Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal is the perfect easy family breakfast. This healthy baked oatmeal is made with simple, wholesome ingredients and has no refined sugars. It's packed with oats, sweet apple chunks, and crunchy walnuts. It's a delightful family meal filled with seasonal flavors.
Late Summer is truly magical. The days are getting shorter. Mornings are colder and midday air so fresh. The overall feeling of the upcoming Autumn begins to show. And there are these late Summer fruits - apples, pears, plums with their beautiful colors, freshness, and taste. So irresistible.
Last week I bought a bucket of apples on my local Farmers market. Red, sweet, and juicy, they immediately set my imagination on fire. I remembered Apple Cinnamon Muffins that my boys love so much and Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies, of course, since school is about to start soon and these cookies are perfect back to school snack.
But then I also remembered the old recipe I got in my book. This Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal. My favorite late Summer treat. Filled with heart-healthy OATS, and crunchy WALNUTS, loaded with wonderful Fall flavors. It is magical as late Summer itself. And delicious beyond belief.
Ingredients used
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal is one super easy to make breakfast. It's freezer-friendly, can be made a day ahead, and a no-brainer. You will only need a few simple pantry ingredients.
- OATS: Oats are lovely. Healthy, nutritious, with so many health benefits. They deserve all the praise they get. I love oats because they are an excellent source of fiber, especially beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber responsible for keeping our heart healthy. It also supports the growth of good bacteria in our digestive tract, which is essential for our overall health. They are a great source of energy and fullness. I used rolled oats here, but you can use quick oats if you like.
- MILK: I like using oat milk, but you can use whatever milk you prefer or have in the house.
- SWEETENER: I used pure maple syrup, but you can easily use honey here if you like. Sirup gave subtle sweetness yet didn't overload the dish with much sugar calories. Date syrup is a great option too.
- APPLES: Apples are the real star in this baked beauty. Fresh, sweet, and loaded with nutrients. Apples are now in season and just beautiful.
- CINNAMON: Ceylon cinnamon, also known as "true" cinnamon, is a highly delicious spice with many health benefits. Cinnamon gave this baked oatmeal a truly wonderful flavor.
To give this baked apple oatmeal extra boost, I tossed in some SUPERFOODS as well:
- Walnuts are good source of omega-3, an essential fatty acid, and an excellent source of antioxidants that fights inflammation. (1) Walnuts are very nutritious, great for gut health, and since they are calorie-dense, they are great for weight loss too. Walnuts enriched this baked oatmeal with nutrients and gave special crunchiness.
- Hemp seeds are an excellent source of healthy omega-3s, but also a great source of high-quality proteins. You can substitute hemp seeds for chia seeds or flax seeds. Use one you have at home, and the one you prefer.
- Goji berries are loaded with vitamin C, iron, vitamin A, zinc and powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants are known for their immune-boosting qualities and their ability to fight harmful free radicals and inflammation.
Other pantry ingredients you'll need:
- Baking powder
- Egg – I used free-range, pasture-raised.
- Salt – I like to use Himalayan salt.
- Extra virgin coconut oil
How to make Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 356F (180C).
- Line the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare and measure all ingredients using measuring cups.
- In a bowl, mix oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Use silicone spatula.
- In another larger bowl, combine the egg with milk. Use the whisk and mix it until you get even mixture. Add syrup and coconut oil. Mix until well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients. Using the spatula mix everything until fully combined.
- Finally, add the diced apples and chopped walnuts, hemp seeds and goji berries.
- Transfer the mixture into a prepared baking pan.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch the oatmeal and don't over-bake it.
- Get the oatmeal out of the oven. Leave it to cool for a few minutes in the pan.
- Serve topped with fresh fruits (diced apples or bananas), honey, or maple syrup.
Tips for serving
- Serve freshly baked topped with fruits: diced apples, banana slices, honey, or maple syrup.
- Top it with yogurt and maple syrup or honey to make it sweeter.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon to add more flavor.
- Crumble in the bowl and add milk.
