This Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal is the perfect make-ahead breakfast for fall and winter! It's really easy to make, great for meal prep, and so comforting! It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with lots of apple flavor and warming spices. If you love apple pie, these baked oats are for you! Plus they're freezer-friendly!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Warming fall spices - Apples and apple pie spice are the ultimate flavor of fall! The oatmeal gets golden and crispy on the outside but it stays soft and creamy on the inside. It's packed with apple flavor from both grated and diced apples and lots of apple pie spice to give you that true apple pie flavor without all the extra work.
Low effort and simple - The hands of time for this recipe is only about 10 minutes followed by 50 minutes of baking in the oven during which you can do any cleanup, more food prep, or get ready for the day! You can even use frozen diced apples for an even easier prep!
Great for a crowd - This baked oatmeal feeds 6 and you could easily double the recipe and bake it in two dishes at the same time if you have an oven big enough to feed 12! It's easy to serve, foolproof, and always a hit. It stores really well in the fridge for 4-5 days and having good leftovers is always a plus in my books!
Freezer friendly - This oatmeal freezes very well so it's perfect for meal prep or when you're making this for only 1-2 people, you can easily freeze the rest and have a delicious filling breakfast ready for you on busy mornings. Just heat it up and add your favorite toppings!
Ingredients
- Rolled oats - Make sure to use classic rolled oats here. Quick-cooking oats would make the baked oatmeal too dense and steel-cut oats wouldn't cook properly.
- Almond milk - You can use any milk here. Some might make it creamier than others. I like using creamy almond or cashew milk. Whole milk, almond milk, boxed coconut milk, oat milk, cashew milk, etc. all work great.
- Eggs - Eggs help bind everything together and help the oatmeal rise a little bit as a cake would.
- Apples - You'll need both grated apples and diced apples. I add grated apple to distribute the apple flavor throughout the oatmeal better. You can use frozen diced apples to save time (no need to defrost!).
- Maple syrup - Maple syrup or honey are the perfect sweeteners for this baked oatmeal. You can also use agave if you prefer. I haven't tested the recipe with granulated sugar but it should work as well.
- Butter - The recipe calls for melted unsalted butter in the batter and for greasing the pan to make sure the oatmeal doesn't stick. Butter yields the best flavor and texture but cooking oil like avocado oil also works here.
- Apple pie spice - This is where all the apple pie flavor comes from!
- Vanilla extract - Vanilla balances out all the flavors, I highly recommend adding it if you have it. Vanilla powder or vanilla paste also work great.
- Sea salt and baking powder - Sea salt is necessary in any baked goods to enhance and balance all the flavors. Baking powder helps the batter rise.
Variations and Substitutions
- Dried fruit and nuts - Add raisins, chopped dates, or chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds, or cashews to the batter for more flavor, healthy fats, and protein if desired.
- Pear - If you don't have enough apples, you can add a pear as well or use pears only to change things up.
- Different fruit - You can also replace half of the apples with other fruits like blueberries or raspberries. If you want a full berry oatmeal, try this Mixed Berry Baked Oatmeal.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F (190C). Prepare a 12x8-inch baking dish and grease it using a knob of butter. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together rolled oats, baking powder, and apple pie spice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, almond butter (if using), vanilla extract, and melted butter.
- Add milk and whisk again.
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- Add the dry ingredients and whisk again to combine.
- Add grated apple, and diced apples and stir with a spoon to combine. I use a spoon here because it's much easier than the whisk with all the added apples.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until golden.
- Take out of the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.
- Slice the baked oatmeal into 6 squares and serve with your favorite toppings.
Expert Tips
- Baking dish: A glass baking dish tends to take longer to heat up and longer to cool down than a ceramic one does. This can make or break a recipe but it doesn't matter too much with this recipe. I like making baked oats in my 12x8-inch glass baking dish and I've never had any issues!
- Sugar on top: A sugary topping is optional but it's what makes the top layer of the baked oats all crispy, golden, and caramel-like. I like using coarse sugar like turbinado so it's still visible even after baking.
Serving Suggestions
You can totally serve this oatmeal plain but my favorite way to enjoy it is with Caramelized Apples to really up the apple pie flavor. If you're making it at the end of summer, it would also be amazing with some Caramelized Peaches or even caramelized banana from this Mocha Oatmeal with Caramelized Banana.
Some of my other favorite toppings include fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, nut butter, yogurt, or even ice cream to serve this for dessert!
Storing and Reheating
I don't recommend mixing the batter ahead of time because the oats would soak up too much of all the liquid and the oatmeal might not bake up the same way but you can definitely bake it ahead of time and reheat it on busy mornings during the week! It's perfect for meal prep!
Fridge: Store any leftover baked oatmeal in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. I recommend storing the squares either in a single layer or placing a sheet of parchment paper in between slices to avoid them sticking together.
Freezer: Store the oatmeal in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag in a single layer or with parchment paper in between the slices. I highly recommend freezing the oatmeal in single-serving squares for easier defrosting.
Reheating: Preheat your oven to 300F (150C). Reheat the baked oats on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerated baked oats will take 10-15 minutes to warm up. This might vary based on the size of your squares. If you're heating it up from frozen, it will take about 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can defrost the oatmeal in the fridge overnight first but it's totally okay to reheat from frozen, it just takes longer.
FAQs
I haven't tried using a vegan substitute for the eggs so I can't guarantee results but you can definitely give it a try! Flax meal may work, the texture might just be more loose and less cake-like after baking. You can use vegan butter and vegan milk to keep it dairy-free.
Yes! I used frozen diced apples for the baked oatmeal in the photos and it came out amazing! It saves time and it's just as delicious!
If you run out of apple pie spice, add 2 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, and ¼ nutmeg instead.
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes
If you're as big a fan of baked oatmeal as I am, you'll definitely want to check out the four recipes below! They're just as easy to make as this one and super similar, just with different fruits. To see all the latest ones and other breakfast oat recipes, head over to Oatmeal Recipes.
- Mixed Berry Baked Oatmeal (my all-time favorite)
- Strawberry Baked Oatmeal (use frozen strawberries and enjoy it all year long!)
- Peach Baked Oatmeal (perfect for the end of summer!)
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal (an Easter classic)
📖 Recipe
Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal is the perfect make-ahead breakfast for fall and winter! It's simple, comforting, great for meal prep, and freezer-friendly!
Ingredients
- A knob of butter (for greasing the pan)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp apple pie spice
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter (optional)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup melted butter (or avocado oil)
- 2 cups almond milk (or regular milk)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 apple, grated (1 cup)
- 2 apples, diced (2 cups)
- 2-3 tablespoon turbinado sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F (190C). Prepare a 12x8-inch baking dish and grease it using a knob of butter. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together rolled oats, baking powder, and apple pie spice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, almond butter (if using), vanilla extract, and melted butter.
- Add milk and whisk again.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Add grated apple, and diced apples and stir with a spoon to combine.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until golden.
- Take out of the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.
- Slice the baked oatmeal into 6 squares and serve with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Fridge: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Freezer: Freeze pre-portioned baked oatmeal in a freezer-safe container for 2-4 months.
Recommended baking dish: I like using a 12x8-inch (20x30cm) glass baking dish. The oatmeal has more surface to crisp up in a larger pan but it’s still thick enough to be soft on the inside. If you use a different size pan, the results and cooking time may vary.
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Veronika Sykorova says
My favorite new fall breakfast, you've got to make this oatmeal!