Healthy Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Just made this recipe and it was awesome. I was a little nervous because I used Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk which my go to (Cashew Milk) yet, it was PERFECT! Kids and hubby topped it with fruit, greek yogurt, and a drizzle of honey. I think we found a new breakfast fav!

— CJ

Sometimes I get in breakfast ruts and make the same muffins or pancakes over and over again. These last few weeks it’s been this healthy apple cinnamon baked oatmeal. Remind me again why ruts are a bad thing? 😉

Baked oatmeal is such a satisfying, nutritious morning meal and makes for a super convenient make-ahead breakfast. I bake it up on Sunday and we have plenty of oatmeal for 6 mornings throughout the week. It’s teenager-friendly, too – Landen LOVES this apple version. It’s loaded with healthy ingredients — oats, applesauce and apples. The eggs bind it all together, and a light drizzle of coconut oil (or butter) makes it taste like a treat.

Let’s bake this deliciousness!

Everything to love about this breakfast

• Tastes like dessert. This apple cinnamon flavor is warm, cozy and tastes just like dessert for breakfast. Yum!
• Filling and nutritious. A slice of this baked oatmeal is super satisfying and will keep you fueled for hours. It’s full of fiber and loaded with antioxidants.
• Easy and so tasty. This recipe is truly so easy to make in just 1 bowl and it’s so good you’ll be begging for another slice.

ingredients needed

This easy apple baked oatmeal recipe uses simple ingredients with cozy mix-ins, like juicy apple chunks, maple syrup and warm spices. Here’s what you need to make it:

• Milk. I typically use either unsweetened vanilla almond milk or cashew milk in this recipe, but any milk variety will work great.
• Eggs. We’re using 2 eggs to provide structure and bind all of the ingredients together. I haven’t tried using flax eggs, but I think it would work fine. I did have a reader let me know that my almond joy baked oatmeal worked great without any eggs at all and this is a very similar recipe.
• Maple syrup. To naturally sweeten the dish. Honey would work great as a substitute.
• Butter or coconut oil. Just 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil will add richness. I have successfully made this without adding butter or coconut oil and it worked fine.
• Applesauce. Gives the oatmeal extra apple flavor! If you don’t have applesauce on hand, use mashed banana or pumpkin puree.
• Oats. The base is made with old-fashioned rolled oats. Use gluten-free oats if you’d like. However, do NOT use quick oats or steel cut oats because the texture will not be good.
• Baking essentials. We’re adding in baking powder and salt to give this baked oatmeal a little lift and ensure it bakes properly.
• Spices. Add ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice for warm cozy flavor!
• Apple. You’ll need one small apple chopped. I like using Honeycrisp apples best, but any apple variety works fine.

How to make this recipe

This recipe is so easy because all of the ingredients get mixed together in one large bowl. You can find the full printable recipe at the bottom of this page, but here’s the key steps:

1. Prep. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9×9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup, butter or coconut oil and applesauce.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, baking powder, spices and salt with wet ingredients until fully combined. Now, stir in the chopped apple and feel free to stir in other favorite mix-ins, like chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, cranberries or raisins.
4. Bake. Pour the oatmeal mixture into your baking dish. Top with nuts and/or apple slices, if desired. Place in the oven and bake until just set and golden brown, about 35 minutes.
5. Serve & enjoy! Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Cut it into squares for serving. Top with maple syrup, yogurt, almond butter or you can even serve it in a bowl with a splash of milk.

Should I peel the apple? Not necessary! You can slice and chop up the apple without peeling it. Once it’s baked, you won’t even notice the peeling. However, feel free to peel it, if preferred.

Optional recipe swaps

Baked oatmeal is a super versatile dish! Feel free to swap some of the ingredients listed with your favorites!

• Sweetener. Instead of maple syrup you can use honey, coconut sugar or brown sugar.
• Dairy free. Make this breakfast dairy free by using a vegan butter or coconut oil.
• Fruit. Want to change things up? Feel free to use another type of fruit. Pears would be delicious, but berries or peaches would totally work too!
• Spices. Apple pie spice would be tasty. Feel free to leave out the nutmeg and allspice and only use cinnamon, if that’s what you have on-hand.
• Fun mix-ins. Any of these extras would be super tasty baked into this oatmeal – chocolate chips, shredded coconut, walnuts, pecans, or raisins. I would use about 1/2 to 1 cup of any of these or a combination.

What is baked oatmeal?

Baked oatmeal is a warm breakfast casserole made from oats, milk, and other kitchen staples. Whereas stovetop or instant oatmeal has a creamy porridge consistency, baked oatmeal is more cakey, like bread pudding. It’s basically like regular oatmeal with even more texture. If you’re looking for individual serving sizes, try my pumpkin baked oatmeal cups. 

Can you serve baked oatmeal cold?

Definitely! Baked oatmeal is awesome cold. I actually ate most of this apple baked oatmeal cold right out of the refrigerator. It’s surprisingly tasty that way, especially if you need a quick bite after a workout or an easy snack fix.

Is baked oatmeal healthy?

Yes, baked oatmeal is healthy! It’s loaded with fiber, healthy carbs, and whole grains! You can customize baked oatmeal to be higher in protein or healthy fats depending on what you need but it is a great well-balanced meal! This particular recipe has 323 calories per serving and 46 carbs.

Serving suggestions

I typically just eat this on its own – it’s plenty satisfying. I love it warm with an extra splash of milk. So good! But it does pair well with a variety of breakfast sides. Below are some tasty options:

• Hash browns or breakfast potatoes
• Fresh fruit or fruit salad
• Yogurt
• Bacon, sausage, or ham
• Eggs

Topping ideas

This is pretty amazing served with just a splash of milk or a drizzle of maple syrup, but here are some other fun topping ideas:

• chopped pecans or walnuts
• yogurt or whipped cream
• vanilla ice cream
• nut butter or Nutella
• shredded coconut

How to store, reheat & freeze 

To store in the refrigerator:

Before storing, allow it to cool completely, and then cover the pan with aluminum foil or plastic wrap before transferring it to the refrigerator. It will stay good covered in the refrigerator for up to about 7 days, and you can reheat individual slices in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. For a meal prepped breakfast that’s ready-to-go, store individual slices in separate glass meal prep containers.

To freeze & reheat:

Once it has completely cooled, cut it into 6 individual servings and wrap each serving in plastic wrap and then tinfoil. When you’re ready to eat, unwrap it and place it on a microwave-safe dish and microwave in 30 second intervals for 1-2 minutes. If you wrap and freeze the entire baked oatmeal for later, reheat it in the oven, covered with foil, for 20-25 minutes at 350ºF.

Why you should make this recipe

My healthy almond joy baked oatmeal is such a great oatmeal recipe, I used it as a guide for this one. I love, love, love the way this apple cinnamon baked oatmeal turned out. It’s thick, creamy, warm and full of apple-cinnamon flavor. It’s so scrumptious, there is really no need for a topping! Just one serving is super satisfying and always keeps me full until lunch with plenty of fiber and protein.

I hope you guys love this recipe as much as my family does! It’s simple, hearty, wholesome, perfectly sweet, healthy and delish!

I love having this ready-to-go on weekday mornings. It also works so well to serve throughout the holiday season, particularly when hosting guests – it’s the ultimate warming, comfort food.