Chocolate Steel Cut Oatmeal (Slow Cooker)

(4 servings)

  • 3 cups water
  • 1 and 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon - optional
  • 1 cup steel cut oats
In a medium saucepan, heat the water and milk to a low simmer. Stir in the cocoa powder and sugar. Reduce heat to low. Add a tablespoon of butter and keep stirring until it melts. Mix in the vanilla, salt and cinnamon (if using).

Combine the liquid mixture with steel cut oats in a slow-cooker.

Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours - stirring occasionally for the first hour or two.


Chocolate Steel Cut Oatmeal (Slow Cooker)


Cooking Notes:

Preparing the liquid mixture in a sauce pan has the benefit of letting you taste it before you add the oats and commit to it. You may wish to add a bit more sugar or cocoa powder depending on your tastes.

Be careful with the cocoa powder. A little goes a long way. I tried this recipe once with 3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder and the result was slightly bitter.

When serving, consider garnishing with mini-chocolate chips or chocolate shavings to make double-chocolate steel-cut oatmeal. Fresh or frozen raspberries or strawberries are a great addition as well.

If you get up to use the restroom in the night, consider giving the oats a quick stir. Everybody's slow cooker is a little different. Some people will cook this recipe for 8 hours without stirring it and it will come out perfect. Another person with a different cooker will follow the same directions, but find that the edges are scorched after 6 hours. A quick stir midway through cooking will help prevent scorching no matter how fickle your cooker might be.



Cook breakfast while you sleep! This easy-to-make slow cooker oatmeal recipe is easy to modify to suit your tastes.


Mr Breakfast would like to thank Mr Breakfast for this recipe.

Recipe number 3180. Submitted 5/7/2013.