These pressure cooker/Instant Pot chocolate steel cut oats are insanely good and thanks to natural and unrefined sweeteners, they’re healthy, too!
Fancy eating a little chocolate for breakfast? Yeah, me too. Every day.
These Instant Pot double chocolate steel cut oats are the answer.
They’re ridiculously delicious and unashamedly decadent. And thanks to the natural, unprocessed sweeteners, they fit the criteria: healthy, hearty breakfast.
Because of the current distance learning situation, we’ve actually been eating this for lunch. Like, a lot. Turns out, chocolate + oats + lunch = a very wise decision.
Steel Cut Oats in the Pressure Cooker
Making steel cut oats in the pressure cooker (instant pot or whatever brand you have) is the best way to cook those little nuggets. The hands off approach results in creamy, tender steel cut oats in a fraction of the time they usually need to cook on the stovetop.
This Instant Pot banana bread steel cut oats recipe is a staple breakfast around here, so when my friend, Allyson, messaged me and told me she made a chocolate variation, I knew I would be trying it myself in a matter of minutes.
If you are worried about the bananas, let me assure you that in this chocolate version, the banana taste is nearly undetectable. Instead, they add a boost of natural sweetener, plus they help make the cooked oats super creamy.
The Process
This two part recipe is super easy:
- Combine the milk, water, bananas, and steel cut oats and cook for 8 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for a few minutes so liquid, goopy oats don’t spurt through the valve.
- Stir in the vanilla, pure maple syrup (or honey), cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
To avoid the burn warning, I increased the water by a cup. And I also increased the cooking time just a few minutes for ultra-tender steel cut oats.
Chocolate Oatmeal Forever
The texture of these Instant Pot chocolate steel cut oats is absolute perfection.
I mean, you know you’re eating oatmeal, but it’s so flipping good, you don’t even care you are eating oatmeal. {That’s a direct quote from my 14-year old.}
This chocolate oatmeal is perfect by itself with a little swirl of milk, but if you choose to load it up with chopped pecans, raspberries (I use frozen!) or sliced bananas, coconut, and more chocolate chips, you’ll know what heaven must be like.
My only regret is now that I’ve introduced these chocolate steel cut oats to the kids, they’ll never be ok with just plain ol’ oatmeal for breakfast (or lunch) again.
I’ve created monsters.
But considering their chocolate-obsessed DNA (ahem, hi), I can’t really get all that upset. I, for one, would choose chocolate oatmeal any day over just about any other breakfast option.
So, in summary, I am also a monster.
FAQ’S FOR THIS STEEL CUT OATS RECIPE:
Can I make this dairy free?
Yes! A non-dairy milk substitute should work just fine for the cow’s milk.
Can I make this in a slow cooker or on the stovetop?
I have only ever made this recipe in a pressure cooker, but you could experiment with a slow cooker using this recipe as a starting place. For stovetop, you’ll want about 4 cups liquid for every cup of oats – and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Can I use sugar instead of maple syrup?
Sure, you can try subbing in brown sugar or granulated sugar. If using maple syrup, make sure it’s pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup. Honey will work, too.
Can I leave out the bananas?
You can definitely try. They add natural sweetness and creaminess. You might need/want to increase the maple syrup or honey to taste.
Can I use rolled oats or quick oats?
Unfortunately those types of oats haven’t been tested in this recipe and won’t work as well as steel cut oats without modifications.
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Yield:
6 servings
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
8 minutes
Additional Time:
25 minutes
Total Time:
43 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (almond milk, dairy milk, etc)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2-3 medium bananas)
- 2 cups steel cut oats
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey (see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (natural unsweetened or Dutch-process)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- For serving: sliced bananas, raspberries, coconut, chocolate chips, pecans, etc.
Instructions
- Grease the insert of a 6-quart Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- To the pot, add the milk, water, bananas, oats and salt. Stir to combine. Secure the lid making sure the valve is sealed.
- Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes (select manual or pressure cook –> dial the minute setting up or down to get to 8 minutes –> the pressure cooker will start automatically).
- When the cooking time is done, let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure (otherwise liquid may spurt through the valve if pressure is released too soon).
- Stir in the maple syrup (or honey) and vanilla. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is fully melted.
- Serve warm with additional milk (if desired), sliced bananas, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, raspberries, chocolate chips, etc. The oatmeal will thicken as it cools, but it makes good leftovers if reheated on low with a bit of milk or water.
Notes
Sweetener: depending on how you like your oatmeal (and what type of chocolate chips you use), you may want to add more or less than the 1/2 cup pure maple syrup called for in the recipe. Adjust to taste, as needed.
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Recipe Source: based off of this steel cut oats recipe with changes my friend, Allyson R. sent me (thanks, Allyson!)
