Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal is an easy and delicious make ahead breakfast for the fall and winter months. Prep it the night before and bake it the next day for a relaxed morning! Shhh… You can also bake it right away if you’re not the planning kind 😉
This recipe is Trim Healthy Mama approved for a THM E breakfast, it’s low fat and a great start into the day!
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
Aaaah, baked oatmeal. One of my favorite breakfasts!
No, not because it can be made ahead… I rarely ever remember, ahem.
But because it’s delicious, it tastes like cake for breakfast and everyone in my family will gladly eat a large helping. Even my oatmeal-hating husband!
Now that it’s September I knew I had to replace my blueberry version.
And so, this Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal was born!
It is our favorite breakfast right now.
- it’s extremely easy to stir up in just one bowl
- if you make a double batch you can freeze the leftovers for those extra-busy mornings
- we add a generous helping of Greek yogurt with sweetener and cinnamon, which is kind of like eating apple cake with cinnamon frosting ❤️
Seriously, you need this in your life.
My best tips to make this Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal:
Dice the apples into bite-sized pieces
If you dice them too large, it will be annoying to eat.
If you dice them too small, they will disintegrate during baking. I like dicing them about the size of the tip of my thumb.
Don’t overbake
It’s important you don’t overbake the oatmeal, or it will end up very dry.
It’s quite soft when it comes out of the oven, but it firms up as it cools a little. I’m nervous about raw egg, so I tend to overbake it – but I regret it every time because it does really dry out.
The egg should cook through in the time suggested in the recipe, but use your best judgment.
What about the eggs? And nuts?
I know, this is an e meal and I suggest using egg whites in the recipe below, but personally I’m using whole eggs.
That’s because I’m nursing, I’m at my goal weight and both my daughters and my husband have very fast metabolisms.
If you’d rather cut the small amount of fat from the egg yolks, you can absolutely use egg whites only – I’ve done it before and it works out just perfect. You can also leave out the pecans, I add them as a special treat!
Can you freeze this baked oatmeal?
Yes, you can!
- wait for the oatmeal to cool to room temperature
- use bags or containers suitable for freezing
- label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months)
- reheat in the oven or microwave until piping hot all the way through
What can you serve with baked oatmeal?
It’s a great breakfast option because it has fiber, healthy carbs and protein from the egg whites.
We still like dressing it up a little for a hearty, protein-anchored THM E breakfast:
- with Greek yogurt we mix with a little sweetener and cinnamon
- if it’s a special occasion we might add a serving of healthy cinnamon apples
- for extra protein, you could add a few scrambled egg whites on the side
Here’s the printable recipe:
Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats use gluten free if necessary
- 3/4 cup milk unsweetened almond is a great choice, see notes for substitute
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans optional
- ½ cup egg whites about 3 large, see notes for substitute
- 3 tablespoons Stevia blend like Gentle Sweet, see notes for substitute
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped apple
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients: Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add to a casserole dish: Lightly grease a 7×11 inch rectangular baking dish and spread the oat mixture in it.
- Chill the dish: Cover the casserole dish (you can use either plastic wrap or even a towel). Chill in the fridge overnight.
- Bake the dish: The next morning, remove the dish from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until set and golden on top, about 30-35 minutes. Rest the casserole dish on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes, then slice to serve.
Notes
- Leave out the pecans to keep it very low in fat.
- Instead of unsweetened almond milk, we also like using local raw cow’s milk. (I skim the cream off the top to use that in S meals!)
- Instead of egg whites, you can also use 2 whole eggs if you’re not concerned about making the bake super low fat.
- Instead of the Stevia blend (something like Truvia or the THM Gentle Sweet), you can use 1/8 teaspoon pure stevia extract OR 1 tablespoon THM Super Sweet Blend. You can also use 1/4 cup maple syrup OR 1/4 cup brown sugar, or more if that’s how you roll.
- If you’re not a planner, you can let the mixed oats sit on the counter for 10 minutes and then bake it straight away. It will be a little chewier and less fluffy, but still delicious.
Deborah says
I wish you could smell my home right now. Cinnamon and apples–what a comforting, cozy, satisfying aroma! Anxiously I wait five minutes before I dig in. If this recipe works, I plan on keeping it and using it over and over again to help me on my healthy living journey. Yum! It is very tasty. It’s a keeper.
Nora says
So happy to read this, Deborah! Thank you for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate it!
Seraphina L says
This recipe is so great! I love love all the notes that are added for substitutions etc. Thanks for sharing!
Nora says
Glad you enjoyed the oatmeal, Seraphina!
Sue Rothering says
I made this using a small amount of brown sugar but the rest of the recipe the same and it was really delicious! Perfect healthy snack! thank you!
Nora says
I’m glad you enjoyed the oatmeal Sue, it’s a fall favorite for us!
alice says
This was really good and my kids liked it a lot. I had mine with some Greek yogurt and that was a good combo. It isn’t too sweet. Next time, I am going to cook the apples a little before adding because they were a little firm for my liking…could be the kind of apples I used. I will definitely be making it again.
Megan says
Sounds great! Can you use plain quick oats for this instead of old fashioned?
Nora says
Megan, yes you absolutely can. You may need to use a little less liquid, and the bake will have a s lightly different texture. But it’s still delicious!
Tracy says
What kind of apples do you use?
Nora says
The ones that grow on trees! No, I kid ? my children like it best with Gala apples, as they’re sweet and soft.