Slow cooker maple cinnamon oatmeal is perfect for busy mornings! Take a few minutes to prep the night before and a creamy, rich, flavorful oatmeal is waiting for you in the morning!

This recipe first appeared on Real Housemoms, where I am a contributor.

I hope your week is off to a good start!

We had a low-key weekend, which was nice after what's felt like a lot of travel. M and I went shopping on Saturday because she wanted a little purse, and since I'm totally a bag lady, I was happy to indulge. 👛💕

We also had lots of playground time, some neighbor time, some grandparents time, some football watching time and some backyard/porch time. I'm feeling refreshed!

We are also completely back into our school routine, and I’ve been gathering up all my easy go-to recipes to get us through these first few weeks, which always seem to be a crazy transition.

Though who am I kidding? I do easy go-to recipes ALL year-round. 👍

Cause you know, life.

But especially this time of year, when we’re adjusting to a new morning schedule after summertime and a new daily schedule, I love having some make-ahead breakfasts that are ready to go for us.

Every single week we have at least a couple flavors of overnight oatmeal jars and I’ve always got a freezer full of muffins. Almond butter zucchini muffins and healthy peanut butter and jelly muffins are current favorites for both of my kids - for school lunch, too.

And slow cooker oatmeal is a newer favorite in our house!

I started making it last year and fell in love, so now it’s on the regular rotation. ❤️

I love that it cooks overnight, so I just have to take 5 minutes to prep it before I go to bed and then we have a wonderful, delicious hot breakfast waiting downstairs for us when we wake up.

Also, it's just 5 ingredients!

And this slow cooker maple cinnamon steel cut oatmeal is one of our favorite flavors. The sweet, deep, rich maple syrup and warm cinnamon flavors meld so well together for this breakfast.

Tons of great, cozy fall flavors here!

And your house will smell divine! Everyone will want to hop right out of bed and come get a bowl of this slow cooker maple cinnamon oatmeal.

It’s the perfect amount of sweet and it’s also super filling. Steel cut oats are just so hearty and perfect for keeping you full until lunch.

And of course you can add some fun toppings!

Topping ideas for slow cooker maple cinnamon oatmeal:

Name: Slow cooker maple cinnamon oatmeal
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 7 h
Total time: 7 h 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups steel cut oats; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 6 cups skim milk (or milk of choice, see notes); 1/2 cup pure maple syrup; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

An extra dash of cinnamon
A sprinkle of chia seeds for some extra nutrition
A drizzle of maple syrup
Fresh fruit - bananas are especially delicious but any berry would be great too
A dollop of peanut butter or almond butter
Make it decadent with a few chocolate chips or cocoa nibs

Lots of options and so much deliciousness!

So when you know you’ve got a crazy week coming up, be sure to put this slow cooker maple cinnamon steel cut oatmeal on your menu.

You’ll wake up happy and ready to face the day!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 6 servings

Slow cooker maple cinnamon oatmeal

Slow cooker maple cinnamon oatmeal is perfect for busy mornings! Take a few minutes to prep the night before and a creamy, rich, flavorful oatmeal is waiting for you in the morning!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 7 hours

Total Time 7 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 ½ cups steel cut oats
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups skim milk (or milk of choice, see notes)
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the oats, cinnamon and salt together until well combined. Add to the insert of your slow cooker.
In the same bowl, mix the milk, maple syrup and vanilla until well combined. Pour over the oats in the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
In the morning, stir well and serve with any desired toppings!

Notes

You can use most any kind of milk. I’ve tried it with skim, 2% and soy milk.

You do need to use steel cut oats for this recipe as they are heartier and can withstand the long cooking time.

Topping ideas: extra cinnamon, extra maple syrup, fresh fruit (sliced bananas are especially delicious here!), a dollop of peanut or almond butter or a sprinkling of chocolate chips or cocoa nibs.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 296Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 197mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 4gSugar: 29gProtein: 14g

Slow cooker maple cinnamon oatmeal is perfect for busy mornings! Take a few minutes to prep the night before and a creamy, rich, flavorful oatmeal is waiting for you in the morning! | www.familyfoodonthetable.com

Comments

Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner

September 11, 2017 at 7:47 am

I am excited for cooler mornings and oatmeal. This looks easy and delicious and I bet my son would love it

- Kathryn
  
  September 11, 2017 at 8:15 pm
  
  I'm so with you Deborah! I hope you try it - my kiddos both love this, and so do my husband and I!
  
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

September 11, 2017 at 8:51 am

I'm a crazy bag lady too, Kathryn! I remember being M's age and having a little purse I was obsessed with. It's so cute that you two went shopping for one! LOVE IT! Speaking of love - this oatmeal! ALL THE YES! Love the fall flavors and I love that it's super easy to make! I mean, it basically makes itself right?! Gotta love the slow cooker! Can't wait to try this one! Pinned! Cheers!

- Kathryn
  
  September 11, 2017 at 8:16 pm
  
  It does make itself! Thanks my friend! 😊
  
Marisa

September 11, 2017 at 11:10 am

Pinned! This is giving me ALL the fall feels!

- Kathryn
  
  September 11, 2017 at 8:17 pm
  
  Thanks so much Marisa! 😊
  
Brynn at The Domestic Dietitian

September 11, 2017 at 1:39 pm

This sounds perfect for hectic back to school mornings! My two little ones are both in preschool this year and last week was our first week, prepped meals would have really helped me out. Saving this for next week.

- Kathryn
  
  September 11, 2017 at 8:18 pm
  
  Thanks Brynn! It really does help our mornings run more smoothly. Good luck getting adjusted to the new schedule!
  
Karly

September 11, 2017 at 10:30 pm

I don't know if I've ever said this before- but this oatmeal is mouthwatering. This is a breakfast that would actually get me out of bed in the morning!

- Kathryn
  
  September 12, 2017 at 8:11 pm
  
  Thanks Karly! It's a great one to wake up to - smells so yummy!
  
Luci's Morsels

September 12, 2017 at 11:11 pm

This looks so tasty! Love the idea of bananas with a maple and cinnamon oatmeal, such a delicious combination!

- Kathryn
  
  September 14, 2017 at 6:30 am
  
  Thanks Luci! It really is a yummy combo! 😊
  
Jessica

September 13, 2017 at 10:01 pm

This looks delicious! What size slow cooker should I use?

- Kathryn
  
  September 14, 2017 at 6:33 am
  
  Hi Jessica! I use a 6.5-quart slow cooker, but I think you would still be fine with a slightly smaller one for this recipe. Hope you give it a try!
  
CakePants

September 28, 2017 at 11:43 am

This looks so cozy and fragrant! I have to admit, I was turned off of maple-flavored oatmeal early in life, since the huge variety boxes of instant oatmeal always seemed to have a disproportionately high number of maple packets, but I've never made homemade maple oatmeal. I'll have to give this a try sometime soon!

- Kathryn
  
  September 28, 2017 at 1:31 pm
  
  I hated ALL oatmeal because I'd only ever had those packets. So glad I discovered the real, from scratch oatmeal. You should definitely give this a try and be a convert like me! 😊