The Zojirushi, or Rice Ninja, in our kitchen makes approximately three to five bowls of rice each week. On top of that, our Rice Ninja will make perfect polenta and steel cut oats for breakfast overnight. Two nights ago while Mr. MVP and I were prepping our oats for the following morning, I was explaining to him how happy I was that I had shared my recipe with all of you early last year, but when I opened my MacBook to show him, I discovered I actually had not. Sorry about that.
These oats are delicious. They are simple to make and can be easily altered to fit any tastes. As a special bonus they are healthy. Here is what you will need to make basic oats:
- Zojirushi Rice Cooker
- 3/4 cup {one Zojirushi cup} Steel Cut Oats
- Liquid
- Spice or Fruit – optional
We buy our steel cut oats from the Food Co-op. They have oat groats (steel cut oats) in the their bulk bins, which are not only gluten free, but they are organic and less expensive than buying them pre-packaged. If you prefer to buy your oats packaged, I also like Bob’s Red Mill.
Your oats will look a little like chopped up peanuts. If you have a Zojirushi, simply fill the cup to the top – 3/4 cup.
Now, put your oats in the Zojirushi bucket.
We like a little cinnamon in our oats, so I shake the cinnamon three times. I realize it’s not precise measuring, but these oats truly are customizable. If you want banana oats, simply chop up a half banana and toss it in the bucket. If it’s apple cinnamon you’ve been craving, then cut up your favorite variety and add it in. Zojirushi is a steel cut oats master.
Adding in your liquid is made easy by the lines on the bowl. I use lactose free whole milk and water, but I have also used almond milk, rice milk and organic cow’s milk. The more milk you use the creamier your oats will be. Simply fill the bowl to the 1 Porridge mark.
After everything has been added in make sure to give your oats a good stir. It’s going to look like a milky mess, but don’t worry, everything is going to be fine.
The first thing you want to do is confirm that you have your Zojirushi on the Porridge setting. This is unbelievably important. I set the Rice Ninja overnight on the White Rice setting while cooking steel cut oats and woke up to an absolute mess all over our kitchen. Trust me, double check that the setting is on Porridge.
Now, you are going to let your oats soften overnight in the Zojirushi, so you need to set the timer. I usually start this whole process around 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. and have the Rice Ninja ready to go at 6:30 a.m. To use the timer just push the timer button and then use the up and down arrows to adjust the time. The time that is displayed is the time that the oats will be finished cooking. Don’t worry though, Zojirushi will keep your oats hot for you for hours after it cooks them, so if you are like us and you eat breakfast at different times, the Rice Ninja will work excellently.
Don’t forget to press Cooking!
The next morning your oats will still have a layer of liquid on the top, but don’t panic.
Stir everything up.
Mr. MVP likes almond butter, while I like peanut butter. Sometimes I like bananas and honey. I am telling you there is no limit to the topping options.
One tablespoon of peanut butter and these oats were perfect. The leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for about five days in a sealed container and they are easily reheated in the microwave. A perk of eating steel cut oats is eating breakfast and actually staying full until lunch time. Thanks Rice Ninja!
I’ve been meaning to do this with my Zoji! Do you set yours to cook right away, and then keep everything warm, or does the timer turn it on at about 5:30 so the oatmeal is ready at 6:30? I have a cheaper model that doesn’t have a timer…
Dave, I think it takes about 25 minutes to cook a pot of oats. The soaking takes however long overnight is for you. For us overnight is about eight to nine hours. So, even though it seems really strange, just let the COLD raw oats soak overnight in milk. They will be just fine. When you are about 25 minutes away from breakfast time, just press the porridge button and you will be in the breakfast business! Let me know if you have any more questions!
Nicole, I followed your instructions exactly. When I woke up in the morning, the oats were cooked but the mixture was way too runny. Also there was liquid on the lid that spilled onto the counter when I opened my zojirushi. I know it was on porridge setting. Any idea what went wrong?
Thanks!
Thanks for this. I’ve been hesitant to try milk overnight but will now!
I just put some oats in to soak overnight in my new cooker. I was a little nervous about having milk sit overnight, so I mixed in some milk with very cold (refrigerated) water and a few ice cubes. I have been using a ratio of about 3:1 for my oats until now but the Zojirushi uses 4:1, so I am very curious to see if I like (what I expect will be) a creamier texture. Looking forward to breakfast!
Follow-up: I wound up with oat soup. It’s like all they did was soak all night. The lights showed me they were cooking, the music played at exactly 8 AM as desired, and the results look exactly the same as they did when I started, except that the oats are chewable. I’ll try again without the timer and see if that makes a difference. Disappointed.
Barbara looking at your other comment, I really have no idea what could have gone wrong. I do know that leaving milk overnight in the Zojirushi is perfectly fine. I have cooked oats hundreds of times with whole milk and we have never had a problem. For clarification sake and just to rule everything out – we let our oats soak for at least eight to nine hours and then they cook on the porridge setting which I believe takes about 25 minutes. Usually there is a small (for lack of a better word) puddle of milk on top of the oats that I simply stir in once they finish cooking in the morning. If I let them sit for another five minutes they thicken up dramatically, or we just eat them immediately because it still tastes the same. Possibly, adding less liquid might help your oats. Depending on where you live – altitude or humidity – might change how much liquid is absorbed while cooking, but that is something you would have to look into based on your geographical location.