Who needs those autumn-themed candles when you’ve got Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal in the oven? NO ONE. This warm and cozy oatmeal casserole, of sorts, is the epitome of fall vibes. Not only will this baked oatmeal recipe make your house smell amazing, but it’s an easy way to meal prep breakfast for the week ahead. It’s cozy, delicious, filling, and EASY. 🙌
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What is Baked Oatmeal?
If you’re new to baked oatmeal, it’s kind of like bread pudding, but made with oats instead of chunks of bread. It’s sweet, rich, hearty, and absolutely amazing. The texture is soft and moist, but not goopy like traditional oatmeal can be, and it gets just a little bit crispy around the edges of the baking dish. You can eat it hot out of the oven and the leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated in the microwave. I like to pour a little cold milk over top for a delicious hot-cold combo. Baked oatmeal can also be frozen in single-serving containers for quick reheatable weekday breakfasts!
Ingredients
This apple cinnamon baked oatmeal combines our usual baked oatmeal base with apples that are coated in a little cinnamon and sugar, and then baked until they form an apple pie-like layer on the bottom of the oats. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this incredible apple cinnamon baked oatmeal:
- Fresh apples: Pick a sweet or semi-sweet variety of apple, like Fuji, Gala, or Honeycrisp. And, of course, take advantage of the fresh fall apples for the best price and flavor!
- Oats: Make sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe, not quick oats or minute oats, to achieve the best texture. Quick oats are too thin and will create a mushier texture.
- Milk and eggs: Milk and eggs create a custard that keeps the baked oats soft, tender, and moist. I like to use whole milk, but you can substitute it with non-dairy milk if needed.
- Brown sugar and applesauce: Using both broth sugar and applesauce to sweeten the baked oatmeal creates an even bigger apple pie-like flavor without having to use too much added sugar.
- Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla make these baked oats that classic fall aroma!
- Lemon juice: A little lemon juice brightens up the baked apples and really makes their flavor shine.
- Cornstarch and baking powder: These two ingredients are added for texture. The cornstarch helps thicken the apple juices as they bake, creating a pie-filling-like texture. The baking powder lightens the oat mixture just a touch so it’s not quite so heavy.
How to Serve
Baked oatmeal is pretty versatile. You can eat it either hot OR cold. I love it just out of the oven with a little cold milk poured over top, but it’s also great cold after it’s been refrigerated overnight. You can top it with some nuts or even some whipped cream for an even more dessert-like treat!
How to Store The Leftovers
After baking, divide the oatmeal into single-serving portions and refrigerate until completely cool. The baked oatmeal can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or you can transfer it to the freezer for longer storage (about three months). Refrigerated or frozen baked oatmeal can be reheated quickly in the microwave.
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
Servings 6 (about 1.3 cups each)Ingredients
Baked Apple Layer
- 4 medium apples (about 2 lbs. total, $2.66)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.06)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.06)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp cloves ($0.02)
Baked Oatmeal Layer
- 1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce ($0.91)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar ($0.12)
- 2 large eggs ($0.18)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.59)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.06)
- 1 tsp cinnamon ($0.10)
- 1.5 cups milk (*, $0.72)
- 2.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats ($0.72)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Core and dice the apples.
- Place the diced apples in the bottom of a 9×9-inch (or 2 qt.) casserole dish. Add the lemon juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir until the apples are coated in sugar and spices.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- While the apples are baking, prepare the baked oatmeal mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Then add the milk and whisk to combine again.
- Finally, stir the dry oats into the applesauce mixture and stir until fully combined.
- After the apples come out of the oven, give them a good stir, then pour the oat mixture over top. Return the dish to the oven (uncovered) and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
- After baking for 30 more minutes the oats should be golden brown on top and you may see some of the apple cinnamon layer bubbling up around the edges. Let the oats cool for about five minutes before serving.
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Equipment
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Whisk
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Core and dice four medium apples (about ½ lb. each).
Place the apples in the bottom of a 9×9-inch or 2-quart casserole dish. Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, ½ tsp cinnamon, and ⅛ tsp cloves. Stir until the apples are evenly coated in sugar and spices.
Cover the dish with foil and bake the apples for 15 minutes in the preheated 375ºF oven.
While the apples are baking, begin preparing the oat mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs, 1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ¼ cup brown sugar.
Add 1.5 cups milk to the applesauce mixture, then whisk again to combine.
Add 2.5 cups rolled oats (not quick oats) and stir until everything is evenly combined.
After the baked apples come out of the oven, give them a stir, then pour the oat mixture over top of the apples. Place the dish back into the oven (uncovered) and bake for 30 minutes more.
