Easy Rice Cooker Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon
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A creamy comfort food treat in the morning, Easy Rice Cooker Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon. A breakfast that has become a daily habit in our house this winter.
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We love oatmeal in the morning, especially with apples and cinnamon. But, as they say, “even the best intentions…” That’s a snapshot of some mornings in our house. But I’ve found a breakfast solution we have come to love.
Try this method if you also love oatmeal for breakfast, but hectic mornings sometimes prevent a hot meal. Rice cooker oatmeal couldn’t be easier, creamier, or more delicious.
Keep reading to find out why a registered dietician says you should eat oatmeal every day.
Rice Cooker Oatmeal Ingredients
Specific ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a list of needed ingredients:
- Apple, small diced
- Old-fashioned oats (or steel-cut oats)
- Ground cinnamon
- Brown sugar
How to Make Rice Cooker Oatmeal
- Add the apple, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, water and pinch of salt into the base of the rice cooker. Close the lid and cook using the steam/cook or porridge setting (or the rice setting if that’s what you have).
- When the rice cooker beeps, the oatmeal is done. Let it sit for a few minutes, stir, and enjoy a warm breakfast any day of the week. Such a treat!
Why a Rice Cooker?
While I’ve had my rice cooker for years, I’ve recently been exploring how much more it can do than simply make rice. Cheaper than an Instant Pot, a rice cooker may be something to add to your kitchen appliances. I’m loving mine once again. This week, I’ve been making all kinds of grains, including quinoa, farro, and more, in the rice cooker.
Making oatmeal in the rice cooker doesn’t necessarily speed up the cooking process, but it makes it a lot easier. Because, essentially, the oatmeal cooks itself. With perhaps 4 minutes of prep, which involves chopping an apple, breakfast is served. I even think I can do it in under 4 minutes, and I’m sure you could, too.
Then, adding oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, and water is a simple matter. Press the magic button, and wait for the cooker to beep when it’s finished. My rice cooker takes about 10 minutes.
Healthy mornings begin with whole-grain breakfasts filled with fiber and fruit to energize your day. Oatmeal is a premium breakfast choice.
5 Reasons to Eat Oatmeal Every Day
2. Oats make an easy, balanced breakfast. One cup of cooked oatmeal contains about 150 calories, four grams of fiber (about half soluble and half insoluble), and six grams of protein. To boost protein further, my favorite way to eat oatmeal is with a swirl of almond butter nestled within. This powerful combo will keep you away from that mid-morning visit to the vending machine.
3. Oats provide important minerals. Nutrient-rich oatmeal contains thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium, and iron.
4. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but check with manufacturers to ensure that their products are not made using the same equipment as other potentially contaminating grains. (Always purchase gluten-free products from reputable companies and read food labels carefully.)
5. Oats could help you control your weight by keeping you feeling fuller longer. Sadly, carbs are often shunned and feared by those looking to drop a few pounds, yet choosing whole grains could squash hunger and simultaneously provide that pleasant “ahhhh” feeling carb-lovers crave. But, as with any other food, be mindful of portion sizes.
Simplify morning oatmeal by making it in your rice cooker. I promise — it’s so, so delicious!
If You Love Oatmeal, You May Also Enjoy These Recipes
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Easy Rice Cooker Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon
Ingredients
- 1 apple (peeled or unpeeled) small diced
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats or steel-cut oats
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 3/4 cups water
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the apple, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, water and pinch of salt into the base of the rice cooker. Close the lid and cook using the steam/cook or porridge setting (or the rice setting if that’s what you have).
- When the rice cooker beeps, the oatmeal is done. Let it sit for a few minutes, stir, and enjoy a warm breakfast any day of the week. Such a treat!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Delicious and so easy. I love how creamy it is without any dairy.
So happy I came across your recipe using a rice cooker for something other than rice. I have a standard cooker, turns on and when done it keeps the food warm. I made your oatmeal recipe, substituted almond milk for water and added walnuts. Came out sooo good, my son loved it and I had a bowl for lunch. This will become my go to recipe!
Hi Celia! Thank you for trying this recipe! It’s nice when our appliances can do double duty. I love using the rice cooker for this oatmeal — and I also love your substitutions. Thank you for trying it!
I have an Aroma rice/multi cooker. I tried the oatmeal button for this recipe & basically wasn’t cooked. So I restarted again & pushed the Grains button 🤞I’ll post update when it’s done
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for updating me on your machine function. I also have an older model Aroma and I use the “Porridge” button. It works every time. Would love to hear how the “Grains” button works!
After cooking this recipe on “grains” it was soo yummy I forgot to update lol! The directions on my rice cooker for oatmeal aren’t as specific as it is with whole grains. I think oatmeal button is for quick oats. Anyway, great recipe, I’m making it again today! Thx!
