Single serve Instant Pot oatmeal is incredibly easy and creamy! This quick oatmeal makes a wonderfully easy and frugal breakfast option, and it can be programmed the night before in your pressure cooker so it’s ready when you wake up!
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I must confess, I haven’t always loved oatmeal. Back when I was in the fifth grade, my class was selected to participate in a commercial for instant oatmeal.
So a camera crew came to our classroom and filmed us eating oatmeal. And eating more oatmeal. And more oatmeal, until they had all of the footage that they needed to create a commercial that would air on our local television station. Needless to say, eating so much instant oatmeal sort of turned me against it for a while.
But now? I love a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning. It is such a comforting way to start the day, especially when there’s a chill in the air outside.
I still don’t care much for the packets of instant oatmeal, but I learned the simple act of making rolled oats in the microwave and topping them with a splash of milk and fruit sauce. Not only is it tasty, but it’s also an extremely frugal and healthy breakfast. I’ve been eating oatmeal this way for quite a while now.
So when our 10-year old microwave bit the dust a couple of months ago, my first thought was, “How am I going to make my oatmeal every morning?”
I know you can make oatmeal on the stove top, but I wanted something a little more hands-off (and since we don’t have a dishwasher, I try not to dirty more dishes than necessary!). Because we are working on getting out of debt, I really did not want to spend money on a new microwave, especially since we rarely use it for anything other than my morning oatmeal.
I had heard that you could make oatmeal in the Instant Pot, but I thought you could only make a large pot of oatmeal at a time. However, after some research and experimenting, I learned from Hip Pressure Cooking it is possible to make single serve oatmeal in the Instant Pot pressure cooker!
The result? The creamiest, easiest oatmeal I have ever made. Seriously! Cooking oatmeal at high pressure squeezes out some extra creaminess and makes the oats so tender. WAYYY better than what I had been making in the microwave.
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How to Make Single Serve Instant Pot Oatmeal
I typically use either a basic heat-proof soup mug very similar to this one or my white Fiesta bowls to cook a single serving of oatmeal in the Instant Pot. You simply add water to the bottom of the pot and place the trivet inside.
Then, you may want to use a foil sling to lower your mug down into the pot, resting it on the trivet. The foil sling allows you to easily remove the oatmeal after cooking, as the mug will be very hot. I reuse the same foil sling over and over. If you don’t have a mug, you can use any heat-proof bowl that will fit into the Instant Pot.
Now, the caveat here is that Instant Pot oatmeal does take just a little bit longer to make, because it takes some time for the Instant Pot to achieve pressure and cook the oats.
But, the great thing about the Instant Pot Duo 60 is that it has a timer function, allowing you to program it the night before so that it will begin cooking at the time you specify.
So I set mine to start cooking while I am still asleep. That way, when I wake up, the pressure has released from the Instant Pot and the oatmeal is still warm and ready for me to eat. It is so simple!
This Instant Pot oatmeal is a great breakfast to add to your weekly meal plan. Even if your microwave still works, give this method a try! You’ll never go back! 🙂
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot (I have the DUO60 model, but there are several options) or Instant Pot
- Heatproof mug or bowl
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Single Serve Instant Pot Oatmeal
Single serve Instant Pot oatmeal is a quick and easy breakfast for one!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups water, divided
- pinch of salt
- milk
- fruit or other mix-ins
Instructions
- Pour one cup of water into the insert pot of the Instant Pot.
- Place trivet in insert pot of Instant Pot.
- In a heat-proof mug or bowl, combine rolled oats, 1 cup of water, and pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
- If necessary, use a foil sling to lower the mug or bowl into the Instant Pot.
- Close lid and set vent to "sealed" position. Using the manual setting, select a 2 minute cook time at high pressure. If needed, use the Instant Pot's timer function to program cooking to begin at your predetermined time.
- After cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally.
- Once pressure has released and valve has dropped, carefully open lid and remove mug or bowl.
- Top with a splash of milk and fruit sauce mix-in or other desired toppings. Stir to combine.
Notes
Slightly adapted from Hip Pressure Cooking
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Would the time go to 3 or 4 minutes if I want to make 2 mugs?
Hi Laura! The time would stay the same for two mugs. Enjoy! 🙂
We love oatmeal and I usually make it just in the instant pot insert, not as pot in pot. However, there are times when it’s just me and I don’t need but a single serving. I tried your method today, it didn’t work for me. I’m at 5800 ft elevation so I cooked it for 4 minutes. It wasn’t enough time. The oats weren’t cooked through and it was super watery. So I put it back in for another 4 minutes. A total of 8 minutes was right on. Oddly enough, when I cook just in the instant pot insert it only takes 3 minutes with full NPR. ♀️ Thanks for sharing your method.
Hi Lacey! Yes, it’s perfect for those times when you don’t need a whole pot of oatmeal. I’m glad you were able to figure out the ideal cook time to make it work at your altitude–thanks for sharing your tip for others who may have the same issue! 🙂
Does the oatmeal bubble over the container used like it does in the microwave? In the micro I always have to use a much larger container to prevent this.
Hi Ki! I have always hated it when oatmeal bubbles over in the microwave–such a mess! My oatmeal has never bubbled over in the pressure cooker…maybe because it heats up a bit more gradually? But it’s definitely nice to have the oatmeal remain contained!
This worked great. Can I make a single serving in a 3 at mini? I have been using 6 qt.
Hi Lin! I’m glad to hear that it worked well for you. Yes, I think making a single serving in the 3-quart mini would work just fine!
This works great! I use apple juice instead of water, sprinkle on some cinnamon, turmeric, and nutmeg, and add dried cranberries or raisins before cooking. Then I add a spoonful of plain yogurt before enjoying the creamy deliciousness!
Your tweaks sound delicious, Patricia! I love dried cranberries in oatmeal. I’d never thought of using juice with the oatmeal–what a great idea. Thanks for sharing! 🙂