Today I have a recipe for Crockpot Mason Jar Pumpkin Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and your Crocktober 2015 Meal Plan Week 3!
Phew! That’s a mouthful of a recipe title isn’t it? I think it might take longer to say the name of this recipe than it will take you to set it up to cook in your slow cooker. Earlier this year I shared my Ultimate Oatmeal recipe, so y’all already know that I love my oatmeal with tons of mix-ins as a great quick breakfast. Since it’s now Crocktober, I wanted to try my hand at making a batch of oatmeal in the slow cooker. I’ve heard rave reviews about it – It’s so amazing they say, you’ll never make oatmeal any other way again! Well, sorry to say, when I dumped it all in my slow cooker and left it overnight while I slept, I got a solid burned hunk of what used to be oats. It was more like a granola bar gone bad. Maybe that’s my own fault because I left it warming a bit longer than the recommended 6 hours of cook time (does anyone really sleep for just 6 hours? And if you do, do you run to your crockpot in the morning to check on your oatmeal first thing, or do you hang out in bed and check your email on your phone like the rest of us?).
Whatever the case, it really wasn’t my favorite recipe, and threw most of it away. But I wasn’t done experimenting just yet because the idea of oatmeal in a slow cooker really did have potential. And then I saw yet another pin for those overnight fridge oats and it dawned on me – why can’t you make mason jar oatmeal in your slow cooker! I cooked it overnight in the jars in a water bath inside the crock, and despite the lack of humidity in Colorado, the pumpkin apple cinnamon oatmeal turned out nice and moist. It was a bit thicker than I planned on, but we like thick oatmeal, so feel free to thin it out with some more liquid before or after cooking if you like your oatmeal more runny.
The best part about these jars is that I cooked breakfasts for my hubby to take to work every day this week while I was asleep. They’re super portable, and they double as a whole house air freshener if you place the crockpot in front of your HVAC air intake vent. (Ours is in the middle of the kitchen next to our island – I woke up to the most heavenly smells!) You can either eat them the very next morning (handle with care as the jars may still be quite warm), or let them cool for a little bit, screw on a lid, and pack them away in the fridge for the week.
Obviously the flavors are super flexible, and you can feel free to use other sweeteners or mix-ins with these ratios, but I just felt like Fall was calling to me to make some Pumpkin Apple Cinnamon oatmeal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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Crockpot Mason Jar Pumpkin Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 480
- Total Time: 485
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
For all 8 of these (12oz) tall jelly jars you will need
- 4 cups steel cut oats (other kinds of oats won’t hold up to slow cooking)
- 8 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 apple, diced small
- 8 tablespoons pumpkin puree (about half a can)
- 1/3 cup rasins
- 4–6 cups of milk (your favorite type) or water
- Handful of chopped pecans
Or to make them individually, for each jar you will need
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats (other kinds of oats won’t hold up to slow cooking)
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8th of an apple, diced small
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- a few rasins
- 1/2–3/4 cup of milk (your favorite type) or water
- Handful of chopped pecans
Instructions
- Choose your mason jars (I used 12oz tall jelly jars) and test how many will comfortably fit in your crockpot. (8 (12oz) tall jelly jars fit inside my 6qt oval slow cooker.)
- In each jar add: 1/2 cup steel cut oats, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
- Give the oatmeal a quick stir to mix the spices then add 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree, several chunks of diced apples, and a few raisins to the top of each jar.
- Place the jars in the bottom of the crockpot and pour 1/2-3/4 cup of milk or water over the top of the contents inside each jar. For thicker oatmeal, you want to fill the jars with milk to just above the oatmeal, and add a bit more milk if you want it to be more runny.
- Outside of the jars, fill the rest of the crockpot with water until it comes about 2/3 of the way up the outsides of the jars to create a water bath. Leave the lids off the jars.
- Cover the crockpot and cook overnight on Low for 7-8 hours.
- Remove from slow cooker, top with chopped pecans, allow jars to cool a bit before serving, or cool down fully and then store with lids on in the fridge for up to 5 days and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until re-heated before serving.
Notes
- These ratios should be interchangable with your favorite flavors if you don’t want pumpkin apple.
- Gluten-free: Oats are naturally gf, but many are processed in plants that process gluten, so be sure to choose gf oats if you have cross contamination sensitivities.
- Vegetarian: These are vegetarian.
- Vegan: These are vegan if made with water or your favorite vegan milk.
Crocktober 2015 Week 3 10/19-10/25
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This meal plan is designed to feed approximately 4 adults at each meal or two adults with lunches left over. Feel free to double or add to it as needed. **You’ll need to open it with the free Adobe Reader App (Android or iOS) to be able to use the check boxes on mobile, so install that first if you don’t have it already.**
Monday: My Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Tortellini Soup (4hrs high or 8hrs low, gluten-free if using gf pasta)
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Chicken with Thai Peanut Sauce from Five Heart Home (4hrs high or 8hrs low, gluten-free if using gf soy sauce)
Wednesday: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Bake in the Crock Pot from Knead to Cook (4-6 hours low, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan option)
Thursday: My Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Leek Risotto (1 hr on high, gluten-free, vegetarian option)
Friday: Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup from Culinary Hill (4hrs high or 8hrs low, gluten-free if using gf pasta)
Saturday: Date Night – Eat Out.
Sunday: Y.O.Y.O. (You’re on your own.)
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This. Sounds. Ridiculous! I’ve never done anything like this in the slow cooker, and I can imagine this would go over like gangbusters in our home. Definitely adding this to my to-make list!
Everyone thought I was crazy (myself included!) but it worked! You definitely need the steel cut oats though. The other kinds turn into kind of a custard when cooked down for so long.
Girl, you are so talented! I love how there is something completely different every time I come to your blog! Keep up the good work.
You are too sweet Laura! I try to put a fun twist on every recipe I make to make it stand out from the rest of the internet. (Tough to do these days!)