So glad that worked out. Thank you too for the tip on the buttons!
I have the same cooker. It works great on the rice setting.
I cooked mine without the brown sugar and it was delicious! I also cooked it with 1 1/4 cups of water because I misread your recipe. I’ll try the 1 3/4 but this was the first time I didn’t have a mess and it still tasted delicious. I’ve been cooking oatmeal in my rice cooker for a couple of years but it always made a huge mess of everything. I also put my rice cooker (it’s probably 35 years old) on a tray, just in case of boil over but no mess with the smaller amount of water but it was still delicious. Thank you!
Hi Barbara, I’m so glad this recipe worked for you. I also have been making oats in the rice cooker for years and honestly, it’s my favorite way to make it! I love your tips on putting the rice maker on tray, just in case :). Thank you for writing and letting me know about your experience!
Even rice makes a huge mess with this 40 year old Sanyo (B&D insert and glass lid with hole). It spits a two foot radius of starchy water out like Old Faithful so I’m in the habit of covering the entire unit with a small towel. Clean-up is the laundry pile!
I use an Instapot rice cooker. I subbed 3/4c of the water for coconut milk, used date syrup instead of brown sugar and followed the rest. Turned out fluffy. I will add a touch more coconut milk next time.
Topped with a banana, flax, and a few raisins.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Your adaptations sound incredibly delicious and healthy. I’m now hungry! Thank you for sharing and for trying the recipe!
With steel cut oats put the oats and water in the cooker the night before, and use more water! My recipe is soak one cup oats in two cups of water overnight, then add a cup of milk (or just use 3 cups of water the night before if you prefer) and all of the other ingrdients in the morning right before cooking. Bon appetit!
Thank you, John
Can you use milk in place of water??
Hi Danielle — I’ve not made this swapping milk for water, measure for measure. Milk can made oats a bit stickier, but definitely more creamy. I might try adding part milk and part water.
Okay I will give that a try and let you know!
I do half water half oat mil all that time. Works well.
Are your measurements using a standard measuring cup or the smaller one that comes with the rice cooker?
Hi, Christine – I always use a standard measurement. The one that came with mine does not seem to be accurate.
Aren’t there different size rice cookers? (I don’t have one yet but am considering buying a smaller one). It would be helpful to me to know what size was used in this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Carol! I love a rice cooker and definitely think it’s a worthwhile purchase. Mine is an 8-cup Aroma – here is an Amazon link to the one I have: https://amzn.to/3w3pSxU
Thanks, I will check it out!
Been looking at recipes for cooking steelcut oats in rice cooker and there is wide variation in the amount of water called for. For 1 cup steelcut oats, I’ve seen anything from 1 3/4 cups water to 4 cups water. And they all get both positive reviews and complaints about boil-overs in the comments. So it seems like you can put any old amount of liquid in with the oats, press the button, and maybe it’ll be great OR maybe it’ll boil over and make a gigantic mess. Who knows?
Hi Derrick. So true. There are so many variations. I’ve made this Rice Cooker Oatmeal dozens and dozens of times. It’s the perfect consistency for me, but there is nothing better than trial and error to find what works best for you!!
Thank God for some sanity in making changes or additions..ya ever just shake your head when someone asks if they can change an ingredient … get permission — huh? Milk or water? Really. A recipe is a simple starting po
Sorry.. can’t ‘tope rite’ this a.m. I just have a mini rice cooker and wanted ideas…so thanks .. as for someone using a rice cooker that is a big mess with liquid coming out.. maybe it’s time to throw oneself into the latest century and … gasp .. replace it. But…what can ya say. Peace.
works great and is delicious!
So glad you liked it! We love it too ❤️
I had to push the bottom down twice so the bottom burned a little, but this was delicious.
I had to push the bottom down twice so the bottom burned a little, but this was delicious.
Love this recipe. Super easy and quick to make. I actually got my daughter to love oatmeal!
Hi Patricia! I’m so glad you and your daughter liked it. It’s one of my favorite ways to make oatmeal too!!
Love this recipe. Super easy and quick to make. I actually got my daughter to love oatmeal!
In the recipe is it 1 3/4 cup water or optional 3/4- 1 cup water?
That’s a good point — I always type it 1-3/4 cup water which translates to 1 and 3/4 cup water. I hadn’t thought about how that could be confusing. Thanks for asking!!
Yours is the steel cut oats recipe I’ve been searching for!! No longer do the oats boil over into the vent of my Aroma rice cooker. Finally I have perfect oatmeal every time. Thank you, Stephanie!!!
I’m so glad!! Oatmeal is a staple in our house — and this recipe is one of our favorites!
Yours is the steel cut oats recipe I’ve been searching for!! No longer do the oats boil over into the vent of my Aroma rice cooker. Finally I have perfect oatmeal every time. Thank you, Stephanie!!!