This Caramelized Apricot Oatmeal is extra creamy and ready in 30 minutes! It has double the apricots - some are added right into the oatmeal, and the rest are caramelized in the oven. It's easy, gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and perfect for late summer!
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Why You'll Love This Apricot Oatmeal
Creamy and full of flavor - Apricots are such an underrated summer fruit, and I feel like I hardly ever see them in recipes, so I wanted to change that. Chopped apricots are cooked with the oatmeal, giving it a ton of flavor, while the rest of them bake in the oven and get beautifully caramelized with maple syrup, butter, and cinnamon.
Simple ingredients - You don't need much for this recipe. Just oats, milk, and apricots for the oatmeal, and maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla for the caramelized apricots. It's so easy to make, and the flavors are super simple but so good!
Ingredients
- Rolled oats - Use classic old-fashioned oats for the best texture. Quick oats will also work, but the oatmeal will be mushier. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but always choose certified gluten-free if needed.
- Apricots - Look for bright orange, soft, and juicy apricots that are easy to pull apart to remove the pit. If they're still very firm, they need more time on the counter in a sunny spot to ripen.
- Almond milk - You can make these oats with any milk. Whole milk, almond, cashew, rice, soy, or coconut milk (from a carton) are all great options. I don't recommend canned coconut milk unless you mix it with water because it's too thick.
- Baked apricots - The caramelized apricots are baked with a sauce made with melted unsalted butter, maple syrup, pure vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Because these apricots are sweetened, there's no need to add any sweetener to the oatmeal.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add more toppings - You can change up the toppings by adding a dollop of yogurt, almond butter, a drizzle of cream or milk, chopped almonds (I like almond slices), pistachios, or pecans.
- Add-ins - You can add more ground spices like ground ginger or cardamom.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The caramelized apricots are totally optional, but if you do make them, I recommend starting with them because they bake for about 20 minutes. You can make the oatmeal during that time and serve it just as they're done baking!
Baked apricots
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a small baking dish.
- Remove the pits and lay your apricot halves on the baking dish, cut side up, so that the sauce pools in the middle.
- Melt your butter in a small saucepan on the stove and stir it with maple syrup, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.
- Pour the mixture over the apricots.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and caramelized.
- While they’re baking, make the oatmeal.
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Apricot Oatmeal
- Add rolled oats, milk, and diced apricots to a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Stir often, as oatmeal likes to stick. Add more milk or water as needed.
- Take the oatmeal off the heat and stir in vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.
- Top the oatmeal with your baked peaches and drizzle with any sauce that’s leftover in the pan. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Serve it right away - The longer the oatmeal sits, the thicker it will get because the oats will continue to soak up any liquid. This also means the oats will get softer and less chewy.
- Use rolled oats - Quick oats cook in less time, but rolled oats are fairly quick too, and the texture is just so much better!
Storing and Reheating
My experience with stovetop oatmeal is that it's best eaten right away. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days if needed, but it will thicken as it sits.
To reheat it, transfer it to a small saucepan with a splash of milk and warm up over low-medium heat, stirring often to avoid it sticking until it starts to bubble.
The baked apricots can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat them in a small baking dish with a splash of water in the oven at 300F for 5-10 minutes.
FAQs
Yes, just use vegan butter for the baked apricots and dairy-free milk in the oatmeal.
Similar Oatmeal Recipes
If you want to see similar oatmeal recipes (both stovetop ones and baked), check out the four recipes linked below! The baked peach oatmeal is my favorite late summer breakfast! Head over to Oatmeal Recipes to see all the latest ones.
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Print📖 Recipe
Caramelized Apricot Oatmeal
This Caramelized Apricot Oatmeal is extra creamy and ready in 30 minutes! It has double the apricots - some are added right into the oatmeal, and the rest are caramelized in the oven. It's easy, gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and perfect for late summer!
- Total Time25 minutes
- Yield1 1x
- DietVegan
Ingredients
Baked apricots
- 2-3 apricots (mine were really small, so I did 3)
- ½ tbsp melted unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
Apricot oatmeal
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 ¼ cup milk, plus more milk or water as needed (I did a mix of water and cashew milk)
- 2 apricots, diced
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
Baked apricots
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a small baking dish.
- Remove the pits and lay your apricot halves on the baking dish, cut side up, so that the sauce pools in the middle.
- Melt your butter in a small saucepan on the stove and stir it with maple syrup, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.
- Pour the mixture over the apricots.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and caramelized. While they’re baking, make the oatmeal.
Apricot Oatmeal
- Add rolled oats, milk, and diced apricots to a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Stir often, as oatmeal likes to stick. Add more milk or water as needed.
- Take the oatmeal off the heat and stir in vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.
- Top the oatmeal with your baked peaches and drizzle with any sauce that’s leftover in the pan. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing: Stovetop oatmeal tastes the best fresh, but you can always store any leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days
Reheating: Reheat the oatmeal in a small saucepan on the stove with a splash of milk or water. The baked peaches can be reheated in a small baking dish at 300°F for about 8-10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Oatmeal
- Method: Oven and Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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