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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

    June 24, 2020 | Updated June 3, 2021 | Heather

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    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Click HERE to read my policies.

    Make breakfast easy with Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal. Rolled oats sweetened with real maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon, made nice and quick in the Instant Pot. A great breakfast to set and forget!

    Have I mentioned how much I love this appliance? Ok, I know I have, but I just can't stop talking about it! It is so amazing! I have now mastered the porridge setting on the instant pot, which is what I use to make this oatmeal recipe. Turns out creamy and delicious every time. Just as I remember oatmeal as a kid. We had the instant packets as a kid, and I loved them. Now to be a bit more healthy and so I know what we are putting in our bodies, I like to make my food homemade as much as I can. This homemade oatmeal was fantastic and the kids absolutely loved it! If they loved it, I know it is a winner because they are my toughest critics.

    Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal in white bowl garnished with 3 blueberries and spoon on the side.

    Ingredients for Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

    • 3½ cups water
    • 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
    • ½ cup packed brown sugar
    • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    What kind of oats is best for the pressure cooker?

    I prefer to use old fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. You can substitute steel cut oats, but you will need to increase the time by 3 minutes. I do not recommend using quick cooking oats in the instant pot for this recipe. The texture never turned out right for me and it scorched really easily.

    What is the difference between the oats?

    Steel cut oats: oat groats that have been chopped into pieces. These oats, sometimes called Irish oats, are not steamed or rolled and take the longest to cook, but are super tasty!

    Old Fashioned Oats: oat pieces that have been steamed and rolled. They are commonly called rolled oats and cook quicker than steel cut oats.

    Instant Oats: oat flakes that have been steamed longer and rolled thinner making them into smaller pieces and able to cook the quickest. These oats are processed the most and also called quick cooking oats.

    Can I use milk instead of water?

    In my experience cow's milk burns and scorches. My kid's add milk afterwards to help cool the oats down and make it even creamier. I personally prefer no milk in my oats. If you want to try adding cream, coconut milk, or almond milk for a more milk based oatmeal you can. I would suggest using half milk and half water to prevent any chance of scorching.

    Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal close up view with spoon and garnished with blueberries.

    How to Make Instant Pot Oatmeal

    First step, gather all your ingredients and get your pressure cooker ready. If you are still new to the Instant Pot, I suggest reading through the User's Manual more than once. I read it like 10 times before I started cooking with it. I also read a lot of blog posts and joined a Facebook group that provides a lot of good information for users.

    Next step, add the ingredients to the Instant Pot in this order: water, oats, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt. Give the mixture a quick and gentle stir. Be careful not to stir too much or the oats may scorch.

    To cook the oatmeal, place the lid on with the vent set to sealing. Set the instant pot to the porridge setting for 6 minutes. Once the oatmeal has cooked for 6 minutes, let it naturally release for 5 minutes and then do a quick release.

    Once all the pressure is released, remove the lid and give the oatmeal a stir. The oatmeal will be just a bit loose, but if you let it rest a few minutes it will thicken to the perfect consistency. At this time, you can also stir in some milk or cream. Serve it up and you have breakfast just like that!

    Why I love Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

    • You don't have to stand over the stove, stirring and watching.
    • You can set it, forget it and go take a shower!
    • It turns out creamy and delightful, not a stiff, sticky or mushy mess.
    • Oats are healthy and good for your gut.
    • The leftovers can be put in a thermos and sent to school or work for a morning snack or warm lunch.
    • It can be made gluten free and dairy free.
    • My kids absolutely love it so there is no complaining or whining in the morning!
    Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal close up view with spoon.

    Here are some more Instant Pot recipes you might like to try!

    Mac N Cheese

    Pulled Pork Sandwiches

    Iced Coffee

    Chicken Teriyaki

    Drip Beef Sandwiches

    Split Pea Soup

    Try this Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below! Pictures encouraged on Instagram with the hashtag #heathershomemadekitchen You can also follow me on Social Media to see what other crazy things my family and I are doing! If you like what you see, please share with your friends and family!