After 30 minutes the oats should be golden brown around the edges and you might see some of the apple cinnamon layer bubbling up around the edges. Remove the baked oatmeal from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
The bottom layer will be sweet and tender baked apples and the top layer will be a soft baked oatmeal. SO GOOD!
I like to eat my apple cinnamon baked oatmeal with a splash of cold milk on top!
I’ve made this twice now. It’s delish. Easy to make.
We have made this multiple times a month every year for at least four years — possibly more!
I add two extra eggs for extra protein, and the amount of apples is always flexible depending on how many we have. We can eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and it’s a huge hit.
Easy to make, easy cleanup, and wonderful to eat. Makes a great snack! (refer to nutrition count for portion size) – and would make a tasty dessert (nicer than a Crisp, in my opinion)
Easy and yummy!
I so badly want to try this recipe but my daughter is allergic to eggs. We normally swap out eggs with applesauce – 1/4c per egg. Do you think adding extra applesauce in place of the eggs would still turn out the same?
It looks delicious!
I’m not sure that it would turn out the same but it might work! I’ve heard of people using flax eggs in place of the egg here with success!
I am a vegan and use Budget Bytes constantly for recipes. I really haven’t found any issues tweaking ingredients and this recipe is no exception. I use same amount flax eggs and oat milk and when people comment this is as good as pie, it is:). Any non dairy milk works but for whatever reason, oat milk makes this perfect. I would recommend using amounts suggested when first making recipe but I have started using more apples in this recipe just because it is a family preference. This recipe is a keeper! As a side note – I have made just about every BB baked oatmeal recipe with flax egg and oat milk and they ALL come out great!
First time making this recipe & it was worth it! It’s like a healthy apple crisp. I think serving it for dessert would be wonderful. I thought it was good warm, but I like it even better cold. Very yummy!
This is my favorite of the baked oatmeal recipes on this site. I make a big batch of homemade applesauce and keep portions in the freezer just to use for this recipe. I find Gala apples make the best sauce. Just core the apples, no need to peel. Cook with a bit of water or cranberry juice until soft and then puree with an immersion blender. For the baked oatmeal layer I add a few scoops of protein powder to give it an extra nutritional boost. Served warm with a dollop of Greek yogurt it makes a fabulous breakfast.
Another good oatmeal bake! Question: could you use canned apple pie filling?
Hmmm… We haven’t tried it, but I think it could work! I would just skip that first step of baking the apples. Pour in the apple pie filling and then top with oatmeal mixture. There’s a chance it may come out a bit more wet though so keep that in mind.
Wow! This is delicious! My husband was skeptical at first but he loved it so much, he went back for seconds! As he was eating it, he said that maybe next time I could add walnuts. I wanted to test this recipe out before Christmas. I believe my guests are going to love it!
Yum! Another winner. I was a little worried the apples might stick to the bottom of the pan with no oil/cooking spray, but they didn’t! Turned out great and made the apartment smell wonderful. What a great way to welcome fall.
A-MAZ-ING! Thanks for this deliciousness!
It was phenomenal with apples and I made it today with peaches! I only had 1/4 c applesauce so I added ~ 3/4 c extra coconut milk, and then it seemed too wet so I added an extra 1/5 c oatmeal. It came out perfect! I’ve been serving it with a big dollop of Greek yogurt and couldn’t be happier. This is perfect for breakfast or dessert-I’m so happy I found this recipe!
Was very mushy the next day for meal prep.
Yes, the texture of baked oatmeal is supposed to be soft. :)
Try freezing it next time. Dry sitting right next to wet for 24 hours = mushy
I thought this recipe was great. Not as sugary and decadent as a lot of baked oatmeal recipes while still being really delicious. And the second layer could actually be fully prepared while the first layer was in the oven :) which is rare in my experience.
This recipe turned out really well. A few things I changed slightly: I used full-fat oat milk rather than dairy milk, and I didn’t have lemon juice so substituted with about 2/3 tbsp water and 1/3 tbsp apple cider vinegar. I also baked it for longer than 30 minutes, putting it back in for 2 or 3 minutes a few times until the top had a little more golden-brown to it. All of our ovens are going to be slightly different, so the important thing is to look out for signs that something is done rather than follow the exact timing in the recipe.
I will definitely be making this again!
Excellent. Very custard like an so creamy.Â
I used flax eggs and soy milk for a more plant-based recipe, and it worked great! I also added about a scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder and it blended in really nicely!
The apples turned out SO perfect! I’m officially obsessed. It’s like a healthy apple crisp.