Gingerbread cookie overnight oatmeal is a delicious way to start your day. Healthy steel-cut oats infused with the wonderful flavors of fresh gingerbread cookies. A breakfast worth getting out of bed for!
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One of the best days ever was the day I realized that I'm not the only person who is obsessed with cookie dough! So many places now sell edible cookie dough and it is about time!
Back in the day, we all just scraped what we could from the bottom of the cookie dough bowl. (Even though we all know we aren't supposed to eat anything with uncooked eggs). Honestly, nothing tastes quite as good as that (but don't try it! It's not worth risking becoming sick!)
In my pursuit of a healthier cookie dough-like treat, I have discovered that, when done right, oatmeal can come darn close! It's a matter of getting the flavors right. This recipe is a perfect example.
Is it as good as some fresh, just mixed gingerbread cookie dough? How could it be?? But, it is much healthier and much more socially acceptable to eat for breakfast!
How To Make Slow Cooker Gingerbread Cookie Overnight Oatmeal
📋Shopping list
To make this dish, you will need:
- steel cut oats - do not attempt this with quick oats!
- cinnamon - powder
- nutmeg - powder
- cloves
- ginger - powder
- molasses
- brown sugar - or sugar substitute such as Swerve
- vanilla - pure vanilla extract is always my vanilla of choice
- salt
- 4 cups of plant based milk or water
Note: Exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below
Process
If using a slow cooker liner, placing that in your pot is the first (and often forgotten!) step. If you prefer not to use a liner, spray your slow cooker with some sort of non-stick agent. Add everything except the milk/water to your slow cooker and mix to combine. Add milk or water and stir all together.
At this point, you will probably notice some of the spices starting to float and not really mixing in well. That is normal. However, if you find large clumps of spices, you can try to break them up with the back of a spoon to help evenly distribute.
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Set your crockpot to warm (not low) and it is time for bed! In the morning, you will wake up to a house that smells like gingerbread cookies! A thick skin or even a burnt-like layer will probably be on top of your oatmeal (this varies from crockpot to crockpot). Just give it a good stir and you will be set.
Serving suggestions
While this oatmeal will be very flavorful, it is not overly sweet. It will also be quite thick. If you prefer it sweet (like I do) you can add brown sugar (or a brown sugar alternative such Swerve or golden monk fruit).
To thin it out, you can add some milk or plant-based milk. To make it really special, you can add cream, coconut cream, or another dairy-free cream alternative (like nutpods).
Other great add-ins are maple syrup, agave, powdered sugar, butter (or plant-based substitute), cinnamon, nuts, bananas, and chocolate chips. Adding a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter is another awesome add-on! You can add it to your hot oatmeal and let it melt right in!
If you are serving this on a holiday or other special occasion, it is great garnished with an actual gingerbread cookie or even a candy cane!
If you love this recipe, please let me know in the comment section below!
Storing Leftover Oatmeal
Slow Cooker gingerbread overnight oatmeal is great eaten hot or cold. Leftovers will store really well in the refrigerator. I refrigerate leftovers in small, individual serving-size containers. This makes for quick weekday grab-and-go breakfasts.
Be sure to use microwavable containers if you plan to quickly heat your oatmeal. Gingerbread oatmeal will store perfectly in your refrigerator for 5-6 days.
Cookie Dough Oatmeal Hints & Hacks
- Despite its name, gingerbread cookie overnight oatmeal is not an overly sweet dish. You may want to keep some sweetener nearby for any guest or family member who wants to dial up the sweetness a bit. Adding bananas can help to sweeten it up in a healthy way.
- While cooking, this can form a skin or even a crust on top. You can scoop it off and toss it out if you like, but if you stir it, it will dissolve right back in.
- I always recommend a slow cooker liner for easy clean-up. This is, of course, an optional step.
- This recipe calls for steel cut oats. I would not recommend any other type of oats due to the long cooking time.
- Looking to increase the nutritional value of this dish? Try adding some flax seeds or nut butter into the mix!
- If you want to add chocolate chips: be sure to let your oatmeal cool a bit before attempting to stir in chips. Hot oatmeal will cause chocolate chips to melt (although that’s not necessarily bad!!).
- In the market for a new slow cooker? Here is the one I am currently lusting after.
📖 Recipe
Lazy Gingerbread Cookie Overnight Oatmeal Recipe
Equipment
- 3.5 quart slow cooker or larger
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats I would not substitute for any other kind of oats as the long sitting time will make them mushy.
- 2 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch salt
- 4 cups plant based milk or water I prefer almond-cashew milk
Instructions
- place slow cooker liner into slow cooker, if using. Otherwise, spray slow cooker with a non-stick spray,
- add oats, molasses, brown sugar and all spices to slow cooker and stir to combine1 cup steel cut oats, 2 tablespoon molasses, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, pinch salt, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Add liquid and stir well to mix. Some of the spices will float on top and not seem to mix well. This is typical, just try to break up any bigger clumps of cinnamon that may be floating around.4 cups plant based milk or water
- cover and set to WARM for overnight cooking. This can go anywhere from 8-12 hours.
- Prior to serving, stir to mix cooked ingredients. (see above for serving suggestions!)
- Enjoy!!
Notes
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
More Great Crockpot Desserts
Veronica says
I made this exactly like in the directions and it’s soupy. Any ideas on how this happened and is there a way to salvage it? I turned up the heat to high and I was just going to eyeball it.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Oh wow! I have not had that happen. In fact, occasionally I have to add extra milk because mine gets too thick. Did you use steel cut oats? How long did it cook for?
Flyn says
Tastes really good. Doesn't need more sweatener when it's done. But setting it to WARM instead of LOW did not work for me. I set it to low for 12 hours and it was like soup afterwards. It was like I had just soaked the steel-cut oats in warm milk when I opened the crockpot. Maybe that would work with rolled oats? I tried it again and set it to LOW this time, but for 8 hours, and it worked perfectly. Maybe you're using a bigger crockpot? Mine is 2 quarts.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Hi Flyn,
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Each slow cooker is different. I do use a larger slow cooker when I make this, so that could be part of it. Heating elements vary too, so mine may run hotter than yours. I am going to make a note in the recipe with a warning that low may work as a better setting for some crock pots.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the oatmeal once you figured out the best way to make it! Happy holidays!