It’s not that cooking oatmeal the regular way is hard—but rice cooker oatmeal is so much easier. And who wants to spend the time standing over a stove stirring a pot anyways?
Plus, most rice cookers also have the benefit of easy-to-clean nonstick pots. That’s right—no more scraping scorched oats off the bottom of a saucepan. And if your rice cooker has a timer, feel free to set up your steel-cut oats the night before and wake up to a piping-hot bowl of creamy oats.
The Best Toppings
There are endless ways to top off a bowl of warm, nutty oatmeal—whether you prefer savory or sweet flavors (or a mix of both).Savory
- Poached egg
- Crumbled bacon
- Breakfast sausage
- Smoked fish
- Avocado
- Sautéed greens
- Furikake
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Brown sugar
- Fruit compote or jam
- Cream
- Nut butter
- Nuts or seeds
- Fresh or dried fruit
Rice Cooker Oatmeal
Serves 4 to 6, makes about 5 cups- 2 cups steel-cut or rolled oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 to 7 cups water
If using a rice cooker with a porridge setting, add 7 cups water for steel-cut or 5 cups for rolled oats. If using a rice cooker with a standard setting, add 6 cups water for steel-cut or 4 cups for rolled oats.
Stir to combine and set to cook. (The quick-cook setting would work for rolled oats, too.) When the cook time is up, gently stir the oatmeal; it’ll thicken up as you stir. If you’d like a thinner oatmeal, thin with water or milk to the desired consistency.
Recipe Notes
Small batch: This recipe can be halved and made in a smaller rice cooker.Storage: The oatmeal can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week or frozen for up to six months. Reheat with a splash of water or milk on the stovetop or in the microwave.
