12 Vegan Overnight Oats parfait recipes which are great on warmer mornings.
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Well, we’re on the cusp of the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada. Yippee. I don’t know about you guys, but our weather forecast is calling for sunshine all weekend and highs of 26C! Absolutely crazy and unexpected for this time of the year. We’re heading up to the in-laws to spend the entire weekend playing outdoors. I’ll beInstagraming a bit and I might even do a quick blog recap if I get a chance. Cheers to the weekend!
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{ 95 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi! I just wanted to say that I made this recipe this past weekend and I fell in love. It was perfectly sweet with the 1 tablespoon of maple syrup I didn’t even need the second. The chewiness was amazing and the banana/maple/walnut flavor was delicious. It was so easy and fast to make! I was shocked! It cooked faster than rolled oats and tasted ten times better. There were plenty of leftovers so I froze them individually and happily report that they freeze really well! It is my favorite oatmeal recipe right now so thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing!
Just made this – delicious!
I tried this recipe with 1/4 cup quinoa flour and 1/2 cup ground oats, and substituted the nutmeg for ground clove, and it was DELICIOUS! Also, a good tip for grinding up the oats: use a coffee/spice grinder. I find it works really well when making any kind of “flour”…oat, quinoa, flax seed, even almond or coconut.
what I like to do is just put a 1/2 cup of liquid in a pot on high until it simmers, then add in 1/4 cup steel cut oats, take off heat and cover, then let sit overnight. It lets the oats absorb the liquid so then in the morning you just have to heat them up on the stove real quick and bam! Quick steel cut oats!
also you should make a recipe where you use the blended oats to make a bakedd oatmeal dish!!
instead of mashing one banana do you think it would make it sweeter to instead blend it in the processor?
I just whipped this up. So genius to grind oats and chia seed into flour! This is absolutely delicous! The wonderful chewiness of steel cut oats creamed with almond milk and banana…yummmm! Love it!
WOW!! This dish was fabulous!! So delicious!! Definitely a keeper. Sharing with my group. Thank you!!
I love this! In honor of Halloween and Fall I made this with pumpkin puree and spices. It tastes like pumpkin bread batter! Yummy!
Quick and was delicious! No idea I could pulverize steel cut oats. Thank you for this delightfully delicious recipe!
You weren’t kidding about the “batter” part – just made these, they’re delicious! thanks for sharing an easier steel cut oat method. They also seemed more filling than the usual steel cut oats for some reason :)
Also, for anyone who says they don’t have a blender/FP/vitamix/etc, I used a small coffee grinder which worked great and left little mess!
I love this soooo much cold from the fridge. Sometimes I make it for breakfast, eat and hot and put leftovers in the fridge to have for dessert…YUM!
I just made this, and it is so delish! It tastes sinful, and just like banana bread batter! I didn’t have any chocolate, so I left it out and I halved the recipe for just me. Turned out perfect, and I didn’t have to wait for the oats to cook the “normal” way. Thanks!
Amazing! Love your (and Dreena’s?) way of simplifying steel cut oats.
I just wanted to comment that I made the process even faster with this step: instead of grinding the oats into a flour and then adding to a pot with milk, just add the oats with the milk into a blender (Vitamix) and blend! The blending “grinds” the oats into the milk. Then, pour the oat-milk batter into a pot and begin the cooking! Great for those without grain grinders or dry blades :P
I was really excited to try. Made it earlier today. It was tasty – but I couldn’t get the consistency right. There seemed to be way too much liquid. Any ideas?
Hey Sarah, Hmm I’m really not sure. Maybe it didn’t cook down long enough? Was anything changed to the recipe?
YES! I make a microwave oatmeal with the same basic components but using old-fashioned oats instead. I once tried to use the steel-cut the same way, but it didn’t work so well because of their longer cooking time. But grinding the oats? This solves the problem!!! I just made a batch with applesauce, cinnamon, vanilla, and soy milk and it was perfect. Tomorrow morning I plan to do banana, soy milk, and cocoa….should turn out like a big bowl of brownie batter….mmmmmm!
I am so glad that I have both steel cut oats and bananas on hand. :)
We just made this for our breakfast this morning, and all we can say is wow! It tasted just like banana bread! We thought we’d miss the chewiness of the oats, but we didn’t at all- thanks so much for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I love this. You got me hooked on oatmeal but this is my favorite so far. Thank you!
I made this yesterday and had my first bowl this morning. Delicious! I didn’t grind the oats and chia totally into a fine flour, but more of a coarse flour, and it worked just fine. I used my Cuisinart food processor rather than my blender because my blender isn’t very powerful. I highly recommend it!
Wow! This IS delicious. I mixed in some of your homemade almond maple cinnamon butter. Perfect :)
I don’t particularily like regular steel cut oats, but genius idea to grind them! I made a recipe similar to this and it was fab! I am most definately doing it again tomorrow morning. Thanks Angela :)
Oh yum yum this sounds like a fabulous recipe!
I tried this recipe, and I just LOVE how batter-like the oatmeal is! Can’t wait to try it cold!
Could I use a food processor instead of a blender to grind the oats? Sometimes the difference matters.
Hey Angela, do you think this (fantastic) recipe would work with ground buckwheat groats as well?
uh, what’s the point of grinding the oats? Just use bulk quick oats, or grind up quick or rolled oats into flour. I thought the point of steel cut oats was to enjoy the chewy texture….
Hey marie, the point is that the nutrition in the steel cut oats is retained when you grind them, and they are a bit more nutritious than quick or rolled oats. You can use whatever you want though! This recipe is good if you are in a rush and can’t wait 25 minutes for steel cut oats to cook. :)
I am slightly obsessed with LTEV too! And with Dreena, who’s simply lovely. This is a great recipe, and since there are still some chilly mornings left in the springtime, I look forward to making it soon. xo
So true, I never make my steel cut oats, I just never have the time. This looks so good though, and easy peasy.
This looks wonderful. I use the Country Choice quick cook steel cut oats, here…
http://womaninreallife.blogspot.ca/2012/03/grocery-list-part-one.html
I don’t know if the benefits are reduced at all with the quick cook style???? But, I tend to make and enjoy them more often because they only take five minutes to cook. So, I figure that’s better than NOT having them. :)
Made these for breakfast this morning – yummmmmm!! I grew up eating farina (cream of wheat) and the texture reminds me so much of that! I will definitely make these again :)
WOAH. This is brilliant! I prefer steel cut oats to old fashioned but rarely make them because they take so much longer! I’m trying this ASAP… I suspect it will become my cool weather favorite!
I love you! It’s hard for me to find interesting breakfast recipes that my body approves of. This one definitely qualifies. I love that you’re a fellow Canadian too! I’m from Edmonton, AB. We are enjoying stellar weather here too. Enjoy your long weekend!
Fantastic! This looks so wonderful and delish!!! I think I’m going to make it this morning for breakfast!!
GENIUS! Absolutely genius!
Not to mention incredibly delicious looking. Now you got me craving a big bowl of this gooey breakfast, big time. I definitely need to try!
YUM – going to make these for my son this morning. We went trekking in India last year and he fell in love with porridge (my kids were never huge oatmeal eaters)- I have been making some of your overnight oats, which I love, and I have to cook them again and add more milk for him so it is more ‘porridgey’ (I am sure that is a word ;). He LOVES banana bread so this is perfect – THANK YOU!
This sounds and looks amazing!
I’m the type of person who can’t keep her fingers out of bread/cake batters and cookie dough while baking, so I know I will love this breakfast. Great idea!!
mmm that sounds so good but something that needs to be single serving for me or I’ll scarf it down haha!
why are the words gooey so darn appealing?!?
i actually prefer cold oatmeal to warm! i make huge batches and freeze it so that when i nuke it for a minute or two the middle is still nice and chilly!
