Apple Baked Oatmeal

Apple Baked Oatmeal is an easy make-ahead gluten-free breakfast topped with sugar-free caramelized apples. A healthy meal with cozy Fall flavors!

 

It's that wonderful time of the year again, folks! Fall is here... and with it, all the goodies that make it magical, such as this Apple Oatmeal topped with caramelized apples. This is something that you can make ahead, refrigerate, and bake before serving.

It is made with simple ingredients such as old-fashioned oats, apple pie spice, honey, reduced-fat milk, an egg, an apple, vanilla, a heap of apple sauce, and baking powder. All you need to do, basically, is to mix all the ingredients, pour into a greased baking dish, and bake.

Then top baked oatmeal with apple slices caramelized with butter and honey, garnish with pom seeds if desired, and voila!

There you have a cozy and tasty quick breakfast that is ready to be enjoyed on a cool fall morning at home or to be taken along to work or school.

Ingredients and Substitutions for Apple Baked Oats

To make this apple baked oatmeal you will need about 10 ingredients:

• Oats –Old-fashioned oats (or rolled oats) are best for this recipe! Use a gluten-free one, if needed!
• Flavorings -- Apple pie spice and pure vanilla extract will give great flavor to our apple baked oatmeal recipe. To make an apple cinnamon baked oatmeal, simply replace the apple pie spice with ground cinnamon! If you want, you can add a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter to our recipe for added protein!
• Egg –It acts as the binding agent and its protein gives structure to the baked oatmeal. Take a look at our baking substitutions to get a vegan substitute for eggs (e.g. flax eggs).
• Milk – I used reduced-fat milk to make it leaner, but you can choose your milk of choice, including plant-based or non-dairy milk (e.g. oat milk or soy milk) for a dairy-free version.
• Applesauce –Use unsweetened applesauce if possible!
• Sweetener – We used honey but you can replace it with maple syrup for a vegan version, or other of choice such as brown sugar.
• Fresh Apples –use your favorite variety of sweet or tart apples. You don’t have to use baking apples because the fruit will be caramelized and served on top of the baked oatmeal. That means, they won’t e chopped and mixed to bake along with the oats. Pink lady and red delicious are great choices.
• Baking powder – it will be the rising ingredient!
• Butter – It will help caramelize the fresh fruit for the overnight oatmeal but you can use coconut oil instead for make it dairy-free.

How to make apple baked oatmeal

The prep for this recipe couldn't be easier.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a baking dish (either 8 x 8-inch, or 8 x 5-inch).
• In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: oats, apple pie spice, and baking powder. Set aside!

• Then, in a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, an egg, honey or pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and apple sauce until well combined. Gently stir the oat mixture with the milk mixture until incorporated.
• Pour into reserved greased baking dish.

• Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
• Let cool at room temp for at least 10 minutes before serving -- or overnight, loosely covered.
• Meanwhile, prepare the caramelized apples. In a large no-stick skillet, melt unsalted butter over medium heat, stir in honey, and cook apples for about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

• Top this healthy baked oatmeal with caramelized apples and if desired, garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Is Apple Baked Oatmeal Healthy?

Yes! This easy breakfast recipe contains wholesome ingredients such as apples and rolled oats, it is low in fat, and has no added sugar.

Moreover, it is a good source of fiber and protein!

What’s the Best Kind Of Oats for this Recipe?

Although steel cut oats are the least processed type of oats, they can produce a bitey baked oatmeal (not the best texture). I personally dislike it! You would also have to adjust the recipe and increase the amounts of the liquids and baking time.

After testing this apple baked oatmeal recipe, I found rolled oats to be the best kind! It will give you a slightly more chewy baked oatmeal that is still soft enough to bite.

Another good option for baked oatmeal recipes would be quick oats (rolled oats that cook faster) if you prefer a softer creamier texture but it has a higher GI (Glycemic Index) than rolled oats.

How to Store Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

After the baked oatmeal has cooled completely, cut it into even pieces, place in an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Or let it cool fully, cover the baking dish with a lid, and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to Freeze Baked Oatmeal:

To freeze, simply make the baked oatmeal, bake it, let cool to room temp, and then freeze it as follows: 

Cut baked oatmeal into individual portions, place them in freezer containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

Freezing a certain amount of pieces in individual containers is the easiest for reheating the exact portions you’ll need for breakfast!

How to Meal Prep (Make Ahead):

If you prefer, you can make the night before, bake, loosely cover with aluminum foil to cool at room temp overnight, and reheat in the morning -- or make, refrigerate, and bake right before serving.

How To Reheat Oatmeal Bake:

From frozen:  Pull out a serving of frozen apple baked oatmeal and thaw in the fridge overnight. Yes, you can eat it cold or at room temperature if you prefer!

Or place the frozen individual servings on a plate and heat in the microwave for 30-40 second intervals (time may vary depending on microwave wattage) until warmed through.

From refrigerated: Place a serving on a plate and heat in the microwave for 30-40 second intervals until warmed through.

Other Oat Recipes to Enjoy:

• Protein Overnight Oats
• Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Blueberry Oatmeal
• How to Make the Perfect Oatmeal

 

This post was once a sponsored post that has been modified and updated.