Home › Recipe Index › All Breakfast › Oatmeal Recipes

Meal Prep Steel Cut Oats

By Nicole Vranjican

5 from 2 votes

on Mar 06, 2021, Updated Jan 27, 2022

Kicking off a brand new month with my Meal Prep Steel Cut Oats recipe. It’s hearty steel cut oats, tart Granny Smith apples, sweet raisins, a touch of cinnamon cooked low and slow until it’s thick and creamy. Then all that’s left to do is add some fun toppings! I think a generous spoonful of nut or seed butter is the way to go, but a crunchy sprinkle of granola or chopped walnuts can be heavenly too!

That’s the beauty of meal prep breakfast recipes like this one. It starts with a simple base that you can customize with fun toppings each morning. Change it up, or keep it the same. Either way you’ll be happy knowing that you can sneak in a few more minutes or sleep because a warm, nutritious, and satisfying breakfast is less than two minutes away!

Steel cut oats in TWO MINUTES!

Once I’ve made a batch, I score the top so it’s easy to see each portion. Then at breakfast time, I just reheat one serving with 3 tbsp of water or soy milk and microwave it for two minutes. This steams the oatmeal and brings it back to life. Just mix well once the oats are warm and add the toppings of your choice. Note: You can also do this on the stove. Simply heat until warmed through (about five minutes.)

Either way it’s much quicker than making steel cut oats from scratch every morning. The way I see it, if I’m going to cook, might as well make extra to enjoy for the next few days. That’s how I make home cooking practical and easy for my busy life. It’s not about spending hours in the kitchen each day, it’s just about making extra so that future me is taken care of 😊

Want to save this recipe?

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Save Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Meal Prep Steel Cut Oats

By: Nicole Vranjican

A meal prep friendly recipe for creamy steel cut oats cooked with cinnamon apples, raisins, and touch of vanilla. All the nutritious goodness of steel cut oatmeal without all of the time!

Note: This is meal prep for one or two people, but the measurements for a larger batch suitable for a family of four is in the notes below.

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Save Recipe

Enter your email and get it sent to your inbox!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Save Recipe

Ingredients 

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups soy or almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 cup steel cut oatmeal
• ½ tsp sea salt, just shy of 1/2 tsp
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large Granny Smith apple
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ⅓ cup raisins

Instructions 

Prep

• Peel the apple (optional but recommended) and finely dice, then set aside.

Cook

• In a large pot combine 2cups of water and 2 cups soy milk. Bring to a boil and add 1 cup of steel cut oatmeal, 1/2 tsp of sea salt, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.

  Reduce the heat to medium low and add the diced apple and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Add the raisins, stir vigorously, and continue to simmer on medium low for 25 minutes.

  Tip: Stir the oats occasionally while cooking to prevent sticking but also to help thicken the oats. Stirring actually makes this creamier!

  Note: You may want to add another 1/4 cup of water or soy milk if the oats are getting too thick for your liking.

For serving immediately:

• Spoon into a bowl and top with whatever you like! Some of my favroites for this recipe are tahini, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a splash of cold soy milk or a generous dollop of salted creamy peanut butter and some sliced bananas or berries.

  I also love adding a crunchy sprinkle of granola, chopped nuts, sunflower, chia seeds, or coconut flakes. A drizzle of maple syrup or a pat of vegan butter is also great.

  Dress it up or just serve it as is! It's all delicious 😊

For Meal Prep Storage:

• Once thickened, remove from the heat and transfer to a large conatiner with a lid, but don't cover.

  Use a spatula to smooth out the top and then allow to cool completely.

  Once cooled, score the top into four even sections so it's easy to measure each serving in the morning.

  When you're ready for breakfast the next morning, all that's left to do is scoop out your portion an transfer it to a bowl. Break it apart a little bit with a spoon or fork, and then add 3 tbsp of water or soy milk. Microwave for 1.5-2 minutes and then mix well to reconstitute.

  Serve warm with desired toppings and enjoy!

Notes

Not a fan of raisins? Sub a few chopped Medjool dates or a handful of chewy dried cranberries instead. I do recommend giving the raisins a try though, even if you don’t usually enjoy them, because the raisins are especially delicious in this recipe! Unlike regular raisins, these will soften from the heat of the oats and become super plump and juicy. The texture is entirely different and it’s honestly so delicious! Plus I love how they kind of speckle the oats with a little burst of natural sweetness. 

Speaking of which, this recipe isn’t very sweet so if you like sweeter oatmeal, add some maple syrup, coconut sugar, or brown sugar into the oats while cooking or serve on top. 

Why Granny Smith apples? You can use any apples you like – sometimes I even use pears – but Granny Smith are my favorite for this recipe because they are so bright and tart and flavorful. It really plays up the apple-cinnamon flavor and it’s so delicious. Note: You can use more than one apple or pear if desired. Sometimes I use two or I’ll do a mix of both! 

Want more apple flavor? Sub 1 cup of unsweetened apple juice for one of the cups of water! So it will be 1 cup water, 1 cup apple juice, and 2 cups soy milk to 1 cup steel cut oats. 

LARGER MEAL PREP BATCH

Serves 8

4 cups water

4 cups soy or almond milk 

2 cups steel cut oats 

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla 

2 Granny Smith apples

1 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cups raisins 

If you enjoyed this post please give it a 5 star review and let me know if you make this recipe in the comments below! Hope you enjoy!

Nicole