Warm Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (Packed with Protein!)
Warm Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal that’s packed with protein and has the hearty flavors of fall we love so much! You guys are in for a treat with this bowl of creamy protein-packed oats, topped with caramelized bites of tender apples and crunchy pecans to make for the most perfect nutritious cozy breakfast.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Meet my favorite fall breakfast!
I love, love, love this bowl and I’m super excited to share its deliciousness with all of you. It’s thick, creamy, warm and full of apple-cinnamon flavor. I usually top mine with a drizzle of almond butter and chopped pecans, which I highly recommend. I also love adding just half a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
In a pinch feel free to top this oatmeal with whatever you have on hand – peanut butter, yogurt, walnuts or almonds. Just one serving is so satisfying and always keeps me full right up until lunch with plenty of fiber and protein.
I enjoy my oatmeal most weekday mornings, since it’s become part of my daily routine. But it would also be a lovely breakfast to make for guests or 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 for Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
There’s a good chance you have everything you need for this delicious recipe! You will have a delicious bowl of oats in no time! Here’s what you need:
- Oats. For this recipe, you need regular old fashioned rolled oats. To keep this apple cinnamon oatmeal gluten free, I suggest using certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- Milk. I prefer unsweetened vanilla almondmilk or cashew milk, but feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand.
- Apple. Cut 1 small apple into whatever size chunks you prefer. I recommend a sweet, but firm apple such as honeycrisp or pink lady.
- Cozy spices. I used an apple pie spice I had in my pantry, but you can use just cinnamon or a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Pumpkin pie spice would also be a great alternative to the apple pie spice.
- Vanilla protein powder. Tone It Up is my go-to lately. I love that this protein powder is plant based, gluten free and soy free. It also tastes great!
- Almond butter. This is an optional ingredient, but I really love the flavor combination of the almond butter with the caramelized apples. I like to use a brand that only uses the ingredients, roasted almonds and sea salt.
- Chopped pecans. Totally optional, but I just love that added crunch!
How do you make apple cinnamon oatmeal?
Making a nice and creamy apple oatmeal is super easy! There are two major parts to making a delicious bowl of oats, that’s topped with warm cinnamon apple chunks.
First, combine oats and milk in a small saucepan. Simmer until liquid has absorbed into the oats, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté apples with a little bit of coconut oil or coconut oil spray. Stir in a dash of apple pie spice and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft. I chose to leave the skins on as I don’t mind them, but feel free to peel them.
How to add protein powder to oatmeal
- Using a half scoop of protein is the perfect amount to add to oatmeal, to make it super delicious, but not give it a funny texture. A half scoop of your average protein powder has about 12g of protein. PLUS, they come in all kinds of fun flavors!
- Definitely stir the protein powder in right at the end, after cooking. This makes it really creamy and doesn’t make your protein powder chunky. 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.
Recipe Tips
This apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe is really straight-forward and easy to make, but here are a few tips so your breakfast is perfect every time.
- In my opinion, old fashioned rolled oats gives this oatmeal the best texture. However, 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.
- If you are not adding protein powder to this cinnamon apple oatmeal, you may want to add a sweetener such as stevia, coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
- Additional toppings for apple flavored oatmeal that would be delicious: almonds, ground flax, chia seeds, shredded coconut, dried cranberries or raisins, and yogurt.
- 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!
Preparing Oatmeal in Advance
For busier mornings you can prep this oatmeal the night before. Cook as directed, then store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Reheat either on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of almond milk or water. Add toppings after re-heated. Another option is to eat your apple oatmeal cold, in the morning. I also really enjoy this recipe cooked and then stored in the fridge and eaten cold in the morning.
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 apple cinnamon oatmeal as much as I do! It’s:
Fruity
Cinnamon-y
Perfectly sweet
Warming
Comforting
Quick to make
& Insanely delicious
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? I’m 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 apple oatmeal 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. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Warm Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Protein
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almondmilk 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
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @kimscravings on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
Delicious!! I stirred in a mashed banana for a natural sweetness, and also added a splash of lemon juice to my apples. Great recipe overall.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for leaving a comment!
I’m always looking for a way to pack my breakfasts with some extra protein, so thank you for the wonderful recipe! This oatmeal turned out so delicious and I loved the coziness that the sautéed apples gave the oatmeal.
OMG I totally loved this for breakfast. Love these flavors and I’m always looking for new healthy breakfast ideas!
This was so delicious! Will be making on repeat all fall season!
My new favorite oatmeal recipe! Love that this bowl of oats has added protein and the warm cinnamon apples on top is the perfect touch for major deliciousness!
Thanks so much!! It is super tasty!!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it so many times, that I thought I should leave a comment here to say thanks.
Great hearty breakfast for fall! I’ll definitely be making this again!
Made these yesterday they are wonderful!
Made this for meal prep this week – so delicious 🙂 I’ll definitely be looking forward to eating breakfast all week!
Hi Kim! I made this recipe last night since I needed to use up some apples. I made a supply for the busy work week. It was easy to make and more important delicious. Another winner for breakfast!!!
I have never tried putting my protein powder in my oatmeal but that is a great idea. This apple cinnamon oatmeal would be a great start to our mornings. Thanks for sharing!