Chelsea's Messy Apron

Simple, healthy recipes without sacrificing taste!

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Slow Cooker Overnight Quinoa and Oats

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A mixture of steel cut oatmeal and quinoa that can be cooked overnight in your slow cooker. This breakfast can be topped with fresh berries and a splash of milk for a delicious and healthy breakfast the whole family will love.

Overnight slow cooker quinoa and oats - so good and healthy! I via chelseasmessyapron I #cleaneating #quinoa #overnightoatsBreakfast tends to get a little repetitive at my house.

Actually a lot.

We are pretty much cereal people through and through. The husband will eat different kinds of cereals, but me? I stick with one that I really like and eat it until I’m sick of it. For the past few months it was honey-nut cheerios and now it’s shredded wheat.

Every morning with some almond milk. And the babe’s got his oatmeal and applesauce.

Every.single.morning.

Overnight slow cooker quinoa and oats - so good and healthy! I via chelseasmessyapron I #cleaneating #quinoa #overnightoats

And occasionally, a Saturday comes around and we make a 30-minute cinnamon roll skillet for breakfast, or some waffles, or cheesecake-stuffed pancakes.

Side-note: Am I the only one that gets waffles and pancakes mixed up? I’m constantly calling them the wrong name, and the husband is constantly teasing me about it.

I also do really like overnight oats, which I’ve had a few on the blog. Side-note two: overnight oats were my jam in college. I ate them every single morning and have so many different flavors and recipes I need to share. Mental note. I’m on it.

Overnight slow cooker quinoa and oats - so good and healthy! I via chelseasmessyapron I #cleaneating #quinoa #overnightoats

Anyways. I have always wanted to try quinoa in an overnight version like oats. Except I kinda wanted a no-work quinoa. So, naturally the slow cooker came to mind.

I tried just quinoa in the slow cooker overnight and that was a huge major fail. Don’t do it. Never do it.

But with a mixture of steel cut oats (not old fashioned and not quick – neither work), the quinoa is perfectly fluffy and delicious come morning time. I practically squeeled with excitement when I had a combo that finally worked and didn’t have to wake up to a black sticky disaster in my slow cooker. Side-note three – someone needs to invent a machine that cleans your slow cooker for you. For some reason, that is my least favorite thing to clean. #firstworldproblems

With seriously five minutes prep time, a delicious hot and healthy breakfast to wake up to, what more could you want? You’ve got to try this!

Overnight slow cooker quinoa and oats - so good and healthy! I via chelseasmessyapron I #cleaneating #quinoa #overnightoats

4.5 from 10 votes
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Slow Cooker Overnight Quinoa and Oats
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
7 hrs
Total Time
7 hrs 5 mins
 
Servings: 6
Author: Chelsea
Ingredients
  • 1 and 1/2 cups steel cut oats no substitutes
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 4 and 1/2 cups water or almond milk
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Optional: 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, fresh berries, splash of milk, additional sugar for topping
Instructions
  1. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray. (Do not forget this step!)
  2. In a mesh strainer, rinse out the quinoa really well.
  3. Combine the steel cut outs, rinsed quinoa, water or almond milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon (if desired) into the slow cooker.
  4. Stir really well and then set your slow cooker to low or, if you have a programmable slow cooker, set it to when you will wake up.
  5. This meal is ideal at 6-7 hours (best at 6 hours if you have a fast crockpot) and after that it becomes mushy and not so great.
  6. If you sleep 6-7 hours then turn it on low right before going to sleep or set the program to start preferably 6 hours before waking up.
  7. Once you wake up, immediately turn it off the heat and transfer to another dish or to breakfast bowls.
  8. Serve with a splash of milk, fresh berries, and additional brown sugar if desired.
Recipe Notes

If you leave the mixture in the slow cooker for longer than indicated after being cooked, have an excessively fast cooking slow cooker (haha!), or cook it for longer than indicated your results will be most likely mushy and perhaps even burn along the edges.

Here are some more delicious breakfast ideas:

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Oh . . . I love warm cereal in the morning, but especially when it’s healthy. I’ve never made quinoa before {come on! I had to learn how to say it first!}, but I love the variation of having it for breakfast. I’ve never seen that before. YUM! I’ll have to try making this and posting my version on my blog.

    From your whole foody!
    Janie Lynn

    http://www.myover-allapron.blogspot.com – recent post: “rainbow” HERB AND GARLIC POTATOES
    http://myover-allapron.blogspot.com/2014/07/herb-garlic-potatoes.html

    Reply

      • You can find them near the tinfoil and storage bags at my grocery store. I know Target carries them as well, but they’re usually a $1 or so more expensive.

        Reply

  8. I made this for a weeknight overnight guest, and we both loved it! I set the slow cooker for 4 hours on low, and let it sit on warm for about another 3 1/2 hours, and it was great.

    Reply

  9. can you use 2 cups of the oat and no quinoa? i would love to make some tonight but don’t have quinoa in the house! thanks! i’ve tried with old fashioned oats and it didn’t work well.

    Reply

    • Sorry for such a late reply! Yes more steel cut oats would be great. Unfortunately old fashioned oats cook way too quickly so I’ve never had luck with those either!

      Reply

    • Here is a nutritional label; hope that helps!

