Instant Pot Blueberry Vanilla Oatmeal

Get ready, y’all – this Instant Pot Blueberry Vanilla Oatmeal is about to make your life sooo much easier.

Is it just me or do kids eat five times as much at breakfast than at any other meal?

I wake up in the mornings, just tryin’ to have my cup of coffee and snuggle up on the couch for a little bit… but my kids are ready for a full-on 5-course feast, complete with carving station and made-to-order omelet bar.

I get it – their tiny little bodies haven’t eaten in over 12 hours and they need to replenish their energy stores to prepare for wrecking my world for the next 12 hours.

But oof, it feels like I spend the entire morning sprinting back and forth between the kitchen table and the fridge, to fetch them more fruit, more toast, more milk, more yogurt.

But that’s where Instant Pot Blueberry Vanilla Oatmeal comes in to save the day!

It’s a variation of my Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal – which my kids equally love. I try to alternate the two versions, so they don’t get tired of the flavors.

How to Make Instant Pot Blueberry Vanilla Oatmeal

Oatmeal is SO easy to make in the Instant Pot. It only takes 30 minutes – which, to be fair, is the equivalent of 47 years when you’ve got two hangry toddlers whining for breakfast at 7am.

But, it makes a good, big batch, so I typically make it in advance, and keep it stored in the fridge for the week. Then, I can just pop a bowl in the microwave each morning and have it ready for them for 45 seconds flat.

(By the way, if you’re looking for more easy, kid-friendly Instant Pot recipes, I gotchu covered.)

But best of all, this oatmeal only requires 5 ingredients – most of which you probably already have:

• Old-fashioned oats
• Milk (any milk of your choice – I use Oat or Almond, most of the time)
• Blueberries
• Vanilla extract
• Brown sugar

And the process couldn’t be simpler:

1. Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot.
2. Stir.
3. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes.
4. Natural release for 10 minutes.
5. EAT!

Common Questions About Instant Pot Oatmeal

Instant Pot Oatmeal really is incredibly easy to make, but if you’re new to the Instant Pot, there a few questions I see often.

(And PS, if you’re an Instant Pot newbie, you may want to check out these Instant Pot Beginner Tips before you get started!)

My Blueberry Vanilla Oatmeal came out bitter – what did I do wrong?

Nothing at all! Since this oatmeal relies largely on the natural sugar from the blueberries (and isn’t a total sugar bomb, like most packaged oatmeals), the sweetness will depend on your blueberries.

If your blueberries are ripe and plump, you’ll likely end up with sweeter oatmeal than if they aren’t.

But don’t worry – if it’s not as sweet as you’d like after it cooks, you can always stir in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar while it’s still warm. I sometimes have to do this!

Why is my oatmeal so watery?

When you first release the pressure in your Instant Pot, your oatmeal will be a little bit runny. As it cools, it’ll thicken up quite a bit – just let it sit for a few minutes.

Can I use {soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, whole milk, skim milk, etc.}?

Yes! You can really use whatever milk you’d like in this recipe. My daughter has a dairy intolerance, so we typically use Oat milk, but really any will work.

I’m all out of milk! Can I leave it out of my oatmeal?

You can replace the milk with water altogether if you need to, but know that your oatmeal will lose a bit of flavor and creaminess.

The most important thing is that you maintain a 3:1 liquid to oats ratio, to ensure the oats have enough to absorb and get nice and soft. If you want to do 2 cups milk and 1 cup water, or 1.5 cups of each, you definitely can!

Can I double this recipe?

Absolutely. The cook time will remain the same, though it will likely take a bit longer to reach pressure with the added liquid. Just remember to keep that 3:1 liquid-to-oats ratio!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!