30 Recipes with Steel Cut Oats You’ll Love

These recipes with steel cut oats take your oats to new heights. 

Steel cut oats are healthy, hearty, and affordable.

They’re a powerhouse breakfast that leaves you energized and ready to tackle the day.

But the options don’t end there!

Cookies, smoothies, and snacks, these oats are very versatile. 

Not to be confused with quick oats or rolled oats, steel cut oats undergo less processing.

So the texture is coarser and chewier. They also take a little longer to cook. 

From sweet and savory to downright indulgent, these steel cut oat recipes are worth the wait. 

So grab a bowl and let’s dig in!

1. Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Steel cut oats might not cook quickly. But with overnight oats, that’s not an issue.

As the oats soak up the milk, they soften to become a creamy treat. Use any type of milk you like. 

Add protein powder and peanut butter to ramp up the protein. Then, give it a drizzle of honey to sweeten the deal. 

Come morning, your breakfast will be waiting. 

2. 4-Ingredient Steel Cut Oat Cookies

These steel cut oat cookies are incredibly tempting. 

Refined sugar and flour free, these thick cookies are dense.

That’s because they’re packed with nothing but the best ingredients. 

Peanut butter, chocolate chips, mashed banana, and steel cut oats are all you need. 

With ingredients like that, you can feel better about giving these to your little tykes. 

3. Savory Steel Cut Oats

In the mood for savory oatmeal? I’ve got the best bowl for you.

It’s hearty, warming, and very savory.

On top of this parmesan oatmeal are chicken sausage, mushrooms, chives, and a fried egg.

Prefer your egg cooked another way? That works, too.

And if you’re the type that always needs hot sauce, I say let the dowsing commence!

4. Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal

Turn your oatmeal into a healthy family-style bake. 

This sweet breakfast uses eight everyday staples like steel cut oats, eggs, and bananas. 

It takes no time at all to throw this together. Plus, it feeds a crowd. 

Whether it’s a holiday or just another Saturday, the family will love it. 

5. Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Overnight oats are highly customizable, including this recipe. 

It shows you how to get creamy oats with only three ingredients. Spoiler alert, it doesn’t use milk!

When it’s breakfast time, fix up your oats any way you like them. 

I tend to go with chia seeds, nuts, honey, and banana slices.

Sometimes, I even add a drizzle of tahini. 

6. Blueberry Steel Cut Oat Muffins

These blueberry muffins are the best. Every nibble is bursting with blueberries.

The addition of steel cut oats adds a chewier texture to the tender muffins. It also makes them a little nutty.

Plus, the streusel topping with the glaze is delish!

7. Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal

Can’t decide if you want a muffin or a cinnamon roll? Have both!

This baked oatmeal is a clever use of oats and a muffin pan. 

The cinnamon, brown sugar, and sweet glaze make them taste like a cinnamon roll. 

And they manage to accomplish it without flour. Instead, it uses steel cut oats.

8. Banana Steel Cut Oats Breakfast Cookies

Are you craving a vegan banana dessert? Grab that baking sheet and let’s make some cookies.

These chewy oatmeal cookies use mashed bananas as a natural sweetener. So they’re full of the banana flavor you crave. 

While chocolate chips are optional, I say add them in. Just be sure they’re vegan.

9. Irish Oatmeal Cookies

Here’s a fun St. Patrick’s Day treat to share.

Irish steel cut oats add a nutty flavor and delightfully chewy texture. There’s also golden syrup and little bits of toffee. 

Baking a treat like this can only mean one thing. You need to use Kerrygold Irish butter. It’s seriously the best.

10. Steel Cut Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies

If you’re more of a butterscotch person, try these. 

These cookies use standard ingredients like flour, butter, and sugar. 

What defines them is the addition of steel cut oats, butterscotch chips, and a hint of cinnamon. 

They’re dense and heavy on the oats. So if you love oatmeal cookies, you’ll love this.

11. Steel Cut Oat Apple Blender Pancakes

Why bother with the whisk when you can use the blender? This nifty appliance makes pancakes ridiculously easy.

Blend steel cut oats, almond milk, eggs, baking powder, coconut oil, and spices. For sweetening, toss in an apple. 

And there you have it, pancake batter. 

These wholesome pancakes are gluten-free.

So you get the breakfast you want without that heavy, weighed-down feeling.

12. Easy Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes

When the kitchen is looking sparse, you can still make pancakes with this recipe. 

All you need are three ingredients. And no, none of them are a boxed pancake mix. 

These pancakes are completely from scratch!

You just need steel cut oats, non-dairy milk, and cinnamon. Well, that and your toppings of choice. 

13. Overnight Buckwheat Oat Gluten-Free Waffles

I have loved waffles since I was a kid. Now I continue the tradition with these gluten-free waffles. 

They’re a wholesome alternative that has the flavor you crave. 

The night before, you combine the oats, buckwheat groats, and buttermilk. This lets them soften overnight. 

In the morning, add the rest of the ingredients to the batter. Then, it’s waffle time!

14. Carrot Cake Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal

Who said you can’t have dessert for breakfast? 

This genius bake infuses steel cut oats with the flavor of carrot cake. 

It’s complete with grated carrots, pecans, and warming spices. 

The only thing missing is the cream cheese frosting.

15. Scottish Oatcakes

Scottish oatcakes are a classic found all over Scotland. 

They’re not a cake in the sense of a dessert smothered in frosting. They’re more like nutty biscuits. 

They’re basically just oats and butter formed into a flat cake, and they’re remarkably tasty.

You’ll love topping them with all sorts of things.

Peanut butter and jam, cucumbers and hummus, or cream cheese and lox all work well. 

16. Strawberry Oat Bars with Steel Cut Oats

Breakfast, snacks, or dessert, you have plenty of reasons to fix up these bars. 

Crammed between two oat layers is homemade strawberry jam. 

While the oat mixture itself has two types of oats, maple syrup, coconut, and peanut butter. 

Gluten-free and high-protein, these sweet treats are a wholesome choice. 

17. Steel Cut Oats and Quinoa Granola Bars 

Homemade granola bars are better than store-bought for so many reasons.

All it takes is one bite and these will convince you. 

Steel cut oats make them heart-healthy and nutty. Add quinoa, cashews, and sunflower seeds for a boost of plant protein.

To sweeten the deal, add maple syrup, coconut, crystalized ginger, and chocolate chips. 

They’re nutritious, fresh, and not loaded with sugar. 

And, they’re vegan! Who knew?

18. Healthy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Granola bars don’t always need a ton of ingredients. Take it from these peanut butter granola bars. 

They use just five ingredients. Steel cut oats, peanut butter, cacao nibs, salt, and honey. 

For a vegan version, use agave instead of honey.

Either way, your kids will gobble them up. And I have a good feeling you will, too.

19. Vegan Oat Sausage Crumbles

In a word, these crumbles are brilliant. 

They’re a meat-free substitute for so many things. Burritos, tacos, wraps, pizzas, and more.

Gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free, they’re also great for many diets.

They’re also soy-free, which is a rarity for meat substitutes. 

Aside from the oats, you need a whole mess of spices, garlic, and sage.

20. Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie

Friends, meet your new favorite smoothie recipe.

It’s fruity, sweet, and nutritious. 

Add steel cut oats to a blender with bananas, blueberries, and almond milk. One blend cycle later, it’s time to start slurping. 

High in fiber, full of protein, and rich in vitamins, it’s a healthy breakfast option. And one that your tastebuds will crave. 

21. Oat Milk Smoothie

This smoothie is so decadent, it’s like drinking dessert for breakfast.

The steel cut oats give it a thicker texture and nutty flavor.

It’s the perfect match for banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, and chia seeds. 

If you want to double down on the oats, go with oat milk.

Otherwise, cashew milk will give this vegan smoothie more protein.

Add vegan coconut whipped cream on top, and it’s dessert in a glass. 

22. Bananas Foster Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Bananas foster is a classic dessert. If you’re a banana lover, you know it well. 

But did you know you can turn it into a healthy breakfast? Well, you can!

You need steel cut oats, bananas, ground flaxseed, almond milk, syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

Add it to a Mason jar, and in the morning, it’s ready. 

23. Cocoa Almond Steel Cut Oatmeal

Here’s a scrumptious way to make your oats sinfully delicious. 

This indulgent bowl of sweet steel cut oats tastes like dessert. 

It’s rich in chocolate, sweetened with brown sugar and banana, and packed with almonds. 

It’s also very creamy thanks to the heavy cream.

24. Vegan Baked Steel Cut Oats

Looking for a low-calorie breakfast? Here’s one you can incorporate into your daily routine.

It’s vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.

Each baked bite consists of steel cut oats, apples, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and non-dairy milk.

They also have psyllium husks for binding. 

They last in the freezer for up to three months. So you can pop one out anytime you need a quick breakfast. 

25. Make-Ahead Freezer Steel Cut Oatmeal Cups

Need a grab-and-go breakfast? Add these oatmeal cups to your meal prep list.

They take no time at all to throw together. Plus, they only call for two ingredients. 

Do you want to know what they are? Water and steel cut oats!

Stovetop, pressure cooker, rice cooker, or slow cooker, you have plenty of options for making them. 

You can also customize them for more flavor.

Blueberries, nuts, chia seeds, and cinnamon are only a handful of ideas. 

26. Fruit and Nut Breakfast Bars

Snacking smart is tough when you reach the hangry stage.

That’s why I like to keep these breakfast bars on hand. 

When I’m feeling hungry, it does the trick. 

Packed with fruit, nuts, nut butter, and steel cut oats, it’s a powerhouse of energy. 

It’s also naturally sweetened from the mashed banana.

That means you can avoid the sugar crash that comes with sugary bars.

27. Steel Cut Oats Breakfast Bowl

Tired of boring oatmeal? Add some pizzazz to your breakfast bowl.

Bananas, peanut butter, maple syrup, and roasted peanuts will perk those oats right up.

For creamy steel cut oats, cook them in almond milk. Since they’re not instant oats, it takes about 30 minutes. 

Be sure to give it a good stir from time to time, then, pile on the toppings. 

28. Pressure Cooker Cinnamon Roll Steel Cut Oats

The kids will run to the breakfast table when they get a whiff of this. 

It has the cinnamon roll flavor the family loves, except it’s a little better for you.

You cook the steel cut oats in a pressure cooker with a dab of butter.

Then, stir in raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

Finish everything off with the cream cheese topping.

29. High-Protein Chocolate Steel Cut Oats

These steel cut oats stick to your ribs. While the flavor sticks to your tastebuds in the most delicious way.

This high-protein breakfast takes homely steel cut oats and turns them into a decadent treat.

You cook the oats with milk, cocoa powder, chocolate protein powder, vanilla, and flaxseed.

About 15 minutes later, your breakfast is ready. 

For a lavish touch, top your bowl with mini chocolate chips and raspberry milk. 

30. Instant Pot Double Chocolate Steel Cut Oats

If you really want to pack your steel cut oats with chocolate, double up!

This warm bowl of oatmeal has semi-sweet chocolate chips and cocoa powder. It even has extra chocolate chips for a garnish. 

If that weren’t enticing enough, mashed banana and maple syrup appease your sweet tooth.

Plus, whole milk makes the oats super creamy. 

You can also make this in the Instant Pot, so you get enough servings to feed the family.