      Nutrition Facts

      Amount Per Serving
      Calories 140 Calories from Fat 15
      % Daily Value *
      Total Fat 2g 3%
      Saturated Fat 0g 0%
      Trans Fat
      Cholesterol 0%
      Sodium 105mg 4%
      Potassium 160mg 5%
      Total Carbohydrate 28g 9%
      Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
      Sugars 10g
      Protein 4g
      Vitamin A 0%
      Vitamin C 0%
      Calcium 4%
      Iron 8%
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

      Reply

  11. Has anyone tried this in a rice cooker? I have a zojirushi with a congee setting – might that work with the same water ratios?

    Reply

  12. has anyone tried 2 cups almond milk and 2 cups water for 4 cups total liquid? I made the recipe with just almond milk and it was to die for but just curious

    Reply

  13. I did not see it on here; or I overlooked it. But how long is it good for once it is cooked? I want to do some breakfast meal prep and was hoping this would be good for a few days after it was cooked?

    Reply

  14. Reynolds Wrap has a product called a Slowcooker Liner. It is a disposable BPA Free plastic liner that you put in your slow cooker, and when the food is cooked and you’ve ladled it out, you throw the liner away and your crockpot is spotless.

    Steel cut oats in the slowcooker, is awesome to use a liner for. I make one batch per week, eat it fresh one day, and then put it in individual containers and just heat in the microwave.

    Reply

    • Great, great tips!! Thanks so much for sharing with everyone DonCam! 🙂 Love that you have breakfast for the whole week!!

      Reply

  15. To avoid having a messy slow cooker bowl to deal with: put all your ingredients in a heat proof bowl that fits inside your slow cooker bowl. Place the bowl in the slow cooker bowl and pour just boiled water into the slow cooker until it reaches the same level as the porridge ingredients. Then turn slow cooker on. It’s like a double boiler and works wonderfully. I use a Pyrex bowl that I leave the porridge in and put it in the fridge after its cooled & just reheat what I want every day. The bowl doesn’t get too messy and I put it in the dishwasher anyway. And the slow cooker doesn’t even really need a clean. I’ve done many batches like this and it works perfectly. But I do on high for a couple of hours while I’m at home rather than overnight. I’ve done oats & quinoa this way but was looking for a combination when I found your website. This method will make your experiments much easier – I know it has for me. So much I bought another Pyrex bowl!

    Reply


  17. I’ve made this twice now and my whole family loves it (even my quinoa-hater hubby). My two-year-old asks for it all the time now, which is okay because it actually makes great leftovers! I just store it in a big ziplock in the fridge, dump out the portions into bowls, add a little milk, microwave, and ta-da! This recipe has been a lifesaver!!!
    By the way, I use an outlet timer (ya know, the kind you plug into the wall and plug your Christmas light in) to tell my crockpot when to come on, and it works perfectly!

    Reply

    • That is so great to hear! 🙂 Thank you so much Kristin! 🙂 And what a genius thing to use an outlet timer — so smart! And I love how you reheat the leftovers — that’s perfect!!

      Reply

  18. I only have a 1.5 qt slow cooker – if I cut the recipe proportionately, would I also cut the cook time? I assume the recipe uses a 5-6 qt size. Any insight would be great.

    Reply

    • I’m not sure since I’ve never used a 1.5 slow cooker but I definitely think the cook time would be a lot shorter. Wish I could be of more help!

      Reply


  19. The reason I wanted to do this is so I could get 8 hours sleep because people could
    get it themselves but it seems like I would have to get up after 6 hours in order for it
    to taste best. It sounds really great though.

    Reply


  20. Loved this. Much better than recipes with just Steel Cut Oats. Didn’t stick to slow-cooker and was very fluffy and moist. The recipe indicates 6 servings. Can you tell me the serving size as it seems like it is more than a cup serving size.

    Reply

    • That is SO great to hear! 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment and trying out this recipe! 🙂 I’m not sure the exact serving size, but essentially divide everything made into 6 equal parts and each part will be 1 serving 🙂

      Reply

  22. Can I double the recipe? Will the cook time be the same? I’d like to make this for a big group reception on Sunday! I’m guessing it will fit in my crock. Thank you!

    Reply

    • I’m sorry Rita, I’ve never tried doubling this so I’m not certain how it would work out. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, but I don’t think you’d want a longer cook time as it would likely become mushy. Wish I could be of more help!

      Reply


  23. I dont know if its because I have a sweet tooth or not but i need a sufgestion for making it a tad sweeter???

    Reply

    • You can add more sweetener to taste! 🙂 More brown sugar or maple syrup would be great!

      Reply

    • I’m sure it could! I would just use the recommended amounts of water on the packaging though because it won’t need as much liquid as the crockpot. Good luck 🙂

      Reply

  26. Made this for my bible study’s Christmas brunch-it was the favorite item on the buffet!! I used equal parts canned coconut milk and water and only the maple syrup. At the brunch I put brown sugar and dried cranberries on the side. Plenty sweet and they LOVED it! Thanks?

    Reply


  27. I tried this on the high setting on my crockpot and it was perfect in 2 hrs. Great when you forgot to put it on the night before or are crunched for time.

    Reply

  28. I have a mini slow cooker for 1 serving. No heat adjustment so I use a on/off timer-set it, plug in wall,add slow cooker and great breakfast ready.

    Reply

  30. I’ve made this several times and its terrific. I take food to my 94 year old mom and am always looking for good healthy breakfasts that she will enjoy. I like to add raisins and pecans 1/2 cup hemp hearts (really nutritional) and replace some of the brown sugar with raw honey. Thanks Chelsea for a great recipe!

    Reply

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