Warm and delicious, this oatmeal cooks overnight in the crock pot and provides a healthy, hearty breakfast for the whole family! See recipe notes for alternate fridge instructions!
Combine all ingredients (except garnishes) in a large bowl.
1 ¾ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 ½ cups water, 1 cup steel cut oats, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, ¾ cup pumpkin puree, 1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, ¼ teaspoon salt
Spray the inside of the crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Pour the mixture into the crock pot.
Cover and set to cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Turn off the crockpot (or turn it to warm), stir the oatmeal, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
Serve with pecans, dried cranberries, or other garnish.
pecans or dried cranberries for garnish
Video
Notes
You can substitute any milk + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the vanilla almond milk.
In a hurry? Just mix all the ingredients right in the crockpot.
Using a whisk helps to combine all the ingredients faster than just using a spoon.
The pumpkin pie spice will sit on top even after you have mixed it in and it all looks 'wet'.
To make this in the fridge instead of the slow cooker:
Use 3 cups of rolled oats instead of 1 cup of steel cut oats.
Keep all the remaining ingredients the same.
Mix all the ingredients together (except for the garnishes).
Distribute the mixture into 6-8 mason jars or other covered containers and place in the refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, just stir and eat. Or you can heat it for a minute or so in the microwave for a warm, hearty breakfast!