Instant Pot Skirlie (Scottish Stuffing) (2024)

Instant Pot Skirlie is a popular dish from Scotland. This wonderful stuffing is made with pin head oats (steel cut oats) and onions fried in fat and meat drippings.

Skirlie is a popular Scottish side dish, generally cooked on the stove in a sauce pan and served at Christmas dinner.

While my traditional Instant Pot Stuffing recipe is fantastic, how about trying a traditional Scottish stuffing recipe instead? Learn how to easily make Scottish Skirlie in your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker and wow your guests.

In the late 90’s I was introduced to Skirlie by my good friend and neighbor Lynne. Lynne and her husband Bill, were from Canada, but Scottish ancestors. One Thanksgiving, Lynne hosted and served this weird little bowl of stuffing. Lynne only made a tiny amount of Skirlie thinking that others might not enjoy eating non traditional American stuffing, but oh my gosh, I just couldn’t get enough and she had to quickly make some more.

I quickly got that recipe written down and I am so very excited to share my Instant Pot Skirlie recipe with you.

Instant Pot Skirlie can be made to accompany beef, mutton, turkey, chicken, pork. For purposes of this recipe, the ingredients will pair up for a Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Skirlie

• Pin Head Oats (UK) or Steel Cut Oats *See below for other types of grains which can be used in place of the steel cut oats.
• Onions – lots of onions!
• Turkey Drippings or Chicken Drippings (whichever you are cooking)
• Turkey Brothor Chicken Broth
• Salt and Pepper
• Butter, Suet or other fat
• Fresh Thyme or Ground Thyme

When making Instant Pot Skirlie with a roast, beef drippings and beef broth would be used. For a chicken dinner, chicken drippings and chicken broth. Basically, whichever meat is being cooked will determine the dripping and broth.

What is Skirlie?

• It is a savory Scottish dish made with pin head or steal cut oats, fried in oil, beef drippings, suet, butter, lard or other fat, along with lots of onions and fresh thyme. Traditionally, Skirlie is made in a saucepan on the stove.
• In the Northeast part of Scotland, it is very popular as a side dish for Christmas dinner and is served along with potatoes and a turkey.
• Skirlie is used the way Americans use stuffing during the holidays. It can be served inside the turkey or on the side.
• Beef drippings are used to cook Skirlie to accompany a beef roast, but you can use drippings from any type of meat or keep it vegetarian.

The pieces of onions and chewy oats are so warm and satisfying. It is a side dish that can be enjoyed with many entrees, like my Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak.

What are Pinhead Oats?

• Pinhead Oats are groats, just like steel cut oats. In the UK, they are called pinhead oats and in the US, the groats are called steel cut. They are named after the steel blade which cuts the oats into pinhead sized pieces.Irish Oats, which are also groats, but are processed a bit differently.
• Cutting the oats with steel will produce a more course and chewier and course texture than other methods.
• Steel cut oats and pinhead oats are used to make porridge and breakfast oats. They differ from ground and rolled oats, which don’t have the chewy texture and are much softer.

Pinhead and steel cut oats will absorb liquid and blow up several times their size.

Steel cut oats can be enjoyed as savory dish or a sweet dish and are a very popular breakfast meal. My Instant Pot Blueberries and Cream Steel Cut Oats make a delicious and filling breakfast.

Grab some drippings from my Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe and make Skirlie! Of course, the drippings made from a turkey (or chicken) cooked in the oven or air fryer would be great to use for Instant Pot Skirlie.

Pro Tip: If you do not have any meat drippings, simply mix 1 teaspoon of Better than Bouillon Chicken Base or Better than Bouillon Beef Base with 1/2 cup of water and use that in place of chicken, turkey or beef drippings.

What is Suet?

• Suet is the fat found around the loins or kidneys in cows and sheep/mutton.
• It can be rendered into tallow and used for cooking.
• Birds feed on suet too!

This recipe does NOT use suet.

What is Used in Place of Suet?

• Butter, bacon grease, schmaltz (chicken fat) can be used in place of suet! Yay!
• A combination of turkey drippings and butter makes this dish very flavorful, rich and delicious.
• For Kosher folks, schmaltz is wonderful in this recipe. To make some fast, grab some uncooked fat from the chicken or turkey and render it down and then use the liquid fat with some of the drippings from oven roasting the turkey or chicken.

What Other Grains Can Be Used to Make Instant Pot Skirlie?

Yes. If you do not have steel cut oats on hand, other pearl type grains can be used.

• Pearl Barley and Whole Barley are cereal grains and are very popular in soups, such as my Pressure Cooker Americana Wedding Soup and can also be used to make a hot cereal like myPressure Cooker Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats. If using the whole barley, make sure to add and additional 10 minutes to the cook time of the Skirlie.
• Pearled Farro looks and tastes just like barley. Farro is an ancient grain used in traditional Italian meals. Skirlie is wonderful made with farro!
• Buckwheat Groats, a grain like seed is another great substitute for steel cut oats.

Like my Instant Pot Stuffing, Instant Pot Skirlie can be served as a side dish and can be cooked inside the chicken or turkey or baked on their own.

In traditional manner, a small amount of broth is added to the saucepan when cooking, just to help soften the oats a bit.If you have my Instant Pot Bone Broth it would be fantastic to use, as it will up the flavor and add lots of nutrients.Better than Bouillon makes a nice turkey base and chicken base, which can also be used.

Instant Pot Skirlie may seem different and weird to many of you, but I sure hope you will consider this recipe.It’s ridiculously delicious and is certainly a conversation starter.The toasted and chewy oats and sweet onions make a wonderful side dish, but Instant Pot Skirlie can also be used as a cold salad. Mix in some greens or spinach and enjoy.

Spinach can also be added to the hot Skirlie and wilted down, if desired.

Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Skirlie

1. Use the drippings from whatever meat or fowl you are cooking. For instance, prime rib, steaks, turkey, chicken, roasts. The Instant Pot Skirlie pair nicely with any main course.
2. Don’t over cook the onions as they should be prominently visible.
3. After the liquid has evaporated, make sure to completely deglaze the cooking pot before closing the lid. The oats will stick and you will get a burn notice, otherwise.
4. Fluff with a fork once you have opened the pot.

I can’t wait for you to try this recipe, as I know it will become a favorite. What is your favorite way to enjoy Instant Pot Skirlie?

More Instant Pot Christmas Side Dish Recipes to Make:

• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Pressure Cooker)
• Instant Pot Spiced Cranberry Sauce
• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Caramelized Sweet Potatoes Yams
• Holiday Creamy Corny Cornbread Casserole
• Pressure Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole (Instant Pot)

Do you make any other international holiday dishes? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
• J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
• Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
• Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
• Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
• di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
• Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
• Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder

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Here is the handy printable recipe:

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