How to soak steel-cut or Irish oats for a highly digestible and nutritious oatmeal porridge. The nutrition compares favorably to roll oats and will keep you feeling full all the way to lunch!
Overnight oats is becoming quite a thing these days as people begin to reawaken to the wisdom of traditional diets and ancestral food preparation.
Most people use rolled oats for this process, which involves an eight hour or overnight soak prior to a thorough cooking.
What if you prefer the nuttier texture of steel cut oats, also known as pinhead or Irish oats?
Are Steel Cut Oats Healthier than Rolled Oats?
Some of you may be familiar with the breakfast chain First Watch.
If so, you may have noticed a menu change that now features steel cut oatmeal instead of porridge made from rolled oats.
Interestingly, the price increased significantly too!
I asked the manager of a First Watch in Rockville, Maryland about this last spring. He told me that public perception that steel-cut oats are healthier than rolled oats is what motivated corporate to make the switch. It also apparently justified the price increase.
Is this really true?
Unfortunately no!
While steel cut oats appear to have more fiber and other nutrients due to the nutty texture, they are basically the same nutritionally as rolled oats.
Steel-Cut Oats Nutritional Information
Let’s examine the nutritional information for steel cut oats.
A quarter cup of steel cut oats contains the following (regular, not quick cooking).
- 170 calories
- 3 grams of fat
- 29 grams of carbohydrates
- 7 grams of protein
- 5 grams fiber
- 2% daily value of calcium
- 10% daily value of iron
Irish vs Rolled Oats
Let’s compare the nutritional information above for Irish oats to a quarter cup of rolled oats (regular, not quick cooking).
- 190 calories
- 3.5 grams of fat
- 32 grams of carbohydrates
- 7 grams of protein
- 5 grams fiber
- 2% daily value of calcium
- 15% daily value of iron
As you can see, the nutritional difference between rolled and Irish oats is negligible. The most notable disparity is a slight increase in calories and carbohydrates per quarter cup for rolled oats. But, this can be explained by the flatter texture of rolled oats, which allows a bit more to pack into a quarter cup.
How to Make Soaked Steel Cut Oats
Ultimately, your choice to enjoy steel cut oats over rolled oats should be based strictly on personal preference!
There is no truth to the commonly held belief that steel cut Irish oats are more nutritious than rolled oats.
This includes oat groats too.
If Irish oats are your thing, then how to prepare traditionally for maximum digestibility and nutrient absorption?
Soaked steel cut oats are an excellent way to go! Below is an easy recipe for how to prepare them either in a slow cooker or on the stovetop.
Sprouted?
If you prefer to avoid the slight inconvenience of soaking Irish oats prior to cooking, I would suggest buying sprouted steel cut oats instead (this brand is excellent).
Sprouted oats don’t require soaking to achieve similar levels of digestibility. This is a slightly more expensive option per serving, however.
Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats
Alternatively, you can soak and cook your steel cut oats in one step if you own a Vita-Clay slow cooker.
You will need to add one more cup of water using the Vita-Clay than the stovetop recipe below. Simply mix in all the water, lemon juice and oats in at one time, cover, and set to slow cook the following morning about 30 minutes before you arise (use the porridge setting for the large cooker and stew setting for the smaller model).
Another bonus is that this slow cooker is made from safe materials. It is a better choice over the long-term than stainless steel pots for cooking acidic foods like tomatoes, bone broth, and soaking oats.
If you eat soaked oatmeal frequently, this type of slow cooker is worth considering.
Soaked Steel Cut Oats Recipe (stovetop)
Recipe for soaked steel cut oats which makes for a highly digestible and nutritious oatmeal porridge that will keep you feeling full all the way to lunch!
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats preferably organic
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1 tbl lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbl butter
Instructions
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Place steel cut Irish oats into a medium sized pan. Mix with two cups filtered water and the lemon juice.
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Cover and leave on the counter for 8 hours or overnight.
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In the morning, add another cup of filtered water plus the sea salt to the pot and bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 12 minutes (creamy). Stir every few minutes.
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Serve with butter and your choice of healthy sweeteners, cream, fruit or other toppings.
I enjoy adding 1-2 Tbl of sprouted pumpkin seeds, dried wild blueberries, dried cranberries, and sprouted nuts along with a drizzle of date syrup.