- Sprinkle with chopped nuts to add some crunchiness.
Substitutions
- I like to use rolled oats for baked oatmeal, but you can substitute rolled oats with quick oats.
- You can substitute maple syrup with honey or date syrup. Make sure honey is not raw but in liquid, runny form.
- Substitute HEMP SEEDS with ground flax seeds or chia seeds.
- Substitute goji berries with ANY DRIED FRUIT: raisins, sultanas, cranberries, chopped apricots, chopped dates.
- Substitute WALNUTS with almonds or pecans.
- MAKE IT VEGAN: Use flax or chia egg.
- MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Use certified gluten-free oats.
Tips for storing
- Keep sliced baked oatmeal in an air-tight food container. It will last up to 5 days.
- You can keep them in the fridge. That way, it will last longer.
- Place the sliced oatmeal bake in a zip-lock bag and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw the slices on room temperature before serving. Don't use the microwave to thaw them.
PRO TIPS:
- You can use old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats here. Both are equally healthy and equally tasty. There's only a bit difference in the texture depending on which one you use. Rolled oats absorb more liquid, giving the nice dense texture (after baking, it will be easier to slice) while quick oats give much softer, mushy texture.
- You can use chopped apples or grated apples, depending on preferences. Chopped apples will give lovely freshness and sweet chunks, while grated will provide more moisture.
- Make sure you chop walnuts into tiny pieces. If you want coarsely chopped nuts, it is best to do this with a chef's knife.
- You can crush walnuts in the food processor too. Pulse them for few seconds.
This Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal is absolutely delicious. Sweet, full of apple freshness and crunchy walnuts. It's also soft, pleasing and so chewy, packed with warm Fall flavors. Plus, healthy and so nutritious, made without refined sugars with only wholesome ingredients. So simple yet so delightful.
Have it baked and stored in the fridge for quick family breakfast during busy weekday mornings. OR enjoy freshly baked on weekends. Enjoy!
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 ⅓ cup oat milk or any plant-based or cow's
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil melted and cooled
- 2 sweet apples diced
- ¼ cup walnuts roughly chopped
- ¼ cup goji berries or any other dry fruit
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 356F (180C).
- Line the bottom of an 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare and measure all ingredients using measuring cups.
- In a bowl, mix together oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Use silicone spatula.
- In another larger bowl combine egg with milk. Use the whisk and mix it until you get even mixture. Add syrup and coconut oil. Mix until well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients. Using the spatula mix everything until fully combined.
- Finally, add the diced apples and chopped walnuts, hemp seeds and goji berries.
- Transfer the mixture into prepared baking pan.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch the oatmeal and don’t over-bake it.
- Get the oatmeal out of the oven. Leave it to cool for few minutes in the pan.
- Serve topped with fresh fruits (diced apples or bananas), honey or maple syrup.
Notes
Substitute maple syrup with honey or date syrup. Make sure honey is not raw but in liquid, runny form.
Substitute HEMP SEEDS with ground flex seeds or chia seeds.
Substitute goji berries with ANY DRIED FRUIT: raisins, sultanas, cranberries, chopped apricots, chopped dates.
Substitute WALNUTS with almonds or pecans. Tips for storing Keep sliced in air-tight food container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
TO FREEZE: Place the sliced oatmeal bake in a zip-lock bag and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw the slices on room temperature before serving. Don't use microwave to thaw them. MAKE IT VEGAN: Use flax or chia egg. MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Use certified gluten-free oats. Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutrition
More oatmeal recipes
- Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal Bake
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl
- Oatmeal Waffles
- Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal
This post is originally published in August, 2018, but it's updated with new info on August 2020.
Gina says
Made this with a flax egg and turned out great. Love the texture of this baked oatmeal, chock full of lots of healthy goodies :)
Laura Arteaga says
Wow, I love this idea! We have porridge during winter and overnight oats for summer, but this is a perfect recipe for these days as it's getting colder but still too hot for porridge. Thank you for such a lovely recipe!