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    Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal close up view with spoon and garnished with 3 blueberries.
    Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal in white bowl garnished with blueberries on spoon sitting on the side of bowl.
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    4.58 from 7 votes

    Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

    Make breakfast easy with Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal. Rolled oats sweetened with real maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon, made nice and quick in the Instant Pot. A great breakfast to set and forget!
    Course: Breakfast
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Heather
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 3½ cups water
    • 2 cups old fashioned oats
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot in this order: water, oats, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt.
    • Gently stir just a few times.
    • Place lid on, make sure vent is set to sealing, set the pot to porridge setting for 6 minutes.
    • Once finished, let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes and then carefully do a quick release.
    • Stir and serve! Top with milk, cream, berries or raisins.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Please rate the recipe, leave a comment and tell me how much you loved it!
    Share the Recipe!Please share it and tag @heathershomemadekitchen and use #heathershomemadekitchen!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.58 from 7 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Elaine says

      February 26, 2025 at 8:06 am

      5 stars
      I have made this probably 8 times now and our family loves it! The only change I make is cutting down the brown sugar to 1/4 cup in an effort to cut a little sugar. It tastes great with 1/2 cup but we also like 1/4 cup. This is now in our weekly breakfast rotation! It is simple and good!

      Reply
    2. Patricia ANN Walsdorf says

      January 26, 2025 at 7:26 am

      5 stars
      I've made it a few times. It's very good. I used quick oats so only cooked for 2 min. I portion it up and have it at work all week. Wonder if I could put a chopped apple in but haven't tried it yet.

      Reply
      • Heather says

        January 29, 2025 at 1:18 pm

        Thank you, I'm so happy you like it! I have not tried adding anything to it. However, I am intrigued now! Give it a try and let me know how it works! I am going to try as well.

        Reply
    3. Liz says

      January 16, 2025 at 10:35 am

      My family loves this recipe! Thank you for an quick easy breakfast!

      Reply
      • Heather says

        January 22, 2025 at 5:16 pm

        You're so welcome!!! I'm so happy your family loves it!

        Reply
    4. Tammy lloyd says

      December 11, 2024 at 5:25 pm

      5 stars
      This comes out perfect every time. I love the flavor and consistency!

      Reply
      • Heather says

        December 14, 2024 at 10:20 pm

        Yes!!! So glad to hear this!

        Reply
    5. Sara says

      January 18, 2024 at 11:23 am

      If I double the recipe, does the cook time change at all?

      Reply
      • Heather Warburton says

        January 19, 2024 at 7:21 am

        Nope, the cook time stays the same.

        Reply
    6. Heather Venkatesh says

      December 08, 2023 at 7:09 pm

      Can this recipe be doubled?

      Reply
      • Heather Warburton says

        December 20, 2023 at 4:08 pm

        yes!

        Reply
    7. Courtnee Browning says

      November 21, 2022 at 11:04 am

      I followed the directions to a T, especially after reading the previous comment. I also got the burn notice. Knowing that was a possibility, I immediately turned off the instant pot, released the pressure, added 1 more cup of water, stirred everything again, and then turned it back on. I set the valve back to sealing and selected porridge again. This time, I set the time to 0 minutes (yes, zero minutes). The time it came to pressure was all it needed to finish cooking the oats. I let it set 7 minutes and then I opened it and let some of the excess moisture evaporate. Only had a few tiny bits of "toasted" oats at the bottom in a few spots. Saved!!

      Reply
    8. LG says

      July 04, 2022 at 6:20 am

      I followed this recipe exactly and got a burn notice. So bummed and hungry. Any tips to not get burn notice?

      Reply
      • Heather Warburton says

        September 29, 2022 at 12:16 pm

        I'm sorry that happened. Try not stirring it next time and make sure you are using the porridge setting and not manual. I've accidently done that and got the burn notice as well.

        Reply

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