Steel Cut Oats Caution
It is important to know that even though oats are commonly labeled “gluten free” and technically are a gluten free grain, they trigger problems for many gluten sensitive individuals.
The reason is that oats contain the protein avenin, a gluten-like protein that triggers symptoms for approximately one in five celiacs.
Current gluten sensitivity tests only measure for gliadin in wheat, hordein in barley, and secalin in rye. Avenin requires a different test and is increasingly classified along with other gluten proteins.
We seem to do much better with soaked STEEL CUT vs soaked ROLLED. Plus, the steel cut oats are simply more flavorful and, even soaked, retain a nice “bite”. The rolled oats have a mushy texture. We use a bit of lemon & salt for soaking overnight, then rinse it well in the morning (swishing water in & out in the same pot… not using a strainer), add fresh cooking water and cook until it’s done (20-25 min). Maple syrup, butter, YUM! We still keep it to once or twice per week, max. Thanks again, Sarah for a great article.
Yes, texture is the big reason why people prefer one over the other. Thanks for sharing your method!
I have a VitaClay Multi-Crock n Stock Pot. Can this be made in that model?
Yes! That model makes soaked porridge. Notice that there is a “porridge” setting. Use the delay cook so that it automatically cooks it for you once it has soaked the proper length of time.
I did read what you wrote regarding steele cut oats. I wish to respectfully disagree with you. I have tried many oatmeal types and have found that Steele Cut Oatmeal works well for me; it has less starch than all the others and keeps my system up for a good 4 hours or so. I cook it, add egg whites for protein at the end, freeze it in 1/3 cup portions. I defrost, add a small amount of water, add small amts of walnuts, blueberries, flax, cinnamon, banana slices + Cashew Milk.
Everything I read said to eat 1 cup of oatmeal, that was way too much, next tried 1/2 cup, still too much, so the 1/3 cup works well. Some times I have it for supper. I have read that if you are hungry before you go to bed, have 1/2 cup steel cut oats, a few walnuts and some milk, that it works well in your system while you sleep.
Thanks for taking the time to read my response. Your background credentials are impecable, congratulations for all the hard work. Best wishes for continued success!
As you can see from the nutritional info in the post, steel cut oats have basically no less starch than rolled oats. Glad you do well on them though … for sure stay with it if you find it the best for your digestion.
Why do you need the lemon juice? Would soaking with just water be ok?
Yes, you can soak with just water. However, it will be even more effective in reducing anti-nutrients to add a bit of lemon juice.
I would think that the soaking water should be discarded and the oates should be cooked in fresh water. Can you explain why that’s not necessary?
You don’t have to discard the soaking water. The anti-nutrients are already deactivated once cooked in the original soaking water. You can if you like though! It’s an extra step that isn’t necessary.
Can yogurt or raw apple cider vinegar be used in the soaking in place of the lemon juice?
Yes, you can use either of those but the oatmeal will taste much more sour especially using the ACV.
Sarah is their a way to reduce the Avenin content say by sprouting and soaking and if so by how much ? Thanks
Unfortunately not.
What do you think of this way of overnight cooking the oats: Combine steel cut oats, water and vinegar/lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Turn off flame, cover and let it sit overnight. It’s cooked by morning.
Soaking needs to occur at room temperature to be effective. I would suggest using the slow cooker method above if you want to soak/cook in one step.
I much prefer oatmeal made from rolled oats. I’ve been eating the steel cut thinking they were “better”. I am glad to know this is a myth!
I have been unable to find truly raw oats, (in any form, including whole grains). I have emailed countless companies about this, but they tell me oats need a heat treatment of some sort (usually steaming) before it gets sent off to the stores, because oats get rancid far more quickly than any other grain. So my question is, does it make any difference to soak a grain when it’s no longer raw?
It doesn’t matter that the oats are steamed … they still need to be soaked.
A similar example is “raw” cashews. They are also heat treated before packaging as “raw” … but they still should be soaked/dehydrated before eating to enhance digestibility.
That said, you can buy sprouted oats and avoid this problem if it is a concern to you. The oats must be sprouted before any sort of heat treatment otherwise they wouldn’t sprout. Ultimately, though, it really isn’t a big deal one way or the other. It is still best to soak unsprouted oats whether rolled or steel cut before cooking.