Description
This Creamy Irish-Style Oatmeal with Brown Sugar is a comforting, hearty breakfast made from steel-cut oats slow-simmered for a smooth, velvety texture. You can soak the oats overnight for faster cooking or cook them fresh on the stovetop for a rich, flavorful porridge. Topped with buttery cream and sweet brown sugar, it’s a traditional and satisfying way to start your day.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Oatmeal Base
- 1 cup (6 1/3 ounces; 180g) steel-cut oats (also sold as pinhead or Irish oats)
- 3 cups (700ml) cold water or whole milk (or a combination of both), plus more water if needed
- Kosher or sea salt, to taste
To Serve
- Unsalted butter or cream (optional)
- Brown sugar, for serving
Instructions
- Toast oats (optional): For a deeper, more complex flavor, dry-toast the steel-cut oats in the cooking pot over high heat, stirring constantly until they become lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat once toasted.
- Prepare oats: If making overnight oats, combine the oats and water/milk in a medium saucepan or 3-quart saucier, cover, and let stand overnight. If using milk, refrigerate overnight. For immediate cooking, simply combine oats and liquid in the pan without soaking.
- Simmer oats: Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, adding a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook uncovered, stirring frequently but slowly, until the porridge thickens but still flows slightly. This takes about 5 minutes for soaked oats and about 20 minutes for unsoaked oats.
- Adjust texture: If the oats are firmer than desired, add additional water 1/4 cup (60ml) at a time, continuing to cook until the oats reach your preferred consistency.
- Serve: Spoon the porridge into warmed bowls. Top each serving with a pat of unsalted butter or a splash of cream if desired, then sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
- This recipe can be made either with soaked oats overnight for a faster cooking time or cooked fresh without soaking, giving you flexibility based on your schedule.
- Dry toasting the oats before cooking adds a wonderful nutty flavor but is optional.
- You can adjust the liquid quantity to achieve your preferred oatmeal thickness and creaminess.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 286 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 117 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
