Clean Eating Overnight Oatmeal

by The Gracious Pantry on January 31, 2010

Clean Eating Overnight Oatmeal

If you’re anything like me in the mornings, cooking breakfast is sometimes….. just not an option.

So when I know I’m going to have “one of those mornings” I make, what I call, Overnight Oatmeal. This is the simplest, easiest way I’ve ever made oatmeal, and this way, I still get a nice warm bowl of it first thing in the morning… no cooking involved!

Click here for a constantly updated list of oatmeal recipes.

Now, I should mention there is another method for overnight oatmeal in which you simply allow the oats to soak overnight in liquid. I haven’t tried this method yet, but will soon. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

What You’ll Need:

  • Digital timer
  • Small crock pot
  • Oatmeal – Steel cut is best for overnight cooking
  • Spices
  • Water
  • Extracts

What To Do:

Step 1 – You’ll need a good quality digital, plug-in timer (about $25 at Home Depot or your local hardware store. It’s a little pricey, but a worthwhile investment.) Set your timer, and be sure the crock pot is on the “on” position.

Step 2 – Follow the directions on your container of oatmeal. Use the same amounts of water and oatmeal that you would if you were cooking this on the stove.

Step 3 – Add your extract (I used vanilla here, but you can also use orange, lemon, almond or mint.), and then your spice ( I used cinnamon, but you can use pumpkin spice, cloves, nutmeg or allspice. Heck, get crazy and try a little cayenne!). For both measurements, I used 1 tsp. (but if you’re trying the cayenne, I would start with 1/8 tsp. to see if you like it.)

Step 4 – Cover and set aside (plugged in, of course).

Cooking time: I set my crock pot for 3 hours. You will need to experiment with this a bit, as different elevations will require different cooking times. I set my timer to turn on at 3:30am so that my oatmeal is ready and warm when I get up at 6:30 or 7:00am.

So there you have it! Overnight Oatmeal. I do love that little crock pot! (I got it for $5 off Craigslist. Best purchase I ever made!)

Eat and Enjoy!

Enjoyed this post? Like it, Tweet it and leave a comment below!

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Print Friendly
Share
  • Becky

    I make oatmeal like this every week! So yummy and it means I will have a clean breakfast and start my day right. My crockpot has a built in timer and will turn it self to warm after the timer counts down. I set it on low for about 2.5 hours and let it stay on warm the rest of the night. In the morning it is warm and yummy!

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Hi Becky,

    So glad I’m not the only one! I’ve found it to be the best way to always have a bowl of healthy oatmeal ready and waiting. It’s a great way to go!

    Tiffany

  • Lyn

    Hi there Tiffany,
    I use oats to make Bircher Meusli – no cooking required, but refrigeration overnight. So I guess its not oatmeal, but its pretty good!
    The night before: Put your traditional rolled oats in a bowl (serves 1), pour some apple juice over the top to soak a little. Add a tablespoon or two of no fat plain (or no sugar fruit) yoghurt, a 1/2 teaspoon of honey, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a handful of nuts (almonds or walnuts). Then grate an apple one top, sprinkle with lemon juice if you like, but its not necessary. Cover with wrap, and pop in the fridge. In the morning, add a little milk (almond, coconut or dairy), and enjoy. I’m in Queensland, Australia, and on those hot, steamy mornings, this cold breakfast is really great!

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Lyn – That sounds wonderful! Thank you!

  • http://www.inthekitchenwithaudrey.com Audrey’s Mom

    We use this method when we want oatmeal as mom does not cook in the AM and Audrey is not fond of the stovetop. We use a cheap, non-digital timer that I found in our garage. We used it to turn lights on and off when I worked. It never fails. It took a few times but we found that 2 to 2 1/2 hours is best with our slow cooker.

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    AM – That’s great! I cook mine about that long too. Works like a charm!

  • Tami

    Can you clarify for me please? You refer to your crockpot as small. Are you using the really small ones that are used in dorm rooms and make a single serving generally? I still have my tiny crockpot from college but wasn’t certain if that’s how small you actually meant and it was difficult from the photos to tell the scale/size. Considering you use 1tsp of spice/extract each I inferred that perhaps your crockpot is not the little individual size as that seemed like too much spice for that small of a serving. I an looking forward to trying this overnight oatmeal!

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Tami – Really, any size crock pot will work. But mine is the size they sell for using with potpourri. I suppose it would be considered a single serving size. Most crock post this size simply have an “on and off” switch. No temp choices. I was lucky to find one with the temp choices!

  • Dr. Catharine

    Good morning, Tiffany. I have been looking at your recipes for a couple of weeks and decided to try this one. I am a veterinarian, personal fitness trainer, health coach, and mom. I want to let your readers know that I purchased a 2 quart crock pot at Target for $10.99. We will be trying various additions to your base instructions and I will let you know how they turn out.

  • Anonymous

    Dr. Catharine – Wonderful! Here are a whole bunch of ideas for you. Read the comment too. I haven’t had the chance to try them all, but man! There are some great ideas! http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/oatmeal-recipes/

  • Anonymous

    I made the mistake of buying my steel cut oats in bulk the first time and was up cruising websites late last night trying to find a good water to oats ratio since I was bound and determined to have them for breakfast this morning. Everyone seemed to have something different! Maybe you should put it up there for those of us rookie steel-cut oaters. I used 4 cups of water and 1 cup of oats and it seemed to come out okay, but not sure if that’s the right ratio or not. My child loved these and my husband seemed to like it pretty well. I’m not a big fan of oatmeal but gave them a try. I think I need to try various toppings and mix-ins before I make my final decision about eating them myself. I love how it was all ready to go for me when I went downstairs this morning. Yay for crockpots!
    Also, thanks to the person who suggested Target for the small and inexpensive crockpot. It’s so cute!

  • Anonymous

    Anon – Thanks for the heads up! You’re right, it’s good to experiment with the type of oats you like best. I think, as you get more into it, you’ll also find that different types of oats are good for different types of recipes.

    Yes, I love those little crock pots! Adorable!

  • Anonymous

    Hyr – What a great tip! Thanks!

  • Anonymous

    Carol – Hope you enjoy them!

  • Anonymous

    DS – That is probably true. With enough water, it should be fine. Enjoy!

Previous post:

Next post: