I love my Instant Pot. I use it for a lot of recipes, but this Easy Instant Pot Oatmeal is one I make multiple times a week.
I love that it’s quick, easy, and family friendly. Everyone can choose how they want to top their oatmeal.
Not only that, but it’s a healthy breakfast. You’ll feel like you’ve started your day off right with Instant Pot Oatmeal.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Instant Pot Oatmeal, you will need the following ingredients:
- Old fashioned oats
- Water
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Instant Pot Oatmeal:
- Mix oats and water together in the Instant Pot.
- Lock the lid in place and turn the valve the sealing position.
- Press the “manual” button and set the cook time for 4 minutes.
- When the oatmeal is finished, quick release or natural release the pressure.
- Top as desired for a tasty, filling breakfast.
Favorite Oatmeal Toppings:
Sweeteners:
- Brown sugar
- Sugar in the raw
- Honey
Fruit (fresh or frozen):
We love fresh fruit in our oatmeal, but frozen fruit is a great option if you’re in a hurry. It’s also a great choice when feeding kids because it helps to cool the oatmeal.
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Peaches
- Raspberries
Other toppings:
- Chopped almonds
- Chopped pecans
- Chia seeds
- Coconut



Pumpkin Pie Instant Pot Oatmeal:
In the picture is my Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal. All you need is:
Make 1 cup of oatmeal following the instructions. After it is cooked add:
- ¼ cup pumpkin
- pinch of cloves
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
Mix it all together in your bowl and serve. I did add some chocolate chips on top!
Instant Pot Oatmeal Tips and Tricks:
Prep the night before:
If you really need a fast option for a morning meal, try prepping the night before. Not only can you have your toppings prepped, but add your ingredients to the Instant Pot the night before.
In the morning, make sure the valve is set to sealing, hit the manual button for 4 minutes, and breakfast is only minutes away.
Pot in Pot:
The Instant Pot is a great way to make a big batch of oatmeal. However, some people don’t love to clean the main pot after making oatmeal. Pot in pot is a great option.
Add ½ cup of water to the Instant Pot liner. Place the trivet in as well. Mix your ingredients in an oven safe bowl or pot and set it on the trivet. The cooking instructions remain the same, but clean up is a tad easier.
How to make Instant Pot Oatmeal in Individual Servings:
If you change the size of your batch, cooking time remains the same. I love using a small ramekin for a single or double batch when I’m only feeding one or two.
For a single batch: ½ cup oats to ¾ cup water
For a double batch: 1 cup oats to 1 ½ cups water
Enjoy More Delicious Sweet Breakfast Recipes
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Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 4 cups water
Equipment
Instructions
- Mix oats and water together in the Instant Pot.
- Lock the lid in place and turn the valve the sealing position.
- Press the "manual" button and set the cook time for 4 minutes.
- When the oatmeal is finished, quick release or natural release the pressure.
- Top as desired for a tasty, filling breakfast.
Notes
- Brown sugar
- Sugar in the raw
- Honey
Nutrition
Video




















Is the time different if you use steel cut oats?
I don’t know why I have got the burn notice three times. I don’t add any milk and I actually added another half a cup of water and I got the burn notice again😳
I halved the recipe and made it twice so that I would have enough for 4 days. I used a metal bowl on the trivet. Turned out perfectly. I will add applesauce and sweetener when I reheat in the morning. I have been trying to cook old fashioned oats in the microwave and couldn’t get the texture I like so this makes me happy. I usually get the quick oats but because of shortages I had to buy the OF from BJ’s so I have a lot of them.
Hi Gillian, So glad the Instant Pot oatmeal worked out great. Thanks for sharing.
So the first time I fixed this recipe it turned out perfectly and I did the just the double batch ( 1 cup oats to 1-1/2 cups water) I did it directly in pot and the first time like I said it turned out perfect. But now the past 2 times I keep getting a water notice (I have a ninja foodi so it doesn’t say burn it just says water) I’m so confused as to why it worked before but not now.
Disaster! Burn notice and I had to scrape it. It is just as fast in a big pot over the stove where I don’t have to be on top toes. Epic fail and I will stick to stove top that takes the same amount of time or shorter.
Please help!! I’m fairly new to Instant Pot cooking. I went to quick release and I have never seen so much steam release for such a long period of time. I used 5 cups of water, 2.5 cups of oatmeal for 4 minutes.
You are fine. Just let the steam release and then you can open the lid.
This turned out awesome! The oatmeal was the perfect texture for our taste. I added pumpkin and spices and it made a quick and filling breakfast! The only thing I would suggest adding to the basic recipe is a small amount of salt. Without it, the oatmeal can be pretty bland. I will definitely make this again!
Curious what kind of oats you use ?
I wanted to make oats in mine but only have quick oats … not sure if it’s possible.
I made this after watching the video. It turned out perfect…initially. but in the video it says you can leave it on warm overnight and have ready-to-eat oatmeal in the morning. I woke up to pretty nasty looking oatmeal that was crusty, yet somehow also soggy, and stuck to the bottom of the pot lol. No big deal, maybe the overnight shortcut was just too good to be true. Washed the pot and made a fresh batch of oatmeal in 4 minutes. Not bad!
Boo! Got a burn notice. Oatmeal still cooked. Although I didn’t use the 3 quart instant pot. Just added the oats and water and mixed like the instructions said but got burn notice.
I followed the basic oatmeal recipe of one cup oats to 2 cups water but added a pinch of salt. I chose to cook it in a bowl. I put a stainless steel bowl on top of a trivet inside my instant pot. I added just enough water to cover the bottom of the liner. It came out perfect. I did set it for 4 minutes and did natural release for 10 minutes.
Metal bowl on a silicone sling. 2C rolled oats + 4C banana milk + 1/2t each cardamom & cinnamon (will double that next time) 4M HP NR; came out too soupy. Put the bowl back in for 0 minutes, NR PERFECT. Next time I’ll add the spices when hot and just cooked.
After out of IP, I added turmeric, black pepper, ginger, some cashews and choc chips that melted VERY quickly. Very good. But much better after I added wild blueberries, cherries, mango. Got very full. I will make this many more times in the near future.
Thanks for the great instructions.
Sometimes this recipe works great. Sometimes I get a burn notice. I can’t see anything different in what I’m doing. Do you have an idea what could be happening?
Good day,
I would like to try this recipe, but my instant pot doesn’t have the “manual” button. I have the instant pot duo crisp + air fryer. Which option can I select?
You should be able to press the “Pressure cook” button and select 4 minutes that way