Slow Cooker Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal is a perfect alternative to cold cereal that doesn't involve a lot of time, ingredients, or complicated prep in the morning. Make this oatmeal ahead of time and store in single-serve containers for a quick, hearty breakfast!
Looking for an alternative to cold cereal that doesn't involve a lot of time, ingredients, or complicated prep in the morning?
I wanted to find something that the kids could fix for themselves in just a minute or two, but I also wanted something that was healthy and not processed and didn't contain a lot of sugar or artificial colors or flavors.
There are lots of things I found on Pinterest, but most of them involved too much work on my part. I can't be spending my entire weekend preparing things for the week ahead.
I read articles all the time about these amazing moms making everything from scratch, from food to their kids' clothes, and even soap and baby wipes! Kudos to them for sure, but I confess that I am not one of those moms. However, sometimes I can find things that are better for my family and also fit in with my time and energy constraints. And this is one of them!
A few notes about this recipe:
- I used old-fashioned rolled oats. Thing 2 does not like steel cut.
- Rolled oats are not as sturdy as steel cut, so I don't cook them as long. If you want to make these into overnight oats, either use steel cut, or be prepared for mushy oatmeal (which is fine in my book, but lots of people don't like mushy oatmeal).
- I used pure maple syrup to add sweetness and that yummy maple flavor.
- I divided the recipe into eight ¾ cup servings, placing each serving in a glass container and storing in the fridge. That way, in the morning, the kids just grab a glass container, remove the plastic lid, and heat it up in the microwave for about 90 seconds.
- If the oatmeal is too thick, add a little more milk or water when heating.
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Slow Cooker Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal
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Slow Cooker Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 2 cups milk
- 4 cups water
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.3 cups old-fashioned oats, 2 cups milk, 4 cups water, ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cook on low for about 4 hours.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
If you like oatmeal, you should check out my Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oatmeal recipe too! Or check out my microwave oatmeal recipe - you CAN make oatmeal in the morning without resorting to using expensive and sugar-laden packets! There's also this recipe for Strawberry Overnight Oats that's sure to be a hit!
Or, although oatmeal is great, but maybe you want to vary your morning meals while still taking advantage of the convenience of your slow cooker. Take a look at these 16 delicious ideas for slow cooker breakfast recipes!
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SeattleGracie
I just made this this today for breakfast since I’m up about 4am each day.
I had to adjust one thing and that’s because I’ve got no real maple syrup at the moment which I usually have a bottle at all times in the fridge from Costco and I highly recommend the Kirkland brand real maple syrup from Costco for a great price for those of you that have a membership to shop there.
I took a chance and used half a cup of brown sugar.
I did everything else exactly as the recipe calls for.
This will be a keeper at my house since I’m always on the hunt for hassle free and very few ingredients recipes and always have Quaker old fashion oats stocked up with at least a few big cans at any given time never to run out of those.
We absolutely love and almost live on fruit baked oatmeal like blueberry and many others to tossing uncooked oatmeal in our morning smoothies a few times a week to cooking it on the stove.
This is a real keeper and will now be made probably once weekly to every couple weeks at least.
Leftovers will be handy for a quick next day breakfast or an anytime snack and won’t last long at my house.
I did slice fresh bananas over along with a splash of milk, no need to add extra sugar or butter or a thing.
This turned out excellent.
I’ll let the crockpot soak in hot soapy water the rest of the day because even with spraying before adding the ingredients it most definitely ended up with some stuck on, but I find most the crockpot recipes end up sticking some even when sprayed well, so I usually just soak for a day or so and wash out fairly easy after.
Thanks so much for sharing this most wonderful recipe with us.
I hope to find more of your delicious cooking and easy recipes online.
This is definitely a hit with my small family.
Kristin
That's great to hear, thanks so much for your thoughtful comment! 🙂
Carrie
Do you have to grease or oil the crock pot for these? If I accidentally bought the 3-minute quick Quaker steel cut oats, how would you suggest altering cooking time?
Kristin
Hi Carrie, I think the quick oats may get kind of mushy, but I have never tried it so I can't say for sure, sorry! I am guessing you would want to cook them for less time, but you would have to keep an eye on it as I can't speak to the adjustment that might be needed. I personally don't grease the crock pot, but I admit that I do have some sticking that I have to clean up so if you want to avoid that you can certainly grease it before you put the oats in. I hope you enjoy the oatmeal and thanks for stopping by!
Miranda
If I wanted to make it dairy free would I just replace the milk with the same amount of water?
Kristin
HI Miranda! Yes, it's a direct swap. 🙂
Chris
Does old fashioned oats really taste too mushy?
That’s all we have here at the moment, so I will probably just give it a try. I want to start now, but afraid it will cook too fast. Wish my crock pot had a timer. Do I add raisins right away or in the am? Thanks!
Kristin
Old-fashioned oats will definitely be mushy if you cook them all night. That being said, they will still be tasty, they just don't have the normal oatmeal consistency. You may also need to add some extra milk if they get too thick. If you are going to add raisins, I would add them just before serving. I hope that helps! Happy cooking and I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Annika
Good morning,
we just got our slow cooker.. so we do not have many experience yet. Here in Germany slow cooker are not really popular.
Do you think we could add banana? Maybe at the end? Or should we add it after it is done.
Many thanks for your answer!
Kristin
Hi Annika! If you want the banana to remain like a banana and not get incorporated into the oatmeal, I would definitely add it at the end or even just scatter chunks on top when serving. Good luck with the slow cooker! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
denise
Hi, I am making this now. Would you suggest adding apples or frozen blueberries? Thanks!
Kristin
Hi Denise! Those sound awesome, I would definitely try either one. Let me know how it turns out!
Stephanie
Can these be cooked in crock pot for 8hrs on low vs. 4 hrs on high?
Stephanie
*if you use steel cut oats?
Kristin
Hi Stephanie! I haven't tested this recipe with steel cut oats, so I can't say for sure. But, that seems like a reasonable thing to try, as I know steel cut oats take longer to cook than the rolled oats. If you give it a shot, I would be interested to hear how it turns out for you! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Chelsea
Love the simplicity of this recipe! I want to try it but my husband is lactose intolerant. Do you think it’s possible to use just all water? 6 cups of water instead of 4 cups of water and 2 cups of milk?
Kristin
Hi Chelsea, you can definitely use all water, although I would suggest trying a soy milk or almond milk instead. I bet vanilla almond milk would be awesome! Let me know what you do and how it turns out! 🙂
Mary
I am not a professional when it comes to cooking, so sorry if this is a dumb question... I really want to make this recipe but I'm vegan. Can I use almond milk?
Kristin
Hi Mary! Yes, absolutely. I think it would be delicious with almond milk. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Jann Olson
Perfect way to start the day! I did this once and we loved it. I need to do it again. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann