Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (Packed with Protein!)

Meet our favorite fall breakfast! Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is thick, creamy, warm and full of apple-cinnamon flavor. It’s easy to make with a combination of rolled oats, almond milk, diced apple and plenty of warm spices. Top it with a drizzle of almond butter and a sprinkle of chopped pecans for the most comforting morning meal. We also love adding just half a scoop of vanilla protein powder for a boost of protein.

Just one serving is so satisfying and will keep you full right up until lunch with plenty of fiber and protein.

Once the weather gets a little chilly, we enjoy this most weekday mornings because it’s so quick and easy to make. But it would also be a lovely breakfast to make for lazy weekend mornings.

It’s warm and comforting and full of hearty goodness. It’s like waking up to a big hug in a bowl.

Ingredients needed

There’s a good chance you have everything you need for this delicious apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe! You will have a delicious bowl of oats in no time! Here’s the list:

• Oats. For this recipe, you need regular old-fashioned rolled oats. To keep this recipe gluten free, use gluten-free oats.
• Milk. Use any milk you like best. We typically use a dairy-free milk like unsweetened vanilla almond milk or cashew milk because that’s what we keep in the fridge.
• Apple. We like to use a sweet, but firm apple, such as a honeycrisp, gala, fuji or pink lady. Granny Smith apples are great if you like a more tart flavor. Cut it into whatever size chunks you prefer.
• Cozy spices. If you have apple pie spice in your pantry, use that. Or add in just cinnamon, or a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Pumpkin pie spice would also be a great alternative to the apple pie spice. Feel free to add in a little vanilla extract, too, if you’d like.
• Vanilla protein powder. We like Tone It Up protein powder because it’s plant based, vegan, gluten free and soy free. It also tastes great! Use any favorite protein powder that you’d like, or omit this ingredient completely.
• Almond butter. This is an optional ingredient, but we really love the flavor combination of the almond butter with the caramelized apples. Choose a brand that only uses the ingredients, roasted almonds and sea salt.
• Chopped pecans. Totally optional, but that added crunch paired with the creamy oatmeal is lovely!

How to make this recipe

Making a nice and creamy apple oatmeal is super easy! There are two major steps to make this recipe:

1. Simmer the oats. Combine oats and milk in a small saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat and simmer until the liquid has absorbed into the oats, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for about 8 minutes.
2. Sauté the cinnamon apples. Meanwhile, in a separate small saucepan or skillet, cook the diced apples with a little bit of coconut oil or coconut oil spray over medium heat. Stir in a dash of apple pie spice and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft.
3. Add spice & protein powder. Once the oats are cooked, remove from heat and stir in apple pie spice (just plain cinnamon will work, if that’s what you’ve got). Stir in protein powder last, if using. Add about 1/4 cup milk while stirring in the protein powder, so it mixes easily.
4. Serve. Top oatmeal with apples, almond butter or peanut butter and chopped pecans or walnuts. Enjoy!

Adding protein powder to oatmeal

Here’s a few tips for the best consistency when making protein oatmeal:

• Using a half scoop of protein is the perfect amount to add to one serving of oatmeal, to make it super delicious, but not give it an unpleasant texture. A half scoop of your average protein powder has about 12g of protein.
• Definitely stir the protein powder in right at the end, after cooking. It will combine easily and get really creamy without any powdery chunks. Add extra liquid (almond milk or water) for desired consistency.
• If you’re not interested in adding extra protein to your oatmeal, feel free to skip this step. You may want to add some stevia, maple syrup or brown sugar to sweeten the oatmeal, if you’re not using protein powder.

And that is it! Making this apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe should not take more than 15 minutes from start to finish.

Expert tips

This apple pie oatmeal is really straight-forward and easy to make, but here are a few tips so your breakfast is perfect every time.

