This recipe for Irish Oatmeal with Hot Buttered Cinnamon Apples is the perfect motivation to get out of bed on a chilly morning. And bonus, I share my best tip for how to make Irish oats FAST!
During the cooler months, there’s nothing better than waking up to a warm and hearty bowl of oatmeal.
Do you go for Irish oats, old-fashioned rolled oats, or instant oats? Obviously if time is a concern, instant oats might be your go-to. But with a little planning ahead you can sit down to a hearty bowl of steel-cut oats, which has more nutrition benefits than more processed forms of oats.
The only question you’re left with is what toppings you want to add!
What is Irish Oatmeal?
Have you ever had Irish oatmeal? Or maybe you know it by a different name, such as pinhead oats or steel-cut oats?
If you’re not familiar with it, steel-cut oats are oats from which the inedible outer husk has been removed. The oat groats (the inner part of the oat kernels) are cleaned, and then chopped into three or four small pieces as they’re passed through steel cutters.
Whatever you call it, this dish is a delicious and healthy whole grain!
What is the Difference Between Irish Oatmeal and Regular Oatmeal (aka Rolled Oats)?
To me, Irish oatmeal has a nuttier flavor than regular oatmeal (i.e., rolled oats). Additionally, Irish oatmeal’s texture is chewier. And generally, I feel like it’s a bit heartier of a meal (which is why the serving size is just 1/4 cup dry oats per person).
Irish Oats…as you can see, they look quite different from rolled oats.
Which Oats Are the Healthiest?
Irish oats and regular oatmeal (aka rolled oats) are manufactured slightly differently. Rolled oats are Irish oats that have been flattened! Irish oats are the least processed. Old-fashioned rolled oats retain some bran. However, instant oats are rolled oats that are precooked and dried, which removes the outer bran.
Oat bran contains fiber and vitamins, so the more oats are processed, the more nutrition they lose. Because of this, Irish oats retain more nutrition benefits. (Read more about the differences between steel-cut oats and rolled oats on Nuts.com.)
Oatmeal Topping Ideas
Irish oatmeal takes a bit longer than regular oatmeal to cook (usually somewhere around 30 minutes). However, if you soak Irish oats the night before they cook up much quicker.
A bowl of oatmeal is a blank slate! You can eat them as-is, or dress them up any way you like. Sweet toppings, are always good, but savory oats are also delicious.
Here I took advantage of our gorgeous local New York State apples by cooking an apple with maple, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla. It smelled amazing cooking up, even better than chocolate chip cookies in the oven (and I’m a chocolate chip junkie, so you know that’s serious).
Here are a few more topping ideas:
- Fresh berries + coconut
- Maple syrup + pecans + cinnamon
- Brown sugar + butter + walnuts
- Chocolate chips
How Do You Make McCann’s Irish Oatmeal?
It’s actually very easy and requires minimal ingredients to make this Irish oats recipe!
Irish Oatmeal Recipe Ingredients:
- Irish oats (also called steel-cut oats)
- Water
- Salt
How to Make Irish Oats:
- Add oats, water, and a pinch of salt to a saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer uncovered until the oats are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Be sure to stir occasionally and add a splash more water as necessary if the oats get too thick!
- Top with anything you like and serve.
Pro Tip: You can cut the cooking time down to about 15 minutes if you soak the oats in cool water overnight (make sure they’re covered by 1 inch of water). Then strain the oats through a fine mesh sieve, and when you cook the oats, reduce the amount of water by 1/3. So for this recipe, if you soak the 1/4 cup of steel-cut oats overnight, you would use 2/3 cup water instead of 1 cup to cook them.
More Recipes with Oats to Try:
- Strawberry and Coconut Cream Overnight Oatmeal Parfaits
- Oatmeal Golden Raisin Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze
- Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie
- Gluten Free Date Bars with Almonds and Oats
- Savory Oatmeal Breakfast Bowls with Smoky Garlic Greens and Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
- Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake
- Oatmeal Crème Pies with Rum Raisin Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Irish Oatmeal with Hot Buttered Cinnamon Apples
Ingredients
Oats:
- 1/4 cup Irish oats also called steel-cut oats
- 1 cup water
- 1 pinch sea salt
Hot Buttered Cinnamon Apples:
- 1 medium sweet crisp apple such as Macoun, washed, cored, and chopped (not peeled)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Oats:
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn heat down and simmer (uncovered) until the oats are tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding a splash more water as necessary if the oats get too thick.
For the Hot Buttered Cinnamon Apples:
- Add all ingredients (except the vanilla) to a small-medium skillet. Cook (uncovered) over low heat until the liquid has evaporated and the apples are tender, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
To Serve:
- Stir half of the apple mixture into the porridge, then pour the porridge into a bowl and top with the remaining apple mixture. Serve hot.
Faith's Tips
- How to Make Irish Oats Fast: You can cut the cooking time down to about 15 minutes if you soak the oats in cool water overnight (make sure they’re covered by 1 inch of water). Then strain the oats through a fine mesh sieve, and when you cook the oats, reduce the amount of water by 1/3. So for this recipe, if you soak the 1/4 cup of steel-cut oats overnight, you would use 2/3 cup water instead of 1 cup to cook them.
-
- Fresh berries + coconut
- Maple syrup + pecans + cinnamon
- Brown sugar + butter + walnuts
- Chocolate chips
Nutrition
:: GIVEAWAY ::
The Irish Food Board (Board Bia) is providing three 28 oz tins of McCann’s Irish Oatmeal as prizes for three lucky winners! (Due to shipping, this giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S. – sorry for any inconveniences!)
To participate, you can do any of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each so I can count them as separate entries:
- Leave a comment telling me your favorite breakfast food.
- Leave a comment telling me about the best bowl of oatmeal you’ve ever had.
- Share this giveaway on Facebook and leave a comment here.
- Share this giveaway on Twitter and leave a comment here.
- Share this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment here.
You don’t need to have a blog to enter this giveaway! This giveaway ends Sunday, December 7, 2012 at 9PM EST. After that, the winner will be randomly chosen and notified by email. Good luck to all!
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on November 30, 2012. I updated it with more information on January 20, 2020.
Disclosure: I received a tin of McCann Irish Oats to try for free from Board Bia, and they are also sponsoring this giveaway. As always, opinions stated are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
I just discovered your blog looking for Irish oat recipes and made this recipe this morning–so good! The smell in the house was wonderful. Just a quarter cup was very filling.
Currently searching your other recipes and love that you also love Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings!
My favorite bowl of oatmeal (we have this often) is McCann’s Irish Oatmeal with dried cranberries, raw cashews and a little brown sugar. yum!
My favorite breakfast food is sourdough french toast.
shared on fb amy guillaume linderman
my best bowl of oatmeal had real maple syrup, sliced bananas, and chocolate chips
my fave breakast food is anything hot…..right now, cream of wheat, but i’d love to switch to oatmeal
Pinterest pin, Sounds delicious. I am making some Irish oatmeal now with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla with some Chia seeds, nuts and raisins.