Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats

During the doldrums of winter, no breakfast warms my soul quite as well as a bowl of steel-cut oats. There’s just something about those bouncy little oats that I love. Traditionally, steel-cut oats take about 25 minutes of frequent stirring to cook on the stovetop, but I’ve discovered a much easier (ie completely hands-off) method using the Instant Pot. I’ll never go back to making them on the stovetop again.

FYI - Steel-cut oats are sometimes called pinhead oats or groats.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Instant Pot https://amzn.to/3aXJ88N

• steel-cut oats (NOT instant or quick-cooking) https://amzn.to/37We6w5

• the very best pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3ovS9fE

• silicone muffin cups https://amzn.to/3hIdulq

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Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats

makes 6 half-cup servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup steel-cut oats (not instant or quick-cooking)

• 3 cups water (see notes below)

• 1/4 teaspoon fine table salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (use the good stuff!)

• optional: fruit, berries, sweetener of choice, heavy cream

Directions

1. Place the oats, water, and salt in the inner pot of the instant pot; stir to combine.

2. Cover with lid and make sure the vent is set to “sealing”.

3. Set the instant pot to cook on “manual” or “high pressure” for 4 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes before manually releasing any additional pressure.

4. Remove the lid stir in pure vanilla extract and wait about 5 minutes before serving.

5. Sweeten as you like and top with your choice of fruit or berries and a drizzle of cream.

Notes

• If you like, you can replace up to 2 cups of the water with milk.

• I often make a double batch to store in the fridge for the week. It reheats well in the microwave and isn’t half bad eaten cold, straight out of the fridge.

• A friend of mine likes to freeze individual portions in these 100% silicone muffin cups. Once frozen, she pops them out of the silicone and into an airtight freezer container. To reheat, she places a frozen portion in a microwave-safe bowl and microwaves on high power for a minute or two.

Old Fashioned Movie Theater Popcorn

Do you like movie theater popcorn? I don’t care for it at all… it’s way too salty, and quite frankly, artificial tasting from the fake butter-flavored oil they use to pop it. A number of years ago I learned movie theaters, way back when, used coconut oil to pop their kernels so I thought I’d give it a try at home and wow, I couldn’t believe how amazing it was. I’ve been making it at home this way ever since and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked to share the simple recipe (you can find it at the bottom of this post). You’re just 3 simple ingredients away from finding out for yourself how delicious popcorn can truly be!

Ingredient #1 - Premium Popcorn Kernels

I’ve tried all kinds of brands and the premium ones really do yield bigger, better tasting popcorn with fewer un-popped kernels. We’re fans of this brand and since we make a big batch of popcorn about once a week, we like to buy it in bulk.

Ingredient #2 - UNREFINED Coconut Oil

Unrefined coconut oil is important because it retains a sweet coconut flavor that pairs so well with fresh popcorn - actually, there’s something magical that happens when the popcorn, salt, and coconut oil are all mixed together, they take on a natural, “butter-like” flavor. Avoid using refined coconut oil because it’s flavorless so you’ll miss out on that magical flavor pairing.

Ingredient #3 - Popcorn Salt

Popcorn salt is very finely milled… much finer than table salt. Because this salt is so fine, it doesn’t bounce off the surface of the popcorn like larger salt crystals do.

Using the ratio of popcorn and coconut oil listed in the recipe below, place both kernels and oil in a tall, covered stockpot and cook over medium-high heat, shaking the pan frequently, until the sound of popping kernels slows down considerably (long pauses between pops), immediately remove from heat, uncover stock pot, and transfer the popped kernels to a large bowl.

I know people who swear by their beloved Whirley Pop stove-top popcorn makers, but I’ve never had the pleasure of using one. A standard stockpot works fine if you shake it during the popping process.

While the freshly popped popcorn is still hot, pour it into a large bowl and sprinkle with popcorn salt. Cover the bowl with a lid or an upside down bowl and shake vigorously to evenly disperse the seasoning. Taste and adjust if more seasoning is needed. Serve immediately.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• popcorn kernels https://amzn.to/3tgCUbs

• unrefined coconut oil https://amzn.to/3cFcxWP

• popcorn salt https://amzn.to/3tfo1WA

• popcorn pot https://amzn.to/2NW9VcN

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Old Fashioned Movie Theater Popcorn

makes 8 cups (recipe doubles well - just be sure to use a larger stockpot)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels

• 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil

• finely milled popcorn salt to taste

Directions

1. Place a 6-quart or larger stockpot over medium-high heat and melt coconut oil; add popcorn kernels in a single layer and cover with lid.

2. When kernels start popping, start shaking stockpot from side-to-side until the popping nearly ends (slows considerably with long pauses between pops).

3. Immediately remove stockpot from heat, uncover, and pour freshly popped popcorn into a large bowl.

4. While the popcorn is still hot and steamy, sprinkle with popcorn salt; cover and shake well to distribute salt. Taste and adjust as needed.