Never would have thought to pulverize the oats – very smart! I always just by rolled oats, cause I’m lazy like that. :P
Have a wonderful weekend!
This looks like dessert to me! I have go to try this!
Hi! This sounds great, but can I use a regular blender? I don’t have a vitamix!
Oh man! When I read the title of this post my mouth instantly watered. Mmmm that looks delicious. I haven’t tried steel cut oats since they do take some time to prepare. I will have to try this recipe! Yippie for bananas too! :)
Oh my gosh, YES. I was just thinking yesterday that I need a delicious way to mix bananas and oatmeal. This is absolutely perfect. Also, as an Instagram addict, I’m so looking forward to seeing your photos.
I love this! I had bananas in my oatmeal this morning, pureed into the milk before I cooked it, and it was fabuloso. I love that you made steel cut oats super fast to cook!
I’m heading over to a gulf island off the coast of BC to share a cabin with 8 friends this weekend, as it is one of their birthdays. Should be good times, I love long weekends, especially when they’re in summer!
Omg! That looks absolutely delicious! Will definitely be trying that soon!
I’ve also been cheating and using ground steel-cut oats in my overnight oats for a little while, now that it’s warmer and I don’t really feel like a hot bowl of anything in the morning. When I worked in an office, I used to make up a dry mix of the ground oats and cinnamon/spices and then would pour boiling water from the coffee maker over a container with other goodies (chia, molasses, dried fruit, etc.). It’s a great shortcut!
I make steel cut oats in my pressure cooker in about 10 minutes. This sounds good though for a change.
This looks delish!! Must try this method, I don’t like that it takes so long in the morning to make oats normally, but I do prefer hot oats to overnight oats most of the time. This is a great time saver! Carrot cake flavoured oats would be good too ;)
Since I can’t ever make baked goods without eating the batter, might as well make batter inspired breakfasts! YUM!
Could you make the same recipe with regular rolled oats (without grinding them)?
I cant see why not!
Thanks for the idea! Grinding the oats give it such a nice texture…and oats and banana are pretty much the most perfect combo!
I love that this is quick, but I don’t know that I could do the porridge mixture all the time! I love the chewiness of steel cut oats occasionally but will always be a fan of rolled oats in the end, I suppose. That being said, there’s nothing quite like a slow-cooked bowl ‘o steel cut on a lazy weekend morning :)
Oh yes!…I have half a container of steel cut oats that have been screaming to be used. I am making this tomorrow morning!
I’m a tad obsessed with bananas lately – you read my mind with these oats!
Anything with the words Banana Bread Batter in the recipe title, I am so on board!
Sounds and looks delicious, Angela!
Victoria Day and Warm Weather RARELY combine! Yay!!
ps- recipe looks great!
This is how my sis and I like to make them…ground into a flour.. much quicker and easier for the kiddos to eat! This recipe looks delish!
Ahh this looks awesome, trying this tomorrow for a snack, I love steel cut oats in the morning with veggies(weird I know) but its takes forever! haha thanks for the recipe, I also been having cravings for banana bread- perfect timing !
This look amazing… I am going to make it this weekend for sure. I LOVE your website.
I am not sure what “steel-cut” oats are. I have Bob Red Mill’s whole oats and instant oats. Which do you think would work better?
You could probably use regular rolled oats in this recipe if need be.
mmmmmmm this sounds so good! I love the idea of turning the oats into a flour first. I will have to try that! and shaved chocolate on top- yum!
What a great idea! My hubby and I always pre-make a big pot of steel cut oats Sunday nights to last us the week. Sometimes it runs out early on and this would be a great idea for a substitute on those days when we don’t have any already made. :)
Really there’s no reason to waste your steel cut oats to do this. You can get whole oats super cheap and grind them the same way! I call it cream of oat cereal.
Yes, you can also use oat groats if you prefer.
