Savory steel cut oats recipe
By Swasthi on September 1, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Savory steel cut oats recipe – Simple, quick, delicious, healthy one pot lentil & steel cut oats recipe. Whole oat groats, Instant oatmeal, rolled oats & steel cut oats are some of the types available in the market. All of these have nearly the same nutrition profile except the whole groats & steel cuts have twice the amount of fiber than the rolled oats & Instant oats.

Whole groats & the steel cut variety are the least processed. So they have extra fiber which helps the tummy to keep full for longer as it digests slowly. These are healthy & great for everone including those aiming for weight loss.
This savory lentil & steel cut oats recipe will give you a bowl of delicious khichdi that can also be served to toddlers or kids. A bowl of salad, pickle or papads go well as sides. This makes for a great breakfast or dinner.
Feel free to use your favorite veggies in this recipe. Most times I make this with carrot, peas & french beans. I have the instructions for the instant pot and regular pot.
More Oats Recipes
Oats upma
Oats dosa
Oats khichdi
Preparation
1. Add oats and dal to a cooker.

2. Wash a few times and drain. Soak in water till the veggies are chopped. It is good to soak steel cut oats in a large bowl with little yogurt or whey added to it. Soaking for at least overnight reduces the amount of phytates to some extent in the oats.

3. Drain and set aside.
How to make savory steel cut oats
4. Add ghee or oil to the cooker and heat it.
5. Add bay leaf and cumin.

6. When the cumin splutters, add hing.
7. Add onions and fry until they turn pink or golden.
8. Add ginger paste. Saute just for a minute.

9. Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt.

10. Saute until tomatoes turn soft & mushy. Add red chili powder. Saute for another 1 minute.

11. Add chopped veggies. I have used capsicum. It may not go well with all. So you can skip it you don’t like the flavor. Saute the veggies for 2 mins.

12. Add oats & dal. Saute for 2 mins.

13. Pour water. Stir and check the salt. If needed add more.

14.Cover the cooker. Pressure cook on a medium heat for 2 to 3 whistles. I cooked for 2.

15. When the pressure goes down, open the lid. Give a good stir.

Serve steel cut oats khichdi with pickle, papad or salad.

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Recipe card

Savory steel cut oats
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ¼ cup steel cut oats
- ¼ cup moong dal (or skinned split mung beans)
- 1 tbsp ghee (or clarified butter or oil)
- ½ tsp cumin (or jeera)
- ¼ piece bay leaf (optional, tej patta)
- ¾ tsp ginger chopped finely (or grated, adrak)
- 2 pinches turmeric (or haldi)
- ½ tsp salt (use as needed)
- ¼ tsp red chilli powder (or pepper powder or green chili)
- 2 tbsps onions (chopped)
- 1 medium tomato (chopped finely)
- ¼ cup mix vegetables (optional, carrots, beans)
- 2 cups water
- 1 pinch hing (or asafoetida) (optional)
Instructions
- Wash oats and dal few times. Soak till the veggies are chopped.
Stovetop savory steel cut oats
- Add ghee to a pressure cooker and heat it. Add cumin and bay leaf. When the cumin splutters, add hing
- Next fry onions until they turn pink or golden. Stir in the ginger and fry for a minute.
- Add tomatoes, veggies, turmeric and salt. Fry until the tomatoes turn mushy.
- Stir in red chili powder. Saute until the raw smell of chilli goes away.
- Drain the oats and dal. Add them to the cooker.
- Pour water. Give a good mix and check the salt. If needed add more.
- Cover the lid and pressure cook on a medium heat for 2 to 3 whistles. I cook for 2 whistles. If cooking in a pot add more water as needed and cook until the dal turns soft.
- Let the pressure go down. Open the lid and stir well.
- Serve steel cut oats khichdi hot or warm topped with a tsp of ghee.
Instant pot savory steel cut oats
- Press saute button on the IP. When it displays hot add ghee or oil.
- Add cumin and bay leaf. Saute for 30 seconds and quickly add onions.
- Fry for 2 mins and then add hing, ginger, tomatoes and salt.
- Saute until the tomatoes break down and turn soft.
- Saute veggies, turmeric and chilli powder for a minute.
- Then add dal,steel cut oats and pout water.
- Mix and taste the water. If needed add more salt.
- Secure the insta pot lid and set the steam release handle to sealing.
- Press the porridge button. It is set to 20 mins. You can also pressure cook on high for 10 mins.
- Wait for the natural pressure release. When the pin drops, open and stir the steel cut oats.
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes

About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Hi Swasthi, I have tried many of your recipes and they always turn out so good. I appreciate all the little extra details you add to your recipes, they make a lot of difference.
About this recipe, I wanted to ask, if you changed the steel cut to rolled oats would any thing change in the recipe, like timing, or water to be added?
Hi Bhavana,
Glad to know! Thank you!
No, you don’t need to change anything, pressure cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Very good. Thanks.
Hi Swasthi,
Tried this today for the first time and it was so delicious. We haven’t tried the oats before but certainly will do it more often.
I just love your recipes.
Thanks
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you so much for your lovely recipes! Can we use toor dal in place of moong dal here?
Hi Alka,
Yes you can use toor dal.
Hello Swathi,
I made this today and I must say it was so delicious! I did a mustard seed too because I like it. When id was done cooking I topped it with fresh cilantro and a sprinkle of Garam Marsala.
Outstanding! Will be trying many more of your recipes, Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into this site.
Hi Jacquie Atiknson
You are welcome. So glad to know you liked the khichdi. Thanks a lot trying & the comment.
🙂