Bacon Egg and Cheese Oatmeal (Stovetop or Instant Pot Savory Oats)

Learn to make Instant Pot savory oatmeal! This bacon egg and cheese oatmeal covers all of the food groups and will leave you feeling satisfied until lunch. Why settle for a soggy bowl of cold breakfast cereal when you can have a dish like this? This savoury oats recipe for weight loss is one of my favorite breakfast recipes for a cold day.

Hey, hey, hey! We’re going to cover how to make cheese oatmeal today.

I know what you’re thinking: Is cheese in oatmeal good? If you’d put bacon, eggs, and cheese on a tortilla or on toast, why not another grain such as oatmeal? This hearty oat dish topped with eggs, cheese, avocado, wilted spinach, and just a smidge of bacon is super yummy.

I think you’re going to love it. Plus, pressure cooking steel cut oats saves a ton of time. No standing over the stove for an hour (I mean, unless you want to).

I’m a big fan of non-sweet oatmeal recipes like this one. It’s easy to flavor oats with gobs of sugar or honey, but going the savory route can be far more filling. It will also help you cut back on added sugars, if that’s one of your health goals.

Jump to:

• ⭐ Instant Pot Savory Oatmeal Benefits
• 🥘 Bacon Egg Cheese Oatmeal Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Savory Oatmeal
• ⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature
• 🌡️ Leftovers
• ❓ What toppings are good on oatmeal?
• 📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
• 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
• FAQs
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Other Good Oatmeal Based Recipes
• The Disclaimer…
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

⭐ Instant Pot Savory Oatmeal Benefits

Why make this savory oatmeal Instant Pot recipe? Here are a few reasons: 

• Fast: You can pressure cook steel cut oats in 10 minutes or less. (This isn’t counting the time it takes for pressure to build in the Instant Pot.) Steel cut oats typically take 30 minutes or longer on the stovetop. 
• Minimal Chopping: This recipe includes fruits and veggies, but you don’t have to chop much. If you don’t want to slice avocado, use store bought guacamole as a substitute. 
• Instant Pot Protein Oatmeal: Adding eggs and cheese to oatmeal adds a lot of protein, something sweet oatmeal tends to lack. 
• Gluten Free Oatmeal Instant Pot: Oatmeal is naturally gluten free, but may be contaminated with gluten from other grains in the factory. To make Instant Pot oatmeal gluten free, make sure the oats you use are certified gluten free. 
• Simple Savory Oatmeal: This recipe requires only 6 simple ingredients you can get at most major supermarkets. No need to make a special trip to the health food store for this one. 
• Customizable: If you don’t like any toppings I’m using in this recipe, switch them out! I have tons of other ideas for savory oats recipes in the toppings section below. 
• Delicious: I know some feel differently, but I think oatmeal is very tasty when flavored up right. I’m hoping you’ll feel the same way after making this dish! 

🥘 Bacon Egg Cheese Oatmeal Ingredients

To make four servings of the basic Instant Pot savoury oats recipe, you need: 

• 1 cup steel-cut oatmeal 
• 3 cups water 
• 4 slices thick cut bacon 
• 8 eggs 
• 4 ounces shredded cheese (113 grams) 
• 2 ⅔ cups baby spinach 
• 1 avocado (sliced) 

You can find steel cut oats at most major stores, such as Costco and Trader Joe’s. Make sure you get regular steel cut oatmeal for this recipe, not the 5-minute quick cooking steel cut oats. I like Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats, but store brands are great too.

Dairy milk can curdle in the Instant Pot so we're using water to cook the oats. If you want to add milk for soupy oatmeal, add it after cooking.

Any of your favorite shredded cheeses can work in this recipe. I used cheddar cheese this time, but you can use pepper jack, mozzarella, or something else. You will probably want to cut back on the amount with Parmesan, since it is so strong.

I sprinkled chives on the eggs for garnish in the photos. This is completely optional.

🍽 Equipment

You need an Instant Pot, a good knife, and a skillet (to cook bacon and eggs) to make this recipe. If you don’t have a multicooker, I will also provide stovetop directions below. I use a Crock-Pot express crock programmable multi-cooker with a 6-quart capacity.