While I can’t say I’ve ever tried banana bread batter, this does look and sounds super delicious! I’ve had old-fashioned oats made into flour for oatmeal, but never steel-cut oats. Yum!
That’s a nifty trick. Thanks for sharing!
This is such a lovely recipe perfect for weekend!! I am making this tomorrow!
This is such a great idea! And an amazing recipe too! Gooey banana bread INSTANT steel-cut oats?!!? Everything about that sentence is making me drool! Have a great weekend! :)
YUM!! This looks insanely delicious!
I’ve never thought to grind my grains and make a porridge out of them. Really, brilliant! I’m just as obsessed with Dreena. Every single one of her cookbooks are awesome.
Enjoy the long weekend!
That looks amazing! Even though cold oatmeal doesn’t sound great, I’m always so hot after I run or swim that eating hot oatmeal makes me even hotter. I might have to give it a try!
I’ve never had the courage to make steel cut oatmeal before but have always wanted to try. I think this may be the motivation I needed!
Oh wow!! This sounds like one fancy breakfast! Love this!
Yummy – sounds delicious. Have a great long weekend … so excited about the gorgeous weather and getting outside for some fun activity with my boys :)
I swear it’s like a mid-summer long weekend, eh? Have fun with the boys. Looking forward to seeing you next week!
What a great idea! This combination looks delicious!
Yummmmm! Any recipe with ‘batter’ in the title gets my full attention! Question – do you have the dry blade container for your Vitamix, or have you just been grinding your grains in the regular one? I haven’t tried making any flours in mine yet and didn’t order the dry container, because I figured the regular 64-oz jug would probably do the trick. Any thoughts? Have a super sunny weekend! :)
I don’t have the dry blade and just use my regular blade that came with the machine. When I first got my vitamix, I asked around and a lot of people said they just used the blade that came with the machine. That’s what I ended up doing too. Not sure if it’s horrible for the blade or not though…you might want to check with VM!
I have the dry blade and use it for flours – though when I do wheat berries I do not feel like they grind up as fine as if I were to buy flour (maybe I am not grinding long enough). I do not remember exactly but there was something about the blades/care/usage etc so if I were you I would check that out – would not want to ruin your blade – that machine is an investment! Maybe it is fine though.
I love to make flour-porridges out of grains, particularly savory ones! Toasted barley, cumin seeds, and other spices like coriander/cinnamon/smoked paprika, ground up in my vita, then turned into a porridge (+ veggies, cilantro, jalapenos, nooch) is delicious. Or ground up lentils + barley/freekeh/steel cut oats = amazing and SO much faster.
That sounds incredible! I used to make savoury oats back in the day, but now I’m intrigued to try out other variations. Sounds like the perfect rainy day breakfast or lunch!
Can’t wait to try this !!! (:
Love the idea of grinding the oats! I am not huge on their normally chewy texture for some reason. I like my oatmeal mushy. Haha. Thanks for the great idea!
Well this one’s just for you then! :)
Wow instant steel cut oats is such a great idea! I would never have thought to put them in a processor first. I wonder if you could actually soak them over night for over night oats. I love adding the shaved chocolate as a garnish, delish!
i’ve actually only eaten steel cut oats in soaked overnight form! i tried to cook them once and ended up with some solidified sludge in a pot and never tried again lol. since i like the chewy texture of the overnight version i just stick with that :)
I tried soaking steel cut oats (not processed into a flour, but whole) as I know others enjoy it this way, but I was just not a fan. The steel cut oats dont get very soft or creamy and remain chewy. I thought I was going to love it but I just didnt.
Much preferred the rolled oats in overnight oats, but to each their own of course!
Oh my gosh…this breakfast sounds delicious…I would never think to grind the oats into flour and cook them…how creative! Gooey, warm, banana bread…my mouth is watering! Although it is warmer here in Colorado, I still like warm breakfasts, I get sooo cold so quickly when I have my green juices or smoothies so I actually prefer something warm! Happy Friday and have an awesome weekend playing outdoors!! :)