Easy Day Ahead Crunchy Baked Almond Berry Steel Cut Oatmeal

Once you taste this rustic, chewy, delicious slow cooker groatmeal (oat groats), you’ll never want plain oatmeal again!

slow cooker oat groats (groatmeal)

This recipe for slow cooker oat groats (groatmeal) has been a lifesaver for me. First, it has given us a yummy option for a power breakfast (loaded with nutrients). Second, it’s an easy make-ahead breakfast that can be frozen and reheated as needed.

I found the groatmeal recipe here on The Yummy Life and immediately decided to try it. We love steel cut oatmeal and its chewy, rustic texture. Groatmeal is actually even more rustic, and this recipe is full of healthy ingredients~apples, chia seeds, and almond milk.

Steel cut oats and oat groats have a lower glycemic index (the time it takes to cause a spike in blood sugar) than quick or old fashioned oats. See the differences below.

Old Fashioned Rolled oats: Oats are steamed, softened, pressed flat between rollers and then dried. The flake texture makes them the quickest cooking oat.

Steel cut oats: Whole oat groats are cut into small pieces with sharp blades, which makes them retain their nutty consistency.

Oat groats: These are whole oat kernels with only the inedible hull removed. The least processed oats you can buy, they have the highest protein of all oats and take the longest to cook.

Where to buy oat groats: I couldn’t find oat groats at any of my stores in Birmingham~Whole Foods, Sprouts, Fresh Market, or Publix, so I ordered them on amazon at a great low price. 

I cook these oat groats in my casserole crock pot. Typically, food cooks a bit faster in a casserole crock due to its smaller size and the shallow depth of the casserole dish. These were cooked on low for about 6 hours. For crispy edges (as seen in the Yummy Life blog), you can cook them longer.

Flavor: These oat groats have a faint apple, cinnamon & maple syrup flavor. We eat them exactly as they are~no additional sweetener needed.

Additions: Coconut flakes, blueberries, walnuts, and any milk (I prefer almond-coconut milk) can be added to the groatmeal for a real power breakfast.

Make ahead: I made the recipe below, cut the groatmeal into squares, and froze them in small freezer bags. When ready to cook, I put however many portions needed into a microwavable bowl. Two minutes on high is how long it takes to cook in my microwave.

Cooking groatmeal from frozen is super easy. Simply take the portion(s) you need from the freezer, place in a microwave safe bowl, and heat on high until groats are warm (adding milk if needed to desired consistency). See photos below.

We love this groatmeal and may never go back to regular oats again! If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear back from you. If you’re looking for another quick, nutritious & delicious way to power up your morning, I suggest trying these Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies. As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Be blessed, and stay savvy!

slow cooker oat groats (groatmeal)

Slow Cooker Groatmeal (Oat Groats)

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours
Total Time: 7 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup steel cut oatmeal
  • 3/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 apples, peeled and sliced or chopped
  • 2 cups milk (no fat free)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 TB vanilla or 2 tsp almond flavor

Instructions

  1. Mix oats, nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
  2. In a bowl, whish milk, maple syrup, egg, butter and vanilla (or almond).
  3. Pour the mixture over the oats; shake pan to cover oats well.
  4. Refrigerate overnight.
  5. The next morning, give the oat mixture a stir.
  6. Cook on low for 7 hours or until desired consistency.
    Nutrition Information
    Yield 8 Serving Size 1
    Amount Per Serving Calories 144Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 4mgSodium 137mgCarbohydrates 26gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 4gSugar 7gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 5g

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    10 Comments

    1. Hi Angela! I updated the post……the oats should be cooked on low in the slow cooker for 7 hours (or longer for firmer/dryer oats). Hope this helps!!!

    2. I have the same question as Sherel… also, what temperature do you bake the oat groats after soaking them overnight?

    3. I’m sorry — I’m confused. I see soaking overnight and baking for about an hour — but I didn’t see anything about slow-cooking in any kind of crock pot or slow cooker for hours. Am I missing something. In any case, it still looks delicious and I’m eager to try it with some personal tweaks. Thank you for the recipe.

    4. Sorry that I didn’t include this! We do about 3/4 to 1 cup servings, and as I recall, this recipe makes 12-14 servings. I also freeze individual servings for easy microwaveable breakfasts later. So glad you love it; thank you for writing!!!

    5. Love this recipe!! So much better than oatmeal and freezes well. I made it with unsweetened applesauce, unsweetened vanilla almond milk and left out the maple syrup and it was great!

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