Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats

A hearty bowl of creamy pumpkin steel cut oats full of warm spices to remind you of pumpkin pie. It’s vegan, gluten-free and full of delicious healthy toppings.

This pumpkin steel cut oats is certainly one at add to your collection of vegan pumpkin recipes. This cozy breakfast idea is perfect for fall.

It’s gluten-free, dairy-free and topped with blueberries, toasted cashews, caramelized bananas and pumpkin seed butter. It doesn’t get any better than that! 

It’s a great way to use up any leftover roasted pumpkin or purée. This healthy porridge can be prepared same day or overnight to save time during breakfast on busy mornings.

I’ll share some easy preparation tips plus how to make this vegan pumpkin pie oatmeal on the stovetop, in the microwave or Instant Pot.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Stove top Method

1. Take a medium-sized pot, add the soaked oats and a liquid of your choice (plant based milk or water), and set on the stove at medium heat. 

2. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat and stir in the purée, sweetener, vanilla, spice and pinch of salt. Simmer until thick and creamy for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Be sure to stir the pot periodically, scraping the bottom to prevent sticking.

3. Remove from heat and serve warm with the toppings.

Microwave Method

Cooking steel cut oatmeal is possible in the microwave but I recommend cooking no more than 2 servings (1/2 cup or 88g) as more oats will take much longer to cook.

But if you’re in a hurry, the microwave method can be a convenient way to make this breakfast porridge. Here’s how:

1. Get a large microwave-safe bowl, add the soaked oats and water or plant-based milk. 

2. Place in the microwave and set on high for 2 minutes.

3. Remove from the microwave and stir in the purée, sweetener, vanilla, spice and salt. Return to the microwave for another 2 minutes.

4. Serve with the toppings.

Instant Pot Method

The advantage of cooking pumpkin oats with an Instant Pot is that it is mostly hands-off. But it does take time to come up to pressure.

Letting the oatmeal naturally release is a very crucial step. In total, be prepared to wait about 30 minutes before eating or serving it. Here are the steps:

1. Add the soaked oats and plant-based milk or water to the Instant Pot. Close the lid, press “Manual,” and set the time to cook for 10 minutes.

2. After cooking, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 12 to 15 minutes.

3. Stir in the purée, sweetener, vanilla, spice and salt into the oatmeal. 

4. Serve with toppings.

Oatmeal Toppings

There are many different types of vegan-friendly toppings you can add to oatmeal including:

• nuts and seeds
• nut and seed butter
• caramelized bananas (recipe below)
• fresh, frozen or dried fruit

For more ideas check out the Steel Cut Oatmeal Toppings post.

Key Tips To Follow

Soaking steel cut oatmeal is crucial to making the creamiest batch. It can be very chewy and hard to digest but this greatly improves after an overnight soak.

To soak, measure your desired amount of oatmeal and cover with twice the amount of warm to lukewarm water. Let it sit at room temperature overnight then drain and rinse in the morning. 

Some people don’t drain and rinse oats after soaking and that might be fine but I’m used to doing that when soaking other whole grains.

If you eat oatmeal often, you can soak and cook a large batch as steel cut oatmeal maintain it’s texture well while being stored in the fridge and freezer.

You can use 1/2 cup (115g) canned purée or homemade for this recipe. If you’re using roasted pumpkin measure and purée 1/2 cup in a blender or food processor. Add a few tablespoons of water if needed to make it easier to blend.

To make the purée from scratch, chop 1/2 cup pumpkin and place in a pot with 1/4 cup (60ml) water. Cook until it softens and then purée with the liquid in a blender.

How To Make Pumpkin Spice

A teaspoon of pumpkin spice blend is all you need for this recipe. But it’s also easy to make your own. Combine 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, a pinch of ginger and a pinch of cloves.

More Pumpkin Recipes

• Gluten-free Pumpkin Gnocchi
• Simple Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
• Whole Roasted Kabocha Squash Bowl
• Healthy Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup
• Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Pie