Inside Scoop: This 5-minute healthy slow cooker oatmeal is made with pumpkin puree, apples, spices and cooked in a dairy-free milk to give you a rich and creamy breakfast that takes little to no-time to prep.

Have you ever tried to cook steel cut oats in a slow cooker?

This method of cooking oatmeal not only saves you time, but it also gives you a great deal of creativity when it comes to upping your slow cooked oats game.

And you know us, we love an easy recipe, with easy prep and we are absolutely obsessed with our Crock-Pot® Pressure Cooker, and our Crock-Pot® 6 Qt. Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker. They are the perfect tools for allowing us to keep up with healthy cooking in an easy-peasy, hassle-free way.

SEASONAL HEALTHY SLOW COOKER OATMEAL WITH STEEL CUT OATS

Steel Cut Oats vs. Rolled Oats

Oatmeal is the perfect seasonal food. Not that it is a seasonal food like fresh produce, but because you can modify your healthy slow cooker oatmeal recipe to the time of the year.

Summer? Think fresh summer fruits like rhubarb or berries.

Winter & Fall? Think hearty and spiced. Like this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Healthy Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Candied Pecans.

The only thing about cooking oatmeal is that we much prefer using steel cut oats over rolled or quick cooked oats. The reason? Well that lies in the nutritional content of steel cut oats.

First, they are less processed than the latter, which means they are closer to their whole-food state as possible. And second, the nutritional content is higher than rolled oats. With more protein, more fiber and slightly less carbs and calories, steel cut oats’ nutritional value is a winner in our books.

The only downside is that they take longer to cook. Rolled oats may only take 5 minutes in the morning, whereas steel cut oats take an upward of 20 to 30 minutes to cook, and who has time for that?

That’s where a slow cooker comes into play.

All You Need is 5-Minutes for these Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oats

Having access to the Crock-Pot 6 Qt. Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker makes cooking steel cut oats a breeze. It’s simple really, you just have to add everything into the slow cooker, stir and set it on its low function and cook during the day or overnight.

This pumpkin pie healthy slow cooker oats recipe is:

• A huge time saver – takes 5 minutes to prep.
• Adaptable to our busy schedules – we can prep it before we go to bed and it’s ready for us in the morning.
• Saves money because it keeps us from running to the closest fast food chain for breakfast meal.
• Can be used all year round!

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: The Crock-Pot® 6 Qt. Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker is on a special price rollback at Walmart Canada to $39.98 until the 24th of December. Regularly priced at $49.98. Get yours here.

A WELL-ROUNDED, HEARTY BREAKFAST

There are so many things we love about having oatmeal for breakfast. Aside from the nutritional benefits of oats, such as protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, a hearty slow cooker oatmeal recipe like this is perfect for cold mornings and for keeping us feeling full until the afternoon.

We also like to take it with us on-the-go if we know we are going somewhere that has a microwave. It’s really one of those meals that you can eat when you wake up, at your desk at lunch, or even if you are too tired in the evening and want something fast.

Who said you can’t have oatmeal for dinner, right?

A meal that tastes just like pumpkin pie, but contains a fraction of the sugar (and you can swap out stevia or monkfruit sweetener if you are looking for a sugar-free option), that’s filing, delicious, hearty, warming and that you can make over and over again.

What do you think? Do you see slow cooker steel cut oats with pumpkin spices as a recipe you will make in your near future?

Also, if you are all about the ease of a Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker, make sure you bookmark this recipe for Pressure Cooked Braised Short Ribs, or these Pineapple Jerk Chicken Thighs.

We also have some delicious oat-based recipes like these Apple Oat Cups and Warm Peanut Butter Oatmeal.

Disclaimer: This post was developed in a paid partnership with the Crock-Pot brand. All partnerships we promote align with our core nutrition values and teachings. And, all opinions in this post are genuine. You can find more about our NN Approved Healthy Brands here.