The Best Crockpot Oatmeal – Barefeet In The Kitchen

Filled with creamy oats, sweet bananas, and berries, a hint of brown sugar, and spices, this Crockpot Oatmeal is a breakfast that my whole family enjoys. Best of all, this crave-worthy oatmeal can be made in just one hour without any stirring at all!

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal

Closer to a warm muesli cereal than traditionally cooked oatmeal, crockpot oatmeal is an awesome way to make oatmeal. We make a couple of different strawberry or banana oatmeals and love them all.

My kids can never make up their minds about which oatmeal they like best. We eat a lot of oatmeal in this house. Traditional oatmeal, baked oatmeal, crockpot oatmeal, they are all frequently served here.

Oatmeal with Nuts

My husband loves adding nuts to oatmeal and he is perfectly content with a bowl of stovetop oatmeal filled with chewy raisins, crunchy nuts, brown sugar, and butter. This nutty raisin oatmeal shows up on our breakfast table at least a couple of days each month – if not more often than that.

As much as I love that oatmeal, I also love everything about the taste and texture of oatmeal when it is cooked slowly in the crockpot.

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

Cooking oatmeal in the crockpot might seem like a long time to wait for breakfast on a weekday morning, but it really is simple. And surprisingly, it doesn’t take all that much time to cook oatmeal in the slow cooker.

Stir the ingredients together and then walk away to get ready for your day. An hour later, everyone will be hungry and breakfast is ready to eat.

The flavors in this oatmeal are perfect together. The softened crunch of the pecans, the sweet bananas, the tartly sweet berries, the tender oats, and the brown sugar work together to make this a breakfast treat that the whole family enjoys.

Slow cookers or crockpots are an appliance of which I have more than one. If you are an avid slow cooker user like I am, you might understand the need for more than one. So, let’s talk about my favorites:

First up is this 6-quart slow cooker that has a locking lid. These crockpots are fantastic for transporting foods. Mine has gone everywhere from church potlucks to barbecues, game nights to Thanksgiving dinner. However, fair warning, these slow cookers run crazy hot. Low is closer to a boil than a simmer, the warm setting actually simmers. So trust me when I say HIGH is high.

My everyday slow cooker is this 8-quart Crockpot. It’s my go-to appliance for cooking large roasts and big batches of chili. Fun fact: did you know that a full 4-quart cooker, actually cooks more slowly than a half-full 8-quart cooker?

For just cooking a few pounds of chicken to shred for enchiladas or other smaller recipes, this 3-quart version is perfect.

Thanksgiving has become a breeze since I have mastered how to hold all of the side dishes using these medium-sized round slow cookers.

If you aren’t a fan of the idea of keeping more than one slow cooker in the house, these CrockPockets are a game-changer when it comes to preparing and holding multiple dishes at the same time. They slide into a standard 6-quart crockpot, dividing it into two sections that are perfect for serving different side dishes or keeping taco fillings warm for parties.

Crockpot Oatmeal Recipe

1. Combine milk, oats, bananas, strawberries, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in the crockpot.
2. Cook on HIGH for 45-60 minutes or on LOW for 1-2 hours.
3. Stir occasionally. Cook until thickened to desired consistency.

Cook’s Note: I rarely remember to stir mine and it turns out fine every time. The longer it cooks, the thicker the oatmeal will be.

Crockpot Oatmeal

Crock-Pot Oatmeal is such an easy weekday breakfast. I love that I can toss everything together in the crock-pot when I start the coffee in the morning and breakfast is ready to eat by the time we are.

Overnight oats are next on my list to try, specifically these Strawberry Overnight Oats, you can make them two different ways and both recipes sound delicious.

If you’re looking for even more breakfast ideas, don’t forget to check out all of our other Oatmeal Recipes.

Baked Oatmeal is an awesome breakfast for a crowd. The recipe can easily be multiplied to serve as many as you need to feed.

This Stovetop Nutty Raisin Oatmeal has been Sean’s favorite oatmeal for as long as I can remember. And this Blueberries and Cream Oatmeal is my weakness every single time berries are in season.

{originally published 5/18/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/21/25}