• Type of oats. Use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best texture. You can use quick-cooking oats or steel cut oats if that’s what you have in your kitchen. Take note, though, that the cooking times will vary.
• Peeling the apple. You can certainly peel the apple, if you’d like, but once the apple is cooked you’ll barely notice the skin. Plus, the skin has lots of extra nutrients!
• Add sweetener. If you are not adding protein powder, you may want to add a sweetener such as stevia, coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup.
• Toppings. Additional toppings for this dish that would be delicious: almonds, flax seeds, chia seeds, shredded coconut, dried cranberries or raisins, and yogurt.
• Cook it in the microwave. To make apple cinnamon oatmeal in the microwave, combine oats, milk, apple and apple pie spice in a bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Stir in protein last, if using, and add milk as needed for desired consistency. Add your toppings and enjoy!

Frequently asked questions

Make ahead

For busier mornings you can prep this oatmeal the night before. Cook as directed, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat either on the stovetop or in a large microwave-safe bowl in the microwave with an extra splash of milk or water. Add toppings after re-heated. Another option is to eat your apple oatmeal straight out of the fridge, like overnight oats.

Meal prep tips

Apple cinnamon oatmeal is a great recipe to meal prep ahead of time. Stir all of the ingredients together (minus the toppings) without cooking and store in the fridge overnight. Then you can either eat the oatmeal cold or warm it up in the morning. You can double, triple, or even quadruple this recipe and then separate the servings into single-serve jars or meal-prep containers for a grab-and-go breakfast option all week long! Overnight oats will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days.

I hope you all love this bowl of deliciousness as much as we do! It’s fruity, cinnamon-y, perfectly sweet, warming and just so insanely good!

Consider this the perfect morning meal to welcome fall and make good use of all those apples. Because it comes together so quickly, it would be totally suitable for weekdays, but it is special enough to be reserved for weekends or hosting as well.

What fall recipes do you guys want to see next? We’re going to be working on a few pumpkin recipes very soon, but here are more apple recipes if you’re on an apple kick like me.

More apple recipes

• Applesauce Muffins
• Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
• Healthy Apple Crisp
• Apple Coffee Cake
• Apple Fritters

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

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Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Protein

Yield: 1 serving

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Warm Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal that's packed with protein and has the cozy flavors of fall we love so much! You guys are in for a treat with this bowl of creamy, delicious oats, topped with caramelized bites of tender apples and crunchy pecans to make for the most nutritious, satisfying breakfast.

Author: Kim

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or other favorite milk
• 1 small apple, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice (or use a dash of each: cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice) + a dash more for cooking the apple
• 1/2 serving vanilla protein powder (optional)
• splash of milk for desired consistency after cooking

Optional toppings:

• 1/2 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped pecans

Instructions 

• In a small saucepan, combine oats and milk. Simmer until liquid has absorbed into the oats, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for about 8 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, in a separate small saucepan, spray coconut oil cooking spray or other nonstick cooking spray or add 1 teaspoon oil; heat over medium heat. Add the diced apple chunks and spray apple with cooking spray. Stir in a dash of cinnamon or apple pie spice and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft. 
• Once oats are cooked, remove from heat and stir in apple pie spice (just plain cinnamon will work if that's what you've got). Stir in protein powder last, if using. I like to add about 1/4 cup milk while stirring in protein powder.
• Top oatmeal with apples, nut butter and chopped pecans. Enjoy!

Notes

Microwave version. Combine oats, milk, apple and apple pie spice in a bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Stir in protein last, if using, and add milk as needed for desired consistency. Top with nut butter and pecans.

Overnight oats. Stir everything together without cooking and store in the fridge overnight. Enjoy cold in the morning. I also really enjoy this recipe cooked and then stored in the fridge and eaten cold in the morning. This is also great for meal prepping several servings to enjoy through the week.

Gluten free. Use certified gluten-free oats.

Nut free. Omit the nuts or nut butter. You might enjoy toasted pumpkin seeds on top and a drizzle of sunbutter.

Author: Kim

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 312kcal, Carbohydrates: 39.7g, Protein: 16.5g, Fat: 11.7g, Saturated Fat: 1.2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2.4g, Sodium: 238.6mg, Potassium: 237.7mg, Fiber: 8.5g, Sugar: 11.8g, Vitamin A: 194.5IU, Vitamin C: 4.6mg, Calcium: 145mg, Iron: 3.8mg

Did you make this recipe?

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