The size of the Instant Pot you use and the amount of oats you cook can impact the cook time. Please keep in mind your cooking time will be shorter if you want to make a half batch.

🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Savory Oatmeal

This could not be easier. Put the oats and the water in the Instant Pot. Close the lid and also make sure the steam vent is closed.

While the oatmeal cooks, you can cook your eggs and bacon in a skillet in on the stovetop. Set them aside, and then wilt the fresh spinach in the hot bacon fat.

Tip! Using the delay timer can shorten the pressure cooking time. This is because the oats soften and soak in the water during the delay.

⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature

What’s the savory oats Instant Pot cook time? Pressure cook steel cut oats for 10 minutes on high (“multigrain” setting). Then let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes before carefully opening the pressure valve. This gets you thick oatmeal.

For thin (chewy) oatmeal, pressure cook for 6 minutes on high and naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes. If this oatmeal contains too much liquid, cook for several minutes on high saute (lid off) to evaporate it. To thin oatmeal that is too thick, simply stir in a little milk or water.

After the oatmeal is cooked, you can add the toppings. The shredded cheese should melt a bit on the warm oatmeal. Also add your fried eggs, cooked and crumbled bacon, sliced avocado, and wilted spinach. Yum!

Stovetop directions: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Stir in 1 cup of steel cut oats and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until the oats are done and liquid is absorbed.

For the best results, check your steel cut oats package for cooking times. Some brands recommend cooking on the stove for 45 minutes. You should stir the oats occasionally while they cook on the stove so they don’t stick to the pot.

🌡️ Leftovers

You can keep leftover Instant Pot oatmeal in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat your portion in the microwave, and top with freshly cooked toppings right before serving. Plain oatmeal also freezes well.

❓ What toppings are good on oatmeal?

A better question might be what’s not good on oatmeal! Haha There are endless variations you can try for topping Instant Pot savory oatmeal.

Here are some ways to add more protein to oatmeal: 

• Ham 
• Cottage cheese 
• Greek yogurt 
• Tempeh 
• Chickpeas 
• Sausage 
• Chicken 

Here are some ideas for topping oatmeal with veggies: 

• Green onions 
• Tomatoes 
• Sauteed bell peppers 
• Roasted sweet potatoes 
• Caramelized onions 
• Roasted cauliflower 
• Roasted brussels sprouts 
• Shallot 
• Salsa 

How about adding some texture with these: 

• Nuts 
• Granola 
• Sunflower seeds 
• Unsweetened coconut flakes 

Here’s a few more oatmeal add-ins that can provide a flavor boost: 

• Hot sauce (sriracha) 
• Garam masala 
• Curry powder 
• Chili powder 
• Unsweetened coconut cream 

📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein

One serving of bacon egg cheese oats has 565 calories, 26.9 grams net carbs, and 29.3 grams protein. (That’s a high protein savory oatmeal right there!) 

💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian

This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). Dry steel-cut oatmeal will run you about 150 calories per ¼-cup, so I’d skip the oats to drop this dish to level one. This move preserves the major sources of protein (eggs, cheese) and the produce.

Without the oatmeal, you are left with a pretty typical example of a low-carb/keto breakfast. Cutting back on grains is one easy way to reduce the calories in a meal while keeping the nutrient-dense components that promote satiety.

It's very easy to customize this to meet the needs of individuals in your family without making separate meals. If cooking for one, the cooked oatmeal can be stored in the fridge and topped fresh when reheated.

A note about the little crumble of bacon. I consider bacon to be more of an added fat than a protein. Like peanut butter, bacon does contain some protein, but you’d need to eat a lot of it to cover your protein needs.

FAQs

👩🏻‍🍳 Other Good Oatmeal Based Recipes

Looking for more oatmeal-based recipes? Try these next:  

• Vegetable Oatmeal 
• Egg White Oatmeal 
• Baked Protein Oatmeal (with a secret ingredient!) 
• Air Fryer Oatmeal 

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The Disclaimer…

All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.

The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.

For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!

📖 Recipe