I’ve been hearing so much hype about the instant pot for a while now. After doing some research I decided I needed one for myself. I got one for Christmas and took it out of the box, realized there was a decently big instruction manual that needed to be reviewed, and shoved it all back into the box for a while. We moved the week after Christmas so I did not feel like I had time for that manual right away. Once we got settled into our new house I decided to give the instant pot another shot.
I reviewed the manual (which really isn’t as intimidating as it looks), and then got cooking. The first thing I made in it was this beef stew and I couldn’t believe how fast and easy it was. This recipe would have taken all day in my crockpot, but thanks to the instant pot I started dinner at 4:30 and we were ready to eat by 5:30. After that I got to brainstorming and became obsessed with this little appliance. The instant pot oatmeal recipe I have at the end of this post is one that I keep coming back to.
FIRST THINGS FIRST…
What is the instant pot?
If you don’t already know, the instant pot is a kitchen appliance that does the job of a bunch of other kitchen appliances. It makes recipes 2-6x faster than any other method of cooking, uses considerably less energy than the oven or the stove, and can perform the functions of many other kitchen appliances, including:
rice/porridge maker
pressure cooker
slow cooker
sautee/browning
steamer
yogurt maker
warming
It’s great because instead of finding the space in your kitchen for all of those different appliances, you just need the space for one. I don’t know about you guys but I’ve got a pretty small kitchen so space is important.
Here is a link to the Instant Pot that I have.
Instant Pot Oatmeal
I love this instant pot oatmeal because you can throw everything into the pot and then do something else while it cooks. Standing over the stove stirring away for ten minutes while my oatmeal cooks is not how I want to start my day out. With the instant pot, I can use the cook time to shower and get ready for the day or get in a quick twenty minute workout. Another fantastic thing about this recipe is the lack of dishes it requires! Seriously, I hate doing dishes first thing in the morning. If I can make breakfast using only one dish then that’s a big win in my book.
Now keep in mind that the instant pot takes about five minutes to come up to pressure. So although the timer will be set for one minute, the oats themselves will be in the pot for a good six minutes. If you let the pressure release naturally it will take another ten minutes or so before the oats are ready to be eaten. If you are desperate to get eating these delicious oats you can always use the quick release to shave off some time.
The end result is the fluffiest oatmeal you’ve ever eaten. Let me know what you think and if you make this recipe, be sure to rate it!
Instant Pot Oatmeal
This oatmeal recipe will become a regular in your house when you see how tasty and easy it is. The cranberries and honey add the perfect amount of sweetness to mask the added zucchini so you won't feel like you're eating a salad for breakfast. You can throw everything in the instant pot and finish getting ready for your day while it cooks, it couldn't be easier!
Ingredients
- 1 C rolled oats gluten free if needed
- 2 ½ C of vanilla almond milk
- 2 T chia seeds
- 1 C grated zucchini
- ½ C dried cranberries
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 T honey
Instructions
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Put all of your ingredients in the instant pot and stir to combine. Press manual and set the timer for one minute. When the time is up you can either let the pressure release naturally or use the quick release. Remove the inner pot when all of the steam has been released and let sit for five minutes to thicken up before serving. Add some extra toppings if you'd like, I added pomegranate seeds to min!
Recipe Notes
*Keep in mind that the instant pot takes a good 5-10 minutes to come up to pressure so factor that in when you are determining how much time you need to make this. If you let the pressure release naturally, factor in another 10 minutes or so.
