Waking up to a warm bowl of Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal is the best way to start any fall day! Made with steel cut oats, real pumpkin, maple syrup, and plenty of cozy spices, it’s a hearty breakfast you can prep before bed and have waiting for you in the morning.
5 Star Review
“I have been enjoying these oats all week, they have been perfect for my super busy schedule and the cool fall weather. Thank you for this great recipe!”
— Sara —
Slow cooker pumpkin oatmeal is the perfect cozy season breakfast.
Simple, healthy, and endlessly versatile, steel cut oats will forever be one of my favorite breakfasts.
Although I take a breather from oatmeal in the summer when our house reaches rainforest levels of humidity, during the crisp fall and winter months, I crave the way it warms me to my core.
And first up on the menu? This slow cooker pumpkin oatmeal recipe!
The one (dare I say only?) downside to steel cut oats is that they take longer to cook.
- My solution: cook the steel cut oats in a crock pot while I sleep (I use this trick in my Overnight Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats too)!
- Just dump the ingredients into the slow cooker before bed, cover, and then in the morning, breakfast is ready to serve.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Steel Cut Oats. Unlike their pulverized instant oatmeal cousins, the grains in steel cut oats are left more whole, allowing them to retain their flavor and texture. Forget the mushy, mucky oatmeal you’ve eaten in the past. Steel cut oats are delightfully nutty, chewy, and more filling than instant oatmeal.
- Water + Milk. The liquid sources for our oatmeal. You can use any milk you have on hand.
- Pumpkin Puree. Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is sweetened.
- Maple Syrup. Natural sweetness that perfectly complements the pumpkin flavor.
- Ground Flaxseed Meal. You can substitute the flaxseed meal for an equal amount of chia seeds, hemp seeds, or 3 tablespoons additional steel cut oats.
- Vanilla. Makes the oatmeal taste extra warm and cozy.
- Spices. This recipe uses the A-team of fall spices! Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves are just what the pumpkin needs to shine.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine. Stir all of the ingredients (minus toppings) together in a slow cooker.
Cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Uncover and stir. ENJOY!
Toppings for Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal
The oatmeal itself is creamy, so I especially like toppings that introduce some texture:
- Chopped toasted pecans, walnuts, or pepitas
- Dried cranberries
- Mini chocolate chips
- Almond butter
- Chopped apple or sliced banana
- Greek yogurt
- An extra sprinkle of cinnamon
- Pure maple syrup
- Homemade Granola
More Pumpkin Oatmeal Recipes
- Pumpkin Overnight Oats. A cold, creamy overnight oat recipe you mix up the night before.
- Pumpkin Oatmeal. For when you just want a bowl of really good stovetop pumpkin oatmeal.
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal. Slice into squares and serve.
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. For a sweet treat!
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups steel cut oats do not substitute quick cooking, instant, or rolled oats, gluten free if needed
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups milk any kind you like (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup plus additional for topping*
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal or swap an equal amount of chia seeds, hemp seeds, or omit
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg it’s an amazing flavor upgrade to grate your own whole nutmeg. I use this zester to do it.
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- For serving: chopped toasted pecans dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, chocolate chips, peanut butter, or any other mix-ins you enjoy with pumpkin
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients, except for the toppings, in the bottom of a 4-to-6-quart slow cooker and stir to combine: Steel cut oats, water, milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, flaxseed meal, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 hours (overnight) or on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours**, until the oats are soft but maintain a bit of chew. Remove cover and stir to evenly combine the ingredients, scraping the oats off the bottom and away from the sides. Enjoy warm with desired toppings.
Notes
- *This recipe as written is not ultra sweet, but can easily be adjusted. I recommend trying it with the 1/4 cup pure maple syrup only, then adding additional to individual servings as you like.
- **Know thy slow cooker! Every crock pot is a little different, so you may need to adjust your cooking time, depending upon how quickly yours tends to finish recipes. I also recommend using a programmable slow cooker like this one, so that if you don’t check it right away, the oatmeal doesn’t burn.
- If cooking overnight, another option to make sure the edges of the oatmeal do not burn (readers with very powerful slow cookers might have this problem), you can prepare the oatmeal inside a large, heatproof casserole dish that fits inside your slow cooker. Place the dish inside the slow cooker, then pour water around the dish halfway up the sides to create a water bath. I haven’t tried the recipe this way, but know it has been successful for others who have used it to make my Overnight Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats.
- TO STORE: Overnight steel cut oats can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- TO REHEAT: To reheat, top desired amount with a few tablespoons of water or milk, then warm in the microwave or in a small saucepan until hot.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
