Instant Pot Oatmeal with Chocolate | Recipes From A Pantry (2024)

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This easy Instant Pot Oatmeal with Chocolate recipe will produce glorious, chocolate-y oatmeal that is perfect for breakfast all year round. Don’t like chocolate? Not a problem – omit the cocoa powder and flavour it however you’d like! Suitable for Vegan and Gluten-Free diets.Post includes Weight Watchers points.

So today folks I am going to make you one of the cool Instant Pot users. You know the ones – the Instant Pot ‘power users’ who know aaaaaaaaaaaaalllll the secrets of cooking in the Instant Pot. They talk in secret-language acronyms in Instant Pot Facebook groups and own a zillion Instant Pot gadgets.

They say stuff like ‘PIP for 4 mins then NPR.’

In Instant Pot power user language, that means: ‘Cook using the Pot-in-Pot method for 4 mins then do a Natural Pressure Release.’ Simple, right??

If you are scratching your head right now, don’t worry. I will share all of the secrets with you…..

What is the Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot (PIP) Method?

First – you don’t have to use the Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot method to cook this Instant Pot oats recipe, but I highly recommend it for reasons I will explain soon. (I do provide instructions on the recipe card to cook it directly in the Instant Pot inner pot.)

The Pot-in-Pot method is when you add water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot and then place a smaller pot (containing your food) inside and above the water. You do this by placing the second pot on top of a steamer basket, trivet etc. An example of this is my Instant Pot Cheesecake recipe.

Why use the Pot-in-Pot method? Some reasons….

• It is great for food that needs to be steamed and not fully submerged.
• You can cook a small quantity.
• Double the cooking space. Cook one food on the bottom of the inner pot and one food on top in another pot.
• Most importantly for Instant Pot Oatmeal… steaming using the Pot-in-Pot method keeps food from sticking as much as it would if cooked directly in the inner pot.

Anyone who has cooked oats knows they stick easily. The chances for this can be reduced by coating your cooking pot with oil, but it isn’t foolproof.

I cooked this recipe the standard way (in the Instant Pot inner pot) and using the Pot-in-Pot method and I can tell you the Pot-in-Pot method is far superior. So much less oat-sticking and a smaller container to clean. Less cleaning is always a good thing, right??

Instant Pot Oatmeal Tools

How to Make Instant Pot Oatmeal with Chocolate Using the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) Method – Preferred Method

Step 1. Coat your oven-safe pyrex dish with cooking spray or olive oil to reduce sticking of the oats.

Step 2. Add the ingredients to the bowl and mix well making sure the cocoa powder is mixed in.

Step 3. Add 250 ml (1 cup) of water to Instant Pot insert, place trivet and place bowl of oats on trivet.

Step 4. Cover the pot and set the valve to seal, select the manual / pressure cook function (at high pressure), and set the timer for 4 mins and allow to cook till done.

Step 5. Switch off the Instant Pot to reduce further cooking of oats.

Step 6. Let the steam release naturally about 10-15 mins before opening.

To serve. Stir well before serving. Feel free to add extra toppings.

How to Make Instant Pot Oatmeal with Chocolate Using the Inner Pot – Alternate Method

Chef’s tip: This is the standard method that uses the inner pot of the Instant Pot.

Step 1. Coat your pan in cooking spray or olive oil with cooking spray or olive oil to reduce sticking of the oats.

Step 2. Add the ingredients including almond milk and maple syrup (if using) to the bowl and mix well making sure the cocoa powder is mixed in.

Step 3. Cover the pot and set the valve to seal, select the manual / pressure cook function (at high pressure), and set the timer for 4 mins and allow to cook till done.

Step 4. Switch off the Instant Pot to reduce further cooking of oats.

Step 5. Let the steam release naturally about 10-15 mins before opening.

To serve. Stir well before serving. Feel free to add extra toppings.

Tips for Making Instant Pot Oats

• This is a recipe that can be easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.
• If you use the second method (cooking in the inner pot), clean your inner pot immediately after removing the oatmeal. Add water to the bottom of the inner pot and soak for 15 mins. This will make it easier to clean any oats that stuck to the bottom. If you have another inner pot then you can just use that to continue cooking whilst waiting for this one to be clean.
• Don’t use the ‘keep warm’ function for Instant Pot Oatmeal. The keep warm function is another amazing feature of the Instant Pot, but you will overcook your Instant Pot oats if you use it. The oats will keep cooking even after the pressure has gone down if you don’t remove them from the pot immediately.
• Instant Pot recommends using non-dairy milk. The folks at Instant Pot say to use non-dairy milk (almond, soya, oat, etc.) because ‘dairy tends to scorch.’
• Do not use quick oats. This is an Instant Pot rolled oats recipe. Quick-cooking oats will dissolve into mush. For steel cut oats, try my Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats recipe.
• This is a great meal-prep recipe. You can make a large batch of Instant Pot rolled oats and portion them into containers. They will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Pressure Cooker Oatmeal Flavour Ideas

Get creative with your oats – flavourings, additions and toppings. You can top these chocolate oats with nuts, dried fruit, shredded coconut, nut butter, etc.

If chocolate isn’t your favourite, you can make other types of Instant Pot oats:

• Tahini, chopped almonds and honey (Tahini Porridge Oatmeal)
• Cinnamon, ginger and apple (Cinnamon Apple Oats)
• Carrots, maple syrup, cinnamon, spice (Carrot Cake Oats)
• Blueberries, pistachio kernels and cinnamon (Blueberry Pistachio Porridge)

How to Make Slow Cooker Chocolate Oatmeal

Want to make this in a slow cooker? Here is how to do it:

• Coat the inner crock of your slow cooker with cooking spray or olive oil (to reduce oat-sticking).
• For every 100g (1 cup) oats, use 875 ml (3 1/2 cups) liquid (75% non-dairy milk and 25% water).
• Mix everything together and cook on high for 2 hrs or 4-5 hrs on low.

Other Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes

Instant Pot Egg Bites.

Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole.

Weight Watchers Points in Instant Pot Oatmeal with Chocolate

• There are 3 Freestyle points per serving.

Thank you for reading my Instant Pot rolled oats recipe post. And please visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you. Thanks for reading Recipes from a Pantry, UK food blog.

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