The ultimate healthy breakfast recipe, this warm, hearty Instant Pot banana oatmeal is delicious and easy! Whole grain, full of fiber, and vegan.
I love the chewy texture and wholesome flavor of steel cut oatmeal. Add in creamy, tasty bananas with a bit of cinnamon and you have the perfect breakfast. I’ve been on a bit of an oatmeal kick ever since I figured out how easy steel cut oatmeal is to make in an Instant Pot. Pumpkin
In my last post about oatmeal, I wrote about the difference between steel cut oats, rolled oats, and quick oats. Check it out here for a quick primer. Using an Instant Pot with steel cut oats is key, as you don’t need to stir or do much of anything – I love simple breakfasts!
What is an Instant Pot?
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An Instant Pot is a brand name of multi-use, programmable electric pressure cookers. The Instant Pot brand offers several different sizes and there are a number of other brands on the market as well with similar features. I have the Instant Pot Duo 6qt, so all of my instructions are based on that one. All of the pressure cookers brands and models are pretty similar; they just name things a bit differently, so refer to your manual if I reference a button that you don’t have on yours – or leave a comment in the notes and I’ll try to help you out!
How to Make Instant Pot Banana Oatmeal
Start by turning the Instant Pot on “Saute” and press the Saute button until it’s on “More.” Add the margarine or butter (not vegan). When the margarine has melted, add in the steel cut oats, water, and two bananas. No need to slice up the bananas, just peel and add them in whole. You don’t need to stir either.
Seal the lid, close the pressure relief valve and press the “Pressure Cook” button until it’s on “Normal” and the “Pressure Level” until it’s on “High Pressure.” Then press the +/- buttons until the time shows 00:10 for ten minutes. The Instant Pot will say “On” while it’s getting up to pressure and then will start counting down
When it’s done, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes (just leave the Instant Pot when it’s done and it will start to count up). When it’s
When the float valve is down and the pressure is released, open the lid. Stir in the cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar if using. Let the pot sit for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the oatmeal to thicken. Serve the oatmeal with banana slices and peanut butter.
Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Try this Instant Pot Greek Yogurt, my absolute favorite recipe that I make every week. This Instant Pot Mushroom Frittata is another easy breakfast recipe. If you try this Instant Pot Banana Oatmeal, leave a comment and review below and let me know how it worked out for you!
Instant Pot Banana Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan margarine (or substitute butter if not making this vegan)
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 3 cups water
- 3 large ripe bananas (divided)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Peanut butter for serving
Instructions
- Add margarine to pressure cooking pot, select “Sauté”. When margarine is melted add the water, oats, then two peeled bananas on top. Do not stir.
- Seal the lid and close the pressure release valve. Press “Pressure Cook” until it’s on “Normal” and press the “Pressure Level” button until it’s on “High Pressure”. Then press the +/- buttons until you see 00:10 for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will say “On” until it gets up to pressure and then will start counting down from 10.
- When the Instant Pot is done, just leave it alone (natural pressure release) for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest of the pressure after that.
- When the float valve is down and the pressure is released, press “Cancel” to turn off the Instant Pot and open the lid. Add the brown sugar (if using), cinnamon, and salt. Stir well. Let the oats sit in the pressure cooker for 5-10 minutes to let the oats thicken a bit.
- Slice the remaining banana and serve the oatmeal with the banana slices and the peanut butter.
Does this recipe still cook properly if doubled up?
I have never tried it, but I think it should work! I would double all ingredients but keep the time the same.
Has anyone tried this using the pot-n-pot method?
This looks so good and can’t wait to try it. Heading to the store for the ingredients!
I’ve never tried this using PIP – if you do, let me know how it works!
Cook time says 40 minutes, Instructions say set IP for 10 min. Clarification please. 🙂
Hey Ed! In the top cook time section, I try to take into account the time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure and then the pressure release at the end. So you’re only cooking at pressure for 10 minutes, but the time before and after adds up. Let me know if that makes sense!
I never tried this recipe before and
after reading this amazing post I think I must give it a try.
I have a similar recipe for Apple Steelcut Oatmeal. The recipe said it servd two peraons. It makes way more that that. I let it sit in the fridge overnigh to thicken a bit and then portion it into one cup servings and freeze them for later breakfasts. I get at least six servings.
I made this for breakfast this morning. I have wanted to do steel cut oats for a long time, but it is such a pain on the stove. This came out really good. Loved the texture.
The only thing I would change for next time is to cut back on the cinnamon a little bit. 1.5 tsp overwhelmed most of the other tastes, and I would like to taste the banana primarily. I also skipped the peanut butter (since I forgot to buy it), which may be why the cinnamon seemed a little too strong. But that is just a matter of personal taste!!!!
Why can’t you use the Vegan margarine instead? I’m allergic to dairy, so this would be great for me but only with the vegan margarine…
I use rolled oats all the time with no problem. I also cook pot in pot all the time for individual serving. What is “key” to using only steel cut oats?
No issues with using rolled oats if you want, I would just adjust the cooking time since this recipe is specifically for steel cut oats – it may make rolled oats mushier by using the cooking time meant for steel cut oats.
These are my favorite flavors together! Plus we eat a LOT of oats in this house – love that you can make this in the Instant Pot!
This looks delicious! And I’m always looking for tasty new breakfast ideas for my Instant Pot. Thanks!
Sounds terrific. I’ve not made oatmeal in my instant pot before so I’ll have to try your recipe!
A classic dish made modern with insta pot prep!
Who doesn’t love oats, bananas and peanut butter? I’m not sure I trust them if they don’t LOL.
This looks like the perfect breakfast! Can’t wait to give it a go, thanks so much for sharing 🙂