Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
Apple pie baked oatmeal is packed with soft, tender apples, warm cinnamon and chewy oats. Everything you love about apple pie in a baked oatmeal breakfast. This recipe is so easy to make and comes together in about 10 minutes. This apple cinnamon baked oatmeal is perfect for breakfast or a really filling snack.
If you love baked oatmeal, you have to this chocolate chip baked oats, banana bread baked oatmeal or zucchini bread baked oatmeal.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make
- Mix in one bowl
- Simple pantry ingredients
- Great for meal prep
Ingredients and substitutions
- Ground flax – flax is used to help replace the eggs.
- Maple syrup – naturally sweeten the oats with maple syrup. You could also use honey or your favorite lower calorie liquid sweetener.
- Rolled oats (sometimes called old fashioned oats) – you could also use quick oats.
- Apples, peeled and cubed – use a baking apple (fuji, pink lady, honeycrisp, gala or granny smith) to ensure that the apple doesn’t break down when baking. I prefer sweeter apples in this recipe to make it more like apple pie.
- Chopped pecans, walnuts, slivered almonds, or pumpkin seeds (optional) – chopped nuts can help provide some crunch to the recipe but are optional.
How to make apple pie baked oatmeal
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large bowl combine the dairy free milk, maple syrup and ground flax. Stir well to ensure the flax doesn’t clump together.
Add the oats, baking powder and spices to the bowl. Stir well.
Peel and chop the apple, add to the oat mixture. If you are choosing to add chopped nuts, chop them and add them to the oats as well.
Spray an 8X8 casserole dish with olive oil or avocado oil spray. Add the oat mixture. Bake the apple oatmeal mixture in the oven at 350F for 45 minutes.
After baking, allow the apple pie baked oatmeal to cool if you want to slice it into bars, otherwise you can serve it hot.
Other additions
- Dried fruit: Raisins, dried cranberries, chopped pitted dates
- Crunch: Chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds) or dried coconut flakes
- Protein: Hemp hearts, collagen peptides (not vegan) or vegan protein powder (you will want to add 1/3 cup of dairy free milk for every serving of vegan protein powder).
Topping ideas
- Drizzle with maple syrup or honey
- Drippy almond butter, peanut butter, tahini, sunbutter
- Creamy Maple Cashew Frosting
- Apple butter
- Chopped nuts (or seeds)
- Whipped cream
- Greek yogurt + maple syrup
Common questions
What is baked oatmeal
Baked oatmeal is oatmeal that is baked in the oven instead of being heated through on the stove or in the microwave.
You can serve baked oatmeal immediately, the texture will be similar to oatmeal cooked on the stove or you can allow it to cool and cut the baked oatmeal into oatmeal squares that travel well.
What are the best oats to use to make baked oats?
I recommend using rolled oats (old fashioned oats) in this recipe for apple baked oatmeal. You could also use quick cooking oats.
I do not recommend using steel cut oats for this recipe, as they will not cook in the time allotted.
It’s important to note that if you need this recipe to be gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten free oats, as the oats often get cross-contaminated when being processed.
Can you make this into apple pie oatmeal muffins?
Yes. Be sure to put a parchment paper or silicone liner in the muffin tins (for easy removal). Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes.
Allow the muffins to cool completely before enjoying, as they are quite soft right out of the oven and will likely fall apart on you when hot.
Can you double the recipe?
Yes, this baked apple oatmeal is a great recipe to double and enjoy all week. When you are doubling the recipe, you will need a larger casserole dish and to bake it just a few minutes longer.
When doubling, use a 9X13 casserole dish and bake it for 5-10 more minutes (50-55 minutes total) since it will be slightly thicker than this recipe in the dish.
Can you make baked oatmeal overnight or in advance?
Yes, this cinnamon apple baked oatmeal recipe can be made in advance and reheated the next day.
The oats will absorb a lot of the liquid (think overnight oats) if you leave the liquid in with the oats overnight, so if you want to make this the night before, bake it as stated and allow it to cool completely. Once cool, wrap with plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge.
The next day, reheat in a 350F oven covered for 20-30 minutes or until warmed through completely.
Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups dairy free milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups rolled oats
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 medium apples
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl combine the dairy free milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and ground flax. Stir well to ensure the flax doesn't clump together.
- Add the rolled oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, and salt to the liquid mixture.
- Peel and chop the apples into 1/2 inch cubes. Add the apples to the oatmeal mixture.
- Spray a casserole dish with olive oil or avocado oil spray the add the oatmeal mixture.
- Bake in 350F oven for 45 minutes.
- Enjoy immediately out of the oven or allow to cool completely and cut into bars.
Notes
- Cut the apples into small cubes (about ½ inch). This helps ensure that they will get soft and tender while baking but will still be substantial enough that they won’t get lost in the oats.
- To double the recipe, use a larger casserole dish. If you want to double the recipe, use a 9X13 casserole dish and bake it for 5-10 more minutes to ensure it cooks through.
- If you want to cut this into bars, it needs to cool completely. This recipe is made without eggs, making it a bit more fragile right out of the oven. Allow it to cool completely before cutting it into squares.
- Oats are naturally gluten free but often get cross-contaminated during the processing process. If you need to ensure that your baked oatmeal is gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten free oats.
- Fridge: Store leftover baked oatmeal in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: You can either freeze the entire oatmeal bake whole in the casserole dish or cut the baked oats into squares first.
- To freeze the entire casserole dish, wrap the apple baked oatmeal with plastic wrap then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months like this in the freezer. Defrost overnight then reheat covered (remove the plastic wrap) in 350F oven for 20-30 minutes until heated through.
- To freeze individual squares, allow the baked apple oatmeal to cool completely then cut into squares. Put a piece of parchment paper between each square and freeze in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or in the microwave using 30 second intervals until defrosted.
Can this be made ahead? Could I store in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning?
Hey Dori! That is a great question. Yes you can make it ahead and bake in the morning. Hope you enjoy it! Happy cooking – Sam