How to Cook Whole Oat Groats

Cooked whole oats are great for breakfast, of course, but they are also excellent with savory ingredients in many risotto-style side and main dishes such as Savory Oat Groats with Kale and Parmesan. Because oat groats are a little more tender than wheat berries, they are also great in soups and stews (use instead of rice, barley, or pasta), or in grain salads. Use one of the methods below to cook up a big batch of oats, and then keep them in your refrigerator to use all week long — for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner! 

Yield: Makes 3 to 4 cups of cooked oats

Ingredients

• 1 cup Janie's Mill Whole Grain Oats 
• water (amount depends on your method of cooking, see below)
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions

A: Stovetop Method (Perfect for a lazy weekend morning.)

• Put salt and 8 cups of water into a large, heavy-bottomed pan and bring to a boil.
• Add oat groats, return to a boil, then reduce the heat and boil uncovered until soft, about 1 hour.
• Taste-test starting at 45 minutes, and stop cooking whenever the kernels are tender yet toothy, similar to al-dente pasta.
• Drain off excess cooking water, then serve.

B: Slow Cooker (Crock-pot) Method (Good for either 2-3 hour no-watch cooking, or overnight cooking so you can wake up to a hot breakfast!)

• Place oat groats, 4 cups of water, and salt into your slow cooker or crock pot.
• For quicker oats, cook on high for 2 hours, and then reduce to low and cook for another hour. Drain excess water and serve.
• For overnight oats, cook on low for 6-7 hours. Drain excess water and serve.

C: Multi-Cooker / Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Method (For when you’re in a hurry . . . or any time!)

• Put the oat groats, salt, and 3 cups of water into your multi-cooker.
• Seal the pressure valve to keep the steam in the pot. Set timer for 15 minutes on manual setting and high pressure.
• When timer sounds, you can let the pot slowly cool down and then release the steam, or carefully quick release the pressure.
• Drain excess water and serve.
• Note: Because various makes of crock-pots, instant-pots, and pressure cookers are different, cooking times may vary from those listed above. You may need to experiment with the time needed to get your whole oat groats cooked just the way you want.

Recipe Ideas

The options to turn cooked oat groats into a fantastic meal are infinite. Try this recipe to make Savory Oat Groats for all Seasons.